I hope it doesn't rain

[Tavery1]

or else I won't finally get to drive this beast.

'52 Chevy Bel-Air I believe 500ci(or 400ci) small block. I've been dying to drive my grandpas car. And since his health is declining he's finally decided to teach me and my cousin how to drive it, who knew christmas would come twice this year.

Any tips, I'm used to my Explorer or my dads Suzuki(aka the crap-mobile) so the no power steering boat will be very new.

 

[james t]

Beautiful car!

No power steering isnt a big deal once it gets moving. Turning at low speeds is were its hard.

 

[RockRanger]

Nice car I would want to cruise in it. I would be more worried about brakes. Older cars like that don't stop as well as newer cars do.

 

[Rick]

Now that's got style!!!

Enjoy your drive

 

[my pos mounty]

WOW! What a beauty! Driving that car takes alot more finesse than the "power everything" your used to. As stated already, those old drum brakes will use up alot more ground to get that car stopped than you are used to. It will be a wonderful learning experience, one that will last forever in your mind.
I, for one, am jealous of you and your pending cruise. Enjoy it and thanks to grandpa for keeping it meticulously maintained.

 

[blueka]

WOW!!

Just don't wreck it on him....


Si

 

[Tavery1]

Thanks guys, hes got a huge field in the back yard that I'll be learning in, he has at least one seizure a day(from what is suspected to be a bad brain tumor) so he can't drive, so hopefully my cousin and I get proficient enough at it to drive him to car shows.

Even though he can't do much "wrenchin" on it due to arthritis I'm going to pick his brain on how the old "carb" cars function differently than EFI cars so when he passes(which hopefully isn't for a LONG LONG time) I'll be able to keep her in the shape he has over all these years.

Its funny to me how 10 years ago my brothers and I would fight over who got to ride up front, and now I finally get to actually drive it.

That and the fact that he almost traded it a few years back for a '56 Bel air except it didn't have the accent pieces him and my grammas first car had.

I'd take this car over any import tuner in the world.

 

[Tavery1]

Ugh rain/snow/windy/cold all weekend. F you upstate NY. When is this global warming supposed to kick in? :thumbdwn:

 

[Tavery1]

Well it finally dried out for a little bit this past Saturday so I got to take it around the block, other than stalling it/flooding it when first starting it wasn't as hard as I thought.

My big problem was the wheel not returning and the road wander. Their thinking about letting me drive it to Syracuse Nationals this summer if I have time to get more practice with it, since my gramma is to weak and my grandfather still has hand seizures.

 

[james t]

Toe and caster is off.

 

[Tavery1]

Toe and caster is off.

I think it was more a road crown problem. It would wander towards the ditch I'd correct and get it centered up or over correct and it would go towards the left. Plus my grandfather said hes never noticed it and neither did my cousin when he drove on the other road which had almost no crown.

Yet again it could just be me, the biggest vehicle I've driven is the Explorer.