Well it happened! I'm done.

[Don Jordan]

I drove 400 miles in  the hot sun at 55 mph.  Got to the San Francisco Bay area with out so much as a burp.  Spent the night.  Next day I went and got gas, came to a stop light, took off in first and when I tried to go to second the gear shift went limp.  Some how the linkage fell off.  I drove back to where I was staying in 1st gear and came to the conclusion I'm too old for this sh*t.  I rented a U Haul truck and trailer and with my tail between my legs I drove home.  It was too hot and I'm too fat to crawl under the car.  I figured out I just don't want to do this anymore.  The car is 98% complete - I'm done.  I figure I'll sell the 4 door and all the spare parts.  You guys who are ace mechanics have no idea what a struggle it is to just get simple stuff done.  I'm still not sure how the linkage hooks on the shifting lever.  I'm not going to live that much longer anyway.

 

I'd like to thank all the "master wrenches" who were patient with me and helped me through the trying times.  I think I'm just going to try to relax and shed stress.

[Plymouthy Adams]

2% is far cry short of the previous 98%...but when you've pegged your fun meter, game over..

[knuckleharley]

Hate to see you give up on the car after getting this far. Many of us are in the same position as you when it comes to working under a car,or even bending over to work on a car. I had to buy a lift several years ago because neither my knees nor my back wanted to bend,and If I didn't have something to hold on to the only way I could get on the floor was fall.  Have COPD and got really fat after so many injuries and illnesses one right after the other. Just had a heart stent put in last week.

 

Still,your car is almost done now,and you can surely get some fun out of driving it. You could have had it hauled to pretty much any general auto repair garage and had the shift linkage hooked back up a lot cheaper than what you paid to rent a trailer. A washer and a cotter key would have taken care of it. This is just the type of stuff that can happen to any car that is driven,and after a 400 mile drive with no other problems is very minor. Simple 15 minute fix.  You  have it home now,so call around the local garages and get some estimates. You need to do this anyhow before you can sell it,so it's not like it's costing you extra money.

 

Why not give yourself the rest of the summer to drive your car before selling it,and then see if you still want it gone.

[pflaming]

Don, I will long remember  the ride with you to the BBQ two years ago. To sit and relax in the back and feel the miles go by was a great felling. That is  a beautiful car, one I would love to own. Hang tight good friend, my best to you!  

Edited July 31, 2018 by pflaming

[John Fleming]

Don please do not give up on your self . We all get a day older each day. I will be seventy in November . When you are rested and recovered from your trip things may look different.  Speaking of the car . The rubber gear shift grommet that fits between the shift rod and the lever attached to the searing column under the hood may have fell off.  This is an easy fix that can be done with out getting under the car !   It is too easy for all of us to just stay in the house. Please keep at least one project car . Having one to work on keeps our hands and minds active. Get out side for an hour at least three times a week to clean paint or adjust something on that car.  Also keep a good daily driver even if is sits more than it rolls . Go to car shows and share your knowledge with young people . Get out and go even if you no longer show your project car.  I hope to meet you at a show in the future.

[pflaming]

John, well put. I'm 80 in September and have a 53 Suburban to complete.in our 100+ degree heat  I've been doing bench projects so that now all that remains is to reassemble. It would be so easy to buy a new comfortable Lazy Boy  and . . . . John, you and I have a lot of company and each encourages the other. 

 

So, Don take heart, we need your company. 

[Dan Hiebert]

Whatever you decide, Don, kindly refrain from ending participation here.  Whether you realize it or not, there is something you know or have found out through trial and tribulation, that the rest of us don't, and we may need that someday.  I would heartily concur with the previous posters that you just need to manage expectations of yourself and your car (as you both age, which is unavoidable, by the way).  And particularly, don't decide what to do with that fine car of yours while your still annoyed by it.

[Don Coatney]

1 hour ago, John Fleming said:

The rubber gear shift grommet that fits between the shift rod and the lever attached to the searing column under the hood may have fell off.  This is an easy fix that can be done with out getting under the car !   

 

 

 

 

 

[50fordtruck]

I am 75 and and had toyed with selling my P15 coupe, but then I drive it or take to a car show and find the enjoyment is still there. I don't go as far as I use to or as often. I went to a car show last Sunday and the met a lot of old friends and made some new ones, and that is a big part of what the old car hobby is about for me.

[Pete]

Don,

 

Please don't give up because of what may be a simple fix. I had the same thing happen to me on my '39 last year. It was during a tour and I was hundreds of miles from home in Vermont, up on the Lake Champlain Islands. Busy intersection of two state two laners. Backed up traffic. I was not very popular.

 

Turns out it was the bushing located on the column under the hood that links the shift lever to the tranny linkage. We fixed it with a cotter pin and I went on my way. Hardy got our hands dirty. I was able to find the Mopar bushing online the next week. Now it's good as new.

 

It actually was a feel good moment. A younger guy stopped his semi and came over to help. He had a 1940's Plymouth and helped with the fix. So there is hope for the hobby's future.

 

The frustration will pass. Fix the linkage and enjoy the car.

 

Pete

Edited July 31, 2018 by Pete

[DrDoctor]

Mr Jordan,

   I can certainly relate to your sentiment—our car’s basically done, but I’m tired of driving it with the thought in the back of my mind that something’s going to go south while we’re out in it, and having to resort to having it towed back home. So far, it’s been reliable, but . . . Getting it fixed at a “regular repair garage” isn’t a viable option around here. So, that leaves me to fix it. It’s been out of the garage this summer zero times. And, as for car shows . . . well, don’t get me started on that subject. There aren’t many days anymore that we don’t toy with the idea of just selling it, but it does make a nice “yard art” item in the garage, but as such—it’s taking up some valuable real estate that I think could be put to better use. Someday we’ll put in the thought effort to resolve this. Regards to you.

   PS - As an example of how I no longer enjoy working on the car, I've been working on the rebuilding of the vacuum wiper motor for several months, now. I'm at the stage of reassembly, and I've been at that stage alone for well over a month. I've still got to cut the gaskets, and that may take me into next year!!!

Edited August 1, 2018 by DrDoctor

[DonaldSmith]

Guys, I know the feelling(s) - car breakdowns far from home, old, achy body that does not want to contort to the necessary repair configurations, etc. 

Some day, I'll sell the car and all the stuff that goes with it, or my heirs will.  In the meantime, I can fuss with things, and make the occasional car show. 

Some days I 'm ready to get rid of the car, but at a car show, people tell me how unique and beautiful it is, and thank me for showing it .

 

Here's my car at the recent Rolling Sculpture Car Show in Ann Arbor.  Friday traffic on the highways, Friday upper class lunch-hour traffic in town, hour-long staging area lineup, and final spot in the sun - hot, 90-degree sun.  My wife and I couldn't walk much,  so we were kinda stuck.  Left early.  Not again.

September brings the Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti - sparse Sunday traffic, verdant meadow beside a river, the beginnings of Autumn weather,  lots of DeSoto companionship, club area with canopies, hang-out seating, potluck lunch , club meeting, etc.  Good. 

(Sun umbrella - the struts from the luggage rack secure the top of the umbrella post.  Suitable for hard ground situations. Umbrella can be placed in various locations  to suit the site. 

The struts were clunky wood posts in fat conduit, which had to travel on the roof rack.  I am re-making the struts from thinner conduit, which can be carried in the car, something to work on, part of my To-Do list that keeps up an interest in the car. 

[knuckleharley]

30 minutes ago, DonaldSmith said:

Guys, I know the feelling(s) - car breakdowns far from home, old, achy body that does not want to contort to the necessary repair configurations, etc. 

Some day, I'll sell the car and all the stuff that goes with it, or my heirs will.  In the meantime, I can fuss with things, and make the occasional car show. 

Some days I 'm ready to get rid of the car, but at a car show, people tell me how unique and beautiful it is, and thank me for showing it .

 

Here's my car at the recent Rolling Sculpture Car Show in Ann Arbor.  Friday traffic on the highways, Friday upper class lunch-hour traffic in town, hour-long staging area lineup, and final spot in the sun - hot, 90-degree sun.  My wife and I couldn't walk much,  so we were kinda stuck.  Left early.  Not again.

September brings the Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti - sparse Sunday traffic, verdant meadow beside a river, the beginnings of Autumn weather,  lots of DeSoto companionship, club area with canopies, hang-out seating, potluck lunch , club meeting, etc.  Good. 

(Sun umbrella - the struts from the luggage rack secure the top of the umbrella post.  Suitable for hard ground situations. Umbrella can be placed in various locations  to suit the site. 

The struts were clunky wood posts in fat conduit, which had to travel on the roof rack.  I am re-making the struts from thinner conduit, which can be carried in the car, something to work on, part of my To-Do list that keeps up an interest in the car. 

Beautiful car! For me,it is the two-tone paint,the luggage rack,and the sun visor that really set that beauty off.

[dpollo]

Recently , I spent my 70th B day at a car show sponsored by the WPC club.  It was the first show for my Fargo and it won first in the commercial class.  The show was great but  what I enjoyed more was driving the 100 + mile round trip without incident.  Remarks like  " Look at that old geezer in his funny old truck make me even more determined to continue."

 

Hang in there guys.  I enjoy being the junior member of the group.  ( old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill every time)

[DonaldSmith]

Knuckleharley, if I must brag about my 1947 DeSoto Custom Suburban, I must also brag about the interior - chrome and woodgrain dash, woodgrain window moldings. and the Bakelite woodgrain door and inner fender panels.   At the car shows, I prop the doors open and the interior draws them like flies to sh... honey!

[Ranger]

Perhaps shorter drives through small towns and the country are the answer to enjoying your car. I avoid the cities, freeways and hot days. If you don't run 65, 70 or more you'll get run over. Check out Worden 18's thread. Seems he's got it fgured out.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Ranger

[knuckleharley]

56 minutes ago, DonaldSmith said:

Knuckleharley, if I must brag about my 1947 DeSoto Custom Suburban, I must also brag about the interior - chrome and woodgrain dash, woodgrain window moldings. and the Bakelite woodgrain door and inner fender panels.   At the car shows, I prop the doors open and the interior draws them like flies to sh... honey!

I bet they do.

[pflaming]

Knucklieharley, I do the same thing with my fire brand  truck and people come to t also, but the only place I get trophys are at Tim's BBQ , go figure!  

[keithb7]

Limiting my risk exposure seems to help me deal with the trials of owning an old car. I am young enough to get over, under and around it. I do understand how this will change as I age. Today I can lie at least partially on part of my back with my feet over the driver's seat back, with my face up under the dash. Looking up and arms up, working for longer periods of time. LOL. That's gonna end eventually I'm sure. Today I do limit my trips to within my region. I up'd my AAA coverage too, to get me towed home if needed. I do love my old Chrysler but I also understand it's risks. 400 miles one way, alone with limited tools or support? Not anywhere near my scope of tolerance. I will take some trips, that do expose my breakdown risk but I also spend a ton of time over, under and around the car. I must admit, if I can't/won't do that, that's the day the car goes up for sale. These old girls need a fair bit of maintenance for sure. Especially compared to modern vehicles which many folks buy new, drive until the first sign of maintenance, then sell. When the last straw breaks the camel's back, I get it. Good luck whatever you decide @Don Jordan.

[pflaming]

Don's friend drives his D24 all across the continent with success. I wonder what his maintenance program is?  I'm committed to drive my  truck to Indianapolis on Route 66 and give it to my daughter. When I do, I will know where every forum member is on that route. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

9 minutes ago, pflaming said:

Don's friend drives his D24 all across the continent with success. I wonder what his maintenance program is?  I'm committed to drive my  truck to Indianapolis on Route 66 and give it to my daughter. When I do, I will know where every forum member is on that route. 

 

hide the key to the larder folks......

[knuckleharley]

15 minutes ago, pflaming said:

Don's friend drives his D24 all across the continent with success. I wonder what his maintenance program is?  I'm committed to drive my  truck to Indianapolis on Route 66 and give it to my daughter. When I do, I will know where every forum member is on that route. 

Both links you gave for your truck lead to a Amazon page with misc auto-related stuff for sale.

[Norm Knowles]

Don, I have read your story and all the responses and photos attached.  I am almost 82 years old but after looking about 60 years I just recently found a 1948 Dodge Coupe which I have always wanted since I fell in love with its looks when I was about 18 years old.  For many reasons but mostly financial the few that I saw and liked were not available to me.  Finally about three months ago I found one that was original and  in very good condition.  I was lucky enough to obtain it and now am trying to get it in good driving condition for 20 to 100 mile trips to show it off.  The main problem today is a major brake inspection and repair that I lack knowledge and physical ability to do on my own.  I knew and have found that there is a problem nowdays to find trustworthy and knowledgeable people to work on these vintage vehicles in my area but I can solve that in time.  I really want to show it off but at my age how much time do I have left?  I do hope you will reconsider and enjoy driving your car for years to come.  Good luck!!!  Incidentally since joining this Forum the few questions I have posted have been answered promptly and effectively which I am most appreciative of.  More will likely be asked.

[mmcdowel]

I'm not rich by any means, but as I get older and less "bendy" I did find a really great general mechanic that I pay to come out and fix what needs fixing from time to time.  I still work on the car of course, but I find it money well spent to get a professional involved from time to time....simply because I don't feel like messing with it.  I don't feel like its subtracted from my enjoyment of the car one bit.......Hope you hang in there with your car!

(PS my brand new Buick left me beside the road the other day in 111F heat.  If my Dodge leaves me she at least has a good excuse being 68 years old and I respect that)

 

Edited July 31, 2018 by mmcdowel

[knuckleharley]

6 hours ago, Norm Knowles said:

Don, I have read your story and all the responses and photos attached.  I am almost 82 years old but after looking about 60 years I just recently found a 1948 Dodge Coupe which I have always wanted since I fell in love with its looks when I was about 18 years old.  For many reasons but mostly financial the few that I saw and liked were not available to me.  Finally about three months ago I found one that was original and  in very good condition.  I was lucky enough to obtain it and now am trying to get it in good driving condition for 20 to 100 mile trips to show it off.  The main problem today is a major brake inspection and repair that I lack knowledge and physical ability to do on my own.  I knew and have found that there is a problem nowdays to find trustworthy and knowledgeable people to work on these vintage vehicles in my area but I can solve that in time.  I really want to show it off but at my age how much time do I have left?  I do hope you will reconsider and enjoy driving your car for years to come.  Good luck!!!  Incidentally since joining this Forum the few questions I have posted have been answered promptly and effectively which I am most appreciative of.  More will likely be asked.

Look in the yellow pages and ask the counter guys at your local NAPA store about restorers/antique car club members in your area. I'd be surprised if you can't find one willing to do the brake work and other minor work like that,or who would even be willing to teach you how or work on them with you. You don't need the car at 6 AM every morning to drive to work,so who cares if it takes you a weekend to do a 3 hour job?

 

This is a hobby,not a contest.