Projects UPDATE: Am I nuts? - I guess not after all...

Good morning guys.

I started looking for a '41 or '46 Ford coupe earlier this past spring. One of the prerequisites for a car if I found one was that it had to be a driver. I have found a '46 door coupe near Pensacola Florida in the panhandle and I am located in western Wisconsin near the Twin Cities.

The plan has been to fly in and drive whatever car I found back home to Wisconsin. I have been talking to the current owner who is an older guy and he is questioning the wisdom of driving a stock (the car has been restored) car 1300 miles back home. He's pretty confident in the car but is concerned that if something breaks it could be a stressful and expensive proposition.

I recognize what he's saying and I am beginning to think it might be wiser to haul it back on a trailer which opens up another set of issues as I no longer own a truck and trailer of my own.

So...is this a really dumb idea or something worth considering? If I try to drive it back home what should I bring for parts? - points, condensor, coil, what else?

I would be interested in hearing any advice folks might have and would even listen to some opinions if they are constructive.

Thanks,

Thor

 

Generator, voltage regulator. Has it been driven regularly and are the water pumps good (seal-wise).

 

If the car is in good mechanical condition it should be able to drive from FL to WI.
I drove from WI to FL with my 40 in 1971 when speed limit was 55. Took 3 days. Generator burned up in
TN but back then parts store had it. Carry some basic tools and some spare parts like a fuel pump and generator.
Now days it would be a good idea to join Triple A and have a roster of club members you could contact in various states should a problem occur. Consider it an adventure. Plus, bring your computer to contact HAMB members, if needed.

 

Hey, if you have the time and it's the right car, have a great adventure.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I would drive it home. You are asking the same questions that you could ask of a new car. When they break they break. Points, coil, and condenser, is all I would bring. I would put a smile on my face foot on the floor. Let us know how the trip goes.
Tony

 

I bought a car that was 1200 mikes from home. It is best to lay eyes on the car no matter how well the owner represents the car and the owner is completely honest. Details about the drive train, steering, brakes, wiring, tires etc are critical. Who did the rebuilds and what is their competency. I rented a closed trailer for the week to travel & pick the car up. It would be best to give the car a thorough inspection and road test to see that it is good then trailer it home. Drive the car at home and grow your confidence that the car is absolutely gremlin free. If it breaks down it is in your circle to cope with getting the car home. Another option is drive down with a friend and a trailer. Drive it back and you have your safety net.

 

I agree , you need to know the car well before you drive it that far to start with . check the cooling fan shaft to make sure it has oil or grease in it . I had one lock up with me , stops the water pump from turning on one side . I have had good luck with U-haul .

 

A good car, no problem. But if it's mechanical, it will eventually break. Maybe on your way home , maybe not. How about you? Are you familiar with that car? Are you comfortable replacing parts on the side of the road in a strange place? Could you handle the common areas, the guys mentioned above?
Good luck, take pics.

 

Sometimes it's nice to be young and dumb!

I say go for it. But I'd bring a decent set of tools, as many common spare parts as I could think of, and re-up my AAA membership. Have fun, keep us updated, don't hesitate to ask the Hamb for help if you need it.

 

If the car was properly rebuilt and maintained, it should be no problem. In 46, it was a no-brainer. Carry the parts that are consumable or prone to fail, and know how they are replaced. Take a lot of pics for us. In the early 60's, we drove from Waco to Anchorage several times, when the AlCan highway was a gravel road. My dad carried a water pump, belts, and a complete distributor. He said he figured the only thing he worried about was the timing chain. Took a week to drive it, the 57 Chevy (235, then 327) nefver missed a beat on four round trips. Have a great trip.

 

Picked up my 48 and drove it 1400 miles home, no issues. Plan your trip through the more populated areas on the way home in case.

 

Being a Air Force Brat, I traveled all over the US in old cars (10 years of older) back in the 50s and 60s. People drove the cars that we rebuild today and even hauled trailers all over the country. Just because a car weights in at 2 tons, has points, coil, and a carb does not mean it cannot go the distance. Just hope the rebuild was done within the limits of the original build.

 

Since you don't know how well it was "restored", I would borrow or rent a truck or vehicle with a hitch on it, go down and look at it, and if its a keeper, go to the Uhaul place and rent a car trailer one way back home. I did that and it worked out well. The rental trailers are nice, pull great, have brakes and easy to load and unload.
I have looked at so-called restored cars before. One mans version of restored is another mans nightmare.
Or take a friend with you if the car looks like it is a reliable driver, drive it back and have the friend follow you in case you need to stop to make repairs.

 

If the car is in good shape and has been driven recently 1300 miles should be nothing for a '46 Ford. You won't know the condition till you see and drive it. Sounds like the owner doesn't have much confidence in his car and perhaps oversold it. Think I would drive a truck down with a friend and rent a trailer if needed.

 

It's not you, it's everyone else. No one has the balls to drive an old car any more.

Go for it! have fun...be careful

 

You don't know the car personally, so are you willing to take a chance? Not me!

 

Bring your cell phone, wallet with lots of cash and credit cards, one way or another you will make it home. Might be a fun adventure or a nightmare, IMO any used car is a **** shoot, (especially an old car or hot rod) IMO, from my life's experience I would not drive it back, fly down, touch, feel, drive, etc, make deal and arrange shipping, with the internet you can get quotes from several shippers immediately. You did'nt mention what kind of money is involved, those years of Ford IMO are not high buck cars, might be worth asking for a fellow HAMBER to check car for you and if he says it's a good car, make deal and have it shipped. You mentioned you are coming back to hobby, unless your heart is set on building a car, suggest you look around at finished cars, LOTS for sale, it's a buyer's market now, some great deals to be had. Good Luck !

 

Fly in, inspect the car, and either drive it back, or rent a U-Haul and truck to trailer it back.

If you drive and it breaks, you can always rent a U-Haul along the way to trailer it home.

Bringing tools and spare parts down if you fly could be a problem, but I guess you could ship them to a HAMB-ster in the area and pick them up there when you arrive

 

If the car is in good condition I can't think of any reason why you can't drive the car home,when you talk to your insurance company add roadside service and that will cover towing IF you have trouble.

You can buy a cheap set of tools when you get there and the owner probably has some spare parts .

Look at it like a adventure,take a camera and keep us posted,amyone can hire someone to haul the car ....Go for it! HRP

 

Do it!! Take pictures!! Make it an adventure.

 

Personally, I don't trust any new purchase of this type for that distance either.
When I bought my avatar '32 truck, I did the deal contingent on seeing and driving it in person, then rented a U-Haul trailer and went out to New Orleans to look, drive and consummate the deal.

If you do drive it back, will it make it at interstate speeds, or would it be better to take the old us highways at slower speeds and towns along the way?? Could be a fun trip or a hellish trip

 

As to your original question, yes you are nuts....we all are, that's why we are on the HAMB !

 

I would go for it - maybe find a local GOOD garage to give it a once check over and " Hit the road Jack " make a new memory - take pics and as stated above Be Safe !

 

Go for it.

 

I had a 51 shoebox vert that you could drive for hours on end in town with no problems but on the highway after about 1/2 hour it would stir enough rust particles up in the block to cause overheating issues. I would stop, take out the radiator and turn it upside down flush it out and it would be good again. For about another 1/2 of highway speeds or indefinitely in town. Even though a car seems reliable as the day is long, other issues can and will arise on long highway trips.

 

Back in 1981 I bought a 1941 Ford pickup that was a real POS (and I still own it).
It was mostly stock with a 53 flathead and stock driveline (it popped out of second a lot), and it had far-out white trucker rims, T-Bird bucket seats,and it overheated on the 10 mile trip home. I added thermostats and a set of plates, and two weeks later we drove it from Yerington Nevada (sorta near Carson City and Fallon) to Pomona California for LA Roadsters Fathers day show.
The steering was so lose you really tacked it more than drove it. We drove down Nevada roads were you didn't see another car, or town, for hours.
It made it there, and to the show. Then we headed home with a side trip up to Lake Tahoe Airport for an airshow.
We did this with no extra; tools, parts or cell phone (because they weren't invented yet).
Crazy? Yes, an adventure that is amazing to talk about even 37 years later and I am still married to my also crazy partner.........

 

agreed

 

I would be more worried about storm damage than a '46 Ford making a 1300 mile trip. I got an idea that the old heap has been pretty wet In the last week or so. This is not a good time to buy anything from Florida or Texas.

 

When I was younger, I wouldn't have thought twice about.
Now no, I wouldn't without my own history behind the wheel, and it's mechanicals.
With age comes wisdom.

 

It is like flying, if the crew chief won't go up with you, maybe you should have second thoughts.