Daily driver

[tommo65]

Hi Folks
          I am thinking of using our FC sedan as a daily driver for a while instead of having it sit in a shed and only driven now and again.
I guess I am after the pros and cons of doing this and I figure this is the best place to ask .By a "while" I mean from the next month up to the Nats {maybe }.

Cheers Tommo

[FC0058]

If you have got it flaunt it. Its really up to you, I know quite a few people that use thier cars as daily drivers, I also know people that you would class as sunday or fair weather drivers, then there is the extreme that only get the car out for sunny club runs and major event.

The choice is yours, I would consider security of the parking location, security of the car its self, what NASCO goodies are easily removed and could be stolen, general condition of the car and future plans.

I am considering using mine as a daily driver for a while, my cars general condition is good, its rust free, paint is ok but I will have it repainted sometime not to far down the track, chrome and stainless need work. All in all my car is a good candidate for daily driving for now. I may as well enjoy it coz when I get my shed the old girl will get a make over and put back on club rego.

Cheers Jim 

[tommo65]

Thanks for the reply Jim. Hmmm I did not think of parking location work no probs home well a kill switch might be enough suppose I could look at other measures there.
Our car is on club plates hence it does not get driven as much as I like [and when I do I always get a thumbs up or a wave from someone] club rego here is $80 a year normal rego $500 which I am quite happy to pay[kinda sorta] too many projects brings me to this point and of course the FC won't be the one to go.Anyone else got a view on this?? feel free.

[Ed]

Tommo,

Cars are built to be driven.

Cheers

Ed

[JB]

My daily driver, done over 50,000k's since rebuild... just the wheels are not as shiny.

Cheers
Jason.

[customFC]

Mine has been a daily driver for the last 6 months.
I guess it depends also how far you drive.
My work is a 90k round trip, but I have a red mtr and disc brakes.
I can recall driving her daily with the stock set up and it could get hairy at times, esp in the wet.
(Not that it currently can't get a bit hairy.)
Parking is a concern, as is the fuel consumption and the lack of a heater at the moment.
I do enjoy playing in the traffic with the ricer boys and P platers.
I agree with Ed, get it out and drive it. However after a long day at work, sometimes it is nice to have a car that is comfortable and you don't have to "drive" getting home.
Regards
Alex

[Philby]

Hey Tommo,

Although out of the country at the moment, my stock FC Special Sedan is a daily driver when I'm at home.  I consider her a rolling restoration and enjoy every aspect of driving her regularly.

Pro's for me:
- I love the cruising style of driving (Gotta love the column shift and bench seats for a driving experience)
- I get to see many people smile and wave
- I get to know every rattle or rouge noise and can fix things as they happen
- I enjoy talking to people who are interested in the car or the 50’s era
- I get to enjoy the car I put hours and hours into

Cons for me:
- Can’t be in too much of a hurry (I’m running stock everything)
- Exposure to weather
- Long trips require some sort of backup plan in case she “fails to proceed” at any time
- Drinks a bit of petrol
- Sometimes I want to finish work early to go and drive
- I’m engaged to be married  so I can’t utilize the “Pull” power it has on the street ( TIC..love ya Skye)
- More maintenance than a modern car

Cheers,

Phil

[FC229]

I've had my wagon since 1988, and did it up in 1992. I've always used it as a daily driver, and while I've thought about putting it on club plates from time to time, I find it hard to imagine not being able to jump in and drive it when I want to. I guess 1 disadvantage might be that you grow to take it for granted, but I think I appreciate it enough still to say I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes it looks like I don't love it like I should, as it gets a lot more time being used than cleaned etc, unlike a weekend car. Also living on the coast and driving it every day makes it hard to keep the rust away, though it's standing up to it remarkably well as I put a bit inot preventing it when it was stripped. When I did her up I decided that I wanted to be able to jump in and go anywhere anytime, so went with a 186, supra box, discs, and recently had rack and pinion done. The rack and pinion is good, and I kept the original indicator setup so the column does not look out of place, but very short. i like that, it feels like driving a hot rod, and from a safety point of view I did not like the non collapsible column sitting 4inches from my chest. Not so great if you might be heading to an inner city multi storey car park. She's great on the open road, though I need to do something about the noise from the 1/4 windows.
I'd say go for it.

David

[NO NAME]

i drove mine daily, then took it out all night every night and cruised around to the early hours of the morning, moved house twice with no trailer and no ther cars, eventually the cruzing stopped and it became the family/shopping/work car wich meant a bit less hours on the  road but also less time on maintainance.
 being used to it i found it practical and cheap to maintain, when i lived at belmont i could also buy spares after hours from phill illfeild around the corner, the bench seat was like a old lounge, i felt more comfortable and at home in it than in my bed. i flogged it from time to time and was always late for work in it. I usually looked forward to driving to and from work just before taking it of the road that was usually the highlight of the day.
 I had some mates with sunday drivers that spent most their time in the shed and they seemed to have problems on long distance runs that my car didnt.
 i dont know how my new motor will go in the traffic but if it goes ok i will go back to driving it daily.

[surferboy]

cruising to work at 6am on a warm summer morning. the windows wound down and my elbows hangin out.the stereo's blasting out the stray cats ..''Here i come in my 57'' at 110 decibels.      a big red kenworth pulls alongside at the lights,gives a short blast on the airhorns to get my attention, his passenger hangs out the window with a big grin on his face and gives me a big thumbs up. the lights go green and we both blast away from the lights smiling

                                                 DRIVE IT, DONT HIDE IT


       

[surferboy]

driving to work at 5am. its cold ,dark, raining. the rain leaks in any crevice it can find. the windows wound down cos the windscreens all fogged up, im wrapped up like an eskimo in a blizzard. the waters 3 inches deep around my ankles,i cant see nuthin through the windows,i can feel my flu getting worse with every breath of cold damp air,everyone is racing past me in thier warm dry identical coccoons
I'm in MY INDIVIDUAL old Holden, I've got Elvis playing on the CD, I'm CRUISING.   I'M HAPPY

DRIVE IT

 

[NO NAME]

I can relate surfer boy, having the FC as a daily car was a ball, i didnt get 3" deep water on the floor but i remember the leaks didnt bother me, my elbow was in the rain and wind anyway.
 My LTD i am driving now is quiet, smooth and has power everything climate control etc but i would drive any FC holden any day over it, i just cant get a registered FC for the $600 i paid for the LTD.
 i used to often drive porsches, sometimes ferarri's and vipers etc but i always liked the FC better, before i took the FC of the road i was driving nothing other than new benzes all day, even v12 twin turbo amg's but still looked forward to knocking of and driving the FC.
 I think we forget about the luxury of the FC sometimes, ive got foot stuck between the dash on new cars, some of them your leg rubs on a hard console and some have no padding on the front door armrests, the FC gives good protection from the sun, you dont even really need air conditioning and the car doesnt turn into as much of a oven as a modern car with leather seats and big raked windows. the car also has a solid quality feel not like many cheap modern plasticy interiors once they are a couple of years old.
 FC's are very servicable and repairs can be much cheaper and less frustrating to take on at home, eg my wifes car got a stuffed master cylinder wich cost me about $280 to fix and the same problem in the FC one month earlier cost $13, the FC was also quicker and easier to do the repair on.
 

[TAYZ]

Ask HOTROD, he drives his to work every day then picks up 3 kids from school in his, he loves it!!!!!!!!!!

[tin_roof]

I have been driving my FB to work everyday for the last while. It is in original unrestored condition and has vacuum wipers and crossply tyres, it doesn't bother me one bit. You just need to adapt your driving to the capabilities of the car ie. leave extra room for braking and start braking early, take the corners easy (I have to because of the tyres!) and if people want to ride your tail - well, let them (to put it really really pollitely).

[DN2168]

When I had my old FC it was my only car, as stated the fogging up of the windows was a cause for concern sometimes & the vacuum wipers were were only really a drama on acceleration (but that evened out once you backed off ). I can't wait to get my next one so my kids can grow up appreciating classics not plastics.

[Hewart]

I agree with everyone..... I use mine everyday and I couldn't see myself driving anything else.

I guess if you think about it too much you'll leave it in the garage.

If you drive it everyday, just remember she's getting old now! I know my old girl is showing the signs of being a daily driver..... (she ain't no show car that's for sure!!) My paint is cracking and chipping all over the place, rust is starting to come through, and I've recently had to replace tyres and king pins, etc etc

You always cope a wave/toot from someone, and there's always someone willing to tell you a story about thier old Holden. It took the kids a little while to work out why people look at them when I drop them off at school, but it's all good!

Like Phil said, it's a great way to get used to all the rattles and creaks, and you can work when something is busted!

My FC is running all original gear, but I never really have any dramas with other traffic driving into the city (I work mostly afternoons, so miss the peak hours).

I've gotta say I love getting in my old girl and charging down the highway (even going to work). Arm on the door, beanie on (in winter that's my heater), iPod in the ears (no stereo either).... she rarely misses a beat!

The more you drive it, the more you enjoy it!

Cheers
Les....

[tommo65]

Thanks Folks
                 That has been some response there are a few things that people have brought up that I will have to rectify before I hit the road like maybe getting rid of the crossplys and and a cd/mp3 player in the glove box with hidden speakers etc..etc.
She is original running gear except for extractors and exhaust so it won't be a fast trip work it's a 50k round trip and the road is OK not a whole lot of traffic either so as soon as my truck is sold, off go the club plates.
I also might have another fc Special sedan soon. I spotted a Darkblue/white sedan in local Brake/clutch place so chucked a yuee and made inquiries the owner is doing it up Aussie 4 speed and red motor its about 50% finished BUT he has another which he has taken all the chrome off for the project.Its all there [minus the chrome of course] 3speed/grey interior is OK front floors rusted out he paid a grand for it so I am hoping to get it for a bit less might be a good sleeper project one day. One more question would a EH gear box be any good to me the price is right it's "free" with a couple of complete grey heads and assorted EH stuff from a bloke at work he sold his EH years ago and just wants rid of the bits and pieces.

Cheers Tommo

[minifcvan]

Hi All, This is my better half's daily driver.She sold her VT wagon so she could drive her ek every day..AND she love's it.


Cheers Mark

[NO NAME]

a mate of mine was using crossply's on his everyday EK, he liked them becuase off the way he could get the tail to kick out but has been using radials for the last couple of years he was surprised that with radials the tyres last much longer.
 

[pearo]

The best part of having these old girls is driving them.
Drive on
Rob