Old (real old) daily driver

In reply to drainoil:

Different demographic for ND? People have to get out and be places in MN? I would be happy to pay more tax if MN used liquid chemical like Colorado instead of salt. Although it may not be affective with our cold temps

Drum brakes teach a person to not friggin' tailgate - ever.

drum brakes only suck if you don't keep them adjusted. a 57 Chevy wouldn't have self adjusting brakes, but it's not that hard to add that stuff... or just upgrade to discs, which is cheap and easy if you know how to drill 4 holes in a piece of 1/4" steel and press in longer wheel studs..

rear wheel drive works out just fine in snow if you have good tires, properly adjusted brakes, and berkeleying pay attention to what you are doing...

regarding the lack of everything else that everyone seems to think we need to make it out of our driveways these days: most people survived most trips in cars without all the electronic nannies, 35 airbags, and built in crumple zones for the better part of a century.

way back in the olden days of the early 90's, in the small little hamlet of Buffalo, MN, i used to see a tubbed out 57 Chevy with a 6-71 blown small block of some sort with dual Holley carbs on it driving at all times of the year in all weather conditions... i never got to talk to this crazy guy, but he was a legend in the area at the time... it's a little weird to be sitting in McDonald's on a -10 degree day in January eating a quarter pounder with cheese combo meal and hear/see/feel a car like that go thru the drive thru...

Isn't fuel a problem with these older rides? As in they were built for leaded higher octane gasoline? Certainly additives can make up for most of it but that is a PITA fora daily ride.

Unleaded gas isn't a big deal with older cars. Valve seat recession is only a problem if the car is driven extremely hard for a long time, regular use doesn't affect them. As for octane, some cars had high compression and may have to be tuned, or in extreme cases rebuilt with different pistons, but a '57 Chevy V8 had a compression ratio of 8:1 so they will run fine. Ethanol can be an issue, it can cause old rubber gas lines to deteriorate but those can be replaced. It can also gum up the carburetor if the car isn't driven regularly, but in daily use isn't an issue.

The big thing with the modern fuel is it boils a lot easier than the old stuff, you can run into some bad vapor lock issues. Wont run in traffic, won't run after being parked hot, etc. A little insulation on the fuel hard lines in the engine bay will often fix the problem.

Anyone can buy an old car, but to drive one regularly, you really have to love it.

'57 w/25k original miles,

25k in almost 60 years? Kinda funny that it only became a DD again after 50+ years of barely being driven!

GeddesB wrote: Isn't fuel a problem with these older rides? As in they were built for leaded higher octane gasoline? Certainly additives can make up for most of it but that is a PITA fora daily ride.

I'm starting to use the Sta-Bil marine fuel treatment in all my older engines- weedeaters to volvos. 1 oz treats 10 gallons. Cheap insurance. This stuff should negate the harmful effects of the Eth. If you're going to let the car sit up for more than a month or so, fill the tank completely (so there's no room for moisture) and run the carbs and fuel pump dry.

I'm starting to use the Sta-Bil marine fuel treatment in all my older engines

I have been using these type products (of many varieties) for years. Look into 2 cycle oil as a treatment as well. It's been the history of a lot of people that it is just as effective as the purpose made additives.