WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OLD CARS AND ROAD TRIPS

The important thing to remember about old cars is that they are indeed old. They've done their time on the road long before many of their current owners were even a knee-high-to-a-grasshopper concept, let alone a reality.

Old vehicles were a part of a different era in automotive history. It may have been a simpler time, but it was likely a time when breakdowns were a distinct likelihood.

It may be something minor like a flooded engine, or it could be a catastrophic mechanical failure.

Either way, a driver was destined to spend some time on the side of a road with the hood up on his car. A happy ending would be determined by his mechanical skills and lady luck-or a generous dollop of both.

Fast- forward to the summer of 2011 and plans to drive an old car to a car show.

It is an admirable adventure, but it has been complicated by old school technology on old cars. If your vehicle is an unmodified relic from a bygone era, then you may have just bitten off a family-sized Indiana Jones adventure.

There are ways to improve your chances that you will actually make it to your destination with a minimal amount of pain.

The motto "Be prepared" is not just for Boy Scouts under these conditions. A little preparation may make your road- side stay (after a breakdown) shorter for you and your ancient four-wheeled companion.

Bring along a decent set of basic tools like wrenches, sockets and any other essentials that are not extremely crappy nut and bolt-rounders from a discount bin. If we have learned anything about vehicle repair, it's the cold fact that old steel fasteners hate to move after resting/rusting in one place for decades.

So give yourself a slight edge in the metal vs. wrench battle and use good tools.

Secondly, bring along as many bolt-on engine components as you can load into your vehicle for the trip. Extra generators, water pumps, voltage regulators, fuel pumps, oil pumps, fan belts, brake components, and even a cooler full of ice and rags (for vapor lock) all make sense as your faithful companions in a vintage vehicle.

Anybody who has experienced a breakdown in a vintage car part- free zone will learn the wisdom behind extra parts on a road trip. It will make you less violent when the next yahoo has a long pointless story about how he (or some dead relative) used to own a car like yours while offering no solution to your current disaster.

Do not forget a fuel can on your adventure. Most old gas gauges are a rough guess on a good day and you do not want to test their accuracy.

You're going to need light – a good trouble light, flashlight and batteries are mandatory for that midnight repair on your 58 Ford because cars don't care what time it is...or how rainy and gloomy.

Bring a supply of water-radiators thrive on water. So do you.

Also include emergency equipment on your trip. Pre-1967 vehicles were not equipped with standard four-way flashers, so an emergency stop for even a flat tire could turn into a big adventure on a busy road.

Bring along flashers, safety triangles and a vest for you to wear for that best- dressed look on the side of a highway. Assume that you are stranded in a dangerous sea of incompetent drivers and you may live to drive another day in your old ride.

A fire extinquisher may well be your best friend on an old car trip. Without one a leaky carb could easily consign your beloved car to a permanent charcoal spot in your personal history-nobody wants to refer to a favorite vehicle in the barbequed past tense.

Clearly, a cell phone and a generous tow truck plan may be the ultimate solution to your vintage vehicle breakdown, but it may mean the end of the road for you and your old car on that summer vacation. And no car guy wants that to happen.

Feel free to contact us if you want to add more tips to this article via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jim Sutherland

More car adventures at http://www.mystarcollectorcar.com/

COMMENTS

KEN:Just a thought about mileage.With all that extra weight what with the tools and engine parts, that isgoing to rocket the fuel usage waaaay up. Wait, the mileage is already waaayy low.Just the price you pay for a fine seasoned 'ride'.

BERNIE:"Speaking of bolt-on parts, I have an un-fond memory of changing a water pump on the Icefield Parkway.

DENNIS:"I drive my 27 Ford on an almost daily basis. One thing you didn't mention is that old cars don't stop like modern cars do, especially cars that don't even have front brakes like a Model T".