I'm proud to say I drive my 442 daily, I use it for college and work I put a average 200 miles a week on it. My car was built to be driven and its not a ultra rare car so it can be driven every day, now if I had a 69 Hurst/olds (60 made) or 70 442 W-30 convertible (250? made) then I wouldn't drive it that much, probably just on nice days and on weekends, because their rare cars

Well Norm, I tell ya...I've been waiting for one of the more knowledgeable guys to ask this exact question, so I'll be more than happy to explain!

In the summer, I switch back and forth between my 70 and 72 as my daily driver...now I'll include the 74 into that....

I drive my 72, complete with the 12:1 engine, 1050 Dominator carb, 8 point rollbar without swingout bars, 3" exhaust with turndowns, skinnies in the front, ON SLICKS, 4.11 gears, as much as I can on the street, which is usually at LEAST twice a week, depending on weather....it cost me $4 a gallon for Unocal 110 leaded racing fuel, and the car is on the "gallons per mile" basis.....I've NEVER owned a "garage car" or "trailer queen", and would never own a car I couldn't drive and enjoy on a regular basis. The Police all know me and leave me alone, as I'm not one to cause trouble, and they all know where to find me if I did. I normally run my car within a 30 mile radius of my home, and would go farther, except for the limitations of the car...If I were to buld a new engine I'd make the car a bit more "street friendly", although scaring the hell out of the Mustang and Camaro crowd here is AWFULLY FUN!!!!!

My 70 is a 54,000 original mile Nevada car....it had about 48,000 on it when I bought it about a year ago....I drive this car EVERYWHERE!...its been on 3 hr trips without a hitch...my work limits me to how much I can get away, but when I do I drive this if I'm not in the 72...I haul parts with it, go down gravel roads, get in it dirty after work....BUT I take care of it too, just as I do the rest of my cars, and just as I would whether it would be a 69 H/O, a Hemi car, a COPO Camaro, or any of the other countless rare cars out there...my 70 Supreme SX was a 1 of 1100 car, and I drove that everyday, racking up miles after miles after miles on it....same way with the 71 Z28 I owned.......

Regarding rarity......preservation is good, but pleasure is better...if there were 60 H/O's built, and only 20 remained, which would you rather do?

A. Stick it away in the garage or drive it once in a blue moon?

B. Drive it regularily, enjoy it as MUCH as possible, and let people see and know how GREAT these old cars are, and try to educate the younger crowd about what REAL performance and looks are?

I'm not afraid to say I'd be at the TOP of the B. list, because no matter how you argue it, rarity and preservation are utterly pointless if noone knows it exists, or is rumored to exist....

So, Norm...let me rephrase my previous statement....

Drive it.....ON A REGULAR BASIS AND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!!!

hey now, I'm not THAT stupicd.....i can spelb bester then all of yous.
Sorry, I've been up for 3 days now preparing for finals so I'm a little, well...retarted!!

Hi Stroker, hello all
Your post didn't say anything about distance, and I had a picture of you staying close to available fuel for your thirsty '72.
I thought you were ripe for a needle and like I said I couldn't resist.
I already knew about your cars from bits and pieces of your posts here and in ROP in the last couple of months and comparing your cars to mine cannot be done without tongue firmly in cheek.
I built my grey one to run an easy 12 flat in street trim to avoid roll bars and cages so the back seat would be servicable.
The guy I got my red one from always talked street but I got it with a 11.9 CR 468, 4000 stall, Trans braked Th400, 9 inch 456 spool and tubs for 31X14X15 slicks. and a 6 point roll bar.
Same trim as I bought it, I watched it run 11.60s (3800#) and later it ran mid 10s with a 150 HP N20 plate.
I totally understand what you're doing. It would be a kick to drive around town, but when I go to cruise a burger stand or a go to dragstrip it might be the same as you cruising to Appleton or Green bay, or to Kaukauna to collect some time slips.
Maybe a good time for you in your '72, but I couldn't handle the highway in my red one.
Sounds like you finished the roll bar.
Regards, Norm

My first double post. Now I know how it happens.

Strangly that sums up me too, funny you say this though because I remember a cop coming into my work to buy something one time and he said to me "you own the 442 out there" I told him yea and he said "You know I heard something funny on the radio last night, a Mustang and a green Chevelle with white stripes was racing down a road around here" I said "hmm well I drive a 442, so it couldn't be me" He laughed and said "right" and left, and yes and I did race the Mustang and I was beat by a car lenght, I'm man enough to admit that part. Well I'm done thread hacking

Norm, I understand completely what you're saying....I take the 70 for more "long haul" street driving, although its fun setting off car alarms and shaking stuff off the walls when I pull in my driveway!!!

Oh, the '72 does have a backseat....serviceable? welllllll....... ops: lets just say it has a backseat and leave it at that

As far as handling the highway, lets just say its ALWAYS in the cam powerband, so I never have to worry about winding it up to get there

I did get the rollbar done, as well as wheels, fuel system, gears, seats, harnesses, evac system, and some other stuff this winter....I still have a few things to finish before June, as there are 2 races I want to attend...the BOP drags at Union Grove, and the Mondello Olds Nationals at Byron...hopefully the car will put up a good showing!

Distributor took a dump in the 74 this week, so I'm working on getting an HEI and converting it back to HEI, as the points dist. was only a temporary measure to get the car up and running....my 70 is still bulletproof, thank God!!

I agree, let's drive them. I drive the 95 Ciera during the winter when the salt's a flying ([Archie Bunker voice]everydamnday here in Michigan it seems), but when the spring rains have washed the roads clean the 87 and the 68 come out. The 87 gets me to and from work each day in comfort and style and the 68 is for evening and weekend driving. Obviously I vote for RWD Cutlasses as my favorites but I'd love to own a 49 88 or 98 and would love to have a 68 Toro again. A 61 Starfire would be sweet too. I say let them build all the Impalas into hydraulic jacked monstrosities and leave the 88's and 98's for us who can appreciate them as they are.

me too, I love those cars... not very practical for a daily driver, but really cool to cruise around in on the weekends and take to shows and such.

If I were the owner of the impala...

I wouldnt chome out the undercarridge, because I'd be constantly driving and bouncing the hell out of it!!! If anything, I'd weld on scrape plates all over it, because I think a car like that HAS to be shown off!! Learn how to pull off some tricks...

There's nothing I enjoy more than watching a lowrider drive by who's operator really knows how to work the switches, its amazing I think.

So yes, I will agree with you all, a car HAS to be driven. Its a car afterall! And a car that can put on a show while it's moving is all the better!

But, let me pose a new question : What about special purpose cars like dedicated BASS MOBILES that only have alternators connected to the engine, no real drive train? (or monster garage for that matter) Are those an exception to the rule? I guess its not too often that you see a rare classic car turned into a gutted bass machine, so maybe this question is irrelevant, but what's your guy's oppinion?