Never had a shifter do that, glad you caught it in time. Looks like you'll be coming up the 99 corridor on your way home. I live 50 miles north of Bakersfield in the hills. If you have any problems at all, give me a shout be glad to come help. Rich
So cool. Saw the truck at the hill climb and heard your story 2nd hand. Wished I would have met you guys. So cool and inspirational. See you next year for sure!!
Thanks bugsy! T power!! I used to say no interior was to save weight, go faster...now I can say easier access too! (they think I'm just lazy) Cheers Bugs!
Parking lot, roadside fixes, Is there a thread here for that? It would make a cool book. I could write a chapter or two. I bet we all could. Where did the old pin go? I'm glad it got to wherever it is without taking some teeth with it. That can really make shifting tough. Don't worry about it though the gear oil probably won't get churned up enough to send it through again.
Thanks rich, I think we're going to go north through Nevada instead of 99, but we'll see. Very glad for the offer, thanks. Suzi grew up in Tulare so we're pretty familiar with 99! Hey, T&A thanks! Your build threads also inspire me, thanks for those! In fact I have some questions about the 5window roof fill you did...I'll be in touch! Georgetown was a GAS and kind of a blur right now, I wish I'd talked to more people too (and remember all I did talk to), next year definantly. Ahhh, parking lot fixs...part of the trip, right? The teeth all looked good, but I'll drain the tranny at home and see if I can find the pin. I actually used the cotter pin fix thinking if it let go again before we got home the soft pin wouldn't hurt the teeth and I could just repeat the fix. Then do it right later at home. We'll see! Thanks again EVERYBODY for the comments and positive feedback!!
Hey Tigerfan! Sorry, I've been meaning to respond sooner. It's a great question, one I ask the drivers too. I'll put a better reply together with pics, but for now I'll just say we don't have much! No spares, some fluids and a small tool box. The most used equipment right now is the tarp, our only rain gear! Thanks again, I'll follow this up later!
Day 9: Should we stay, should we go? So many places to see and explore around St. George, but it's still hot and we still have many miles to home. We pulled it together and decided to head a bit farther down the road to Las Vegas. Few more miles closer, cheap places to stay, and more pool time. 108 degrees when we hit Vegas, so the pool was a big plus. Stayed downtown (away from the strip) and hit a few local spots for lunch and coffee. Very bright room in an old casino that was walking distance to places we wanted to check out. Gotta stretch those legs! Lots of cool murals downtown and less "glitzy" than the strip, which was nice. The truck was running great and the shifting seemed to be working just fine. Of course it was! Hitting the road earlier tomorrow morning to get through the desert and into California. Suzi Leaving the oasis. Vegas baby!
Those are great pictures you guys. Good idea to get across that desert before the heat sets in. Are you going up 395? Some beautiful country on that side of the sierras, looks a-lot like Colorado over there. Can't wait for your next report.....
Great story on your road trip! In was especially interesting as I saw your truck at the hill climb. Always like the driven to the event people as they seem more laid back and enjoying their cars!
395? You still have a chance for those cold ones. I know where to find PBR. Man, It is hot down there only in high 80s here cool at night. This is my favorite thread ever, can you tell? Kinda' creepy
Got held up a bit, but we're back to our story. Day 10: Leaving Las Vegas, which is fine by me. Up early-ish to try and beat the heat. Stopped for a quick bite and gas, no time to waste. But, seems we always end up driving in the heat anyway, good thing we don’t mind it much. Today we drove up I-95 to Tonopah. Another long, hot, flat drive. We don’t mind that either. Truck is running like a champ and we have all day to get there. Got gas at the Alien Center, of course, and there were tons of people gassing up in the middle of nowhere. No aliens in sight, at least not that I could tell. Met some folks driving a “modern” ’57 Chevy and some French tourists cruising on Harley’s. Plus numerous others coming over to take a look and talk about the truck. Everyone loves the truck! Back in and we go. Went through an old mining town called Goldfield, right before Tonopah. Lots of cool, old buildings. Some refurbished, some in ruin, and great for a few photo-ops. We get to Tonopah in the heat of the day. This is where we thought we’d spend the night, but it was still early so we found yet another brewery and had a pint and some lunch. Who would have thought there’d be a brewery in Tonopah? Beer was good and the ambiance was nice, so we took our time. Johnny took off to gas up and had a chat with a local fella who saw him and doubled back because he wanted to talk about flatheads. They come out of the woodwork, don’t they? Upon his return he told me the fella said that many of the motels in town had bed bugs. What? No thanks, let’s go. Figured we could get to Benton, CA, right over the border and stay at the hot springs there, since it's the only place in town. They weren’t very welcoming and it put me off, so on we went. We had a beautiful drive west on Hwy 6 and Hwy 120 over to Lee Vining and Mono Lake. Welcome to California and higher ground. The landscape was beautiful, there were trees, and the weather was cooler. Yippee! Nice to have a cool breeze in the open roadster. Lee Vining hotels were almost all filled up but we managed to find a spot. Just in time because it had been a long day and we were tired and hungry. Ate a good meal at the local diner, Nicelys, and then back to the room for some much needed rest. Tomorrow is what I was looking forward to. The drive over the Sierras was bound to be amazing... Suzi Johnny will post some of his pics shortly. Driving, driving, driving. Alien gas. Goldfield pop-op. Welcome to Tonopah. No other cars in sight! Cal-i-forn-i-a! Trees? Trees!!
Yes, The drive from Benton to Lee Vining is beautiful. Heading over 108 Sonora Pass? You'll love it! 4 Ebbetts Pass is my favorite. 88 Carson pass is nice too and a bit easier than 108 or 4. On up 395 into Carson/Reno is pretty too. On the way back from Texas in July we stopped in Goldfield to check on the Santa Fe Bar and Grill, it was closed that day. I met a couple from New York riding an Indian(new one) who were headed for Carson and Virginia City. I happened to have a couple of drink tokes for The Old Corner Bar in VC which I gave them. I met them there two days later. We had a few. Great folks. They spent 2 or 3 days there. Road Trips Rule!
Such a great trip and Emily and I really enjoyed the brief chat in G-town! The next time we are in the Bay Area be forewarned that we may insist on another visit!
Sorry Runnin Shine, no build thread. It's a home built "basic" old school hot rod. Let me know if you want any specifics or pictures though. Thanks Nobey, the run up 95 was great, but it's nice to be in the trees for a change! Six Ball! Man sounds like you've been on all these roads and found the good spots! Glad you're still along for the ride. Missed the Santa Fe bar and grill in goldfield, wow that must be an interesting place. We're going to make a point to head your way again soon so you can show us around VC. Get that roadster of yours on the road! Hey, thanks Craig. See you soon at the next Nor-Cal Reliability Run! Mike and Emily, we would love another chance at a second beer and longer visit with you both! The first was way to short. By all means let us know!!
Just want to say thank you again to EVERYBODY that have contributed to this thread with comments, questions, likes, and observations. Suzi and I are very touched by your interest. Thank you. Here are a few more pics from Day 10... This was just after we turned west off 95 onto hwy 6...after checking on a biker stalled on the roadside (he was ok, waiting for a new battery a buddy was bringing) we didn't see another sole for the first 1/2 hour. I was howling with delight. Next two hours traffic was VERY light...it was great! Nobody in front, nobody behind! Can you find Suzi? Yea, more trees! It even looks cooler. Johnny
Johnny, loved all your coverage. I hope to do many road trips in my RPU (cant go very far in NZ) when I get it finished. Could you post up some shots of the interior of your cool ride ? Cheers, JW
Any time you get on this side of the mountains let me know. I'd like to talk to you about the hill climb. VC might be a good place for a similar event that could complement the one in Georgetown. I've been driving over the Sierras since '61. My dad was doing the driving before that. If I'm driving I'm happy. I had the name wrong on the Santa Fe Saloon. I had the best T-Bone steak I've ever eaten there several years ago when I was deer hunting down there. I don't know if it was the food or the circumstance. It doesn't matter. Thank you for letting us be part of your trip. Here's a link to some pics of the July Texas trip. We didn't drive a cool car but saw some cool stuff. https://picasaweb.google.com/sixpic...&authkey=Gv1sRgCNCknYOSosi1Xg&feat=directlink
What are you talking about JW? BEAUTIFUL country to drive in! I spent 4 months in NZ 35 years ago skiing at Mt. Hutt. Would borrow a 63vw bug for road trips...first "roundabout" I ever saw, and from the wrong side too!! The rpu interior is pretty bare bones...works for us though. (new plywood soon) seats we made with 2" seat foam on 1/2" ply covered in canvas duck. We roll up Mexican blankets for "lumbar support" so we can use if cold too. Water temp/oil pressure and light switch. That's it!! Let me know if you want more or close ups. Johnny
Our pleasure, glad you're enjoying it. Come over and drive with us. Someday we'll get to Sweden and drive with you guys too!!
The Jalopy Journal
