an epic journey...advise on how to prepare for one.

those of you who have taken a LOOOOOOOONG ride in your rods...like I will be in a couple years with my wife in my chopped A highboy coupe and a teardrop trailer...what advise would you give me as to how to prepare for my "epic journey"? prepping the car, people prepping, spare parts and stuff to take, driving time each day you would recommend not to exceed, time of year to go, what roads/towns to avoid, carry a gun?, alarm type to buy, etc.

heres the deal...the car has AC and heat, an Ipod & headphones for tunes, GPS, portable DVD unit, tilt and front to back adjustable bench seat with individual lumbar and upper leg supports and seat heaters, 350 chevy w mild cam and 2-4's (390cfm each with progressive linkage) and headers, turbo 400, 3.70 butt gears, 15 gallon gas tank, 30" dia. rear tires, 25.5" front tires, disc/drum brakes. We plan to tow a 5'x10' custom built teardrop trailer, which will be our sleeping quarters for a lot of the trip, as well as storage for the gear we will take with us. It will not have a kitchen like a lot of them do. We plan to KOA it where ever we can and can make those arrangements in advance. We plan on going east from Oregon to Bonneville to Denver to Wichita to Tulsa to Austin Texas to Amarillo, then west on whats left of Rte 66 to Flagstaff to Grand Canyon to Visalia California to Reno to Redding to Eureka California on the coast then up through the Redwoods to Home. Figuring doing this at about 1st of May thru 1st part of June, taking about 4-6 weeks. There are obviously some sight seeing musts that we plan to take in and to visit relatives and friends and stay with them as we can. I am 60 and my wife is too, and we are both in good health. I'd like to know what you would do to get ready for a trip like this, given all these parameters. You will probably come up with stuff I had not thought of...and thats the idea...to take advantage of your advise and your knowledge. Sweetie and I would much thank you for sharing.

 

You said it's a couple years off, but give me a shout when your in Eureka.

 

I know you guys are up late....and thinkin' about takin' a trip in yer hot rod when the weather warms up a little....me too....

 

you're on!...I plan to carry a laptop with me to keep connected and tell the story as I go, so my kids and grandkids can see what their crazy parents and grandparents did when they got old (???)....Thanks for the invite.

 

I would change the gears to a more highway friendly 3.25

Other than that do as many 2 lane roads as possible. We did it on our trip from PA to TX and it was cool. Took an extra day or two but was worth it.

Drive in the day too...you can't see much at night.
Clark

 

Last edited by NVRRDUNN : Today at 09:44 PM. Reason: i meant to say west instead of east at amarillo...dang it!!

Ha! Ha! Trip not even started and you are lost. Good the wife will be along to ask directions. The other things I always take along, besides the wife, are a small tool box, fan belts, water pump & alternator. Of course my cars are allways junk. Yours sounds as if it is in top shape but I would still take extra belts and tools, for a extended trip.

Good luck, wish I could make a trip like that. Oh well someday.<!-- / edit note -->

 

While on active duty in the Navy (87-'04), I drove my '55 Chevy from Monterey CA to Norfolk, VA, Norfolk to Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville to Brunswick, ME, and Brunswick down to Washington DC. I never had any issues more serious than a rattling window (which was temporarily fixed with duct tape).

It had an SBC, Muncie 4-speed, front discs/rear drums, radials and good wipers, but no heater or A/C. Travel conditions ranged 20 deg. F in New Hampshire & Maine to >100 deg. F in the Mojave desert.

I preflighted the car the week BEFORE major trips by:
1. Going over the ENTIRE car and tightening ALL the fasteners (IMO, this is CRITICAL on long trips in old cars).
2. Change the oil & filter, bleed the brakes, check and top-off all the other fluids.
3. Degrease/ detail the engine & undercarriage so if there is a leak or other problem, it'll be planly visible.
4. Get the front-end aligned, tires balanced, and check correct tire pressure (including the spare tire).
5. Applied two treatments of Rain-X to the windshield.
6. Adjust the clutch & shifter linkage, E-brake and throttle linkage.
7. Lube all the locks & hinges with WD-40.

During the actual trips, I:
1. Carried a spares kit that included a spark plug, spare plug wire, dizzy cap & rotor, top & bottom hoses, belts, hose clamps, fuses, duct & electrical tape.
2. Carried a tool box, jack, flashlight and lug wrench.
3. Checked fluids, hoses, belts, and lights EVERY morning before takeoff.
4. Checked gas milage at EVERY fillup. a sudden drop in mpg could be the first symptom of something bad.

A few traveling lessons learned:
1. Don't be in too much of a hurry- savor the trip instead. Make a list of optional stops (car museums, junkyards, race tracks, car shows, tourist traps, relatives' homes, etc.) near the route. Let your spouse/family decide when to stop. Update and reevaluate the options daily. Always have a plan... and a backup plan... and a foul weather plan.
2. While on interstates, I limited mileage to ~500 mi/day. Less if on 2-lane highways.
3. Take lots of pics- Especially with you and/or the car and a major landmark or sign in the background.
4. If Momma wants to spend the night at a cute B&B with lace doillies, popree (sp?) and rose-hip tea, give in. You'll be glad you did.

Hope this helps.

 

NVRRDUNN, when your traveling from Visalia to Reno go through Yosemite Nat. park ,over the tioga pass to us395 north. beautiful ride! and when you leave, head down to the napa valley to say hello.

 

Everything that "Just Gary " said plus don't forget to check your lug nuts. I made a trip from Ohio to Colorado a couple years back in my A coupe. went 90% on U.S. routes and not interstates. Stop often ,be prepared to answer a lot of question , don't be in a big hurry and have fun.

 

been through that road back in the late 60's and yes, that is the route to Reno we will be taking. Breathtaking views and nice road too.

 

Just Gary, 41 C28, What they said, and do a walk around everytime you stop and before you start to go again to check the ground for drips. And any other obvious defects, loose stuff, draging-hanging stuff, tire inflation.

Frank

 

thanks for the advise...well taken. And we plan to not forget the FUN factor here. Question: Did you run into any US routes that were in bad shape? Or are they all pretty well maintained? You hear horror stories sometimes. I guess the thing to do is be prepared for anything...like exploding 18 wheeler tires, deer, stop light runners, road rage idiots...eh? Thanks.

 

I've taken a few long trips with the cpe. The longest was 8,000 mi and a months time.
I always carry extra belts, small tool box and a list of all part numbers. This makes it easy when you need that certain hose, pump, etc. You keep the car in top shape, right? Would you burden yourself by carrying a bunch of spare parts for the daily if you were taking a trip with that? Just do the pre trip things you would for the daily in a similar situation. I feel that I built the car I can fix it. You're running a sbc, parts are availible anywhere

 

Oh yeah... Take some zip ties too. And the dead bugs on the windshield should be chalked up as "red badges of courage"

 

Clark...will those gears work ok pulling the teardrop? I know they aint heavy, even when loaded with Stuff. I am keeping the 3:70 pumpkin though, but I actually did think of buying another one with taller gears for this trip...they aint hard to change in a 9". 2 lanes are usually more relaxing and more stuff to see...has its own kind of character and dangers too. Just need to keep the ol' eyeball peeled. And....night time is for sleeping, aint it? Thanks.

 

We have towed our fiberglas 15 foot holiday trailer, 1400 lbs, behind our 51 coupe with a 305, turbo 350 and 2.79 ratio rear and our 47 ford 2-door, 350, 350 with 2.79. No shortage of power and decent gas mileage. My son tows his teardrop now behind our old 51 coupe and he doesn't even know it is there. Excellent mileage too with the 2.79's. We travel a lot with our trailer and hot rod. Even in the mountains the 2.79's are not a problem. Pat.

 

Pretty good advice for the long haul. I've pulled a Mullins Red Cap behind my '40 Chevy twice to Bonneville. In 2005 my wife went with and we did about 7000 miles in 3 weeks. In 2006 I did it again with a trip to Louisville for the Nats, on to Bonneville, up to Yellowstone, northern Montana and on home. 3 weeks - 7500 miles. Minor stuff. Take a good tool kit. I had to tear the driver's door apart in Utah - bad electrical connection, packed wheel bearings on the car in Montana, take a wiper from the pass. side over to the drivers side in Nebraska - speed related incident.

Have a good time.

Charlie

 

Here's a thought about clothes.... Instead of takin enough for the whole trip, send some to a few planned out stops by UPS. Then send the dirties back home the same way. Beats packin a ton of shit and/or doin' laundry on the way!!!!

 

all i can think of is lucy and desi in "the big big trailer" aint no where to hide when things dont go well. been there before! good luck to ya

 

We've taken a lot of road trips over the years, longest one was a little over 7000 miles in two weeks on my bike. The only thing I can think of that hasnt been covered is road construction. Spring and summer is the time all the major work is getting done. That can really put a crimp in your daily drive. Im sure there is somewhere online you can check for major road projects on your intended route. Have fun...I love road trips.


Mark

 

1. Buy a book called "The Next Exit."
https://www.thenextexit.com/

2. Take a laptop with WLAN capability. Pull into most motel parking lots and you're on the internet.

 

....and the ideas just keep on a-coming....what a GREAT bunch o' guys here!! I like the one about the WLAN capability for the ol' laptop from A.J...and the UPS for clothes from bigolds..and the tall gears will probably happen for this trip. Does anybody know if the HAMB HELPER list has been updated recently? Its the list of contacts nationwide in case you run into trouble and you need some help.

 

I'm likin' the 'send clean clothes ahead and send the dirties home' idea. I would likely use the USPS Priority mail flat rate boxes. I expect it would be cheaper.

 

Last few long distance trips (over several thousand miles) my wife & I have taken, were in a '37 Chevy rumble seat coupe - not a lot of room! Any hard to find parts I might need on the road, I store in several numbered Xerox boxes in my shop and I make a list of what's in each. If I break down and need something I can't get locally, I call a friend of mine, tell him what I need and what box it's in. He goes over to my place, grabs the needed part and ships it next day air to me. I only needed a breakdown part once, but it saved me a LOT of time and screwing around. I was back on the road in 2-days.

 

A couple additional thoughts:
Carry a full size spare. Although a doughnut will get you out of harms way, you can't do 1/2 your trip on one. If you have bigs and littles, you might want to carry one doughnut and 2 unmounted tires...

Your exhaust system will be put through a hell of a lot more torture on this trip than in normal driving. If your header bolts need tightening every month or so normally, you'll be plagued with stopping every couple hours to crank down red-hot bolts. Make sure your hangers and clamps are in good shape and take a small roll of wire.

Your Trans will take the brunt of the abuse of hauling the rig. A flush and fill/filter seems mandatory and I would make sure you have a large enough cooler to keep from burning up the trans. Remember, 1/2 the cooling of any system comes from capacity. For instance, a larger trans pan may be a better choice than a larger cooler.

Black electrical tape, duct tape, wire, hoses and belts, water, oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, tire gauge.

Wet wipes are essential when you get into warm climates. Invest in a head-lamp (think miners light from camping store). They work great for the passenger without bothering the driver and are great when you are laying under the car at 3 am on the highway. Cheap ones are 5-6 bucks.

I dunno about ipods... might get sick of it after a while. Maybe consider one of those 5 in one deals: battery jumper, radio, flashlight things that plug into a cig lighter. That would give you tunes and an air pump.

 

One idea that I thought was brilliant came from "Rumbleseat" on the flathead board. He drives his flathead powered 34 roadster all over the country. He takes the usual easy to store stuff with him. Before he goes he puts the bulky items like axles on top of his work bench. He tags each item for identification so that his wife can find the part easily and over night the elusive part to him in BFE. I thought it was a great idea if you have unobtainium spare parts that take up too much room to pack. Even your mother in law can ship properly tagged parts. You can't pack everything.

 

Sounds like you're well on your way to an awesome journey!

My wife and I will be closing in on our 60's in the next 11 years, If I plant the seed now and keep working on her, we may be doing the same thing!

 

Yeh Tommy, Pauls last trip was around 9000 miles and he's now 74 or 75. He also keeps a journal of his trips and writes all his stops for others to read at the end. Two years ago I met him for lunch in Columbus, OH. on his way through. His ride is a '34 roadster and flathead powered. One thing he told me was he never takes a trip without:

Spare Starter
Spare Bendix
Spare Generator
Spare Carburator
Spare Dizzy cap, points, rotor and condenser
Spare Fuel Pump
Rainex (says he also uses it for aftershave if it's raining and his top is down)

 

first off, those gadgets don't make me think epic. no offense, but it's supposed to be a hot rod. hell, i don't even have AC in my '84 olds anymore...that went in the trash when i put the real engine in there. i can understand the need for more comfortable seats on it though. let me give you an example of real epic trips...though small, it's one of my favs.

i remember a trip i took to visit my pops near potts nevada. from salt lake, take I-80 west to state road 278 and head south to highway 50. head west again for about 37 miles and then turn south down the 2nd dirt road you see. follow this dirt road for the next 50ish miles, bearing right at all forks and going straight at all intersections. ignore all the cows because you're in the middle of the monitor cattle ranch range. whn you com to the 3rd 4 way intersection, turn right towards the mountains for another 2 miles. when the road bears left, the driveway to the friend's where my dad was staying is the second turn off on the right. no GPS crap (aren't you of an age where you know how to read a map?) no AC and this was in the middle of summer. didn't need a DVD because me and my girlfriend just went for real conversation and for tunes, i just never bought into the whole ipod thing.

seriously, the gadgets that so many people are using anymore are taking away the real road trip feel. it's not an adventure to have a little box with pictures telling you where to turn, when to stop to take a piss, how many miles from here to there because you don't wanna take the time to open up a map and read it for yourself. thought i guess it could be an adventure when you're too distracted trying to pay attention to that thing to watch the road. these things make people more careless and less alert.

i say if you do this trip, leave all that behind and take a REAL trip and enjoy yourself. don't be afraid to take a random turn or two down some unknown road, that's how i've found some of the coolest sights i've seen. just make sure you have a full tank of gas