so I am considering a road trip this summer of about 600 miles in my 55 chevy, hasnt had alot of miles put on it, running a decent 283 with a 350 trans. not perfect, be driving it during daylight hours, I have only a couple days to get it ready once I get back there and then hit the road. Would you guys take the chance and get it running best you could and drive it 600 miles or trailer it and call it good? If I do drive it what are some things I should make sure and focus on to make sure it makes it, other then oil, fluids, coolant etc. it also has new belts and hoses. thanx for the feedback.
Would I consider it? HELL YEAH!!! So long as the car is mechanically sound and safe, why not? Map out your path and make sure you have names and numbers of as many HAMBers between home and your destination. The best of the HAMBers will help out at the drop of a hat, or part. Some of these guys live to jump into action, seriously. Search for Ryan's Hot list of spare parts to carry. This list is easily adjustable to any make/model of car and drive train. I drove my coupe from Dayton, OH to Louisville, KY last summer and it was not only a textbook case of an 'in progress' car, it was the best four days of my year! Total mile round trip was about 500 miles it only one issue and that was a simple repair, (done AT the fairgrounds). Do it. Take lots of photos, of the good and the bad. POST photos ALL the photos and do it again. You'll be more sorry if you don't do it. Vance
We just took Drugasm's 49 chevy on a 600 mile shakedown run to Santa Maria after a few weeks of epic thrashing that included a motor swap and pretty much an entire rewire...I say go for it! Just take a bunch of tools and parts. Its a great way to shake down a car. Oh yeah and it's a lot of fun!
I drove our 40 Chevy from St Louis to Indy w/only having lless then 50 miles on it after putting it together. If you know it's mechanicly safe & haven't had any real problems just take some tools, extra parts & a cell phone to call a HAMB'r or someone else for help if a problem happens...joe
As mentioned above, if it is mechanically sound and safe I wouldn't hesitate to go! Grab a cooler, camera, a few tools and hit the open road man! The chance to drop out of society and go back to the times when there were no super highways sounds like a blast man!! Stop at all the touristy things along the way and take your time. My wife and I did a similar thing on the way to the Cinematic last year. No kids and we were not in any hurry to get from A to B!
I completely rewired and put a Mustang II front end under my 1952 Chevy Pickup in 1995. I put 200 miles on it, then attached a 3000 lb trailer to it and moved from Chicago to Phoenix. I had some handling issues due to out of phase steering joints at first, but I fixed that. I also checked fasteners for tightness every few hundred miles, but other than that, I had a blast! Bring some tools and go for it!
You are building the car, so what way better to validate your efforts? Just bring some tools, a cell phone, some munchies, and go!
283 and a turbo 350, what could be easier than that? hit the road, have an adventure, let us know how it went...
If you have a laptop, make sure you take it so you can contact us here if you need help. Give it a good look over and maybe make a checklist of things as you think about them. Grab some food, drinks and some tools and go.
Go for it!! When we put the '48 Chevy on the road in 1999 one of the first long road trips we took was almost 3500 miles! Only issue was a weld on a muffler broke. $5 at a small town muffler shop fixed it!
last year when i drove to vegas and on to the coast and back to indy...i bought the motor off craigslist about two weeks before i left... soo ya id say GO FOR IT!!!
In 2002, my brother decided to take his 55 chevy on the power tour with us at the last minute. Problem was, it was a bare shell in a granary! We pulled an engine/ trans out of an old pickup, mounted seats out of a van, hooked up the coil, alt, brake lights and headlights, threw a bunch of stuff in boxes in the trunk and left. Every stop we put more stuff on the car. When we left it didn't even have door handles or rear brakes, and he stuck a squeegee out the window for wipers. By the time we got back, it was painted, flamed, the turn signals worked, it used a key to start, had a stereo, windshield wipers, headers and mufflers, and carpet and pseudo door panels. Hot rod mag took a picture each day to document the progress. No pictures of my pristine mustang, just his crap shoebox. One guy stopped by and said, "Most people build a car and go on power tour. You guys went on power tour, and then built a car. It's not supposed to work that way." Drive it! take a basic tool set, a spare set of belts and hoses, some wire (just in case) and go. Repack your wheel bearings before you leave. Call it good.
as long as the brakes/ steering are up to the task, do it. take an extra fuel filter, they always clog on two lane middle of nowhere roads.
Id check all your ball joints, tie rod ends and grease them. Repack your wheel bearings, check belts, and have some moolah with you just incase. Worse case your tranny goes out. Oh yea. Bring exra points if your running them.
Someone did. Denise (hotrodladycruzr) did exactly that a few years back.. Contact her and see if she has a copy of it she can send you via the net.. As for the road trip..I've always over worried about stuff like that..BUT, i only had a hand full of miles on the truck i just built and hit the road to Pa for the Jalopy Showdown..just about 600 miles or so.. Best "shake down" run i've ever had. Just have the thing's on hand that were mentioned before and give everything a good once over....I still obsess when i check for a trip..i check EVERYTHING...but, i also havn't been stranded so i guess it works for me ... Now, go and have a good trip
Hi, I bought my 57 off of Ebay and drove it home by myself from Oakland to San Diego. It had been in a garage for the previous 12 years. I only had one problem with the tires rubbing in the beginning, solved with some fender washers bought at a Home Depot. I took my toolbox, a jack, some fix a flat and my cell phone. It was great fun and makes for a great story. Rick
In my fifty years of driving n' fixing on the road there have been two fuel pumps, twice for points/ condenser failure, and once for a clutch disc. Of course, there were a few flat tires. Watch the rear mirror for smoke, water on the windshield when the sky is clear, and oil on your tires when stopped for red lights. Mind your gas, oil, & water, and tire air. Now, Keep on Truckin!
Thats a great idea. Wish I was smart enough to do it. My theory is I have a tool box, cell phone and AAA so I'll make one way or another.
My maiden voyage in my '52 after driveline and front clip swap (and rewire) was about that far. Shit, even if you don't make it, you're out there living it. You'll have a heap of stories to tell about the great guys that got you back on the road and if you have good company it's just one big adventure. Having said all that, I did have to replace a brake light switch on that trip.
Check your wiring, locate the fuse panel, take an assortment pack of spare fuses and a fire extinguisher. Baling wire and duct tape are handy items to have - and a flashlight. Besides tools, these are basics for me
Is this the same car Norrie was doing sheetmetal work on? If so, it seemed solid enough to me...bring spare parts and twice as much cash as you think you'll need...good luck bro...
A couple feet of Bailing wire and a roll of duct tape, can of starting fluid, jumper cables, pair of vice-grips, 9/16, 1/2, and a 3/4, extra can of gas a box of parts and your set.
My shit breaks every 10 miles. Am I the only one who would be nervous to go on a long trip after not much shakedown time? I would bring a ton of extra shit with you, a fuel pump, carb, ignition parts, a lot of tools, all the fluids, some wire coat hangers, a spare and a real jack, maybe an air tank that doesn't leak. A wiring kit wouldn't hurt, and definitely a GPS so you can find the closest parts store when shit does go down.
I don't see a problem if the car is reliable around the area now. I would pack a box or bag of tools to do small things that might come up. On the 55 your two favorite screw drivers, a pair of plyers, a 3/8 ratchet with a set of sockets up to 7/8 or so and the prop.er spark plug wrench along with the extension you would need to swap starters. A hand full of the proper end wrenches and if you need a special tool to pull valve covers or do some similar task I'd stick it in. Along with that a good test light and a multimeter would be my choices. That would let you do just about anything that you would need(or want) to do on the side of the road or in a parts store or motel parking lot. For parts, a set of belts (the old ones that you took off to put new ones on work fine in the trunk), points and condensor if you have points and a spare coil if you have one along with the proper fuel filter (s). Make it a habit to only stop at newer name brand gas stations and shy away from those rustic old stations that look so cool. The car likes clean gas an why take a chance. In 1981 I left the place I am sitting in now for Texas and the Lone Star run in my 48 with 39 miles on a fresh engine and complete redo on the truck including chopping the top and subframing it. 2052.2 miles later I pulled into my inlaws driveway in McGregor, Tx. Parked in front of my mother in laws house after a serious road trip. Go, have fun, post photos.
do it, do it. i just took mine to santa maria (500 round trip) and just fixed what broke as it broke. we got it running and painted literally the week we left. i kinda felt like i brought the roughest car there but i was still there...doin it. give yourself plenty of time, take spares and tools, and a good gas can. other than that man people used to drive these things farther and in worse shape than yours (and mine).
Thanx all for the handy suggestions with Tech, spare parts, tools etc. a little concern is the tie rods and ball joints etc. I am going to get under there and inspect that really good and also have another pair of eyes look it over real well too, something doesnt seem quite right there, grease and repack the wheels bearings fo sure. Its a couple months away so I'll keep ya posted.
Providing the extra set of eyes are inside a head with knowledge, it's the best insurance... to have someone else look over what he's hasn't looked at a hundred times and said he get to that later. Keep us posted. We all like travel stories.
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