Love the idea of a log trip on the old car and I really enjoyed reading about your trip Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My longest trip was a weekend at the drag strip a few hours from home. Luckily my wagon doubles as an RV when the seats are folded down. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just found your thread today, via a Facebook post by a friend who is also a long drive kinda guy. My hats off to you TTR. You can find a couple of trip links in my signature below. Neither included hauling my wife along, although she has done a 2 week trip in the teardrop with me which I need to do a thread on one of these days. I think I prefer the solo trip. You meet so many more interesting folk on the road when you travel alone. Also my wife is not overly enthused about how I stay in the middle of nowhere overnight. Thanks for taking us along on your trip. Just outside of Yellowstone. These dudes are big and not concerned at all that cars and humans are right next to them.
Thanks for the nice comments. I read your well written travel stories and can say I admire your sense of adventure too, especially roughing it with the trailer. While I enjoy staying in vintage hotels during my grand touring travels with vintage cars, I admit I often prefer nicer hotels with excellent bedding and hot jacuzzi or sauna to relax in after a day or two of driving with no creature comforts, especially my roadster (I know, I'm getting to sound like a pu**y in my old age). Photo from last Christmas morning around 7am. Perfect way to spend a few early morning hours while our house guests were still asleep and the roads were empty. There's El Mirage behind/down there in the horizon...
Here's a few shots from a few day road trip up the California Sierras on Hwy 395 with a friend visiting from Europe exactly two years ago. Had hoped to take him to Yosemite, but the Tioga pass got closed a day or two earlier due to that white stuff. Fortunately, there were plenty of other interesting places to explore, like June Lake Loop area (pictured), Bodie, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Bristlecone Pine Forest, Alabama Hills, Whitney Portal, etc... Afterwards, this life-long friend who's not a "car guy" and had never even been in an open car before, commented that whatever I had previously planned for that (surprise to him) road trip, it couldn't had been anything better than what we experienced.
Throughout, I've been eye-balling your spare tire mount as I think I'd like one for trips. But you never seemed to bother with mounted spares, eh? Ever have any flats or reason to use your spares? And the last few posts the photos indicate you've gone to AAA / credit cards as your primary tire repair strategy, as the spare mount has been removed. Thoughts? Gary
I apologize if I didn't make it clear earlier that I built (or more like "threw together") that spare mount right before our Yellowstone trip in July. I always wanted one, but never took time to do it before. Besides, all my previous trips have been much shorter (up to 1500 miles), not quite as "time sensitive" (lodging reservations for Yellowstone & Grand Tetons had been made almost a year earlier) and with my wife along I didn't want to chance for having to waste couple of days just sitting and waiting for replacement(s) to arrive long distance. I've always carried service kits & spare parts for carburetor, distributor, generator, starter, fuel & water pumps, wheel bearings/seals, inner tubes, etc, along with ample amount of hand tools should any "roadside" repair be needed, but I also have AAA roadside assistance with free long distance towing (plus another from my insurance carrier), which I've used only once, about three years ago when both left side front axle-to-spring u-bolts had given up & broken off after 80+ years of service at about 100 miles from home. Another friend from Europe and I had just spent 3-4 days driving about 300-400 miles around back roads of California Central Coast area visiting friends/places, wine tasting, etc. It was late Sunday afternoon and I was ready to get back home. And no, knock on wood, in nearly 30 years & tens of thousands of miles, I've never had a flat on my roadster. Some on other cars/vehicles, of course, including 6 flats on a (way overloaded) trailer during a +/-7000 mile single trip 30 years ago, but that story which also included two "on-the-road" transmission rebuilds (one required complete replacement), 4 vintage cars and tons of exciting drama & other stuff I'll save as a chapter to my book I'm hoping to finish some day when I have nothing better to do. P.S. As for tires, all my clients and friends believe I have unnatural habit to always look and point out if they appear to be soon in a need of new ones and many are afraid to let me drive or ride in their "other" cars, since I always seem pick up any and all discrepancies or potential hazards in the chassis, steering or suspension behavior, which IMPO are much more important than anything else most people spend money on their cars, especially vintage. Last I checked, not too many road accident have been contributed to crappy paint job, dynomatting, interior materials, fancy sound system or scratched chrome. Not that these couldn't or shouldn't be attended to, but safety should always be first and reliability close second.
OK, not quite an invitation for "Grand Touring" but I thought I just throw it out there: I might've mentioned it before, but for past 5 or 6 years wife & I have made it a tradition to drive out to Joshua Tree National Park very early on January 1st for a sunrise hike to welcome the New Year. This of course involves a pre-dawn drive to the park and some after the hike driving around sightseeing different parts of the park later in the morning/afternoon. Last 4 years we've done it in the roadster and have become convinced it is the only way to do it. So if any of you happen to be up and about cruisin' in the park that morning (1-1-2018) with your hot rod or vintage ride and see us, come by and say hi or if we're headed to opposite direction, honk & wave and we'll stop to make your acquaintance. Here's couple of shots from last time,... ... around 7am, right before our 1st hike of the morning. Temperature was in mid-to-high 30s, winds around 50-60 mph, it was drizzling a bit & we were probably most appropriately clothed for the occasion, but then again all other visitors we saw were in enclosed, modern cars with heaters, wipers, etc. BTW, that's Mt. San Jacinto and below it, Palms Springs, basking in the sun light behind us, latter seen through the right side of the windshield,,... ... this is around 9:45am, soon after our first hike... ... and this after 10am, right before the 2nd hike.
Welcoming yet another New Year with a great little road trip. Got on the road yesterday afternoon right after a great South Western (sort of Mexican) meal of marinated steak & jumbo shrimp fajitas. Drove +/- 100 miles to our overnight accommodations, where I managed to swim about 3/4 mile in a outdoor pool before turning in by 9pm. Got up this morning around 4:30am and after quick breakfast, drove into Joshua Tree National Park where we spent next 5+ hours of enjoying the scenery by just cruising, doing couple of small nature hikes and a pic-nic lunch washed down with 2 (very small) bottles of bubbly stuff. Got back home in little less than 24 hrs after racking up 290 miles in total, bringing the grand total within last six months to little over 5K !!! Not bad for a 85+ year old Roadster with 65+ year old running gear and none of the "modern/wussy" nonsense that has no place or need in "traditional" vintage hot rods... Just before sunrise (today)... Great view of Coachella Valley & Mt. San Jacinto from behind the car. Notice the same parking spot (& the change in the weather) seen in the first photo of my previous post... Later in the morning the weather got warm enough for shorts & T-shirt. Not bad for Jan. 1. Returning from the last hike of the morning (can you see the Roadster in the parking lot?)
You two are just amazing and that Hotrod...right up there as well...Happy New Year The roadster I cannot see but I'll have another look but may find Waldo first...
Right there, (the black speck in the middle of the picture) on the parking lot ... Happy New Year to you too, Stogy. Wife & I were just talking about it yesteday, how before meeting me few years ago she would had never though of traveling around in an old jalopy of a hot rod or any vintage car and actually (to a some degree) enjoying it (?!?). Go figure ?
Yes I see it now...thanks TTR...keep on pumping the stories and pics...never tire of seeing that one of a kind Hotrod amongst the beautiful scenery you encounter.
While I don't mind sharing some of my travels, I hope there's more than handful of us who have shared so far. I sure would love to read about "vintage" car travel experiences of others, but more specifically from those who have done any extended/long distance driving trips with period correct(?) '30s/'40s/'50s vintage hot rods or other un-modernized pre-war cars. I mean cars that not only look period correct, but also are and feel "right" by having period correct electrical/mechanical details & features, i.e. no digital or LED electronics, incl. ignition, ECUs and other than perhaps AM radio, no modern "sound systems". No modern "creature comforts" like A/C, built-in cupholders or "docking stations", etc. No power this, that or whatnot. No modern running gear components like 4 or more spd automatics, 5 or more spd manuals, Jag or 9" rear ends, etc or no suspension features like IFS, coil-overs or radial tires, etc... I do not wish to believe there aren't more members here who have experienced long distance leisure travel with hard core(?) period correct hot rods in recent years. Or perhaps all those guys are still out there, on the road somewhere ? I know that makings of a "period correct" vehicle for most is just about the general or overall appearance of it, not the detail that can't be seen.
While past Sundays +/- 120-mile spirited run up in the local mountains may not quite qualify as "Grand Touring", it still beats spending it in any car show or almost any other activity one can enjoy with a pre-war sports roadster, even if the first half of the last hour meant being stuck in almost stand still traffic jam in 111 degree heat. This drive also allowed me to accomplish a personal goal of accumulating 7K miles with this car within a single year (< 365 days) and since the beginning of our last Julys Yellowstone trip. Previous "record"(?) with this car was less than 5K/year. Yes, I know, still sorry ass results for some one known (or self-proclaimed?) as a vintage car/hot rod guy.
Cool Hotrod @TTR. That's a very respectful bunch of travel with most beautiful rewards. Tranquility and Hotrods thats a pretty cool combination. Your coverage always inspires. Thank you.
Thank you Stogy, for your kind words. Your ever present enthusiasm is also quite inspiring. As I've mentioned before, I had hoped to read more about extended driving use and travels by other "traditional" (period correct ?) vintage hot rodders, but it's become evident this forum is not the place for such. Additional bonus on this drive became during my "breakfast of champions", i.e. cigar & cappuccino, break, when I met & made an aqcuintance with a local gentleman up in the mountains who has some vintage cars, including a model A roadster he races at some local hillclimbs and 1/10th(?) mile drags organized for 4-banger Fords. Obviously, we ended up spending almost too much time just talking about old cars. He also mentioned hosting an annual Octoberfest barbecue for couple of ('50s/'60s) vintage European sports car clubs at his place of business (up in the mountains) and even though I don't have a such brand car, he extended an invitation for me, missus & the roadster and ensured me the other guests would also appreciate our presence.
Sounds like that invite could lead to a most interesting day.If you go,please take plenty of pictures. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
@TTR...I am sorry that some of the things that you were looking for here have not been realized. Perhaps that may change. I hope you continue to share your adventures here with us. It is appreciated. Your Hotrod is also truly one of a kind and a proven hardy adventurer like You and your Missus. Thanks for your kind words.
Well, I'll copy a story that I recently posted in another thread. Get a cup of your favorite beverage and read on. In '97 I and 3 other rodding families took a trip to Colorado to the Pueblo NSRA show. One '47 and three '48s. All Fords, although one was English (Prefect). I was by myself 'cause my then wife has never been to a car show or rod run in her life and my two sweetheart daughters were teenagers and were just too busy to go. Both of them are gearheads but at that particular time they weren't interested in going. We took I-70 to Kansas City and then US-50 the rest of the way to Pueblo. We stayed one night in Dodge City, Kansas. I've looked several times on Google Earth for the motel we stayed in but can't find it. It had a "model" airplane on a post out front. It was about 6' long and 6' wide, IIRC. Anyone here remember that? I believe that it was right on 50. Rolled into Pueblo after two hot days of sweating across Kansas and eastern Colorado. The NSRA show was about what you would expect; good but not spectacular. While there I bought the air cleaner that is still on Clarence. One evening on the way back to the motel Ed, who was leading the pack, suddenly pulled onto the shoulder with his engine turned off. He had lost all oil pressure. After a few minutes of searching we found that the plastic oil line to the mechanical gauge had come out of the grommet at the gauge end. Cut off a half inch and reinstalled it. All was well once again and the earth was spinning in greased grooves (bonus points if you know the movie that this line is from). We were staying in Canon City, about 40 miles west of Pueblo. We had decided at the last minute to put this trip together so Pueblo rooms were sold out. After NSRA was over we stayed on at Canon City for a couple of more days. One day we toured the Museum at the Old Territorial Prison. One of the younger generation on the trip was in college studying the legal justice system and she wanted to go. We were all glad that we went. It was very interesting. I won't go into details, but you can read about it here or Google it yourself for more info. The motel we stayed at had a man-made above ground fishing pond attached to their restaurant. They kept it stocked with trout and you could catch your own supper. I do my fishing at the local grocery store, so I didn't try for a trout. I'd probably still be there trying to catch a fish if I had tried. Another day six of us (out of the 11 on the trip) went rafting on the Arkansas River, just upstream of the Royal Gorge. They would not let us go into the Gorge unless we had previous rafting experience, of which none of us had. I'd do that again in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever presented itself. Of course I was 21 years younger back then, so it might be harder for me to do today. These six were the 4 men and the oldest two of the younger generation. The other 5 went shopping. They sure missed out on a great day on the water. While in Canon City we were told to not miss driving on Skyline Drive. This is a city park that was built many years ago just west of the town proper. You go about 3 miles west of town on US-50 and turn off to the right. Then you drive about a half mile up the side of a hill (mountain???). At the top you then drive along the ridge for a couple of miles. The road is about 800 feet higher than the surrounding land on both sides of the road. It's not exactly straight down, but it's not far from it. It's a one-way road because the road is just barely wide enough for one car in places. There are places where they had to build up the roadbed with stones 'cause the top of the ridge isn't wide enough for a road. It will scare the bejesus out of those of us who don't like heights. I was fourth in line and the other three left me behind. They kept calling me on the CB asking where I was but I wasn't about to let go of the steering wheel with either hand to grab the mic and answer them. That steering wheel is no longer in Clarence and I don't know where it is, but I bet it has indentations on the back where my fingers were. Somewhere in that timespan we found time to go to the Royal Gorge but didn't have much time for all the activities they have there. I've been back since and recommend it. After we left Canon City we went up Pike's Peak and then stayed in Colorado Springs. We all had CB radios and jabbered constantly. About half way up the mountain Tom (also in a '48 panel truck) said he was pulling off to put in new plugs but for the rest of us to go on. The other Tom and his family stayed with him and they quickly put in new plugs. Seems his panel had been running rich all the way but the lack of oxygen had fouled his plugs badly. Ed and I went on to the top, where we jumped, shouted, and generally had a celebration that our rods had successfully made it to the top at 14,114 feet above sea level. Tom and Tom arrived in just a few minutes and we all celebrated. Ed and his wife Joan had been up Pike's Peak several times, as Joan had a sister that lived nearby, but none of the rest of us had ever been there. (note: a moment of silence, as Ed, Joan, and the sister have all passed on. I have a lot of good friends, but Ed was my best friend) Anyway, we looked at the vistas, bought souvenirs, and enjoyed the moment. The staff at Summit House, the shop at the top, told us that we certainly chose a great day to visit, as the skies were totally clear that day and we could see all the way to the horizon to the east, somewhere in Kansas. I've been back twice since then and you couldn't see nearly as far either time. Down at the bottom again and in Colorado Springs we found a NAPA store and bought jets for Tom's truck. We had plenty of tools and rejetted his carb right there in the NAPA parking lot. His panel ran great thereafter. Too bad we didn't do that before we left Missouri, or more specifically in Tom's case before he left Chicago. Before we left Pueblo a couple of days previously one of the wives had called and gotten reservations in Colorado Springs. When we checked in they told us the price and this wife reminded them that the price quoted on the phone was considerably lower. A heated discussion ensued. This particular wife did the books for her husband's business and she gave them a lecture on good business practices that may or may not have used curse words I had never heard before. Not having any other place to go we stayed there anyway and paid up their asking price. I've never stayed overnight in Colorado Springs again so I guess the lack of my business hasn't hurt them any. On our last day in Colorado Springs we drove through the Garden of the Gods and took a lot of pix, but nothing happened worthy of inclusion here. After we left Colorado Springs we made our way via US-50 and US-24 to Leadville, the highest city in the US that is habited year round, at 10,152 above sea level. Nothing out of the ordinary happened there, but the visit was nice/picturesque. I've been back since in Clarence and on a H-D and spent a couple of nights there. There are some pretty good roads around there for scenic driving, as there is in about all of western Colorado. In my shop I have a black and white road map of Colorado and I've hi-lited all the roads that I've been on either in Clarence or on a H-D. Most of the roads west of the front range are hi-lited. North of Leadville we got back on I-70 and headed east. This was the 2nd time we were on an interstate highway. Past Dillon you go up a 7 - 8 mile long hill to the entrance of the Eisenhower Tunnel. About half way up the highway turned into a 3 lane parking lot. We would move a hundred feet or so, stop, and repeat. You know the drill. You've all been there done that. None of our rods were equipped for that sort of stop and go traffic. All our engines were getting hotter and hotter. There was a pull off place up ahead on the right and folks were nice enough to let us merge over through 2 lanes and get off the road. A Colorado trouper came by and told us that a motor home had been on fire in the tunnel and it would be some time 'til traffic would clear out. We waited a while and when traffic began moving again we got back on the road. About half way through the tunnel there was a big spot where the white tiles lining the walls and ceiling were blackened badly. After we got part way down the east side of the mountain we turned back west on US-40 to head over Berthoud Pass. By that time the day was getting short and we were looking for a place to spend the night. We had brought enough sleeping bags and tents to rough it but no one really wanted to. About 6 miles past Empire we found some cabins that had a vacancy sign. We pulled in and asked about getting some cabins. There were 11 of us from 4 families. They had one cabin vacant. We said "We'll take it!" Turns out it had one bedroom with two double beds and a set of bunk beds. The living room had a couch, a recliner, and an over stuffed chair with matching ottoman. With 3 married couples, me, and 4 younger folks, one of whom was a college aged girl, we knew it would be cramped and that there would be a possibility that modesty might be compromised. We made it work. I don't remember exactly who slept where, except that I took the couch, one of the wives took the recliner, the college age girl got one of the bunk beds, a teenage boy used the chair/ottoman, and a younger teenage girl slept on the floor right beside the couch I was on. While everyone else was making the sleeping arrangements Ed and I went back down to Empire where we had seen a sort of small general store. We knew it would be a long way to a breakfast restaurant the next morning so Ed and I bought all the eggs and bacon that they had. I think I remember that that was 2 pounds of bacon and 2 dozen eggs. Along with some bread, milk, and coffee we were set for the night. There was a VERY small bathroom off of the kitchen that had an equally small shower. Turns were taken and everyone got a shower that wanted it. The next morning the 3 wives (all of whom are very good cooks, to which I can attest) cooked all the bacon and eggs, along with toasting all the bread. Someone made coffee. I don't do coffee so I and the younger crowd drank the milk. I stayed there again 3 years later and the lady who ran the place remembered us. So on over Berthoud we went. We stopped at the top and took the obligatory pix of each other sitting on the rock monument that marks the continental divide. A couple of miles down the other side there was one of those (very) little mountain streams coming down the hill and running under the road through a culvert pipe. We all stopped and I got a drink from the stream. That water had been snow shortly before melting and coming down the hill. When I'm a hundred years old and someone asks me to what I attribute my longevity I'll tell them it was the mountain water I drank in '97. A couple of miles further down the mountain Tom yelled into the CB "Ed, pull over! Something just came loose under your car." We were going around a switchback when Tom said that so as soon as the road straightened somewhat we all pulled over onto the shoulder. Seems that Ed had built his English Ford Prefect to be a drag race car but installed lights and mufflers and drove it on the street. The rear suspension is a triangulated 4 link. That thing was never meant to be a slalom racer. The corners had taken their toll and broken the weld where the triangulating link attached to the frame. In '97 US-40 was all 2-lane from I-70 to Steamboat Springs. However, the Colorado highway folks were in the early stages of widening it and we had passed a construction crew going around that last switchback. A lady in a hardhat came walking down the hill and told us "you can't park there; this is a construction zone." In a polite voice Ed informed her that be what it may his car wasn't moving anywhere 'til a roadside repair had been effected. She went back up the hill and returned with 5-6 cones, placed them behind us, told us to take all the time we needed, and made a remark as to what great cars we were driving. Ed and Tom crawled under the car and did something to get it back on the road again. As I wasn't party to the actual repair (there isn't much room under a Prefect rear) I don't know how they fixed it, but we all knew it was temporary. We crawled the 20 something miles down the mountain to Granby, the first place that appeared to have any services other than ski lifts. We pulled into the parts house that we saw and went in to ask if there was a welder in town. Yes, they assured us, and gave us directions to the edge of town where we found a pretty ragged and rugged big fella sitting in a lawn chair in front of his shop, which was actually a detached garage. He told us he would weld on Ed's car but not 'til he had finished his lunch and in the meantime for Ed to back the car up towards the garage door. Note that the driveway was pretty steep. About as steep a drive as I've ever seen. But Ed backed the Prefect up and set the parking brake and put it in park. Of course if the rear got jacked up off the ground there would be nothing keeping it from rolling down the hill. Someone found a rock or brick or something to chock a front wheel with. After his lunch break the fella jacked up the car and crawled under it. After a few minutes of frying egg sounds he came out and pronounced the car roadworthy. Money changed hands and off we went. When we got home Ed inspected the suspension and decided no further repair was necessary. This was the same car that had the oil pressure issue in the last installment. It seems that when a group of us run in a pack that if there is any car trouble that it is one car over and over. We've all had a bad trip where multiple breakdowns occurred. That was Ed's trip/year. He and I have followed each other across much of this country and that's the only car trouble I've ever heard of him having in one of his hot rods. We left Granby and entered Rocky Mountain National Park to cross the continental divide for the 4th and final time on that trip. Vail Pass, Eisenhower Tunnel, Berthoud Pass, and now Iceberg Pass. At the Alpine center several of us climbed the Alpine Ridge Trail up to the top to see the view from the observation point. If you look that up in Google Earth and zoom in you can actually see each person on the trail. After going over Iceberg Pass there is a huge field to the left of the road and in the photo album I've got in my lap I have a couple of pictures that include 20 - 30 elk on that hill, most within 30 - 40 yards of the road. They didn't even look up as we drove by. Going down the east slope we stopped at one of those scenic overlooks. The chipmunks were everywhere and the teenagers (all 11 of us) tried to get one to get close enough to touch but never succeeded. I do, however, have a pic of a chipmunk and my shoe in the same frame, about 6" apart. As we were about to leave the National Park there was a crowd of cars on the shoulder so we stopped to see what was happenin'. A bull moose was grazing a few yards away. He also didn't seem to care that there were humans about. After spending a night in Boulder we got back on I-70 for the 3rd time, the only Interstate highways we were on the entire trip. A few miles east is Byers, CO, where US-36 heads east while I-70 turns southeast. We took US-36 all the way across Kansas and a goodly portion of Missouri. Somewhere in western KS we saw a herd of buffalo, obviously tamed somewhat and within a fenced field. I had been to Belleville, KS, a couple of times before and knew the proprietors of a very cool '50s mom and pop motel. I even have driven an antique midget racer around the Belleville High Banks. On one of those trips to race old race cars Bill Smith was there at the swap meet with a small collection of antique race parts for sale. I wish now that I had bought something from him just to be able to say so. Anyway, back to the story. The motel owned a miniature golf place across the highway and told us we could go over and play as much as we wanted to. We did and had a ball with all 11 of us, ranging in age from 5ish to mid-50's playing. I knew of a shop in the less travelled streets of Belleville that usually had several old cars awaiting work, so the next morning we cruised over there to check things out. We were nosing about when the owner came out and chatted with us for awhile. He invited us to the "back yard" behind the shop to see what was out there. Looking at a pile of dismantled tin (think model a which comes apart at every one of those seams) Ed asked what it was. The owner said it was a '26 Chevy roadster and we could have it if we wanted. In about 30 seconds I had Clarence around the back and unloaded tents, sleeping bags, suitcases, coolers, etc. We squeezed every piece of that body into Clarence and then piled all the other stuff back in. Off we went headed home. Bill, brother to one of the Toms, has these Chevy pieces and might build something out of it someday. The rest of the trip was totally uneventful so I'll sign off here.
Now, that's what I'm talking about ! Thank you very much Mike, for sharing what appears to have been a great adventure ** ! Makes me want to pack my Roadster and head out to the Rockies !! (I applied for the upcoming "C1000" but didn't get accepted. Oh well, maybe next year, fingers crossed) Keep 'em coming kids or I may just opt to move on with my quest trying to find a forum where more members also drive/use their vintage Hot Rods for much more than just something to lean on at cruise nights or car shows. ** Only thing possibly making the story better would be few photos.
Managed another short(er), 855 mile/3-day (although only two days of driving) road trip from Riverside to Monterey and back, utilizing some cool back roads and nearly deserted old highways, including (but not limited to) 138, N2, 9N05, 166, 101, 68, 1, G16, 154 etc, almost half of the journey. Experienced a one surprise about 3 hrs from home. After having just finished our decent from 154 and brief refueling stop, my 20 year old co-pilot/friend was at the helm and just got on the "conveyor belt #101" in Santa Barbara when the engine suddenly started running rough (missing) and became noisier than usual (full length, straight pipes, no mufflers ). Unfortunately, at that moment the "conveyor belt" also became almost a parking lot with no convenient spot to pull over or get off of it, so I asked him to try and keep the engine running enough until we can get to the next exit ramp which was about mile away, while keeping a one eye constantly on the oil pressure and temp readings, though they appeared to hold steady at appropriate levels. Well, he managed to keep on rolling along with the slow traffic well enough that once we were near the next exit and saw no evidence of service stations, I asked him to stay on the "belt". After a few miles and past couple of other "no services" exits we finally found one with a service station, but its small lot seem to be overflowing other unfortunate travelers mending their rides. I asked him to keep going on surface roads until we can find another station or some other convenient, shaded spot to see what the problem might be, when suddenly the engine just cleared itself out and started running as it has for past 3 decades. Also, on our return leg we saw few couple of "street rods", including one "Deuce roadster" (of sorts ?) at some Sbux parking lot. Driver/owner(?) walked over to look at our ride and appeared to have an expression of either disbelief, disdain or both, which made sense after we took a brief look at his ride seemingly built with any and all, latest and greatest modern/new components and conveniences one can order from a single source online catalog with click of a mouse. S**t, I thought it pretty funny when the driver/owner of this ??? with its top up and probably featuring Automatic, climate - & cruise controls, 4whl disc brakes, power everything, etc, etc was actually complaining about the cold and rough ride "these old cars" provide. "Butch"
Well, talk about getting sidetracked! And I skipped parts. I WILL go back and read the entire thing. I have done a few trips in my avatar, but it does not match up to your criteria. Fun, nevertheless. Thanks Ben
This is what it's all about, I hope when my car is finished I can do the same... even if it is a Ford. However we're never going to hear the end of it if @moose ever finds this thread, he's always preaching about the superior build quality and design of Mopars. This story is going to give him ammo for years.
How did I miss this? It takes a lot of bravery and a huge sense of adventure to hit the road like that. Years ago I expressed some hesitation to take a 400 mile trip with a '65 Chevy. Then someone asked how many 40 mile trips I take, which is a lot. So a 400 mile trip is only 10 40-mile trips.
Well, some of us would like to read about them, so please share and don't be shy on details or pictures, especially anything related to cool, scenic places, roads or routes that compliment vintage driving/travel experience.
Sounds like she's...."a-real-keeper!" Mine flies and meets me at the destination(when she goes) We BOTH like it better that way! It does away with that annoying..."high-pitched-whine"... that seemed to come from the passenger side of car. Much more peaceful ...even when I break down!(especially when I break down!!!) 6sally6
From Dallas to Pomona and back in 2003. This was the only long trip I have done in my '32. Aside from the anxiety of being out in the middle of nowhere in the first hot rod I had built it was a blast. The engine is a 1956 265 chevy V8, '32 closed rear end drive, '39 transmission, original radiator, '32 steering, and pre-48 Lincoln brakes. Four of us were in three roadsters. Had to stop at El Mirage and drive across the lake bed. Only breakdown was when I lost my generator coming into Wichita Falls in the dark.
The Jalopy Journal
