HOW-TO: Daily Drive a Classic Musclecar 

I don't understand how people say they spend so much time working constantly on their classic cars. I daily a 1969 Impala with an all original drivetrain, interior and body. It has manual disc brakes, HEI, new rims/tires and a new stereo. I drive it to work and school. 300 miles a week. I changed the fuel pump once and the 50 year old alternator. I've never been stranded. It never failed to start. If your car is breaking down everyday, you did something wrong too it lol.

I wish more people would daily their classics, thanks for promoting the cause!

I drove a 73 Dodge Dart for like 6 years. Secret is routine maintenance, which is cheap and easy to do by yourself. And always, I mean ALWAYS, keep all fluid levels at their normal range, and repair any leak inmediatelly.

I’m 16 years old and I’m pretty mechanically inclined, I’m nowhere near a pro but I’m not totally new to the whole thing. I just bought a 1967 Mercury Cougar. Runs drives etc, but of course it need work and I’m fixing all the different odds and ends. Just learn as you go!!!! (My mother was the person who was gonna register the car for me, but she is a firefighter and has been gone 2 weeks since I have gotten the car. Point is I have not driven it on the main road. Tomorrow is the big day haha!)

These cars were daily drivers when they were new. No reason why they can't be just as reliable now. I do this for a living and you are correct about every thing in the video. Yes better headlamps with headlamp relay systems and overdrive transmissions bring them up to modern without loosing the classic style. Check out this car on you tube ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8q86f5KES9Q.html

Hello, I have been successfully daily driving my 1965 Mustang coupe for a full 2 years here in eastern PA. It is my only car and I drive year round even in snow and I drive nearly 50 miles round trip 5 days per week to work. So good job to you Wesley!

nice no bs video. there isnt alot about driving an old muscle car daily, but you're right. every day i start my camaro i smile, im not angry about going to work or an extra store trip, i come out and look at it the same way the people who ask questions do. its marvelous, those people dont see the scars on the knuckles, the way you have to twist to work under the dash, all the extra time spent working to afford to get to do more work. keep it up bro

Refreshing to see a no nonsense, straight to the point RU-vidr out there. I’m 15 and just starting on a 65 impala daily driver project. Nice vid 👍

I hear you dude, I daily my '67 Mustang coupe, 306 5 speed, built the car from a shell, no power anything

I like your video most people tell you to make everything modern. You gave some ideas and still kept it old school keep it up man

Nothing like the sound of a decent V8 with a manual gearbox - nice Cougar mate. My dailys are a '64 Landrover and a '71 Moto Guzzi - yeah, you have to have them sorted and keep a sensible eye on maintenance. Agree about the tyres - I do run crossply tyres on the landrover and they are like plastic hoops in the rain - zero - let me say that again - Zero - grip in the wet. I have to slow down before cornering, but they do appeal to my sense of humour, so I put up with them On That Car. Otherwise the 'Guzzi and my '78 Holden V8 get the best tyres I can afford. I've had these vehicle for so long I usually avoid talking to Everyone about them, you hear the same 'witty insights' over and over again. Really good vid - well thought out: subscribed.

Hi, you were my inspiration to pick up and restore a 66 Mustang coupe. I don't drive it as much as you do yet but it is my only vehicle, so whenever I need to go places this is it. It took hundreds of hours to get to be safe, mostly because I had to learn how to make extensive rust repairs and made mistakes with the engine rebuild but I don't really have breakdowns either. I am thankful that you shared your experience so we may benefit. Have fun and tear it up on the road if you still have the Cougar.

I daily drive my "66 Buick Wildcat. Yes, I checked everything over, had a complete tune-up. It has points, everything original with the 425. New shocks. Love my car

Good thing you did this vid for the newbies out there that just getting into a classic.so many think it just jump in and go.ive never had my classics over heat or anything but just taught young .always look at the gauges.even in new cars.thanks

You make great points here this video made me remember all the little things you have to do to keep em’ on the road. But the thumbs up at every stoplight make it worth it. Smiles for miles.

I daily my 65 plymouth with bias plys. never had any issues. a buddy of mine dailys a 55 pontiac with bias plys as well, he's never had issues either. he even drives his in the snow!

My 1968 mustang has an AOD with 3.55 posi gears and it's great despite what people think. Great video and beautiful car!

Smart man to have upgraded the lap belts to 3 point belts and wearing them 👍. I had a 1970 Buick Electra as a teenager and I wore both the lap and shoulder belts. In addition to the obvious safety aspect, you get a better feeling of a classic car when buckled up. And after being in a head on collision they may save your life. I walked away with only bruises from the belts which was far better than the unbelted other driver.

great vid Wesley. I own a 69 XR7 cat and appreciate you taking the time to offer this advice!

He is right. I don’t worry about cost to keep it running right, it’s always going to be cheaper than a newer car. Mostly smog free and cheaper insurance and cheaper registration. Here in California that’s important. Costs are high. I run a 1964 Dodge 440, big block 400 bored 40. over , runs good, scary, super cool, lots of looks and thumbs up. I encourage young people to try it. Disclaimer…… they are not as safe as newer cars so don’t crash it.

Loved it. I've been looking for this for a while. I daily my 73 mustang and just people close to me give me q hard time about it. always working on the car. spending so much money, is it safe. Man. what ever moves you right? It would be cool to have an online community directed to daily muscle, classic and hot rods

thanks for making this i’m 14 atm and have a 78 malibu trying to get my 68 mustang back tho but wanting to still have a decent ride to the point where i can still gun it and all that got a 350 in the malibu but the 68 mustang i sold to my brother has the original 5.0

Really good tips!! Very specific. Love that you have a merc instead of the more common mustangs, chargers etc. Nothing wrong with that and I love them but good to see something different. You have such a great attitude too bro!

My 1965 Ford Mustang is my first car and I must say theres definitely truth to these points. I wouldnt personally have as much need for overdrive since most of my driving is in town, but when my Cruise o Matic 3 speed goes, Im manual swapping it. It leaked at one point but it turned out to be bad gaskets and the metal casing is still good. I had some electrical problems but now theyre mostly ironed out. Mine unfortunutley did not come with AC so I plan on installing an aftermarket one in the future. It had a whole bunch of bad front end parts and it wouldnt hold an alignment in the beginning. The speedometer works but the needle bounces all over the place in the winter. Im using the stick-on GPS as a temporary solution to that. I have gauges to cover oil pressure, voltage and RPM. After market radio and extra speakers in the back plus bluetooth capabilities. Otherwise still runs a period correct engine (2 barrel V8 with pointed distributor and auto choke) and tranny with a 300 open diff. Gets about 16MPG in town but doesnt need premium gas. Manual steering. Dont really want a PS system tho.

EXCELLENT vidéo !!! Very informative,indeed.I just purchased a 68 wildcat and do so appreciate your review ... hoping to see more.

I drive my 68 Mustang everyday, and i wouldnt trade it for anything. Its sucks on gas, but i knew that when i got it. I love fixing and messing with it, so its all right with me when something breaks on it, Great advice for others who drive classics everyday on this video!

I have a torch red 1977 corvette.I enjoy all the attention i get,when i drive it,I take it out three to four days per week.You do not see many bright red forty four year old sports cars.I keep my car well maintained,If you take care of your car,it will take care of you,for sure.thankyou.russ.

I daily a 1971 Plymouth Sebring plus I drive it every where and it has a 440 big block and a Dana rear I use it every day

Super helpful 👍🏼

Dang. Good thing I bought my 66 mustang as a roller. In august. Now she has new quarters and wheel wells. Brand new atk high performance 302 motor. New gas tank fuel line. Dual brake master cylinder. I rebuilt my c4 with a b@m ratchet shifter. She runs 75mph at 3000rpm.

Well Said!! I drive my project car as much as possible in the summer. I just picked it up last year its a 87 Iroc Camaro 5spd. 5.0 with t bars!! I had one brand new after highschool but sold it for too many tickects and high insurance LOL!! Yea I'm always trying to improve this car and make it more road worthy, last year the radiator blew so it got replace along with all new hoses and new electric fans shes real cool now!! This year new breaks and some electrcal and new lighting. My dream is to modify her with some modern gear and a new drivetrain. Ls motor and driveline is the future plan but the orginal motor runs nice for now.

My ‘68 mustang kept overheating on me and my dad so we took apart the cooling system and saw that the original owner didn’t have a coolant thermostat in it, so the car wouldn’t know how much coolant to cycle through the car. After that she ran like a dream

Hey man what steering wheel do you have in that car? is it oem??

Thank you

I agree 100% classic look but modern safely

You need to show the cougar more

Brakes first! The car needs to stop b4 it can go! Then suspension it needs to steer n handle like new to be able to enjoy the driveing experience! Then drivetrain u need to be able to trust the car to drive ANYwere! Then it can be a daily! 67 impala daily here!!

Drive my 69 impala everyday to school, work, and trips. Reliable, comfortable and cool. No problems with my original drivetrain. Whats your excuse for your trailer queen?

thanks man. useful!

So you pretty much gotta do a full restoration

Could you get polymer or sylicone parts for anything that’s rubber

I’m looking to Buy a Street 1970 Mercury Cougar XR7 for around 25k the 351 Cleveland has been modified to all hell no original parts left mostly high performance with radials would you say this could be used as a reliable daily driver?

what state ist this ?

Nice cat man... 1 what type of suspension an leaf spring are you running 2 what type of rims an Tire size?

How can i find the parts that i need for a muscle in europe

nice video

I’m going to swap a t5 into my 68 cougar any week now. Mine is a original 302 with a c4. Wondering if I’ll need to run the Fox body tailshaft orvthe more forward shift location of the s10? & maybe what will I have to do to my center console? I realize your was already a manual but did the stock fox body shifter location line up? & did you need to do anything special with bell housing, flywheel, starter, etc? & did you run the clutch old style cable or use the fox body hydronic slave cylinder? Thanks

It’s called Fuel Injection

I’m thinking of buying a 1967 Chevy impala next year, problem is I’m 6”7. Would that car fit me?

hey you have a really nice car but how do you keep it from getting stolen? do you have an alarm? or what do you recomend from getting it stolen. reason i ask is my dad had a 71 el camino and it got stolen a long time ago and i would hate to get my car stolen if i decide to daily drive mine. what do you recomend?

my uncle had a 69 cougar and my dad had a 69 maverick and my grandpa had a 67 cougar and I have a 69 Mustang

My dads friend is selling his 69 Chevelle Malibu. My dad wants to buy it so we can work on it and restore it together. It runs and drives and has a 350 crate engine. The paint is bad and it has a few rust bubbles in the quarter panels. All of the points you made in the video would have to be done/replaced to make it a good daily driver. He’s asking 7,000. Do you think its a fair deal?

But what are some other ways to get more mpgs besides the overdrive transmission? my 66 impala does 11 mpgs and gas is too expensive so what do yall recommend

this seems like a really weird thing to ask but people from craigslist brought this to my attention. Is there way to put a discrete roll cage in a classic car? Kinda like frame reinforcement in the case of a crash? Has anyone thought about it or has done it? Is it a dumb idea and am i just stupid?

So the same would go for any classic muscle? Or are there some more difficult. (69 mustang, charger, GTX, etc.) I DD my C5, and am planning on snagging a decent not too much work old muscle car. Thanks for the videos I def needed more content on classic muscle cars. Subscribed!! Love your car btw man congrats!

What state is the Desoto National Forest is in.

So I’m trying to buy a old 1987 cougar for around 8k, it’s in really good condition but it has about 140,000 miles on it, is it worth it?

Thumbs up liked for you.

I have that car as my daily!! Is that a 68 or 67?

Basically modernize everything to daily drive your classic car, and whether strip it.

I daily drive a mercury cougar as well. Mines from 1980 though, not as sexy.

Overdrive in a classic car.😡 I drive around with a th350 trans with a 2700 stall and 410 rear gears.. 😤

I'm thinking about buying a 68 mustang coupe. Custom paint and wheels. 302 Edelbrock engine with 2.5k miles on it. 96k miles on the body. The guy is asking 10k for it. It needs floor pans and bushings. Should I go for it?

I’m scared that it will get stolen

Your only issue with classics is safety. However if you have modern brakes and are a good driver you will be fine

He mentioned fel pro gaskets...theyre good, just not the cork shit, I went through 3 sets in 4 months on my 65 Catalina convertible. Get a nice T H I C C set of rubber ones lol. No seriously...get the rubber, not cork.

There’s nothing to it. Daily it. Fix whatever it needs attention and keep up the maintenance with quality parts. Period .

cool but not safe