Real street cars need apply

[Smack-it]

Yep

I swap between 3 1984 Monte,1996 f350, 1972 blazer. But to be honest I have a 4 mile drive to work.

 

[Hooligan85MCSS]

In the spirit of antique vehicles, let's talk about 1995 and older cars and trucks only. Who do you know that drives a 25 year old V8 car as a daily driver (or at least 6000 miles per year)? TPI and 5.0 Fords changed the rules in the mid 1980s about how quick a car could be and still be driven every day. I know that tons of new stuff is faster and more drivable, so let's don't discuss that stuff. And I know that the Hot Rod Drag Week is full of so called 'street cars' that are specialty build for that once a year performance, impressive but not daily driven.

Just for discussion sake, answer one or all of the following questions about 25 year old actual street cars. "I have one that 'could be driven daily if I wanted to'." is OK but I'd rather keep it to actual driven often cars. Fuel mileage is of little concern. This is about the will to drive, not fuel efficiency.

1) Who do you know that daily drives a 25 year old V8 (Turbo Buicks and Dodges count too)?
2) For those in the northern half of the US, is the car driven in the winter? Does it have a good heater/defroster? Air conditioner?
3) Wipers? Full interior? Functioning windows? Passes required state inspection?
4) Fuel injected or carbureted? Turbo or nitrous? Old school engine or LS/LT/late Hemi/Modular?
5) Can the car be driven long range at interstate speeds? What transmission and rear gears?
6) Is it able to be driven at any time or if it rains does the owner break out in hives?
7) How fast is the car at the strip? 1/8 or 1/4 mile?
8) Any 7 second 1/8, or 11 second 1/4 mile daily drivers?
9) Any 6 second 1/8, or 10 second 1/4 mile daily drivers? Come on now...……...
10) Any 5 second 1/8, or 8 to 9 second 1/4 mile daily drivers? Seriously, surely somebody knows a person that is that dedicated.

Anyway,

Just a friendly conversation about real (actually driven) cars...………….think about it, you can put a late model turbo engine LS in a 1995 and older car, but that doesn't mean that you will want to drive that old school suspension with aged amenities every day. Does it? Let's hear some stories.

1. I drive my 85 Monte SS everyday. It's got a 305 V8.
2. Here in NJ we haven't seen snow this winter. But I'd still drive her. I replaced the blower motor about a month ago, heater and defroster work great. Unsure about AC as I haven't ran it .
3. My car's intact, all works (passenger window won't go down, have yet to pull panels and troubleshoot). Full interior. In NJ after 25 years vehicles are exempt from inspection.
4. Carbureted stock 305.
5. Does highway driving just fine. 200r4, unsure about the gears. At 70mph I'm at just over 3k rpm.
6. Lol if weather gave me hives I'd take allergy meds. My Monte definitely had seen rain while I'm driving. Don't mind it.
7. Haven't been to the strip. But it's a stock carbureted 305 sooo...
8 9 and 10. Props to whoever runs low times in their dailies

I'm looking to get a suspension kit reasonably soon, thinking of a 2" drop. After that take things day by day. And continue driving my baby day after day. Great car and couldn't be happier. Even with my 305!

 

[gnvair]

I do know a local guy I have known for 30 years with an 85 Mustang GT
Early 302 with ported 69 351W heads
Holley 750
Victor style intake
T5
4.10 gears
Car is full weight with full interior
Car would run 11.00's consistently naturally aspirated and was his only car for awhile.
He has a twin brother and they were constantly at Atco. He now has an 85 Capri with a similar combo that is just as fast. They used to have video on YouTube but I can't find them now

 

[78_Monte970]

1. My father, 1964 olds 98
2. No heat or a/c
3. No wipers rain x, full original interior, crank windows, passes inspection
4. Original 394 rocket bb, carbeurated
5. Slim Jim transmission (garbage), no clue on gears, we drive it on I-25 all the time
6. It can be driven any time, even in snow (albeit hard due to lack of wipers)
the transmission makes this thing slow, we were thinking of custom mounting a th400 but everything would have to be custom.
It’s his daily, right now out of service for a carb rebuild but that’ll be done soon. We put about 12,000 miles last year. Very fun car

 

[lilbowtie]

6 vehicles in my fleet and only 1 would make the DD.

 

[El Clemente]

here's what I drive perhaps not everyday but several days a week all year long

 

[Janchrum]

1) 1984 Olds Cutlass 6.6L SBC 400 EF
2) Driven all year
3) Passes all trying to get emissions to clear so I can have a regular none antique tag
4) Edelbrock Pro FLO 4 XT
5) 700R 3.73 rear
6) Driven in any weather interstate or city (Mostly above 70MPH)
7) Dont know
8) None
9) Not
10) No clue (YET)

Blazer spindle and PowerStop Brake upgrade all riding on 22 inch wheels with Z rated tires! LED headlights with halos to keep up with the technology and nigh visibility.

 

[Jeff Blagden]

1) 1980 442
2) only driven in the summer
3) 350 cubic inches all original 39000 kms on her
4) wipers work passes inspection
5) heater works did not come with ac
6) only drove on sunny days about 1000 kms in the summer
7} never gets raced EVER

 

[Fnlowrider]

Cool conversation I'm enjoying reading everybody's replies my first answer is me I drive a 19 87 GMC Caballero but going backwards first before this I drove a 2001 Monte Carlo pace car Edition and I was in love until I was plagued with sensor problems computer issues and it everything under the sun I gave it a lot of thought and decided I was going to search for something older that I could work on myself and enjoy driving daily the car has a fresh 305 carbureted nice bucket seat console interior with full gauges factory rear end with I don't know what gears I live in Rhode Island and Winters are for real I drive this all year round to work whenever my wife goes out with me and everything else I've always wanted and El Camino but came across this Caballero and had to have it if you look at my pictures in my profile you will see sat I spent a good piece of change to bring it back to what appears to be a brand new car I figure at this point whatever breaks can be fixed I don't worry about it the car can go faster on the highway than the speedometer can read and I will be driving it to Myrtle Beach soon it has power windows power steering Bluetooth but not a million sensors and redundant mind-boggling crap

 

[64nailhead]

1) 1984 Olds Cutlass 6.6L SBC 400 EF
2) Driven all year
3) Passes all trying to get emissions to clear so I can have a regular none antique tag
4) Edelbrock Pro FLO 4 XT
5) 700R 3.73 rear
6) Driven in any weather interstate or city (Mostly above 70MPH)
7) Dont know
8) None
9) Not
10) No clue (YET)

Blazer spindle and PowerStop Brake upgrade all riding on 22 inch wheels with Z rated tires! LED headlights with halos to keep up with the technology and nigh visibility.

Dude - you need some rotors and brakes to fill up those wheels. 17-18" at a minimum.