How reliable is your hot rod on a road trip?

The longest trip I can do is 250 miles than I am back where I started, but I do the run around the island all the time.

 

Winnipeg, Canada to Oklahoma 1983 street rod nats and back with out a hickup in a 28 RPU. Sold it a few years later and bought it back a few years ago. Gotta get a gas guage thou. Vega gas tank doesn't hold much.

 

My 32 Tudor saw the light of day for the first time this afternoon. It's not complete, but I just had to see if it would operate under it's own power. I drove it 7 miles.
It's a Flathead of 290 cubes, Ford toploader 4 speed with a Gear Vendors O/D to a 4.11 Banjo rear. All built by me. I hope to be able to drive it to Texas next year.

 

33 Plymouth Coupe, 350/350, 9" about 800 miles on one trip both ways and averaged about 3500 miles a Summer for 16 years.

48 Poncho

 

4000 miles on a stock '62 Chevy 283, 2 barrel and power glide to Austin, Tx in April 2011 for the Lonestar Roundup in my '32 5 wdw coupe. Down and back with only a wheel bearing going out at the show. Coupe was built by Junior Kelly's shop, Bad Donkee Hot Rods in Littlestown, Pa.
Junior & I also drove it from Pasadena, Maryland to Brooklyn N.Y. in 2009 with only 1 issue when Junior ran it out of gas on the toll booth approach at the Key Bridge in Baltimore on the way home.
Great build and wouldn't hesitate taking the coupe anywhere! Bad Donkee builds some great RELIABLE hot rods!

 

About 1300 miles RT in the roadster.
Remember, that's about 8,000 in coupe miles.
I've put about 7,000 miles on it in a year & no breakdowns.

I hate shit that don't run. If there's any doubt in my mind- I fix it or stay home.
I'm always amazed at all the broken down cars that litter the highway leading into Mooneyes every year. And that trek is usually under 50 miles for most!

My car is built to drive.

 

Same here. I'd take my car anywhere. Only problem I've ever had with my current car is vapor lock. It doesn't die, but she stumbles a bit.

Edit: Her first time out she threw a fan belt, overheated and drained the battery, but that was my fault.

 

I have a little over 7 thousand miles on my 32 3W coupe ... without a problem. I drove it on the ALL DEUCES RUN ( twice 2010 and 2011 ) for 500 miles in a day. I have driven it to Daytona Beach ( 550 1 way ) and back home. I drive it the 120 or so miles to the upstate area so often that many folks in Anderson SC think I actually live in the area.

I did have to recharge the A/C ... this summer.
I had a deflective " O " ring



.

 

I had put on about 20,000 miles on my Roadster and aside from the normal fupa's it was quite reliable. Drove to Mokan then dragged it all day and it held up better than me! (Bad Back) Made a few other 600+ mile round trips with Zero issues plus many more Dragstrip runs in the high 11's at a buck twenty three still no real problems.

But when the New owner got it... it dropped a valve..., compressed a push rod..., blew a tranny..., and broke an axle on the quickchange!!! Couldn't of had to do with the way he was driving... just weak parts giving up the GHOST!

 

Have driven my A coupe, A roadster and 48 Dodge from southwestern Ohio to Pueblo,Co., around 2500 miles round trip. All three engines are basically stock. The As are sbc powered and the Dodge is 318 powered. Had a little carb issue on the Dodge this past June but still made it. Good or bad I built them all.

 

Impressive guys.

I've been going on reliability runs in my car and have driven 2-3 hours without issues. My gas mileage is not that great though.

350 sbc cam headers th350 10 bolt notsurethegears

 

I once took my 58' Edsel from So. Cal. to Vegas, about a 3hr trip one way with no probs. Henry built it, I maintained it. 361 FE w/9".

 

I´ve got my 34 Plymouth in 2004. After I went through it I´ve put around 40k miles on it.
Longest trip over a weekend was from Landshut, Bavaria to Woking, England for the Hot Rod Hayride in 2008, that was 1700miles on a weekend. No overheating , no oil refilling, just plain reliable. It´s gut a 355 Chevy with Speed Pro Forged pistons, Edelbrock Heads, and old Weiand intake and Holley 750, a TH350 tranny and a10 Bolt GM rearend. Nothing fancy. just keeping it maintained, and that means an oil and filter change every 5k miles.

 

August 1947 San Diego to Berkeley Ca and return down the central valley in 105 degree weather. Only trouble was fuel pump, and I put a piece of leather in the arm and drove it about 750 miles before I got home with it.

Never had a problem with the engine, however replaced 3 transmission in 2 months.

traderjack

 

L.A.---Detroit round trip 5000 miles 1972
L.A.---Tulsa round trip 3600 miles 1973
L.A.---Tulsa round trip 4000 miles 1976
L.A.--- Memphis round trip 4400 miles 1975
Bend,Oregon---Louisville round trip 6600 miles 1994

Replaced 1 axle bearing only while traveling.

Owner built, engine original Shelby 260 Cobra, B/W 4 spd T-10, nine inch '57 Ford wagon rear end 3.25 gears 25 mpg at 65 mph.

 

My roadsters' been finished for three years and has 13K miles . The maiden roadtrip was to Pleasanton in 2009 and we left socal with 75 miles on the OD. One week and 1600 miles later I was back in socal with no problems at all. Last year several of my friends and I went to Deuce Day in Victoria BC , 3600mi RT , and none of us had any problems .this past Aug , I went on a 1300 mi cruise to Pleasanton via Sequoia NP, and returning down hiway 1 along the coast . My engine is a crate 350 fastburn w/ a Magnuson supercharger , FI , 4L60E trans , Halibrand QC w/ 3.73 gears and gets 20+ mpg on the hiway . I'll be leaving on Friday for the CHRR in Bakersfield , should be about 400 mi RT. Here's a few roadtrip pics along the way .

 

2001 Hot Rod Power Tour from Pontiac, Michigan to San Bernadino, California. I left Roxbury Township, New Jersey in my 55 Chevy with a 383 stroker/Rockcrusher combo, and a 9" with 3:90 gears. Put almost 7000 on the car cruising Rt 66 on the tour, averaging about 100 miles to a tank of gas (wishing for a 5 speed the entire trip). I remember the giant thermometer in Baker, Ca. reading 112 degrees as we cruised through the Mohave. I replaced a wheel bearing just west of St. Louis. That was the only problem I recall having. The trip back was mostly interstate, and my 55 struggled through the higher altitude as we crossed Vail and Edwards, Colorado. Had the pleasure to race the car in Eddieville, Iowa on the way back as well. I can't remember what the car did on the 1/8th mile track there, but I believe it was somewhere around 7.75. Great experience that i would do again in a second!

 

The longest trip in Big Olds I can remember without an issue was in 2009, Detroit to B'ville for Speed Week then to the GG Spokane event, then thru Yellowstone and Colorado to the HAMB Drags in Joplin, MO then back to Detroit. I think I was gone about 20 days and was over 6,000 miles. Thats was the trip Big Olds turned 100,000 miles on the odometer in Kansas.

Big Olds has a 1970 Olds 455 with TH400. The drivetrain was built by Steve Henrickson, AKA "Just Steve" (RIP) here on the HAMB. I think if he would have know I was buying the project he would have installed overdrive for me.

 

I've driven my '58 to Bonneville and back twice without a hint of a problem, 1600 mile round trip. 312 Y-Block (of course) T-5 and 9" 3.50:1. Elwood I have driven 1/4 mile and Jake has made it 3, both Y-Blocks. I built them all.

I wouldn't hesitate to drive the '58 to the East coast and back if I had the time.

 

Nice history Don!

 

Pleeeease ....you wanna trade fuel bills??

 

I have a 41 chevy coupe that I built in 2000-2001.I have driven it multi times to louieville,kalamazoo,indy and back to the 50's.350/700 combo with ac and cruise.23mpg at 75 mph.I change the oil and look it over in the spring and drive it.It passes the nsra inspect every year.

 

Drove my Model A roadster to Knoxville, TN and back for a total of 1900 miles. Prior use was about 25 miles around town to check out bugs. Another year, drove to Spokane, WA and back, in 14 days, pregnant wife didn't complain. That was over 6000 miles.

 

Me and my 50 dodge pilothouse logged 1200 miles round trip to the Pileup this year and 1100 miles to the Lonestar Roundup without any problems.
I'm running a sbc and 700R4 and a 70 model caddy 12 bolt rearend getting 22mpg on the highway.

 

I guess its half way reliable.....just drove it a 100 + miles one way to and from, raced it 3 days (double entered sat).......old junk model a with a boring old sbc truck motor....built by me back in 06....might get a overhaul this winter....

 

My A sedan has been to Bonneville and back 3 times. Always swing through Spokane WA for the Goodguys run on the way home. Typically a 2500 mile trip. Has 350-700R4 combo. Had to replace a rear wheel bearing on the salt a couple years ago.
Have also gone to Duece Day NW on Vancouver Island a couple times, followed by a romp through WA, ID and MT. Those trips were around 1700 miles a piece. Broke a wire to my alternator on one trip and fixed that on the side of the road in Revelstoke BC. This baby never goes anywhere on a trailer. Most times I am pulling my teardrop as well.
There is nothing better than being out on the open road.

 

I have what I call an old mans hot rod, its a 48 Plymouth 4 door with a much modified 218 cu in flat head six, 90 Dakota 3.55:1 rear end and disc brakes on the front. I had the engine machine work done by a shop in Waco, Texas and assembled the engine myself before reinstalling it. All of the work is done in my one car Model T garage and my dirt driveway with three sheets of plywood under the car. A friend and I drove the car in 2007 from Georgetown, Texas to Hot August nights with several side trips to the Grass Valley area of Calif to visit friends while we were there. Then on to Bonneville for speed week where we stayed in Wells and drove back and forth each day. Then back to Georgetown, a total of 4800 miles without a single problem which surprised me as we ran 70 MPH almost all of the way. Averaged 12 MPG for the whole trip. I was prepared as I had a spare for everything that bolted to the engine including a new oil pump and enough tools to rebuild the engine if necessary and did not need any of them.

 

It isnt the car that concerns me its my old ass riding for hundreds of miles in a hot rod. Me i am good for 100 miles at a time and i need to get out. Quickchange whine alone wears a guy out !!
Everyone needs a few miles with a straight axle, some bias plys,loud exhaust and a quickchange , you could call it rookie orientation ...rbg :>)

 

I've put around 10 miles on mine, She's never failed me. Done lotsa rolling it in and out of the shop for the last 3 years

 

It's not really a hot rod because it has a roof and a back seat and fenders, but I've put 83,000 miles on my 55 chevy in the past 15 years. Blown 454, th400, mild geared 9" rear.

Longest trip was over to L.A. then to Detroit then back home, 5500 miles, in 1997. Most apprehensive trip was Drag Week this year, 3700 miles including racing 5 days (all runs in the 11s).

The only time it came home on a stretcher was my pre-Drag Week "test session" when it dropped a valve at the strip in Tucson, about 70 miles away. Wife hooked up my trailer to her truck and came and got me, and I overhauled the motor the following week.