This is my first week of driving an ancient car every day and I thought I'd share the experience. It's not quite 75 years old but I have done 75 trouble free miles this week. For anyone who doesn't know it's a 1954 Ford Pop, basically designed some time during WW2 and it's got beam axles front and rear, cross-springs and cable brakes. The engine is a 30hp flathead-4 going through a 3 speed gearbox with very basic syncromesh which may as well not be there. Lever arm shocks all round and tall 450-17 crossplies which measure out at 125/95/17 in today's size. Originally it was 6-volts with a dynamo on positive earth but I've converted it over to a 12V alternator on neggy earth to make starting etc a bit easier.
This is what it looks like, I don't have any more recent photos but it looks the same except for shiner wheels, some indicators and the new number on the front. Oh and an MOT:
My drive to work is through Biggin Hill and Westerham down towards Sundridge which is mainly twisty lanes and average speed is about 40-45 mph up to about 55mph tops in a modern daily. I've been pleased to say that I can keep up with no problems. The top speed of my car is 61 but I normally wouldn't get up there so there is no need for me to have a faster car. There is a horrible hill up from Westerham to Biggin Hill and that is the only place the car stuggles. Speed drops down to about 25mph and speed is limited by the huge jump between 2nd and 3rd gear. In 2nd the engine is screaming in agony but 3rd is just too far away and tha change takes too long. I think we've all been there when another gear would have come in handy.
Round the bends the body roll is quite astonishing and cars on the other side of the road literally move right over their side when they see me coming round a bend. Having said that it sticks to the road quite well considering the tyres are so skinny and I haven't managed to squeal them yet. The steering itself is heavy and vague and I'd forgotten what it was like with a steering box. Coupled with the fact that it's cross-steering, there's a bit of play in the kingpins, then mid-bend the tall tyres catch up with the car it tends to wander about a bit but it's great fun and once I've put the new kingpins on it should sharpen things up.
The brakes. Everyone should drive a car with cable brakes at least once in their life - it's character building. I'm not going to beat around the bush here they are frankly rubbish. No, they are non-existant. Let me describe what happens when you press the brake pedal: Initially nothing happens because there is no power assist and it's drums all round so you press a bit harder. Then the legwork makes its way through a series of linkages that equalise front to back, left to right on both axles and then equalise between the two shoes in each drum. It is a truly ingenious system designed by rollup smoking greyhaired engineers in white coats and I've spent ages under the car pulling cables watching the system work. Finally the car starts to slow but the experience isn't over yet. Unfortunately the cables work best when the wheels are straight and the kingpins are in perfect condition. In reality what happens is the cables pull the kingpin over a bit because it's worn and the car steers a little. One compensates but then you pull the cable a bit when you steer the wheels so it heads the other way and you snake to a halt. In an emergency it's all a bit more intense and exaggerated and involves a gear change to knock off a few extra mph. You wouldn't want to rely on them.
The engine is very basic and has no water pump and no oil filter. It's not like a modern engine because the valves are actually in the block next to the bores, looks a bit like this from above valves on one side, bores next to them...
:O
:O
:O
:O
...and the combustion chamber, an oval shape, covers both the valves and the bore in a solid metal head. With no water pump the engine cools itself with an enormous tall radiator. The water boils in the block and syphons up to the top of the radiator where it is cooled by the big fan on the front of the alternator pulley. By today's standards the engine runs extremely hot and it needs topping up with water regularly as it boils it off. Naturally it leaks a lot of oil as well but hey, it stops the car rusting!!! Fuel consumption seems to be pretty good but I haven't worked out mpg yet as I haven't got through enough fuel.
Interior confort is by way of 3/4 of a tatty interior. Smells like it looks but it's dead comfy and the seats offer negative support and spill you out during a bend. There's no radio but the heater works well. So I hope that gives you all some insight into what it's like in the world of a truly shonky car owner
This is what it looks like, I don't have any more recent photos but it looks the same except for shiner wheels, some indicators and the new number on the front. Oh and an MOT:
My drive to work is through Biggin Hill and Westerham down towards Sundridge which is mainly twisty lanes and average speed is about 40-45 mph up to about 55mph tops in a modern daily. I've been pleased to say that I can keep up with no problems. The top speed of my car is 61 but I normally wouldn't get up there so there is no need for me to have a faster car. There is a horrible hill up from Westerham to Biggin Hill and that is the only place the car stuggles. Speed drops down to about 25mph and speed is limited by the huge jump between 2nd and 3rd gear. In 2nd the engine is screaming in agony but 3rd is just too far away and tha change takes too long. I think we've all been there when another gear would have come in handy.
Round the bends the body roll is quite astonishing and cars on the other side of the road literally move right over their side when they see me coming round a bend. Having said that it sticks to the road quite well considering the tyres are so skinny and I haven't managed to squeal them yet. The steering itself is heavy and vague and I'd forgotten what it was like with a steering box. Coupled with the fact that it's cross-steering, there's a bit of play in the kingpins, then mid-bend the tall tyres catch up with the car it tends to wander about a bit but it's great fun and once I've put the new kingpins on it should sharpen things up.
The brakes. Everyone should drive a car with cable brakes at least once in their life - it's character building. I'm not going to beat around the bush here they are frankly rubbish. No, they are non-existant. Let me describe what happens when you press the brake pedal: Initially nothing happens because there is no power assist and it's drums all round so you press a bit harder. Then the legwork makes its way through a series of linkages that equalise front to back, left to right on both axles and then equalise between the two shoes in each drum. It is a truly ingenious system designed by rollup smoking greyhaired engineers in white coats and I've spent ages under the car pulling cables watching the system work. Finally the car starts to slow but the experience isn't over yet. Unfortunately the cables work best when the wheels are straight and the kingpins are in perfect condition. In reality what happens is the cables pull the kingpin over a bit because it's worn and the car steers a little. One compensates but then you pull the cable a bit when you steer the wheels so it heads the other way and you snake to a halt. In an emergency it's all a bit more intense and exaggerated and involves a gear change to knock off a few extra mph. You wouldn't want to rely on them.
The engine is very basic and has no water pump and no oil filter. It's not like a modern engine because the valves are actually in the block next to the bores, looks a bit like this from above valves on one side, bores next to them...
:O
:O
:O
:O
...and the combustion chamber, an oval shape, covers both the valves and the bore in a solid metal head. With no water pump the engine cools itself with an enormous tall radiator. The water boils in the block and syphons up to the top of the radiator where it is cooled by the big fan on the front of the alternator pulley. By today's standards the engine runs extremely hot and it needs topping up with water regularly as it boils it off. Naturally it leaks a lot of oil as well but hey, it stops the car rusting!!! Fuel consumption seems to be pretty good but I haven't worked out mpg yet as I haven't got through enough fuel.
Interior confort is by way of 3/4 of a tatty interior. Smells like it looks but it's dead comfy and the seats offer negative support and spill you out during a bend. There's no radio but the heater works well. So I hope that gives you all some insight into what it's like in the world of a truly shonky car owner
Last edited:
