Real street cars need apply

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500/600

Royal Smart Person
Nov 17, 2018
1,167
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West Virginia
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.
 
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fleming442

Captain Tenneal
Dec 26, 2013
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Funny, when I saw the title, my first thought was that a real street car should see at least 10k miles per year.
You want to see v8s, but I'll be the first in line to throw the Series 2 up against a wheezy, low compression v8 of the era. Bring it, don't sing it!
 
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Ribbedroof

Comic Book Super Hero
Supporting Member
Jan 4, 2009
4,865
6,892
113
Wellston, OK
I'll play

1...Me
2...Heat, air is inop (on fix-it list
3...Yes to all
4...Carb, EFI when the (Gen II)LT1 goes in
5...Currently TH350 and 2.41, and yes, drives on turnpike 40 miles each way to work
6...I sweat the road I live on when it rains, because it means it's going to be a muddy mess under the car, but it gets driven anyway
7...So slow I wouldn't even bother
8-10....Not really what my wagon is about.

I have a low demand for "modern" amenities, so the lack of everything a later car has doesn't really bother me. I upgraded the springs and went through suspension/steering when i bought it. Big wish list is replacing the 605 box with MCSS box (have it) and getting the EFI/OD setup in the car

My "new" cars barely fit outside your year cutoff. I have no interest in really recent stuff...no value for the dollar to me for my use, although they can be impressive performance-wise.
 
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500/600

Royal Smart Person
Nov 17, 2018
1,167
2,638
113
West Virginia
I'll play

1...Me
2...Heat, air is inop (on fix-it list
3...Yes to all
4...Carb, EFI when the (Gen II)LT1 goes in
5...Currently TH350 and 2.41, and yes, drives on turnpike 40 miles each way to work
6...I sweat the road I live on when it rains, because it means it's going to be a muddy mess under the car, but it gets driven anyway
7...So slow I wouldn't even bother
8-10....Not really what my wagon is about.

I have a low demand for "modern" amenities, so the lack of everything a later car has doesn't really bother me. I upgraded the springs and went through suspension/steering when i bought it. Big wish list is replacing the 605 box with MCSS box (have it) and getting the EFI/OD setup in the car

My "new" cars barely fit outside your year cutoff. I have no interest in really recent stuff...no value for the dollar to me for my use, although they can be impressive performance-wise.

Muddy road? Holy crap.
That’s one driver. Who else?
 

500/600

Royal Smart Person
Nov 17, 2018
1,167
2,638
113
West Virginia
Funny, when I saw the title, my first thought was that a real street car should see at least 10k miles per year.
You want to see v8s, but I'll be the first in line to throw the Series 2 up against a wheezy, low compression v8 of the era. Bring it, don't sing it!

I figured half the national average of 12k. 3800 Series 2?
 

500/600

Royal Smart Person
Nov 17, 2018
1,167
2,638
113
West Virginia
When I was younger and dumber, well at least younger, my 1970 Skylark ran 7.80s in the 1/8 mile with a 430 Buick and was my daily driver for several years since it was all I had. I bought a used up 1987 C20 to drive and the Buick got faster. By the time it ran 6.85 on the built 455 motor it wasn't nearly as fun to drive for any distance over 50 miles with 4.11 gears. I switched it to 3.55s, took the Dominator off, went full factory interior, etc, etc and it ran 7.40. It could be and was driven everywhere at that point. That was a big reason behind building my Malibu. Torque with highway gears, a decent suspension, and stock-ish interior.
 
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fleming442

Captain Tenneal
Dec 26, 2013
13,046
24,216
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I figured half the national average of 12k. 3800 Series 2?
Yup. The Pig. I put 100 miles a day on it, 57,000 so far. The computer has a few tweaks, so it'll roll past most factory speed limiters. I like to embarrass E350 drivers on the highway. I would totally put a turbo on it if I didn't daily it on 87 cat piss.
 
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Oct 14, 2008
8,806
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Melville,Saskatchewan
I drive my 70S and 88 CSC daily except in the Winter. Both have been on multiple hour trips. The 88 has everything working. Always has ran hot and ironically the heat has always sucked. Both will go on long trips this Summer and neither are driven in the Winter, well the 88 has been and I am currently driving it while fixing my Dakota.
 
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81cutlass

Comic Book Super Hero
Feb 16, 2009
4,639
13,542
113
Western MN
All my old garbage is my daily driver during the summer. I don't let it go in the winter since 25 year old + stuff is hard enough to find rust free(ish) that I don't want to ruin it. An lt1 B body is the only RWD v8 car these days that you can drive in the winter and not feel terrible. A b body BARELY gets in that 25 year old range and that's just BARELY.

I would winter drive a G body 4 dr with snow tires and an efi 4.3 or something. Maybe a pre-rusty TBI 4.3 monte.

1. I only know 2 people who will daily a 25yr old + car, Me, and a mutual friend, both in the summer. We are both mid/upper 20's engineers. I have a number of friends all mid 20's to lower 30's with early 70's through late 80's domestic RWD stuff (Ranchero, camaro, c20, fiero, fox bodies, ect dodge trucks) but only 2 of us daily them and would go long distances with them.

Other friends that are into cars have 2010+ mustangs, camaros, ect.

2. My wagon and cutlass have working AC and heat. 2+2 has working heat, AC is on the way.

Mutual friend has a 79 or 80 dodge slant 6 short bed. His is a heat only ex govt truck. Heat worked.

3. Full interior, no inspections, this is 'merica (minnesota, Iowa, dakotas)

4. Cutlass is carbed, wagon is turbo buick, grand prix is blown LS

Buddies dodge short bed was a carbed slant 6 with a 3 speed auto. He is going efi 360 over the fall and winter.

5. All my stuff will go from Minneapolis to St. Louis without an issue. I would get a bit sketched out driving through I90 in Chicago or something just because I don't want to get stuck in a 3hr traffic jam and overheat. I don't think anything would, but if I was driving from Minneapolis to Detroit I would take my 4th gen F body or my rainier. Otherwise all my stuff has taken at least 2 7 hour trips in one shot over about 500 miles.
Cutlass and wagon have 2004r, 3.42 for cutlass, 3.08 for wagon (needs 3.42), GP has a t56 and 3.73. Everything gets over 20mpg on the highway.

Only reason my stuff doesn't get that 6000 miles a year is because I split the mileage between 5 vehicles.

Buddies dodge drove ~70 miles round trip through rural country to work and home. Auto and like 2.73's.

6. All my stuff goes in rain. If there is a moderate chance of hail the 2+2 stays inside only because the rear window is unobtainable. Wagon don't care. If it gets hail damaged I can get all the parts to fix it.

Buddies dodge went in the rain, its a daily.

7. 2+2 runs 11's in the quarter. Wagon and cutlass are more for cruising.

Buddies dodge is just fun old transport.
 
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DRIVEN

Geezer
Apr 25, 2009
8,062
14,479
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*CENSORED*
I've always driven old cars. My primary driver from around '95-99 was a '35 Ford pickup. The alternate was a '70 240z. I followed that up with a '64 Rambler American wagon for a few years. 2005-2010 was a '71 Datsun 1200. Followed that up with a '72 510 wagon for a few years.
Now I'm a baller with a work car that's 15 years old and has 240,000 miles. This corporate lifestyle has really changed me.
 
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