Projects Fly in, Drive home in my late Dads car. Attempting 2000 miles

Joel I thought Cam was with you...I guess he went back due to timing of things...but there's more Spirit in that Corvair than there's ever been...easy to see what your Dad saw in it...its a really sharp looker...

...and what's in a little lubrication here and there eh!...squirt...good as new aka the Tinman's saviour...

 

Story, unfortunately Cam had to bail because work needed him. It was a schedule thing. If I would have had the car on the road the very first week he could have made the trip. But there was just so many more things that needed attention, and all the fiddling around trying to get parts and all that stuff just took forever.

 

My dad was a car guy ... boy was he a car guy ... we had more cars over the years as I was growing up than we had hot dinners ... Dad was the eternal optimist there was always a reason to trade up, down or across to another car or chase one that needed rescuing. It's been a long time since he passed away. I have many of his tools and when I am working on the '39, even though it's not one of his old cars ... I feel that he is with me helping. I feel that working on one of his cars, as you say, is good for your spirit and no-one can take that away.

I wish you well on the trip ... Great work on the servicing by the way.

 

"A bunch of billboards told me that I missed seeing "the thing". I don't know what "the thing" is, but with all of the billboards it must be pretty special."

It is a Shell station, Dairy Queen, gift store and tourist trap located between Benson and Willcox, AZ. The "Thing" is somewhere between Pseudoscience and Psychoceramics (the study of crackpots)...

 

I hope your Dad is enjoying the ride! My late brother (who was also my best friend) really liked my pickup, so every once in awhile, I'll move him from my home office to the '51 and take him for a spin.
Not being a smart ass... I find that a road trip, or a 'discussion' eases the hurt and helps with the great memories, and I hope it does for you, too. I'm sure your Dad would be proud knowing that you have as much appreciation for his Corvair as he did.
Have fun and be safe!!
And take lots of photos so you can show your rotten kid what he missed while he was caving in to 'the man'!

 

Thanks so much for sharing your journey. I look forward to updates every day. I too have never seen a pie I didn’t like.

 

This info is more than a little late for this party but it might be very useful for others wanting some security when staying at a motel. It is actually sold as a driveway alert alarm. They are very cheap and completely wireless (regular batteries). Put the sensor in your car, park the car near your room, bring the base station into your room. When the sensor detects movement, it will set off the siren in your base station and wake you up. Below is a pic of one I bought for another purpose. It worked great. They are meant to be used to alert home owners to the presence of a car entering their driveway. Depending on where you put the sensor (inside the car), it could be used to alert a sleeping motel dweller to someone inside your car attempting to steer it, hotwire it etc. You would obviously have to be careful where you placed the sensor as you don't want it triggered when someone simply walks up to take a look at the "cool old car" or when another vehicle drives past. It sure beats hoping the thieves wake you when the are up to no good.

 

Joel,
That big ol' smile on your face standing by the car on the Salt River scenic pull out, is priceless!
Thanks for making me smile at the start of the day.
and as for green chili in apple pie, that just isn't right... green chili needs to be on your cheeseburger no one would ever consider putting apples on their cheeseburger...
carry on and find some respectful pie to cancel that experience

 

Wonderful story! I had a twin to your '63 in the late 60s and your trip brought back some great memories.

 

Be careful eating in Castle Rock, many years ago we had car problems there, so we had something to eat. My little brother ordered French toast, came with cian (spelling?) pepper on it!

 

Peppers in an apple pie, something just seems wrong about that.

 

Some like it hot......

 

" It wont happen again Sir " Cayenne pepper indeed!

 

"If there was pie he ate it."

That's funny, kool. Just don't stop at the "I Ate A Pi" sorority house and you'll stay outta trouble...

That's an "Adventures of Ford Fairlane" reference for the uninitiated.

 

The more pictures I see of that Corvair, the more I want to find one and bring it home. I looked at Corvair ads last night.

 

Be thankful you missed " the thing" . Just a fake mummy , if I remember correctly. Definitely just a tourist trap.

Looking good, Joel. Had to laugh at the New Mexico Pie.

Ben

 

Yup, green chili on everything. That is New Mexico in a nut shell. Can't stand it that they do the same thing here in Colorado and think it is Mexican food , sorry it isn't

 

"tires are good and the brakes are fair"

 

Ebb, I will have a bunch of corvairs for sale cheap pretty soon

 

After your trip home, perhaps that nice little Vair will earn a parking spot in the collection.

 

Lord knows how many times we've taken this route from Omaha-Lincoln via US 81 to Salina then angle across thru Great Bend and down to 54 thanks to my in-laws snowbirding in Phoenix. Take air freshener and nose plugs thru the TX-OK panhandles into south central KS.

 

This sounds like great adventure! Sorry for the loss of your Dad, but cool that he's along for the ride!

 

Joel; Not to tell you how to drive but when in those Men Working signs areas do the speed limit. My nephew was coming to help me work on my junk & this side of Flagstaff he got stopped & received a ticket for doing20+ over & he said the very nice policeman gave him a hugh break.

 

Good advice. In some states fines are doubled for violations in construction zones. And in AZ they take adherence to school zone speed limits VERY seriously. But by now the Grand Canyon State is only a vision in your rear view mirror.

 

@Hemi Joel
Hope all is good and you made your next destination... No update today on your progress makes one wonder..

 

Nose plugs......manure spreading deluxe going on, forest fires...please do tell...

 

there are just a lot of feed lots along 54 through the panhandle.

 

What a great post. Don't all of us "car" dads hope our kids feel this way about us?

 

I think by the time you get home you will have a soft spot for the car if you don't already. They are a different car for sure, but they are fun. I never looked at one twice til I pulled my 62 out of a yard where it had been setting for quite awhile. I ended up driving it as a daily for app 3 years.

One thing I have not addressed yet but will this year is the seal on the diff will leak gear lube onto the clutch when going up a steep grade if the fluid level is correct anyway. It makes the clutch slip and smokes like crazy from throwing it on all things hot under there. I have a deadline to get it back on the road as I have to take my daughter to her first day of school in it next year.