Pledge Drive: Man to hit every state in continental U.S. behind the wheel of his '32 Ford replica
One 59-year-old man with a mission; one 19-year-old car that's a copy of a 77-year-old car; 64 cities in 49 states; nine days; 1,100 miles between sunrises; and more than 100 billion burgers sold -- those are the stats of Dave Schaub's trip across America to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto, California.
Called Drivin' for the Kids, Schaub's trip is just as much for him as it is for the children who will benefit. Starting in Needles, California Schaub will take his '32 Ford replica (with a smallblock Chevy engine, GM transmission and 24 mpg) across the South, up to Maine, back across the north and midwest, and finish up in Hyder, Alaska. The trip begins on Tuesday, September 8, and If you'd like to donate or just check up on his progress via GPS head over to www.49in9.com. And to you, Mr. Schaub, good luck.
[Source: AutoWeek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Todd 9:36AM (4/29/2009)
Why is he wearing a helmet?
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Tomac 2:22PM (4/29/2009)
Because there's no friggin' rollbar. He rolls that thing and he's dead. He's probably safer on a motorcycle.
HotRodzNKustoms 9:39AM (4/29/2009)
What a worthy excuse to pile the miles on a hot rod.
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jcpa 9:40AM (4/29/2009)
Autoblog successfully crashes another website.
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Dave 9:43AM (4/29/2009)
Agree with HotRodz. This is a GREAT waste of time, fossil fuels and a great reason to put some miles on a hot rod. Wish I knew the route he was taking so I could driv a little bit with him sometime.
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Avinash machado 9:47AM (4/29/2009)
Why do Hot Rods use the Chevy engine? Is it for reliability reasons?
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paul34 9:58AM (4/29/2009)
GM has more crate motors to choose from, with more displacement and torque.
Todd 9:59AM (4/29/2009)
In part yes, belly button motors are reliable. But then again so are most modern engines.
Most part it's because of laziness. Everybody has done it so many times, getting parts for it is quicker and cheaper. You wanna build a hot rod from parts, you either have to use a SBC, possibly a ford small block, or you have to fab up the parts yourself.
Plus I bet it's an automatic, real hot rods have three pedals.
Will 10:06AM (4/29/2009)
Yes, aftermarket support is a huge benefit, and it does get kind of tedious to see so many "custom" cars follow the same mold. Hot rodding used to be about ingenuity, but it seems it's evolved into a bunch of nostalgic old dudes buying overpriced, candy-painted replicas of what the cool kids drove back in their high school days. Billetproof notwithstanding, of course.
Not to disparage Mr. Schaub's epic quest, though. I respect it hugely and would love to do something similar one day, albeit in something more modern. In my mind, I was thinking maybe a Subaru SVX.
In the meantime, I'm still waiting for someone to put a rotary in one of those ubiquitous 30's Fords. Go pistonless, old man!
Avinash machado 10:14AM (4/29/2009)
Thanks Paul,Todd and Will.
HotRodzNKustoms 12:10PM (4/29/2009)
Being a bit of a hot fodder myself owning cars with both Ford and Chevy motors I have to say the two main reasons for a hot rod such as a t-bucket or a 32 to have a Chevy instead of the Ford is because it crosses manufacturers together in one car and the Chevy is generally accepted as the easier motor to keep running cool. Not saying that it is impossible to keep running cool but when faced with unique design issues and a limited budget it is well you get the idea.
Dave 3:56PM (4/29/2009)
It was originally due to the dimensions of the ford vs. the GM blocks. Ford V8 small blocks are a little longer and harder to fit in the chassis compared to the GM small blocks.
Geekengineer 10:01AM (4/29/2009)
I just paid this guy a few bucks to burn some dinosaur blood in a car I've never driven to go to a bunch of places I've never been.
It's all about the kids.
More power to him.
As for some of the earlier posts...
1) He's wearing a helmet because he's driving a '32 replica... it's not a Volvo.
2) The Chevy small block is a nice 'n tight, reliable, kick-ass engine.
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ken_aisin 10:28AM (4/29/2009)
Where can I buy such beautiful replica?
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creigs9 10:49AM (4/29/2009)
When I see the Chevy motor in a 30's-40's Ford I have to walk away. I understand why they do it, but to me it kind of ruins the car.
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LoneWolf 11:11AM (4/29/2009)
Put a Chevy in your Ford! :D Why not the LS2/LS7? ;)
BoxerFanatic 11:33AM (4/29/2009)
It is getting to the point where I walk away from ANY car that wasn't fitted with an SBC from the factory, but has one now.
Good grief, is it that hard to put a Ford small block into a ford roadster? Ford small blocks have PLENTY of support, and are plenty reliable and ubiquitous.
It is a bit funny that people think of this as some sort of statement on the hot rod's reliability... Those things are so commonly built anymore, that they are probably as reliable as any modern car, if not moreso, by being stone simple, and common as custom cars get, The comment above about that was spot on calling it a belly-button motor.
It is a trial of endurance for a person, though, and it is a good cause, so I will give those props. Kudos to the guy.
I like Will's idea of a Subaru SVX. I am getting to know those cars right now, and hope to have one at some point. That is an interesting vehicle.
Lots of things are more unique than another hot rod built from new parts, which so many of the Ford roadsters are anymore. It is like a full size toy model kit. Tab A into Slot B, and paint... There are hot rods that are more than that, but seemingly fewer and fewer.
tommy 12:19PM (4/29/2009)
You must walk away a lot then.
Tomac 2:27PM (4/29/2009)
I prefer to put same-brand engines in a restoration as well, but it doesn't really matter. If you're not going back stock, who cares? GM engines are cheap, easy to work on, and fairly reliable. Only a purist would complain.
I personally feel GM is only capable of making decent drivetrains, and they are pretty inferior in every other category. The Vette is a great example-- excellent performance, but the exterior styling is bland, the fit and finish is terrible, the interior looks like last year's Playskool design, and the ride is comparatively poor. If you're going to use any part of a GM car, the engine is a safe bet.
Dave 11:31AM (4/29/2009)
Well i checked out his site and he has a basic route up with the cities he will be stopping in. So ill be keeping tabs on him and trying to hook up with him on the highway for a drive in my state.
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