[rad400]

To me a street car you can get in and go, use 87 octane, low RPMs, and has heat and A/C. Does not break down every other day. For me it would be a bone stock 79 T/A with a 5spd.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by rad400

To me a street car you can get in and go, use 87 octane, low RPMs, and has heat and A/C. Does not break down every other day. For me it would be a bone stock 79 T/A with a 5spd.

Everyone has an opinion, and you are entitled to yours.

I don't understand the 87 octane??? Many new cars that are daily drivers take higher octane than that. As long as the car runs on pump gas available at most gas stations - that's good enough for me.

Low RPM's? How low. Many cars are just fine with the factory gears on the highway and a 1 to 1 final drive. I personally wouldn't want anything more than my 3.42's in my GTO. My wife's Camaro has 3.08's. Both are 4 speed cars and very "streetable".

I agree with a heater - mainly for the occasional need to defog the windshield. But I have driven (living in MN) my cars in every month but February, so a heater has come in handy a few times for actual heat.

A/C? A/C wasn't even a production option on ANY car until 1953. IMHO - A/C is NOT a mandatory item for a "street" car. Heck, it wasn't until 1979 that I bought my first new car that came with A/C...

I agree with reliability.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Everyone has an opinion, and you are entitled to yours.

I don't understand the 87 octane??? Many new cars that are daily drivers take higher octane than that. As long as the car runs on pump gas available at most gas stations - that's good enough for me.

Low RPM's? How low. Many cars are just fine with the factory gears on the highway and a 1 to 1 final drive. I personally wouldn't want anything more than my 3.42's in my GTO. My wife's Camaro has 3.08's. Both are 4 speed cars and very "streetable".

I agree with a heater - mainly for the occasional need to defog the windshield. But I have driven (living in MN) my cars in every month but February, so a heater has come in handy a few times for actual heat.

A/C? A/C wasn't even a production option on ANY car until 1953. IMHO - A/C is NOT a mandatory item for a "street" car. Heck, it wasn't until 1979 that I bought my first new car that came with A/C...

I agree with reliability.

I agree. I drove my 65 with 3.90 gears on Sunoco 94 for years every day, never thought of it as "not streetable." Heat is probably important just about anywhere for defogging the window as you say. Windshield wipers, tires that aren't practically drag slicks, reliable, don't have to replace the lifters or valve springs every 2000 miles. But you can have a pretty fast street car for sure, even a basic naturally-aspirated old car with a carb.

[Nicks67GTO]

I used to drive a 73' Nova on the street all the time, to work, to the gym, to softball, to church and go on 500 mile trips here and there with it. It had an 11:1 350 with a 258/264@.050 solid FT cam that spun 7500+ RPM, idle was very rough, it stunk like gas, was pretty cold blooded, it had no power anything, or a radio for that matter. I ran cal tracs, 90/10 shocks, no sway bar, 3.5" skinnies in front, roll cage, fuel cell, battery in the trunk, spun 3800 RPM @ 75mph on the interstate with a 5 speed.

On the flip side It never failed me, ran 180* in even the hottest nastiest weather that Iowa and Minnesota had to offer, ran like a champ, and spent about 95% of its life on the street/interstate.

I dont care what anyone says. It was a racecar that I drove on the street. Category 3. Even though it was daily driver capable, that dosent make it a daily driver.

[rad400]

the 87 octane is cause its cheaper than 92-94 octane. thats all.

[camerjeff]

[QUOTE=Keith Seymore;4931514]My daily driver does not meet your definition of a street car....

Keith, Point taken, but my Bias is based on a guy that used to join the day cruises that my friends and I used to take, he has a "Pro-Street" 72 Nova, 502BBC with a 6-71 Blower, 10 gallon fuel cell, and could only cruise at about 55mph or it would overheat, he could not even go 80 miles before having to fill his tank. And the car would have to sit for an Hour to cool down before it would restart. It even had a Spool. He considered it a "street Car" because it did not have a Roll Cage, and he had never taken it to the track.

The experience really tought me less tolerance for certain "street cars".

I am glad he never had a flat rear tire as we would have been stranded there until someone went and got his trailer, as it was his son would follow him with cans of Turbo Blue in the back of his truck!!

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by rad400

the 87 octane is cause its cheaper than 92-94 octane. thats all.

So, after spending all kinds of money on purchasing/restoring an older car, you're worried about a few cents per gallon?

I run my GTO on 91 octane. It costs me about $.20 more per gallon. That's less than 5% more than 87 octane.

My GTO is just as "streetable" as my 49 Caddy limo, the 50 Pontiac, the 72 Camaro and the 81 Chev C10 that run on 87 octane.

The "fun to drive" quotient of the GTO is worth more than $.20 per gallon.

Based on driving my car 4,000 miles per year - that's less than $50.00.

[68WarDog]

A vehicle you would allow your kid(s) or spouse to drive without hesitation......well maybe not my son

[aktattoo]

As long as YOU can handle your car safely on the street, it can pull up to the gas station and refuel, it doesn't overheat in traffic, and you can get through reg ins and inspection, I think it is your street car. Not everyone belongs behind the wheel of a performance vehicle. I have a winter car because I don't think performance and ice go well together, and because this thing survived 40+ years why kill it with salted roads.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by aktattoo

As long as YOU can handle your car safely on the street, it can pull up to the gas station and refuel, it doesn't overheat in traffic, and you can get through reg ins and inspection, I think it is your street car. Not everyone belongs behind the wheel of a performance vehicle. I have a winter car because I don't think performance and ice go well together, and because this thing survived 40+ years why kill it with salted roads.

I agree completely. The only thing I do with my car on the street is occasionally find an open stretch of road with NO traffic and smack it a little in first and second, then get out of it. I am just not into wrecking my car or my body, and just goosing it every now and again is SO MUCH FUN.

[rad400]

True that on salted roads killing these cars.

[Evil Stu]

Originally Posted by 68WarDog

A vehicle you would allow your kid(s) or spouse to drive without hesitation......well maybe not my son

This means nothing I drive is a street car.....

[Skip Fix]

Heck my wife's 73 factory 454 truck wouldn't make 250miles on a tank on a good day. 20 gallon tank and 9 mpg average as low as 7 towing the horse trailer. There were some sections through the central valley of CA we were sweating making the next gas station moving out there and back to TX. But you sure didn't know the horse trailer was back there and I swear it was as fast as my 78 TA with it's 180 hp smogger motor,definitely could light up the tires for all of first. I added a Weiand, Holley 3310 and header and picked up 1 mpg over the Q jet and manifoids probabky from the weight reduction.Even had a Gilley's sticker on the bumper for you Urban Cowboy fans

For me has to be full pump gas no mixture and do a 70 mph cruise easily no overheating. A lot of gray areas-since I grew up on no A/C, no power accesories from the factory that isn't a big deal for me. Heck I drove to the track and threw papers out of my 409 Impala with 4.56 gears!

[Silver Judge]

Gotta be able to drive it to Canada. Lay down some 12 second ETs, go to a BBQ at SD Performance that night, drive back to Seattle

Or, if you're like PY member Richard (forum name Guidos), drive the car from Alberta, Canada to Oregon, lay down 11's then drive back to Canada.

[geeteeohguy]

I think it depends on what age you are and what you learned to drive on. I learned on non AC cars with standard trannies and no power assist. For 15 years, the only cars I drove were early GTO's.....I had no other transportation. None of these cars had AC, and most were manual trans cars, some with manual steering. No biggie. Just because you can't eat a Big Mac and drink a 48 oz soda while driving does not make it a non street car. A street car is one that can be used reliably by the owner whenever he or she wants to use it for the purpose of getting somewhere in style. Both of my GTO's are street cars and always have been and will be as long as I own them. Nothing beats a road trip in a classic old Pontiac.

[Region Warrior]

Ok...
Been said many times before by others... Depends on what you can tolerate.
Both kids drove my 68 FB on the street few times(at age 19 and 17). Not far, just round town.
Avg 1/4 mile-12.0 @ 114mph. Best mpg-16(on 87 octane bty).
I put bout 300 miles on street. To Fire Station for meetings/trainings, American Legion, buddies back yard bbq's. Some hwy cruise'n.
Course my 1st 68 FB ran low 11's 2nd yr owned it at age 17.
And was only car for 1st winter. Drove 15 miles to work on G60-14's. Don't know how many times spun out on ice-n-snow lol.
Got a 70 Impala custom 350 with 3 spd on the column for next winter. Was little better. Only spun round few times go'n into 2nd. Studed snow tires too.

[PunchT37]

Pump gas, able to pass a state inspection, no race springs, shocks, suspension[been there, done that] no slicks. Pretty much does it for me.

You can drive race suspension parts on the street but, it gets old.

[i82much]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

Pump gas, able to pass a state inspection, no race springs, shocks, suspension[been there, done that] no slicks. Pretty much does it for me.

You can drive race suspension parts on the street but, it gets old.

How about adjustable shocks? I think you can have a pretty cool 11 or high 10 second naturally aspirated muscle car that is reasonable as a daily driver, after that it gets tough.

[Scarebird]

Something your wife can drive in the rain without issue.

[Radman]

Originally Posted by Scarebird

Something your wife can drive in the rain without issue.

I have a friend with one of the small Dodge truck with a v-8. Totaly stock, his wife cannot drive it in the rain without looping it at least once. I think that blocks just about every car we have built.