Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Poor babies.

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1

    Poor babies.

    Dang. This is from an article in a Mustang magazine (so it is sort of related to Falcons). It says that its readers (presumably mostly Mustang owners) "can't conceive" of actually driving an old Mustang on a daily basis (the horror!). They point out in particular the "muscle-wrenching manual steering". The present Mustang enthusiasts sound a bit delicate. Sixteen-year old girls used to love driving those cars. Power steering in the original Falcons was considered to be so unnecessary that it was not even offered as an option. Power steering is nice, but for readers of a magazine devoted to vintage cars (Mustangs) to not even be able to conceive of driving a car without it, is surprising.

    Quote:
    "Automobiles have come a long way since 1965. Those creature comforts that used to be options, like air conditioning, cruise control, stereo sound, and even seatbelts, have become standard equipment today. As a result, we've become accustomed to them in our daily lives. This is probably why most of you can't conceive of driving a classic Mustang on a daily basis."

    "Years ago, many of us drove our vintage Mustangs every day, which is probably why few of us are now driving them daily. We remember the really crummy four-wheel manual drum brakes that pulled in hard braking, muscle-wrenching manual steering, leaky Bendix power steering, uncomfortable bucket seats, no safety features, lap belts instead of three-point safety belts, road boom and wind noise, poor fuel economy, hit-and-miss performance, and occasional roadside assistance."

    Read more: http://www.mustangandfords.com/proje...#ixzz2zx0GxuQB
    Last edited by ew1usnr; April 25th, 2014 at 08:29 PM.
    Dennis Pierson
    Tampa, FL
    "The Wonder Falcon"

    '63 Futura Hardtop (260, Ford-O-Matic, bench seat)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Yea...I've seen comments like that too and I'm always amazed because mine steers so easily (really- I'm amazed at that every time I have driven it)...and that nice big steering wheel helps make sure I don't eat too much.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    133
    I myself am always shocked when a Falcon enthusiast tells me he or she does not drive their Falcon as their main car.

    Of course I can understand this if it's a nice or restored Falcon that you don't want dinged up, but that's what beater Falcons are for! I had a very nice Falcon (since sold, sadly) and a beater Falcon.

    I cannot imagine somebody finding the steering of a manual steering Mustang being difficult, especially if it is a six cylinder car.

    My worst car to steer was probably my MGB with the Chevy small block up front that was like steering a truck, no power steering, but it wasn't unmanageable, I barely noticed it.

    Another bear of a car was my '23 T-Bucket, once you got going it was fine, as was the MGB V8, but parking the thing took some work, but nothing terrible.

  4. #4
    I'd say it depends on many things. For me the issue has more to do with the length of my commute and the type of traffic. Much of it has to do with the lack of patience most drivers have today. They see an old car (whether it is going slower or not) and think they have to be in front of you no matter what. Even if they have to do stupid maneuvers to accomplish that goal.

    For the most part, for me personally, Falcons are not being made any more - and people are driving, in general, more and more aggressive. I'd rather have them smack into the car I have full coverage on, or can be replaced with another of similar vintage. Simply a game of chance these days. Lowering the odds.

    FWIW, I did build a car I don't mind driving (more often) now, but I will still only drive it on the days I don't have a lot of errands to run.
    Roger Moore

    63 "Flarechero"
    powered by: 347ci stroker | Tremec T5 | 8" 3:45 TracLoc rear



  5. #5
    I'm a fair weather driver.. but when its nice I tool around the back roads.
    My hardest decision is which one am I going to drive today.
    I still won't drive them long distances or to appointments that are a specific time.

    I just sold an old car and one of the lookie,loos actually insulted my wife by questioning if she even knew how to drive it. Then insulted her with a low ball offer.. she laughed at him. needless to say he called back 4 days after the car sold, wanting to buy it still. Too bad too sad.. it sold..
    Nathan and Jen Cooper
    63 Sprint Hardtop "Dollora"
    63 Super deluxe squire wagon "Mayble"
    * this spot is vacant for future project*

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    133
    Well, I got bit, I just noticed last night that my NICE Falcon was hit some time in the last month or so, while it was parked on one of the few trips I made with it. It is the nice one so I very rarely drive it, but that still didn't help. Time to buy a British Ferret and drive that.

    Years ago one of my ugliest Falcons was hit, I was stopped at a stop sign and some guy was speeding on the road I was waiting to cross, he drove his car into my Falcon bumper and dragged his car along the bumper, tearing up the entire driver's side of his car, he skidded, slammed on the brakes for a second, then gunned it and took off. He trashed the entire left side of his car from fender to rear quarter, he was doing about 30 to 40 mph.

    He only dinged and scraped my flimsy Falcon bumper, luckily, had he t-boned me I'd have been a hurtin' unit. I figure he was drunk or on drugs and that's why he sped away, it was daylight. One day I'll post a photo of my ugly Falcon, or maybe I can find it in my albums, if I find it I'll post it.

    An elderly woman backed into it another day, in a park lot, the quarter pushed in, then popped out when she pulled away. I was going to have her insurance pay for it but the car is so ugly and she only left a small dent, and she was about 900 years old, and I had things to do.

    I recall another time with that particular car I was at Barnes & Nobles with their big picture windows, sitting looking out the window and reading. A car pulled up too close alongside my Falcon, a woman walked up to the passenger door of the car that pulled in, looked at her door and my car, there was too little room, decided "%$@# him" and opened the car door into my door, got in, and they drove away.

    Another time, with my other beater Falcon, I was at the gym, and I saw a woman park near my Falcon, and I heard a *BANG*, she had let her long heavy SUV door swing, fall open with gravity and punch into my Falcon door, she didn't even look up to see what happened while she sifted through her purse, didn't care. I walked out and had something to say about that.

    The sad thing is that even my brutal Falcons are too nice to let these kinds of people destroy, I need another Falcon, what I need is, does anybody remember me when I drove around in a '65 four door Falcon that had a tree fall onto the roof? The rear half of the roof was crushed but the front compartment was fine and I used to drive that car everywhere. THAT is what I need now!! I LUVED that car!!!!!!! It became a donor for my one Falcon I found at a junkyard, though.

    I need a total rat, a total beater like that one, and there is one on craigslist now, it looks AWFUL but he wants $1500 for it, seems a bit high for a total rat but in today's money maybe that's not really that much. I need another beater... a super beater!!! :-)

    There, I just took some new photos of my beautiful Ugly and loaded them, THIS CAR IS TOO NICE TO DRIVE. Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite Falcons.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Wilbur; July 7th, 2014 at 07:22 PM.

  7. #7

    I like it.

    "Rat Rods" are trendy now. I've watched on car shows where they spray clear coat over rust to "preserve the patina".

    I would make it a point to park it next to new Corvettes and BMWs just out of general principle.


    In this instance, I pulled in first and the BMW and Mercedes parked next to me.
    Mercedes BMW Falcon (2).jpg
    Last edited by ew1usnr; July 8th, 2014 at 05:43 PM.
    Dennis Pierson
    Tampa, FL
    "The Wonder Falcon"

    '63 Futura Hardtop (260, Ford-O-Matic, bench seat)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    133
    Dennis, here is the old post of my beater Falcon, in these photos you can see the car is rougher than it appears in some of the photos where I stood 10 or more feet away from the car. As rough as this car looks, I'm fine with it and the car is a lot of fun to drive.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wilbur View Post
    Well, I got bit, I just noticed last night that my NICE Falcon was hit some time in the last month or so, while it was parked on one of the few trips I made with it. It is the nice one so I very rarely drive it, but that still didn't help. Time to buy a British Ferret and drive that.

    Years ago one of my ugliest Falcons was hit, I was stopped at a stop sign and some guy was speeding on the road I was waiting to cross, he drove his car into my Falcon bumper and dragged his car along the bumper, tearing up the entire driver's side of his car, he skidded, slammed on the brakes for a second, then gunned it and took off. He trashed the entire left side of his car from fender to rear quarter, he was doing about 30 to 40 mph.

    He only dinged and scraped my flimsy Falcon bumper, luckily, had he t-boned me I'd have been a hurtin' unit. I figure he was drunk or on drugs and that's why he sped away, it was daylight. One day I'll post a photo of my ugly Falcon, or maybe I can find it in my albums, if I find it I'll post it.

    An elderly woman backed into it another day, in a park lot, the quarter pushed in, then popped out when she pulled away. I was going to have her insurance pay for it but the car is so ugly and she only left a small dent, and she was about 900 years old, and I had things to do.

    I recall another time with that particular car I was at Barnes & Nobles with their big picture windows, sitting looking out the window and reading. A car pulled up too close alongside my Falcon, a woman walked up to the passenger door of the car that pulled in, looked at her door and my car, there was too little room, decided "%$@# him" and opened the car door into my door, got in, and they drove away.

    Another time, with my other beater Falcon, I was at the gym, and I saw a woman park near my Falcon, and I heard a *BANG*, she had let her long heavy SUV door swing, fall open with gravity and punch into my Falcon door, she didn't even look up to see what happened while she sifted through her purse, didn't care. I walked out and had something to say about that.

    The sad thing is that even my brutal Falcons are too nice to let these kinds of people destroy, I need another Falcon, what I need is, does anybody remember me when I drove around in a '65 four door Falcon that had a tree fall onto the roof? The rear half of the roof was crushed but the front compartment was fine and I used to drive that car everywhere. THAT is what I need now!! I LUVED that car!!!!!!! It became a donor for my one Falcon I found at a junkyard, though.

    I need a total rat, a total beater like that one, and there is one on craigslist now, it looks AWFUL but he wants $1500 for it, seems a bit high for a total rat but in today's money maybe that's not really that much. I need another beater... a super beater!!! :-)

    There, I just took some new photos of my beautiful Ugly and loaded them, THIS CAR IS TOO NICE TO DRIVE. Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite Falcons.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •