Who Drives Their Old Mopars on Freeways At Night

[55 Fargo]

Hey all, just watching Dangerous Drives, California and Nevada Highway Patroling I -15 between Las Vegas and Victorville Ca. I have driven this highway before, forgot how hectic it can be for traffic, don't think I would want to drive my old baot on there for 1 mile when traffic is heavy........Fred

[thrashingcows]

I try and avoid Highways when out cruising. I prefer to take the slower, longer, more enjoyable back ways.

[JBNeal]

heck, I put too much work into my rides to want to compete with the drunks & the uninsured drivers...back roads are adventurous enough for me, dodgin' rabbits & coons & hitchhikers/escaped convicts

[BobT-47P15]

In the past, I've driven the car on I-44 for about a 35 mile stretch

at night to get back from my old home town. However, I was going a

bit slower than the speed limit. Haven't made that trip lately and the

traffic is now heavier than a few years ago.

I prefer, as the others do, to take the smaller roads and enjoy the

scenery.

[Captain Neon]

I try to avoid majour metropolitan areas in my P15, ex. Kansas City and St. Louis. My rule of thumb is that if all lanes have cars in them it is best to go with the flow of traffic, and a L6 P15 without OD cannot keep up and is a road hazard. Otherwise, IMHO, it is actually safer to drive the interstate in less congested areas as driving 50 mph on a 60 mph two-lane requires people to have to slow down and wait to pass. Lots of people take big risks and pass when they shouldn't. On the four-lane, they can just go around without having to slow down. That's my two cents on safe motoring in a P15.

[daddyo23]

I try to avoid majour metropolitan areas in my P15, ex. Kansas City and St. Louis. My rule of thumb is that if all lanes have cars in them it is best to go with the flow of traffic, and a L6 P15 without OD cannot keep up and is a road hazard. Otherwise, IMHO, it is actually safer to drive the interstate in less congested areas as driving 50 mph on a 60 mph two-lane requires people to have to slow down and wait to pass. Lots of people take big risks and pass when they shouldn't. On the four-lane, they can just go around without having to slow down. That's my two cents on safe motoring in a P15.

I agree with Ben. The semi I drive at work is governed at 62 mph. Many trucking companies have cut trucks back to try and save fuel (with certain motors and rears, they lose mileage, but thats another story.) I have run my '48 at 60-65 mph without OD for hours without a problem. These old birds are tough.

[55 Fargo]

I agree with Ben. The semi I drive at work is governed at 62 mph. Many trucking companies have cut trucks back to try and save fuel (with certain motors and rears, they lose mileage, but thats another story.) I have run my '48 at 60-65 mph without OD for hours without a problem. These old birds are tough.

Hi, I can see you and the Cap's points, out here on multi-lane highways it is easier for a car to just pass you, except when they are very crowded, then a bunch still have to slow down behind you before passing. A lot of modern motorists have very little respsect for old cars, but a lot still do.

Did any of you see the latest Hemmings Classic Car, articles on unrestored originals. One story was on a 48 Chrys Biz Coupe, this guy finds this unmolested car with 16 k for miles, then gets it going, he drives the car from LA to San Fran on New Years eve, looks up the elderly first owner, and gets a tour of the city, before the clock strikes 12. Afterwards he drives the car to Tahoe snow and all, then back to LA, no doubt he hit some major traffic along the way, now that is a brave soul.........

[Tony Cipponeri]

Hi Guys, I belong to the POC Golden state region, we have monthly meetings/tours, and we use the freeways all of the time. We cruise about 50-55 most of the time, staying in the slow lane. Our meetings are on Saturdays so traffic is a bit less than a week day. Tony C

[Young Ed]

Fred I drive the freeways occasionally at night too. Usually when coming back from a car show. Both my car and truck can go 55-60 which is the posted limit for the freeways here in town. Once you get out of town they jump up but unless its a holiday weekend or some really busy time its easy for them to go around.

[55 Fargo]

I agree with Ben. The semi I drive at work is governed at 62 mph. Many trucking companies have cut trucks back to try and save fuel (with certain motors and rears, they lose mileage, but thats another story.) I have run my '48 at 60-65 mph without OD for hours without a problem. These old birds are tough.

I am not sure my old engine, even though it has good oil pressure and compression, could handle a sustained 65 mph all day. I am runninga 3.73 rearend, which helps a lot.....Fred

[55 Fargo]

Fred I drive the freeways occasionally at night too. Usually when coming back from a car show. Both my car and truck can go 55-60 which is the posted limit for the freeways here in town. Once you get out of town they jump up but unless its a holiday weekend or some really busy time its easy for them to go around.

Hmmm, maybe I could drive down for the "Back to 50s Show"........

[Young Ed]

Fred go for it. Highly recommend attending that show at least once. Almost 12K cars last year.

[55 Fargo]

Fred go for it. Highly recommend attending that show at least once. Almost 12K cars last year.

Very strongly considering, trying to talk a friend with his 61 Apache, and 400 4 spd to join me ......Fred

[Young Ed]

Fred figure it out before 4-29. The registration goes from 30 to 60 after april.

[daddyo23]

I am not sure my old engine, even though it has good oil pressure and compression, could handle a sustained 65 mph all day. I am runninga 3.73 rearend, which helps a lot.....Fred

That's what I'm running now, too. I've done 250-350 miles at a time, stopping for fuel and a short rest but the car handled it no problem. Fred.you ought to come down for Back to the Fifties, great time. I plan on being there at least for Sat.- Sun.

[55 Fargo]

That's what I'm running now, too. I've done 250-350 miles at a time, stopping for fuel and a short rest but the car handled it no problem. Fred.you ought to come down for Back to the Fifties, great time. I plan on being there at least for Sat.- Sun.

Hi Wayne and Ed, if things go well, will be down for the show.

I still have to deal with an engine oil leak, check front end, grease everything check everything out as usual in spring, then hopefully will drive on down, about 480 miles for me , would do it in 2 drives, giving her a 250 mile a day ride.....Fred

[PatS....]

Fred, back in '72, I drove my first 49 Chrysler to Winnipeg in August. I drove 60-65 all the way with the Fluid Drive and M6. Then I drove it around Winnipeg for the winter (it didn't like THAT at all) and drove back the next summer. Even went out to Falcon Lake a few times and up to Matlock several times.

It was on it's second engine at the time and had about 95,000 miles on it so it was no spring chicken but other than the brakes, which were constant constant pain in the butt, it didn't give any trouble at all.

It was noisy and sounded like the pistons were swapping holes sometimes but no troubles at all.

We even hit 95 on a couple of straight stretches near Regina...that was fun!!

As far as today's freeways go, I'm wary of driving on them in any vehicle. Nobody takes driving seriously anymore. It's like the vehicle is a den on wheels with the cell phone, the CD/MP3 and the laptop. It's like driving is a secondary thing.

Some kid...18...decided he was changing lanes last week and drove right into the side of my fancy Caravan .

I was in the left through lane. He told the cop it was my fault because he was on the right and that means he has the right of way!

The $300 ticket for unsafe lane change set him straight on that one.

That's the kind of driver and mentality that's out there no matter what or where you are driving.

These kids drive like they are playing a video game, except when there is no reset. Dead is dead.

Edited February 8, 2010 by PatS....

[JIPJOBXX]

Ever since I got my Dodge the Distributor adjustment cam only will let me adjust the timing to a certain point. By that I mean that the plate that is under the distributor is adjusted all the way out and then the faster slot for the distributor is set all the way out also and I would think that there would be some more play for the distributor to be adjusted. I know this sounds kind of like I'm kind of out in left field but I just cannot figure out how to get anymore adjustment for the timing. Right now the car will idle just fine and when I give it the gas it will rev up just fine but when I hold it at a certain RPM it will misfire. I do not have any idea of what is causing this problem.

Ok this is what it is doing.

1. Starts right up and ideals just perfect

2. Rev up engine and it will run just perfect.

3. Hold gas pedal down to say 600 RPM's and it will

misfire and only misfire at cruising speeds.

4. Could this be a carburetor problem? Or Maybe a wire

harness problem? Or maybe my plugs need to be

replaced? Or the spring on the points needs to be

replaced? I need some help! Everything is new and

I still have this problem. Oh yes the plugs looks

carboned up also. I check the car last night in the dark

and could not see any grounding sparks that might

have shown that the wires were not making a good

contact with the spark plug.

5. All parts are fairly new probably only 3,000 miles on

everything. I hate to just go out and buy new stuff

but maybe this will be the solution. Thanks

[JIPJOBXX]

Oh yes my vacuum gage shows that the engine is running just perfect but when it misfires of course the gage will jump back for a nano second.

I did fine out that my vacuum advance bellow was shot but I replaced that yesterday with a spare and so it will advance per manufactures specs.

[BobT-47P15]

When we went to Tulsa in 07 for the digging up of Miss Belvedere,

some of the roads were rural four lane, most two lane. Sometimes,

if I see a line of traffic stacked up behind me, I will pull off onto the

shoulder so they can pass.

It's only about 100 miles from Joplin to Tulsa, but in the Plym it took

at least twice as long as in a modern car. Probably ran from 50 to

60 mph along the way. It was a nice day and we had the top down,

so we enjoyed getting our sunburn.

[thrashingcows]

What is that on your hood? A bug deflector?

Or sight for the twin .50 Cal guns mounted on your hood.....

[greg g]

Bob has a particle beam laser, the only one in the world powered by a 6 volt positive electrical system. He says the wire goes to a lighted hood ornament but we know better.

[greg g]

I have driven mine quite a few times at night, on all sorts of roads. I don't like to travel interstates after dark because if I am drivinng 60 to 65, and the other folks are up near 80 and they are not used to the way the closing distance shortens up so quickly at a 20 mph difference. If I am travelling extended distances I will some times get up at 4 AM and drive in the pre dawn dark. A lot less traffic then.

My experience on back roads v limited access roads is that I think it is easier on the car to go for miles at speed, than the stopping and starting on the surface roads. when we went to North Carolina, we went down on US 11 and US 15. While they are both nice roads in many divided 4 lane,(like bob's pictue shows) there is still alot of 30 mph stuff through villages and small cities. In a lot of cases it might have been easier to jump on the super slab to go around or through those areas.

Guess it all boils down to what your comfort level is with your car and the other traffic.

[55 Fargo]

Ever since I got my Dodge the Distributor adjustment cam only will let me adjust the timing to a certain point. By that I mean that the plate that is under the distributor is adjusted all the way out and then the faster slot for the distributor is set all the way out also and I would think that there would be some more play for the distributor to be adjusted. I know this sounds kind of like I'm kind of out in left field but I just cannot figure out how to get anymore adjustment for the timing. Right now the car will idle just fine and when I give it the gas it will rev up just fine but when I hold it at a certain RPM it will misfire. I do not have any idea of what is causing this problem.

Ok this is what it is doing.

1. Starts right up and ideals just perfect

2. Rev up engine and it will run just perfect.

3. Hold gas pedal down to say 600 RPM's and it will

misfire and only misfire at cruising speeds.

4. Could this be a carburetor problem? Or Maybe a wire

harness problem? Or maybe my plugs need to be

replaced? Or the spring on the points needs to be

replaced? I need some help! Everything is new and

I still have this problem. Oh yes the plugs looks

carboned up also. I check the car last night in the dark

and could not see any grounding sparks that might

have shown that the wires were not making a good

contact with the spark plug.

5. All parts are fairly new probably only 3,000 miles on

everything. I hate to just go out and buy new stuff

but maybe this will be the solution. Thanks

Hey Jon, are you on the right thread with this?

[David Strieb]

Until I became unemployed I drove my '38 Dodge 250 miles a week on I-5 in the Tacoma, Wa area during comute hours. With the 230 L head and the 3:76gearing my freeway speed was around 57 to 60, but that truck suspension would beat me to death on one bad patch of roadway. Driving the '38 was always the best part of the day......