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Road Trip!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jive-Bomber, Sep 5, 2012.

  1. Jive-Bomber
    Joined: Aug 21, 2001
    Posts: 3,754

    Jive-Bomber
    MODERATOR

  2. fur biscuit
    Joined: Jul 22, 2005
    Posts: 7,828

    fur biscuit
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    check the transmission fluid level too. ;)
     
  3. Bugsy
    Joined: Dec 27, 2008
    Posts: 1,299

    Bugsy
    Member
    from Kansas

    I love these adventures and have done it a few times over the years. A buddy of mine gave me some really, good advise that I've used with success. If you fly in to get the car, get a large, heavy duty cooler and fill it with your tools and typical spare parts that you made need and some fluids. Then ship the cooler to where you're going to pick up the car. Then when you get there, you have the needed parts and tools and then you can fill the cooler with food and "fluids" for youself! Sounds simple but has worked great for me more than once.

    It's funny how you never really relax until you get home and how wore out you are from being on high alert for the duration of the trip! What a kick ass adventure though!!! GO MAN GO!!!!
     
  4. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    2000 miles of fear, fright, and fun man... Times two no less... I'm certain one of us will break, but I'm also pretty confident we will get home one way or another. Adventure.
     

  5. Donnj
    Joined: Dec 5, 2007
    Posts: 304

    Donnj
    Member
    from North NJ

    as always have FUN, lifes way to short for the drama and bs, a small fire extinguisher for the enexpected is a good thing also. Be safe, you driving the green or blue one first leg?
     
  6. 2935ford
    Joined: Jan 6, 2006
    Posts: 3,843

    2935ford
    Member

    I flew out to Sacramento, Ca from Sioux City, Ia (one way ticket) when I bought my '50 F1 289, C4, 9".
    Drove it to Cyprus that day and a few days later headed back to Ia. I hit rain in Fontana of all things....turned on the electric wipers....they swiped 3 times and stopped........found my way into downtown Fontana got pointed to a garage.
    Wiper motor was toast. Had one delivered by my sister that day. The fellow put it all back together.......no rain the rest of the way back and no other issues.
    It was a GREAT trip!

    Enjoy!
     
  7. Brandi
    Joined: Sep 1, 2007
    Posts: 1,041

    Brandi
    Member



    That's brilliant!
     
  8. mgbtc
    Joined: Dec 22, 2006
    Posts: 112

    mgbtc
    Member

    I've done the "road trip" more than once, and always had fun. I can't remember any of them turning really bad, but I always go prepared. And then there were a few times I just knew there was no chance to drive it and drug the trailer for insurance. Enjoy Ryan!
     
  9. notrod13
    Joined: Dec 13, 2005
    Posts: 1,020

    notrod13
    Member
    from long beach

    texans.......
     
  10. BLAKE
    Joined: Aug 10, 2002
    Posts: 2,783

    BLAKE
    Member

    Stress and anxiety aside, it's those mishaps and incidents that make for better stories, after-the-fact... so, in that vein, here's hoping that yours are both minor and hilarious.
     
  11. AHotRod
    Joined: Jul 27, 2001
    Posts: 12,216

    AHotRod
    Member

  12. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Done this more than a few times... Have fun and be safe!
     
  13. I've done many times..always turned out ok.
    Best one was taking a greyhound bus to North Dakota in early spring where I bought a 65 el-camino from "Eyeball"...ran through a snow storm on the way up but it had melted off by the time I came back through.
     

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  14. Bought an old Cessna once sight un-seen and flew it out of Love Field Dallas all the way to Central CA. found the guy I bought it from had put the bulb for the Gen light in the glove box so it wouldn't show it wasn't charging. Made it home, just had to charge the battery every time we stoped.

    Good luck, be safe!
     
  15. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    Around 1990, I bought a decent '60 Pontiac in Jacksonville, FL and drove it home to Minneapolis. Had the wheel bearings replaced before departing (ball bearings=$$$), but didn't catch the leaky master cylinder until I was on the road. No problem; I bought a can of brake fluid, and topped up the master every time I stopped for gas. Brrrrr!
     
  16. oldsmerc
    Joined: Feb 24, 2011
    Posts: 60

    oldsmerc
    Member
    from seattle

    I bought a 34 Ford Fordor in the Phoenix area last January and drove it to Seattle. I left on Friday afternoon and got home Sunday night. On Saturday night I stayed in Danville and woke up to a flat left rear tire. We put 40# of air in it to get me to a nearby tire store and I ended up driving it all the way home. On Monday morning the tire was flat again. When the tire shop broke it down the valve stem fell off of the tube. I guess because tubes run hotter than tubeless it added enough pressure to seal.
     
  17. sled56
    Joined: Mar 9, 2005
    Posts: 67

    sled56
    Member

    My wife and I took my dodge custom on a thousand mile trip to pick up her 60 caddy, checked everything but the wipers and high beam lights. Return trip was wet and got dark before we got home. I was not very popular when I left her behind for the last 50 miles and she ran out of gas. Cars made it home, I nearly didn,t.
    Cheers
     
  18. osidebarrel
    Joined: May 22, 2010
    Posts: 50

    osidebarrel
    Member
    from San Diego

    C


    Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
     
  19. First time I tried such a feat I ended up with a flat and no spare...man did I feel stupid! Second time around no issues, but you better believe I checked for a good spare prior! Live and learn!
     
  20. daddio211
    Joined: Aug 26, 2008
    Posts: 6,012

    daddio211
    Member

    Did someone already mention AAA?
     
  21. Best fun I've had was flying up then driving back in my roadster when I got it. No tools, no spares, lots of warm clothes and nine hour drive home! Weather forcast was wrong it got hot, battery cable came off and we drove through a swarm of bees. Great memories indeed... :D
     
  22. HellsHotRods
    Joined: Jul 24, 2009
    Posts: 1,405

    HellsHotRods
    Member

  23. Hot late night,
    windows open,
    empty roads,
    Stevie Ray Vaughan
    Riviera Paradise playing,
    Oh yeah!

    Have fun and stay safe Ryan.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2012
  24. racer756
    Joined: May 24, 2006
    Posts: 1,558

    racer756
    Member

    The best times I have ever had were picking up Old cars, trailers or RV's and getting them home. Fueled by anxiety is the best.
     
  25. woodbox
    Joined: Jul 11, 2005
    Posts: 1,231

    woodbox
    Member

    A few years ago now I flew to the opposite end of the country, on a one way ticket, to pick up a car I had bought, sight unseen. Left the guys house and went to get gas.....no key for the locking cap! Remedied that with a cap from the gas station. Headed North out of town....charge light came on.....I thought "I can live with that". I knew the head gasket was a bit dodgy before I left so kept filling the radiator. 40 miles, after leaving, in the middle of God only knows where, the engine is getting way too hot and its dark by that time too, I decide to stop for the night in a roadside pub. Next morning (Sunday)head South to the nearest garage and beg to use the guys workshop to fix head gasket. He relents, I tear the head off and order parts from town 40 miles away. I wait all day for parts to arrive on the evening courier. While waiting, I charge battery knowing generator not working. Head gasket set arrives at 5pm. 5.45pm on the road hightailing it North to try and catch a ferry to the North Island. Making good time, but generator starting to protest with no loading, chewing out bearings. I decide to put lights on as late as possible so I don't drain battery. Turn on light switch.......no lights! Argh! Lights will only work when stalk is pulled back to flash position! Moonlit evening driving like a bat out of hell with no lights on and a generator screaming at me! Follow a bus for as long as possible.....getting real dark now. Lights on for corners only....save charge.....squint in the moonlight. Made it to a town and grabbed the first accomodation seen.
    Monday morning car starts on charge that is left. Straight to auto sparky to fix. He has a rebuilt generator for the 40 year old car sitting on the shelf!! with no pulley. "I have one of those" I offer....so we sort that. Bad contact on dip switch fixes lights.
    Leave town and race to the ferry.....get there 24hrs late for the ticket! Swap ticket for next ferry leaving in 5 minutes! Make the ferry......last car on....which means first off at other end! Woohoo! ferry docks on North island....I head for the hills. Stopping only for fuel! Next fuel stop half way home pick up 18 year old damsel in distress and
    younger sister (her car didn't fare as well as mine and died). Passengers make rest of trip quicker. Drop them off in Auckland and only 100 miles to go to get home.......generator light comes on again! Only a loose wire this time....fixed. 2 hours later 1am roll into driveway and crawl into bed!!!!!! Would do it all again in an instant.
    Road trips are adventures like Huck Finn used to have!
     
  26. very nice written again, Jive-Bomber! thanks, always enjoy what you're typewriting. and to Ryan: i don't scare you with another once-i-bought-story :rolleyes: just wish you have a nice trip and good memories in it (in the trip AND in the 'nu car').

    Carsten
     
  27. JWL115C
    Joined: Jan 28, 2010
    Posts: 286

    JWL115C
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Many years ago I was living in Hartford, Conn. with two other guys. It's a long story why we were there, let's just say we were continuing to pursue our misspent youth. A friend from Santa Fe, N. Mex. thought we were having way too much fun and decided to join us. He soon found out that our situation was not as he had pictured.

    He brought some money with him and bought a nice '40 Ford Standard Coupe. Now he was stuck with us as his fortune was all tied up in the car. About that same time I got a notice to report for a selective service physical. We decided to drive back to Santa Fe in the Ford. Me for the physical and he for more secure surrounding.

    All went well, until we discovered that if we drove over 50 m.p.h. the Ford would consume a lot of oil. At 50 we could do a quart every 50 miles. We bought gallon cans of recycled oil and used that to keep the oil up to level, stopping every 50 miles to top off.

    This was before the interstate highway system, and don't recall that our slow road speed was a problem. We spent the first night outside of Washington, D.C. Slept out in a park. The next night was spent by the highway near St. Louis, Mo. Can't do that these days. We finally arrived back in Santa Fe after a long drive from St. Louis.

    Remarkably, the car ran well never giving us any over heating or engine problems.

    Ahhhh, what we did when young, and got away with.

    (o[]o)
     
  28. fordman1
    Joined: Jan 11, 2008
    Posts: 387

    fordman1
    Member

    I flew back to ND three summers ago to pick up the T bucket my grandpa and I had built out of spare parts from the farm they had moved away from two years prior. The car had not been outside a 60 mile radius since being complete, but grandpa loaded me up with all his tools and spare parts we could fit into a custom crate we built to sit on top of the already chalked full bobbed pickup bed. Even though the adventure took place over the fourth of july weekend I saw 100 degree weather, rain, and hail all without a roof, hood or fenders. Broke the main leaf of the front buggy spring coming into Missoula and the only spring shop in town opened Saturday the 4th to fix it for me. My only hiccup of the trip. One of the best times of my life, only wish my grandpa could have ridden along with me. Can't wait to have a reason to do something as "stupid" again.
     
  29. flamingokid
    Joined: Jan 5, 2005
    Posts: 2,200

    flamingokid
    Member

    I drove an old 240Z from San Luis Obispo to Phoenix in the middle of summer.Bad tires,funky wiring,packed full of antique radios and a surfboard on top.Made it with some careful driving.I remember that trip fondly.
     
  30. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

    Spare tire....?
     

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