I did something this weekend I hardly ever do and had a freaking blast doing it. I traded a project car I had for a finished car and it was time to pick up the car. I had to drop my Cadillac off at the upholstery shop in the same city so I just drove the caddy over 70 miles and picked up the new car. It is a 48 Ford coupe running a flatty and a 3 speed so I knew it would be a fairly slow ride home. I got there and picked the car up and started checking systems out: Brakes: Check Oil: Check Water: Check Fuel: Check Cranked it up and the flatty was running really smooth and you couldn't hear it run. You could hear the fuel pump over the engine. I set out for home and got about 15 miles and the dreaded temp gauge starts creeping up. I got it to around 225 and pulled over and shutdown for 10 minutes and looked around to see what was what and found a pusher electric fan up in front of the radiator. No switch could be found so I traced the wire and it went to the firewall and was hanging on a another wire. I messed around with it and found that I guess they had just wrapped it around the hot wire on the firewall to make it go. So I did that and started back off. Got about another 15 miles and had to pull over again and then it starts to pour rain. Let it cool again and started back off and found a wiper switch and they actually worked. Got about another 15 miles and pulled over at a sonic to let it cool again after pushing it to about 235. Since it was raining I had the windows up and just nearly locked myself out of the car since it has shaved handles. Got a shake and waited and then headed back out. Made it another 10 miles and had to stop for the cool down. A cop stopped by and chatted me up about the car and if I needed help. Really nice guy and I'm glad he didn't notice I had no tag on the car. Got it cooled down and headed for the last 20 miles and had to stop once more about 5 miles out for a couple minutes. I usually get annoyed by problems with my cars but I had a fairly good time doing this little exercise. Now to fix the overheat problem...............
I vote fun. Bought my Avatar, basically sight unseen in Sarnia, Ontario. Drove up to get it and drove it home 1,250 miles. Not a problem
The first unknown drive home is often the most fun and memorable, especially the long distance ones. A good test to find out really how the car is and what needs attention first. The flying in and driving back home half way across the country are sometimes the best ones as long as you don't have to end up towing it half the way back.
i bought a 60 ford 1 ton with a chevy big block in it,, came to a stop and hit the brake as i did this the firewall moved (very flimsy), which in turn, actuated the throttle,, the harder i hit the brake the more it moved the throttle.. holy shit i was ready to hit the key when the light turned green..needless to say it made a good parts truck....
X2 In 1984, I spotted a '57 Cadillac in a field in Oklahoma. Bought it, aired up tires, put gas in it, put a battery in it, set the dwell, started it, drove it to a tire store and put tires on it (field tires dry rotted), checked out brakes, etc, and drove it home to Arkansas 380 miles at 65 miles an hour. Love your coupe (but I'm kinda partial to 'em since I have a '47)
It used to be crazy, but now everyone has a cell phone so its just fun. Kinda like a first date with a hot chick. In the back of your mind its playing : " why did someone want rid of this"
Between having a cellphone and great friends, I can't imagine doing it any other way. Another vote for crazy fun.
Besides if you really have problems you have the awesome power of the HAMB as back up no matter where you are!
I bought a '73 IH Travelall out of WA this past winter. The guy assured me that it could be drivin cross country with no problems. I still opted to have it shipped here to NY. The trucking outfit dropped it at a shipping terminal 50miles from here, so I figured that it would be no problem driving it home. The thing never would have made it out of Washington state, let alone cross country. The day it arrived at the terminal they called me and said "you know this is an 'inoperable' vehicle, right? They had to push it off the trailer." So right off the bat I'm thinking that the battery just died from sitting, the PO told me that has happened in the past. So i brought a new battery with me when i went to pick it up. Sure enough the battery was dead when i hopped in and turned the key, so i popped the hood and there was no battery sittin on the battery tray! It had fallen down into the engine bay and was resting upside down on the starter. Just great... after swapping in the new battery, and doing a quick fluid/brake/lighting check I hopped in and drove it to the gas station across the street to fill it up. The truck had been running off the aux. tank so i filled that one, and the filler neck leaked pretty bad. But i kept on driving... I get about 40miles and the thing starts to die, now i'm sucking up crud from the gas tank and its plugging the fuel lines. I pull off into another gas station and shut her down, then notice the smell of burning antifreeze. Got out popped the hood and found that the radiator had sprung a leak, because the body had shifted pushing the radiator into the enormous clutch fan. I figured the damage is done, i'll just make the last 10miles and fix it all later. More coolant pukes out of the radiator and coats the engine bay. Now my alternator is screaming, and the gauge is pegged at full charge. It made it home on its own. Over the next few days I gave it a better look over, and pulled the main tank to inspect it before dropping my life savings into filling it with gas. Its a good thing i pulled it because it was like swiss cheese after I flushed it out. It would've really sucked if i filled it, because the main tank on those Travelalls are located inside the body. Just goes to show you really can't trust anyones word anymore, unless you know the person. I spoke to the seller a number of times, and he seemed like a very honest person. Finds lost kids for a living, and is an ex- Army Ranger. Oh yeah, he also told me it was rust-free.... not the case here!
It can be fun. I flew out to Phoenix in Dec of 09 after buying an 85 GMC dually on Craigslist from there. Left there Wed afternoon and was home Fri evening. No problems on the way home but two days later the electric fuel pump was leaking like a sieve.
My pal fastphil and I caught a ride to Dallas last year about this time and drove a highboy A cabriolet back; warm, cold, rain and a very cramped seating area. We had to stop in Neosho, MO at wzjunks and cut the package tray out and move the seat back about 5". Had a major CLUNK we couldn't find bit it found Phil the day after we got home when the 9" center section self destructed. Just the kind of mad old geezer behavior I've become used to. Charlie
The junk I have brought home usually has to be hauled. They break down only after we get them back on the road! HA, HA!
I bought a '50 F1 w/'66 289 running gear. Flew out to get it in Sacramento and drove it back to Sioux City, Iowa......only problem was a broken wiper motor discovered when it rained in California the first days drive back.......good ol rainx. Rain ended inminutes and no more on the rest of the trip. That, was a fun trip! Crazy...maybe!
Bought a 55 Bel air in El Paso, GF says lets fly there and drive it home, the 55 was stock!! unrestored and she normally drives a Mercedes....took her son with us!!! They absolutely loved it , her son claims it is his best road trip of his life!! Yes it broke more than once on way back to San Diego Another time bought a 66 Impala off of the bay,flew to Sacramento and drove it home, slept in the back seat, no problems with that one
Ain't that the truth. Anyway to the OP, 9 years ago I wasn't so lucky buying a 60 Buick "driver" 80 miles away. Buddy dropped me off and went to visit relatives nearby. He was not back 2 hrs later so off I went. First the fan belt then 20 miles later the whole front end starts to shimmy. Loose lug nuts, not just the front but all around. Borrowed a lug wrench, checked fluids again and filled the tank. Lost half of the gas due to a hole. I finally got home the next afternoon. Driver my ass.
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