I'm dreading the drive to Salina for the Leadsled Spectacular in July. By then I will have replaced everything under the hood and have had everything serviced but I'm still kinda freaked out about it. I know I'm lame.
Love the story Jive-Bomber...here's mine from June 2009 On my way back from about a 1000 mile round trip from Sydney to Bendigo in my FB Holden. Had some trouble with the timing but relatively uneventful until…cruising at about 60 mph just out of Narrandera and the old grey motor stops completely dead. Put her into angel gear and pull over. Initial thoughts were timing gear but final diagnosis was worn crank key hole. I wasn't going anywhere fast. video footage starts at about the 9min mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcejlMjyxZE
My dad and I took my thunderbird to Bakersfield once before an engine and trans rebuild, so the motor had sat for 12 years with no care. Needless to say I think I could out do MacGyver now. Took it again after the engine and trans rebuild, with my highly skilled driving, headed all the way up the 5 freeway at about 95mph. (I say highly skilled cause those bias ply tires can play some tricks) Yet both drives were just as fun as the other.
The important part is that you fix them and keep going, I have met some people that are afraid to drive their cars out of the imediate area. I broke a rocker arm on my maiden voyage home (45 minutes away), fixed and two later was on to a cruise night an hour half away. We stopped for dinner and I came out to a flat tire, it was a brand new tube and tire, had no tools at all. I robbed someone elses spare which of course needed air that we got thanks to a couple racers coming from the track. Now I've had a few other small problems but have taken the car up into Canada and don't think twice about taking it somewhere. If it breaks, you fix and keep driving, that's what it's about.
Guys, I have a similar tale of woe my Buddy Chuck and I drove to stock '64 Ford F-100 from Adelanto Ca to Wisconsin. Not sure of where his buddy livede but we reached there after a fairly uneventful trip. There was the rain deluge in Texas where we had to pull over and dry out the elctronic ignition conversion from too much water. No problem ran great after that. The day after we got to his friends we went to a guys house and purchased two original gas pumps (had to have some cargo for the eight foot bed). Then the next day we said our farewells and left for our next destination. That was to visit Bleed and his dad and pick up my Acehole frame (swoop and all !). We then headed back to I-70 (I think) and west towards Salt Lake City. We were in one of the Dakotas when the real problem started. I assume we were 800 or 900 miles from home. The motor started loosing most of it's poop on all those long hills. Mileage dropped real bad, but we did make it home . The problem was the rebuilder of the heads who was paid to install hardened seats - had not ! All the exhaust valves were burned and had sunk into the seats. After a thorough and correct rebuidl the F-100 has been to Bonneville at least twice and more to come. Fun Fun Fun ! 41 Dave
Cool story, if we cared about the journey and the work to get there we would drive new cars instead of cool ones..
The Jalopy Journal
