|
I have a '51 Ford; it doesn't have the famous V8 but a flathead straight 6; actually a better engine than the flathead 8 in some respects. I don't know the full history of this engine, only that the car has around 86k. (I have to wonder if it was rebuilt at some point). I change the oil every 2,000 miles and it uses about a quart in that time which I find outstanding for something that age. Most of the older vehicles I've owned either burned or leaked oil, or both. The first couple vehicles I owned, as a teenager, were a 67 Impala with a 283 V8 & a 78 Ford F100 with a 302 V8. Both needed at least a quart of oil per week.
Most oil until at least the 60s was non-detergent. A large percentage of cars didn't have oil filters. The dirt in the oil (and there was plenty, thanks to the air filters in use back then) would gradually sink to the bottom of the oil pan. If you changed the oil regularly you might keep it fairly clean. My '51 had some deep black oil in it when I got it, which I promptly changed. At first it used about a quart every 150 miles or so but quickly improved. After a couple oil changes the dipstick looks so clean you can barely see the oil, even after a couple thousand miles. I still use non-detergent oil out of concern that there could still be some sludge inside that modern oil could stir up. There are stories of this causing the engine to suffer a "stroke" as the oil pump screen stops up.
My old car gets used quite a bit; I use it for errands, going to church, day-trips. I've taken it on some weekend trips, maybe 3 hours one-way. Stuff does wear out faster than on modern cars but they're so simple that, really, only so much bad can happen. The only time this Ford was Found On Road Dead with me as the owner? Vapor lock, the first summer I had it. I added an electric fuel pump as a backup and when it acts up I just flip the switch.
Old British cars have a reputation for poor reliability (especially electrical parts) but some of them are very easy to get parts for and should be simple to work on. That's what I'd look for, something basic, not loaded up with tons of options. It's nice to have power this and power that but on a car that age, all of that stuff is very failure prone.
__________________
Bryan
|