New to me 51 Chevy! New to the forum!

[Hotrod46]

Welcome and nice car!

One thing to add to what 34 just said. If you've never driven anything with that much torque/horsepower, take it very easy to start with. The learning curve can be steep and very unforgiving. Wet or sandy roads can be treacherous.

Also, depending on how long it has sat up, get it up on a lift if you can and give it a thorough inspection. Anything with that much power can be considered exotic and requires a lot of maintenance and/or inspection. Everything has to be right. Your life literally depends on it.

Another thing that is often overlooked when someone acquires an old hot rod . Check the date codes on the tires. Any tire is only good for about 6 years no matter what they look like and the rubber compounds tend to harden with age. Hard rubber means loss of traction and you will need all you can get. I know of 2 people that have wrecked hot rods due to old tires coming apart simply cruising down the highway. One wrecked 2 different cars for the same reason! Believe me when I say it can happen.

The most important thing is to have fun with it and stay safe! I'm sure that's what your Dad would have wanted.

[51ChevyDeluxe]

Welcome and nice car!

One thing to add to what 34 just said. If you've never driven anything with that much torque/horsepower, take it very easy to start with. The learning curve can be steep and very unforgiving. Wet or sandy roads can be treacherous.

Also, depending on how long it has sat up, get it up on a lift if you can and give it a thorough inspection. Anything with that much power can be considered exotic and requires a lot of maintenance and/or inspection. Everything has to be right. Your life literally depends on it.

Another thing that is often overlooked when someone acquires an old hot rod . Check the date codes on the tires. Any tire is only good for about 6 years no matter what they look like and the rubber compounds tend to harden with age. Hard rubber means loss of traction and you will need all you can get. I know of 2 people that have wrecked hot rods due to old tires coming apart simply cruising down the highway. One wrecked 2 different cars for the same reason! Believe me when I say it can happen.

The most important thing is to have fun with it and stay safe! I'm sure that's what your Dad would have wanted.

Thanks, Yes my Dad has already mentioned the tire age, Fronts are old and will be changed out. Rear will be okay for awhile. (He also reminded me that the rears cost about $600 each. LOL) We were coming back from a car show in Parker AZ to Havasu City AZ on 95 and blew a rear tire. That woke us both up.. Was about 110 out that day so needless to say it was a long wait for that flatbed. Lots of folks from the show stopped to offer help and WATER which was nice. It was painful listing to it drag as we pulled over to the shoulder.