how many of you guys actually done either one?? any recomendations?? tips?? any of you guys plan on doing it this year??my best friend just told me he wants to do the Power Tour this year which means we'd drive straight after (from paso robles) straight to Ohio where it starts. and ends in Arkansas. we both drive the snot out of our cars his is an o/t car (67 camaro) and mine is my '63 ranchero. both are daily drivers so i know stuff breaks along the way but for the most part we both have new drivelines and mechanically are fine. i'm just curious as to how many guys drive their cars this far?? if we really do it i'd plan on photographing along the whole ride and do a Hirohata cross country tour cars are built to be driven!!!
Ohio to Arkansas?? That's just a walk in the park. If your cars survive everyday traffic that trip will be like riding on a train, no pain, no strain. Have fun!
yeah except we would be driving from Los Angeles (home) to Paso for the weekend then from Paso on to Ohio. but honestly we want to drive our cars through the streets of New York City and us being a couple of dummys i think we'd honestly Detour and probably have to catch up to the rest of the pack some where along the way. and from arkansas back home to Los Angeles. right now we're in the brainstorming phase, so plans may change.
I did the PT in 97 and 04, 5500 miles and 4500 miles. It's a blast, but you need to have the right at***ude....
I just got done planning the West Coast tour for the Americruise. The two events are very different. The Americruise Tours will get about 15-25 cars sometimes less and sometimes more. The tours are much more laid back and personal. I try to plan the route as if I was taking a vacation and still trying to get somewhere in a week's time. This year we'll be swinging through Tahoe, Carson City, Mount Rushmore. Wasn't able to stay off the interstate as much as I would have liked but we'll see how the first couple of days go. If you want to see a lot of musclecars I'd go with the Power Tour but it's getting to be a lot of late-models. The couple of times I did a few legs (several years ago) it was basically a race to the next cruise night. I've heard the same thing from others that have done it. I think they are addressing some of the parking issues because in the past they'd get to the night stop/cruise night and all the locals would have it filled up.
Last year was the first time I didn't even make 1 power tour stop since 96. Its fun but sometimes it gets old. The friends you make MAKE these events what they are. I gotta miss the first stop 'cuz Kirk is throwing down a great shin-dig aka BilletProof.
well basically we just want to DRIVE! my buddy just through this idea at me this afternoon. i started checking out the difference between the 2. i personally would prefer the Americruise as it would give us more time to get our cars "***s" mechanicallly and even presentable, well mine at least. my buddy would also prefer to have driven his '65 caddy but that was recently totaled so the camaro is his primary set of wheels. i love customs over muscle cars and i can careless about trophys and such and pretty much the same for my buddy. we just want to drive across country in a cl***ic, and see some neat places along the way.
The Heaps did the PT last year and had a great time checking out the whole scene. The stops had pleanty of parking and many cars showed up just for the day. The down side was not enough time to get to the next venue, unless you drove 90 mph. The routes are set up so there are things to do on the way. Trouble is, it leaves little time to enjoy the next stop. I would have liked to have run my car at Englishtown, but they shut the inspection down before we got there! I would like to do another one some day, if they return to the right coast.
I did AmeriCruise in ’97 in my ’55 Chevy with a wife & 9-week-old daughter. No A/C, cruise, or any of that silly fluff… We had a GREAT TIME! I’ve also driven the car from CA to VA, ME, FL and back to VA (Active duty Navy ***ignments) and have really enjoyed the long trips. We’ve never had any breakdowns- I attribute that to a thorough preflight of the car and a toolbox full of little spares and consumables (bulbs, fuses, hoses & clamps, etc…. Before you go, jack up the car, get a handful of tools and: 1. Wash and degrease the ENTIRE car, focusing on the engine compartment and undercarriage- you’ll find problems that you didn’t know existed. 2. Tighten EVERY fastener. 3. Tune-up: plugs, points, condenser, or whatever. 4. Top-off all the fluids, grease all the zirk fittings. 5. Bleed the brakes. 6. Lubricate all the door hinges, locks, window cranks, hood & trunk hinges & locks, basically all the moving parts 7. Replace the belts and radiator/heater hoses with new ones. Save the old ones for spares. 8. Check your spare tire for proper inflation. Carry a jack. 9. There’s more, but you get the idea… Good luck and savor the adventure!
Oh yeah. The friends you make (and their cars) will cross paths with you for the rest of your long-distance driving days... We met and hung around some other folks from all over the eastern seaboard whom we still see and talk to at big events.
I had a great time on 3 power tours. Wasnt a long hauler on the first one in 2001 but drove 3500 miles non the less. Left Lubbock and met the tour at Tulsa OK. Followed the tour all the way to San Bernadino Ca. Then drove straight through 1300 miles back home the next day. This was in my 38 Chevy coupe that I had just got back on the road after the 2nd ground up rebuild since 1974 about a month earlier. Only time I had to get a wrench out was to tighten up a peep mirror. Then in 2003 me an a buddy were long haulers from Nashville to Arlington. He in his 50 Ford Pick up that we had just clipped. Total on that trip was about 3300 miles. In 2004 my girlfriend (now my wife) were long harlers from Arlington to Green Bay. About 3800 total. Had a blast on all three and met a lot of great people. Yep it takes the right at***ude to have a good time on those runs. One fun part is seeing all the people sitting on the side of the road watching 1000 to 2000 Rods of all kinds (and I'm talking ALL kinds) cruising down the highway and through their small towns. 2001 was fun because it was all interstate and long runs at 80+ if you wanted to go that fast. The next two were shorter runs and a lot though the back roads where you could really see the country side and meet some locals. My recomendation is to plan on exercizing lots of patience. There will be times when traffic will be at a crawl due to the amount of cars added to some already crowded streets and highways. The venues at each stop are pretty fun with some good entertainment at some, good food at some and lots of souveniers to be had. We plan on doing another one or so as soon as it comes closer to home. This year it ends up in Arkansas I believe and the next year it will start from there. Hopefully it will go west now that it has covered the right coast for the last few years. Since Family Entertainment took over the scheduling of it a lot of people have been unhappy since they are concerned with the revenues more than the spirit of the thing. But Its what you make of it. When we were in Green Bay at Lambou field in 2004 the Lambou field people werent ready for the turn out. The power tour people were parking cars where ever there was a spot for them and the Lambou people were calling wreckers to have them towed if they were not where they liked them. One wrecker was backed up to a guys ride preparing to hook up to it and a bunch of us (im talking about 100 or more) surrounded him and told he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We didnt leave till he did. There was about 10% enough porta johns there too and the lambou field people would not upen up the restroom facilities in the stadium. The johns were literally running over! Hey it all added to the experience. The Hot rod people announced that the tour wound NOT be starting in Greenbay the next year! If you make one it will be an experience you will not soon forget.
Did Americruise in 2001 , ventura to lincoln NB , was a blast. They only drove about 6 to 8 hours a day, stopping at places to see. I agree that the people you meet make the trip. I still see people from that cruise. What was real cool was the nearer we got to lincoln the more cars there were. Seeing about 400 hot rods on the freeway was too cool. I also go from ventura to Logan Ut for a *****in show every july. Nothing like cruising across country in your rod.
Its the weekend after the 4th of July , look up Cache Valley Cruise In Map out gas stations! Thats for sure! The year i went to Lincoln I only had an 8 gallon tank!
Just treat it as what it is.... a whole bunch of gearheads going for a long drive together. Don't expect to be entertained, or taken care of, or anything else. The trip is the destination. You will encounter some ***holes, you will encounter problems with poor planning, poor event management, and the weather will **** half the time. You are responsible for making it fun for yourself, so figure out how to do that.
I have done many Power Tours over the last 7 years or so and am a multipal time Long Hauler. I did the one in 2000 when it went from San Berdoo, CA to Panama City Beach FL. Adding in the drive from Detroit Michigan to Southern CA and then home from Florida, it was a total of over 6,500 miles and I was on the road for 28 days in my '47 Chevy convert. The trip of a lifetime for sure. I can't encourage you enough just to do it. Taking that amount of time off work or school and spending that kind of money is a HUGE investment BUT certainly an investment in memories that can't really be bought. Like lots here have said, it's the people you meet on the journey there, while on tour and the ones you meet on the way home, that will make the trip so special. I have friends from all over the world that I still keep in contact with, and see, that I met while on Power Tour or traveling at other times. IMHO the earlier ones that the Mag staff actually ran were better then the later ones that Family Events ran/run. You won't know the difference so all will be good. Do it cuz you never know what life will bring in the future and you might never have the opportunity again. BTW, HAMBer LoBucRod and MovinMan are two fellows I met while on PT way before any of us knew what a HAMB was.
Last year was my 1st Long Haul on the P.T. The Tour is the best part, vs the shows. A lot of Muscle era & late models, a decent # of on-topic cars. It cool to see all of them out on the road, even a pro-street 55-57 Crown Vic on the Interstate on the '05 Tour. If you can make it you will have something to remember!
I drove the one in '98 in October, It was the East Coast, from Fitchburgh, M***. to St.Pete's Florida. It was a blast. The driving wasnt a big deal, because that tour wasnt that long. But like everyone has said, do it! I met a bunch of cool people, and it was really cool to meet and spend some time talking to some big names like Don Garlits, Jack Rousch, and Gray Baskerville, to name a few. The tour I was on was a bit smaller than most, because it was a fall event. -Joe
IMHO the earlier ones that the Mag staff actually ran were better then the later ones that Family Events ran/run. You won't know the difference so all will be good. [/quote] YEP. I miss Army Armstrong.
Yep, and remember how they would have a planned gas stop about every 90 miles and it turned into wild and crazy burnouts with folks parked all over the streets and entrances and exits on freeway ramps and hoods open, folks checking out each others rides and actually riding with each other or driving others folks cars to the next gas stop. Those were the days. I remmeber PT 2001, I was riding with Dad in his '37 Ford convert cuz I had lost my Chevy to a fire and hadn't replaced it yet but I still wanted to go on tour so I rode with Dad, anyway PT started in Detroit that year and went to CA. I rode with Dad the first 90 miles to the first gas stop then started car hopping and never rode another leg of the tour with him the whole rest of the way. Dad had plenty of company with him though cuz lots of folks want to ride in his car so it worked out. Those were the days. I think that was the same year a pal of mine drove to Detroit from CA in his 47 Ford right hand drive UTE which he let me drive on one leg of the tour. While I was driving the UTE his buddy rode with Dad. Come to find out they were in Nam together on the exact same river at the exact same time. Dad was alittle leary at first of having to make small talk with strangers but after that encounter he realized the pricelessness of it. I really think the Power Tours helped my Father loosen up and become a friendlier, more outgoing person. He's not such a hard*** anymore.......either that or old age is setting in.
My buddy John, ls1wagon on here, and myself did the PT in 2005 in my '78 single turbo Fairmont. We had a ****py map, a borrowed GPS, no gas gauge, and not a single hotel lined up at any stop. We left from DFW, TX after work one day. Ran out of gas just into OK. No gas can. John hitched a ride and bought a can w. gas. We ran out 2 other times that night! Got to the fairgrounds in Springfield, Il. just before sun up and slept in the car. Caught up with everybody when they got to the fairgrounds that morning. We were beat. Laying on the ground in the shade across the street from the car we saw a guy looking at my car. It was Dougl*** Glad from CarCraft. That night they did a full photoshoot for CC mag. Screwed around all night cruising around town. The next morning we picked up Glad at his hotel and he rode in the back, taking pics, bs'ing about cars as we drove to Indy. That dude is cool as hell. He got out and rode next to us taking pics along the way. At lunch we noticed that there was no blowby coming out of the breathers on the valve covers. Broke through from intake runner to a pushrod hole. Drove the rest of the way to Indy and met up with the rest of the cruise at the track. Met some REALLY cool people there. The guys that built the Poison Dart, the painter for that car and his kid, and Jeff Schwartz (Ultima GTR TTLS1 & RealStreet Cadi). We hung out with them at the track and they offered any help they could give us. We really needed a place to stay and the painter (I cannot remember his name, but he worked for Authentic Automotive in Cudahy, Wi) offered us his hotel room. We followed them to the hotel and that was the first time I had ever seen anybody beat the absolute hell out of an original Shelby GT 500. It was madness! John widdled a piece of copper tubing from Home Depot while Jeff Schwartz hung out with us in the parking lot till early morning. John got the tube the right size and slipped it in with JB weld. That repair is STILL on the car today, and holding up under 23-24# of boost!! The next morning we were off to Nashville. The Opryland stop was killer. The next stop was Birmingham AL, at a neat dog race park if I remember correctly. We decided at the last minute to leave Birmingham at about 11pm and head back to Texas, and skip the first stop into Fl. It was about 3500 miles of the best times Ive ever had with that car, or any car I have owned. Im glad I did a PT, but I dont think I will do one again unless it comes really close to my area again. I would love to do the Hot Rod Drag Week though. More of my kind of cars and my type of people. If you go on the PT, bring everything that you can fit, and somebody that Mcguyver anything. Everybody is always willing to help with parts, labor, shelter and beer!
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