Think of it this way- the car will need so much more
not because of small progression thus far, but the
fact that these car's are never truely finished (and I
mean that in a good way).
To me, it's nice to have one all restored, perfect-
but that lack of tinkering loses something. It was
once said that the american auto enthusists would have
never happend had the model T not been designed so
poorly that it required constant tinkering and a
non-stop personal relationship. 'course these cars are
far better (in every way) then a model T- but I look
at the required contact under the hood every so often
as a reminder of just how well these cars were made.
To stop and think, wait a minute, I'm rebuilding this
engine- and it's been sooo many years since these
parts have been touched by human hands- and when did
this past contact occur? In the assembly line when it
was put together no doubt.
With very few exceptions, my family goes throw many
classic cars. Bought, restored, sold, repeat, because
many share this idealogy of mine. Looking back, I
remeber my dad went through 40-60 Mopars in 3 decades
alone. All were almost destroyed from rusting in
farmers fields or junk yards. All ended up in the
hands of caring people who still use them.
But the few that have stayed in the family for
enjoyment have a certain felling/relationship to them.
The tinkering, although sometimes expensive, really
brings it to a new level.
But maybe I see things so differently because I have
always been more of an engineer then a mechanic at
heart?
--- Hugh & Therese <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Certainly it is cold today and not really just by
> south Texas standards,
> either. It really is cold. But cold enough for
> snow? I've been here since
> 1991 and I'd never seen snow in Texas.
>
> I decided I needed some Imperial therapy today. The
> continuous drizzle of
> the last few days had let up so I thought I'd go out
> on a long drive. Go
> out towards Uvalde along Highway 90. Its just south
> of the Edwards
> escarpment and is long and straight. It's very
> fertile country, and very
> flat. The road parallels the old Southern Pacific
> railroad tracks, wending
> west. So many of the old towns there have these
> enormous spaces between
> buildings on each side of the road and tracks, and
> so many of those
> buildings are shuttered. I was taken aback to see
> the depot in Hondo still
> there as I so recently saw a picture of it from the
> 1880s when the railroad
> was bringing agriculture and these small towns to
> life.
>
> Somehow, being in a 1958 vehicle seemed correct.
> The car came from that
> pre-interstate era when these places were still
> alive and viable. The car
> was running so well. It sounded and felt great. As
> I scooted along, just
> cruising at 70, I was aware the car was smoking too
> much, which is a very
> good indication the engine is going to have to be
> pulled and completely
> rebuilt. I will probably have to get the
> transmission re-done at the same
> time. Very expensive and time consuming challenges
> ahead.
>
> I have been fooling, perhaps literally, with this
> car since 1994. How can
> it be I still have so much left to do? I was so
> keen to be driving it in
> 1998, I didn't care about its appearance. Now it
> may be time to park it
> again and just take care, properly, of all that ails
> it. And yet, today, it
> was just such a joy to be driving it, fast and
> without much purpose, along
> these marvelous roads and somewhat forgotten towns.
>
> As I approached the road that goes to Utopia and the
> Edwards escarpment,
> which goes all the way to Austin if you're not
> careful, it began to snow. A
> light flurry, at first, then progressively heavier
> as I headed towards the
> hills. Above 30 MPH, the wipers on my car are
> essentially useless. They
> seem to hover above the glass making no difference
> whatsoever. At first the
> road begins to undulate gently, then get more curvy,
> until before you know
> it, you are driving some rather challenging roads
> with tight corners and
> steep inclines and declines. For once, I was paying
> attention to the gas
> gauge. When I stopped in Utopia itself for gas I
> could hardly see across
> the road because of the driving snow. It was just
> like the old days in
> Scotland, except instead of my light and nimble
> Citroen 2CV, with its tall,
> narrow wheels, I was in an American luxo-boat.
>
> It wasn't until I had progressed into the canyon
> road that takes you back to
> Bandera, that I really began to think about my
> situation. What first
> prompted a note of concern was the lack of other
> vehicles. Normally, I
> would consider this to be a wonderful situation, but
> it gives you some pause
> when you realize that they just might be your
> salvation should something bad
> happen. You can also assume the nearest snow plough
> is more than five
> hundred miles away, and even that seems a little
> close, come to think of it,
> so just how smart an idea it is to be in an old,
> unreliable car on these
> lonely roads becomes, albeit at that ill timed
> moment, something to
> consider.
>
> But the car was great. The lack of wipers did not
> really seem to be a
> problem. The heater was toasty warm, Roadholding
> was just fine. So I
> relaxed. The car handles the steepest grades with
> such aplomb. It's quite
> a buzz to still be at 70 MPH at the top of a long,
> steep climb. I took care
> of speed on the downward slopes by using second gear
> and little dabs of
> brake here and there to keep things even. What a
> great car. It's true what
> they say. Once you are behind the wheel, you are
> hardly aware of its size.
>
> Once on the Bandera side of the central peaks, the
> snow was gone. The roads
> were dry. The afternoon was bright but overcast.
> The miles sped by. By
> the time I arrived at my kid's school to pick her up
> at 5:45, it was just
> getting dark. I'm guessing I only drove a little
> over 100 miles. But it
> was driving in terrain and weather I don't normally
> get to experience that
> much together anymore, and it took me worlds away
> from the cares of life
> that I am trying to attend to. It's good to have a
> break once in a while.
> Call it Imperial therapy.
>
> Hugh
>
>
>
>
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