VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Driving along at 35 MPH

I don't know about the rest of you all, but in my area of the Country, I really think twice before I take my 32 Sport Coupe for a spin.

I love driving it, but I sort of limit myself to early morning tours or a Sunday spin around the town.

Here in northern New Jersey, everyone is driving because they have to and in most cases they are late to wherever they want to go. As you can imagine I live in a very conjested part of this country. It seems like everyone is in a hurry and most likely on a cellphone!

It scares the heck out of me to take the Coupe out during a work day, and I'd like to know how you guys handle it?

Did you guys install directionals? Or, maybe purchase those exspensive final gear ratio's? Most drivers around here think I'm giving them the "bird" when I use my hand signals!

Just curious...? How do you guys handle the modern day traffic, while driving your old Chevy around, in your areas?

Ray

Try going on one of the VCCA Early Six Cylinder Tours. You'll get four or five days of driving on baack roads. Contact the Pine Barens Region. All they do is tour. There ismore fun and safety in numbers.

Stillwater, Okla isn't as congested as New Jersey, but we have our own problems. A population of about 50,000 that in the next few weeks will add about 20,000 university students, and a third of them have never been away from home before or are cowboys driving monster pickups. I try to limit my driving time in my '32 to mid-morning and early evening. I use hand signals but most of the kids don't seem to understand them. I will make three right turns before I will make a left turn. I do not have turn indicators because the tail lights are too small and no one would look at the cowl lights. I wouldn't add non-original lights. I don't run with my headlights on either. Keeping out of the worst traffic and going out of the way to find traffic lights and not being aggressive seems safe enough. Good luck and keep the shiny side up.

Sam, I see you agree with me. Scarry isn't it? Early or mid- mornings are my choice too.

Backroads, I know the Pine Barrens Region is very active. Unfortunatly they are about 70 miles south of me and the only roads to use to get there without driving three hours on side roads are the interstates. The 32 refuses to cruise at 70 mph for a hour and a half! Someday in the near future I hope to live down that way and will look them up.

I wonder if the States will someday require some of us to attach a sign to the rear stating "CAUTION! SLOW MOVING VEHICLE".

Your car should run 45 - 50 with no problem without any modifications. I drove our 31 at those speeds for over 40 years and it is still going strong.

I drove Old Blue ('37 Half ton) to the Middlewest Meet at Stillwater this past June on I-35. No interstates for us ever again. Poor old truck did her best, but sustained cruising at 55 was about more than she could take. She runs best at about 40 to 45 mph. Also, some bonehead truck driver nearly ran us off the road because he was driving too fast, and was cut off by a car that was passing me on the left. From now on it's only the backroads and only in non-rush hour periods. BTW she has turn signals, emergency flasher, seat belts, etc.

Ray,

It is a shame you can't enjoy your Chevy the way it was meant to be. I really don't have that problem here in Vermont, although I do keep off the interstates. I have cruised my '48 at 50 - 55 and squeezed 60 for awhile at times, but for the most part I try to keep it at 40 - 50 for my own peace of mind. Before I moved to Vermont I spent about 15 years working on the NJ Turnpike as a field engineer.............and I just can't understand why you won't take your 'baby' out there?????

35 mph suits me just fine. Besides, at my age I really enjoy driving slow just to upset the guy behind me (just kidding, I'm not really old).
I don't have turn signals on my '35 so I use hand signals. If the other drivers don't know what they mean I figure that's their problem. I really do despise driving on the interstates as the car really isn't comfortable at 55mph. Too much front end wander on the bias ply tires, engine sounds like she's gonna grenade at any moment, and too many gawkers who slow down to wave and try to communicate with hand signals and by yelling out the window. Idiots.
Yes, early mornings are good but the occasional evening drive with a stop for local ice cream is one of our favorite things to do. Just plan on being home by dark as those 6v headlamps aren't too bright.

I know and one of the sad parts is all the gawkers that almost cause a wreck rubberknecking the old shiny ar puttering down the Interstate just like it belonged there, you really have to look out for them, they will even pull over into your lane, I guess we will just have to watch and go on ....

I don't think that hand signals for making turns and stops is even shown in drivers' handbooks...are there still any handbooks being printed on paper?

I was returning from a NW Meet a few years ago on I-5 in Washington state and driving my 1941. A car pulls up beside me and everyone was looking at my car. He kept drifing over until I had both wheels past the white line and in the gravel.

It's interesting reading these posts.

The bias ply tires are a handfull on some of the roads around here. A pot hole or patch will cause the car wander off course.

I don't mind the rubber necking, I think we all like those thumbs up that we get. It's the ones that don't look or even care that you have to watch out for. Around here they will cut right in front of a school bus so they don't get caught behind it!

Hey Mack, I know they don't teach the hand signals any more because my daughter got her license less than a year ago and she has no idea what they are.

Getting gas is also interesting. Here in Jersey you can not pump your own gas. It states that right on our pumps. Now try to ask the guy, that dosen't speak English, to be carefull and not drop any fuel on your shiny black paint. Good luck!

Don't ya just love driving an antique...

My 28 did the wandering and I found out that the toe in was not right, it had a bit of toe out, I set it like the manual shows (1/8" toe in), air the tires up to 40 PSI and it handles much better.

Yep, I did the adjustments too. No problem really, I'm just not used to the bias ply. The only car I owned with bias tires was my 65 GTO and that was a much heavier car with a sport suspension and much more forgiving. Actually, after I did the adjustment and tightend up the sloppy steering box the 32 handles just fine. It's when I run over a seam or rough pavement that she will move around a lot.

I'm not getting down on the engineering of a 76 year old car. I'm just curious to hear what the guys think about driving our oldies around on todays crazy roads.

Mine is down with a case of gremlins that I can't get to for awhile so I'm not driving it except for the occassional test drive.

Up until about 6 months ago I was living about 20 miles south of Baton Rouge. I learned real quick not to take that car on any major road at any time. Most of the other drivers were going well above the posted speed limit and I could only go 40-45.

Then there were the drivers that have already been mentioned. The ones that want to pull up along side you and stare, wave, try to have a conversation, and eventually run you off the road. There are also those drivers who look as they pass, pull in front of you and slow down so they can look at you in their rearview mirror, causing you to slow down even more.

Even the back roads in that area were crowded but not so bad that the old car would cause problems or cause me to have a hard attack thinking I was about to be run over. I learned to pretty much only drive it on the weekends and there were certain times of the day even then that I would not take it on the road.

Where I'm at now is very rural and even the major roads here during rush hour would not cause me concern. Thirtyfive miles away in the nearest city however would be a different story.

I have small older motorcycles so it gets real scary not having a metal shell around you so you get a real education on the roads these days. You have to time every outing with anything older and know your route...

As for hand signals, they are very effective. Most people do not understand the signal, they just realize it means the driver is going to do "something" so they suddenly start paying attention.

Not too much problem around here. 1/2 mile down a small blacktop road to #71 and then 1 1/2 miles to downtown Browerville pop. 735. A lot of waves and smiles and when you do stop for gas, church or golfing people come over to chat. Nice to know most everybody around the area. Really considerate on the road except for a few zooming down #71 in a hurry. Feel safer than if I was on a motorcycle because some drivers don't give them much slack so I know how you must feel. Oh ya, I don't own a motorcycle but try to be considerate so they too can have a fun ride just like me and my '31.

as my 36 is a coupe most cars think it has a fast engine in it and fast on take off at stop lights they almost run on top of me i keep a pair of orange hunting gloves in car my wife who sometime is behinh me says they work when i stick my hand out seeing the USA in my chevrolet just passed a kia and a F IF YOU THINK I HAPPY YOU BE RIGHT

Smitty,
You hit on a sore point. When the traffic light turns green it takes a second for my car to get moving. Well, that usually makes the guy behind me a little impatient. But the real excitement comes when the slow syncronizers cause me to slow a bit when making the first to second shift. I usually find myself staring in the rearview mirror and bracing for the impact of the car behind me. The driver's reaction time to jab on his brakes is most often slowed due to the distractions of holding a hot cup of coffee, a cell phone and steering with his knees.

Well, I may be slow but at least I'm ahead of the guy behind me!

hey ray
i know where your coming from. with me being in central new jersey. i think 3 times before i take my 30 out. i even go as so far as to drive my every day car before i choose the route i`m going to take with my 30. good thing i did that yesterday. the route i was going take with my 30 the road was all ripped up.
i can`t see myself installing turn signels on my car. but i do go out of my way so i don`t have to make left turns. i still don`t have the guts to drive my car at night yet. like you it only comes out at first light saturday and sunday morning. even when we have local week day night car shows. i choose to leave my car at home. i`m not one for car shows anyways. i`d rather have people look and wave at me while i`m driving my car and not have to baby sit it while its parked at a car show.
good post. i see not i`m the only one whos scared to drive in traffic. yesterday i did my first panic stop, brakes worked good but i thought for sure the guy behind me would wind up in my back seat.

There you go!

This is the kind of reactions I was looking for. I thought maybe I was alone with this phobia. You guys are making me feel better now.

We all see everyone saying to get the car out of the garage. Yes, I'd love to. But some of us live in areas where that scares the heck out of us. We all love our pride and joys and put tons of work and money into them. Some of us, like me, have owned our cars for decades and considerate it like a member of the family. I'm sure none of us would like to see it damaged by some idiot in a hurry or on a cell phone.

Reading Jerry's post was like a dream come true. I envy you Jerry.

Buggymangp, I've driven in your part of Jersey and I hate driving my Blazer around there. RTs 22, 18, 1&9, 440, 287, The Parkway, NJTP, yikes how do you it!

ChattySmithy, I have experienced the deal where the dude next to me at a light assumes I've got a 350 under the hood. I get a good laugh after the light changes and he has to slow down for a double take!

Great stuff guys, keep the stories and opinions coming. I am thinking about the turn signals. I thought about finding a right side rear bracket and tail light. I have a period era turn signal unit that mounts on the steering colume. Just a thought.

Guys:
This has been discussed before but I thought it's worth mentioning on this thread. These can make our little cruises a lot safer. These are 6v LED brake lights and they can also be turnsignals. Best of all, they are held in place with suction cups and easily removable. Go here:
http://jandlenterprise.com/products/brakelighter.htm

hey ray
those roads. RT 1&9, 22, etc will never see my 30.
i only drive it around local side roads. i go WAY out of my way to stay off 50mphs roads. everybody on those roads are doing over 60 mph. sometimes driving my 3o around i get so scared i can`t wait until the car is back in its cave. safe and warm. but other times i just say to myself, what the hell did i build this car for. not to sit in a garage but to drive. its a double edge sword. do i drive it and risk it getting hit or leave it in the garage.

Your post reminds me of the time I took mine for a short ride and along the way stopped at a small store to get a cold drink. Two young men had been behind me for awhile and I'd thought nothing of it until they followed me into the parking lot. They were asking about the car when one commented that I was going too slow for that road. I asked how fast I was going and he said 45. His friend, who had been the passenger, reminded him the speed limit was 45 and he didn't have the right to complain.

Hey thanks Coachhill!
That looks a lot easier, and cheaper, than trying to find a right side tail bracket for my car. I like it, it's higher up for good visibility and can be removed if you show the car.
Great item, thanks!
Now does anyone know of a gizmo to keep the nuts off the road?
Ray

Wow, after reading all these posts about you city fellas risking your lives and damage to your fine vintage Chevrolets, I think I may have a solution to the traffic problems you are experiencing......

Immediately ship all your cars to me in rural Vermont where we don't have such problems and I will personally drive and care for your cars :grin:

What do ya think???