Ever go on a Road Trip in a Classic Car?

[LennyB]

17 hours ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

Yeah that’s the real nice thing about 60s and older classics as opposed to late 70s and later as computer stuff had started becoming integrated into newer designs. 
 

As an example of 60s simplicity my Great Uncle has a 1965 Thunderbird that he restored over 30 years ago. A little while after some carb issue caused the bird to catch fire so it was repainted but in terms of the carb, that was the only problem so he either rebuilt it or got a new one and so then the car was all good again. Nowadays the bird likes to get a little hot when idling, the speedometer stopped working, the horn stopped working, the wiper lever became spring loaded and backing out of the garage it sometimes likes to backfire but they’re relatively simple fixes but for the amount of time he drives it he just keeps it as is

I can understand getting hot when idling, my 66 Mustang Convertible does the same. But I feel it has more to do with the gasoline these days then anything else. I will drive over to the next county to get gas because they sell it without any ethanol in it.

Right after 911 drove it 90 minutes to be in a memorial parade. The drive there and back it behaved itself. But idling during the parade route it was not a happy camper.

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 minutes ago, Phirewriter said:

I've been to Tulsa, Detroit and Florida in our '41 Ford. Plus a couple of states for various car doings and our '55 T-Bird and '62 Starfire convertible. Only a little overheating issue with the '41 when we got to Texas. That was fixed with some side of the road metal bending to make a duct to move air through the radiator better. After we returned I made really nice pieces painted to match and never had any hot running issues afterwards.

I REALLY like seeing posts like this because most people seem to forget these were all NEW cars at one point, entirely reliable and drivable on long trips in their time period, and that IF returned to as-new condition by competent mechanics, they're STILL reliable and usable transportation.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 minutes ago, LennyB said:

I can understand getting hot when idling, my 66 Mustang Convertible does the same. But I feel it has more to do with the gasoline these days then anything else. I will drive over to the next county to get gas because they sell it without any ethanol in it.

Right after 911 drove it 90 minutes to be in a memorial parade. The drive there and back it behaved itself. But idling during the parade route it was not a happy camper.

That could very well be several things having nothing to do with fuel.

A slightly slipping fan belt can do it, or an intermittently sticking thermostat.

A worn fan clutch is most likely, just not spinning the fan fast enough at low speeds to pull sufficient air through the radiator.

Rust and gunk buildup within the cooling system is another likely cause.

5th on the list of things I see remarkably often is a deteriorating water pump impeller. I've seen impellers rust away to not much more than stumpy nubs incapable of circulating coolant...but you usually get constant high temps in that case.

[Falcon Ranchero]

31 minutes ago, LennyB said:

But idling during the parade route it was not a happy camper.

Same reason my Great Uncle doesn't take the 'bird to those cruise nights because it'll do the same thing

[LennyB]

39 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

That could very well be several things having nothing to do with fuel.

A slightly slipping fan belt can do it, or an intermittently sticking thermostat.

A worn fan clutch is most likely, just not spinning the fan fast enough at low speeds to pull sufficient air through the radiator.

Rust and gunk buildup within the cooling system is another likely cause.

5th on the list of things I see remarkably often is a deteriorating water pump impeller. I've seen impellers rust away to not much more than stumpy nubs incapable of circulating coolant...but you usually get constant high temps in that case.

All valid caused Bill. But I found if I use the fuel with ethanol I have to dial back the timing a bit to prevent detonation. Having less advance will also make an engine run hot. With the pure gasoline the car is a lot happier and I don't experience any vapor lock, another bonus.

[RSchnell]

47 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I REALLY like seeing posts like this because most people seem to forget these were all NEW cars at one point, entirely reliable and drivable on long trips in their time period, and that IF returned to as-new condition by competent mechanics, they're STILL reliable and usable transportation.  

When I had the shop, Model A's were one of the bread & butter cars for my shop along with C1 Corvettes & 50's Fords. Anyways 80% of the time I'd get the usual "Model A brakes suck or any of the other common complaints about a poorly maintained Model A. I'd take that customer for a ride in my Model A shop truck which aside from a high compression head and a reground cam was bone stock, even 6V system. It'd run 65-70 with no problem and would put you through the windshield if you did a panic stop. After the ride I'd explain that this was my daily driver and had driven it all over the Southeast with no overheating, bad brakes, leaky rear main, etc. It was a tremendous sales tool, but at the same time showed what a properly restored A was capable of. 

[Tim W. SoCal]

I used to go on LOTS of road trips in my '64 Pontiac LeMans Convertible when it was my daily driver.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Geez...I forgot probably one of the best ones, driving my first Jaguar home. I found a forlorn '58 XK150 FHC on the back line of a small car lot outside of Braselton, Ga., in 1970. It had obviously been sitting for a long time, was covered in bird exhaust and tree sap and moss, and didn't run. The story was that it had broken down years previously, and had been pretty much abandoned by the couple passing through in it because no local mechanics knew anything about "them ferrin cars". I'd been working on my own VW Bug all the previous summer, and had learned a fair bit about old cars in the process, so after much cajoling, I finally convinced my parents to let me try to save the old Jag...which I bought not-running for almost nothing, and made a deal with the lot to let me come up and work on it on weekends when I didn't have much studying to do. Anyway, armed with a Glenn's Foreign Car Repair Manual, and with a new battery, fresh gas, cleaning out the carbs, cleaning and filing the points and plugs, and beating on the electric Lucas fuel pump with a light wooden mallet, I finally brought her coughing back to life. The 40 mile drive back to Atlanta was relatively uneventful, with only two tires going flat, one popped brake hose, a little overheating, and several stops to get out and beat on the fuel pump some more.  

PS: One of the stupidest car-related things I ever did was letting her go, but that's part of another very long and sad story...

[OldTrucker]

In 1990 Drove a 64 VW Bus from Greeley Colorado to just north of Marion Illinois.

Used a bungee cord to hold it in 4th gear! Was in late November and it had little for heat!

[RSchnell]

Now that I have some time, figured I'd post this:

I bought a '55 Ford Country Sedan wagon in KY when I was up there getting school buses for export. Since we were going to make another trip to pickup the remainder of the buses that we bought from that county, I arranged to have the car dropped off at the school board's garage and I'd get it running enough to drive back to FL. 

My plan was to stay in KY and get the old Ford roadworthy then meet with the boys when they came through and convoy with them back to FL. With help from the bus garage I was able to get everything ready to ride, even gave the old girl a bath in bleach water & dawn soap which cleaned it up nicely. I loaded my tools, spare parts & clothes into the wagone and hit the road. The first 50 or miles went great! Beat the bus crew to the truck stop by 20 minutes. No sooner than our convoy of 6 buses and one 1955 Ford Wagon in the middle, got on I75 off I-24 the old Ford started running warm then a loud pop and the smell of hot coolant & steam. I pull onto the shoulder, pop the hood and realize the radiator blew apart. 

Not wasting any time, Hubert runs back and starts putting the driveshaft in the van(their ride up) that was being towed by his bus, I crawl under the Ford and unhook the driveshaft in the wagon, he pulls his bus up in front of the Ford and we get it hooked to the tow bar, I get in the Ford van(now my ride home) and we get back on the big slab. I missed driving the Ford, but the AC and a working radio in the van made up for it. We only lost about 45 minutes of travel time and the rest of the crew was waiting on us at the next fuel stop. I miss those days sometimes.

[Dave Ambrose]

It was almost a classic at the time, but I loaded my clothes, computer, printer, an air mattress, and a few other miscellaneous bits into my '69 MGB-GT to move from Salinas to San Diego. I had recently rebuilt the engine, and took the opportunity to install a Kent fast road cam. The car ran great, except the gas gauge wasn't going down very quickly. Suspicious, I finally pulled off for gas in Redondo Beach. The gas gauge was correct and I was getting something north of 36 MPG, even in LA traffic. That year, I sent a Christmas card to British Motorsports who suggested the cam. 

[bobss396]

Older cars needed attention once they passed 60k or so miles. Things broke on them. A tune up with points was good for 10-12k miles. Sometimes new points/condensers failed early. Fuel pumps died. Shocks were good for 30k miles. Alignments were needed every few years. Bias ply tires didn't last too long.

I had a '65 Belair I drove all over despite issues. I followed DIRT racing and was out on disability from work for 26 months total. Upstate NY, NJ, PA... I put miles on it. On the road, I had a balky starter so I parked on grades in case it refused to start. I had to be ultra careful leaving it in gear on anything angled. It would get stuck in 2 gears at once and it was a battle to free it up. 

My buddy at the time, he bought any old car he found. We worked on a nice '55 Chevy 4 door that had a 6 and an automatic in it. He was known for, and still is, for going on extensive road trips. He had 3 old Mustangs, a '51 Plymouth, a '53 Ford truck, etc.

He was with his family, around 1985, with the '55 down in the Carolinas and the oil pump went. That was a 2 day repair by a garage in the sticks. He got another 50 miles before it seized up. At that point, the trip was done. He sold the car cheap to another shop and went home in a rental. 

[MeatMan]

I kinda did. in 1978 I drove my recently purchased 1970 SS454 Chevelle from Ft. Knox, KY to Cleveland, Oh.
It had been "hot rodded" but was in generally good condition.  The gearset had me going no more than 60 mph the whole way to keep the engine from screaming bloody murder.
It was mostly uneventful but about an hour from home the fuel pump stopped working, and just as I pulled over a "Smokey" pulled up behind me and told me I'd better be gone by the time he got back or he was towing it away.
After some diagnosing I found out that the electric fuel pump was wired to the windshield wiper fuse 😧, so when I hit the wipers the fuse blew.
I rewired it elsewhere and was on my way in about 20 minutes. No probs after.

[Rob Hall]

1 minute ago, MeatMan said:

I kinda did. in 1978 I drove my recently purchased 1970 SS454 Chevelle from Ft. Knox, KY to Cleveland, Oh. 

Of course, it was a late model used car at that time.. like driving a 2016 now.

[MeatMan]

Just now, Rob Hall said:

Of course, it was a late model used car at that time.. like driving a 2016 now.

True, but a 2016 model is light years away from what was put out in 1970, so its not exactly an equal comparison.

[Rob Hall]

18 minutes ago, MeatMan said:

True, but a 2016 model is light years away from what was put out in 1970, so its not exactly an equal comparison.

True... a 2016 likely wouldn't have any of the issues old cars had. (but potentially other issues).    My '00 Jeep had a lot of electrical issues as it aged and got over 100k miles, but so far my '14 Jeep and '19 Cadillac have been trouble-free. 

It is funny how perception of what is 'old' changes relative to various points in time...I remember as a kid around 1980 it was common to see 5 to 10 year old cars worn out and rusty, but today 5 or 10 year old cars can still seem pretty new and usable...(obviously dependent on maintenance and upkeep). 

Edited November 27, 2024 by Rob Hall

[drodg]

In or around the year 2000 my brother and I  drove my AAR Cuda (70) from Northern Indiana to Augusta Ga and back.  I think it was early June and other than it being very hot and the side exhaust on the AAR's didn't help cool things down it was as a fairly trouble free drive.   When we got back home as  I drove into my cul de sac the clutch went out.  Good timing on the clutch I guess.  

[RSchnell]

When I was a kid we had a family friend that drove his Model A's all over the place. Alaska, Mexico, South America etc. Interesting thing is, one of those A's was an A-400, definitely not one of the more comfortable Model A's to drive. Somewhere I have photos.

[vamach1]

 From Northern VA I drove the 72 Mach1 to Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, Nashville Atlanta, Charlotte, Carlisle , Clinton NJ, and Dearborn, all on separate trips.  The 72 Sprint I drove to Birmingham, Nashville, Carlisle, Detroit, Norfolk, and Youngstown also on separate trips.

From Miami I drove the Mach1 to Sebring.  Plans are to drive the 72 sprint to La Jolla which will be a breeze as it’s only about a two hour drive.  Perhaps a trip to some of Route 66 that I’ve not been on in parts of California is next on the bucket list.

[1972coronet]

Most fun - and most devil-may-care - travelling a long distance was in early 1988. We took my friend's clapped-out 1973 Duster (318 / auto / 2.71 gear ) to Las Vegas... at night. 
He was 17 and I was 18 ; I didn't even have my driver's licence yet (haha). 

There wasn't a straight panel on that car, but it ran quite well. 

As we departed 'Vegas at 0200 hrs. the following day (having arrived around 2100 hrs.) , and a little lighter in the ol' Levi's, I'd admonished my buddy to put some gas inna car.
He relented : " I just want to go !"

It was quite cold (more so outside of Vegas, especially in the high desert areas), and the heater didn't work ; the el cheapo Kraco AM-FM-Cassette which was wired-into a house speaker - big old cabinet type from c.1980 , worked perfectly fine (20$ bargain basement setup sold through Track Auto back inna day) .

Being the cautiously-nervous type (realistic in many instances) , I again argued that he needa stop for gas... somewhere before we got so far outta the State Line area and we freezing arse while waiting for some psycho (or preferably the CHP or Nevada State Police) to stop an' offer to take us to get some gas somewhere in BFE. 

We'd passed a station at the Zzyzx off ramp - "THERE ! Back there ! GAS !", I yelled. He stopped in the number three travel lane, and proceeded  to back-up the rattle trap for 1/2 mile, and backward up the acceleration ramp. 

There it was : some unnamed gas station, the only spot open 24 hours for hundreds of miles. 

Some Kadiddlehopper exited his on-site mobile home, spit some chaw on the ground while wiping his weathered hands with a greasy rag :
"How much'cha boys need ?", he asked 
"Whatever ten dollars'll get me.", my friend said nervously
The old timer grabbed the nozzle like an asp , and shoved it into the Duster's fuel filler.
There was absolutely no octane rating , nor was there even a price-per-gallon displayed on that old analogue pump, let alone a gallons indicator.

We thanks him, then peeled out like O.J. Simpson. 

Whatever that gas was made the car run lie it had a flame up its arse !

Made it home fine, arriving around 0730.

Next day, the Duster's original alternator died. 

[Russell C]

My one-and-only daily driver didn't start out as a classic, was only 7½ years old when I got it in late 1993, but with just the exception of the last two years in a row (local obligations interfering) and with one other school attendance obligation, my annual summer vacation road trips to SW Colorado have always been around 540 miles each way. Replace the items that wear out, and they just keep on going. Will celebrate its 39th birthday sometime next year. Really needs new paint these days. I'm poor, however; accepting donations - just remember to make the checks out to "Cash." 😂

[bobss396]

I had worked in the junk car industry as a "jerker", as in finding junk cars and selling them to scrap yards. Some were literally pulled from yards and have been buried for years. Some were quite nice cars with minor issues.

My brother got a '67 Impala real cheap. It needed a front seat, which I had. This car went way upstate NY and other places. 

My racing partner, he was great at finding relics and getting them running. These cars followed DIRT modified and sprint car racing. He had a '65 Fury, a '62 Lincoln (later totaled out), a '69 Caddy. Some others too. He was famous for his "no parts" tune ups. He would just clean up the plugs, etc and put them back in.

[eastown]

Drove every inch of Route66 that was available in our 54 Chev. in 2014 from Ontario Canada to Santa Monica Pier.

 Great trip!

[RSchnell]

This was from 2008, took the shop truck on a West to East Coast of Florida trip with a stop in the Everglades and up to Daytona Beach for Turkey Rod Run. 8 days and never left the state!

That's the Gulf of Mexico in the background and my tent & stuff in the bed.

[1930fordpickup]

Here is the 55 Foord bus after the tool boxes were removed form the back. This was after dad purchased the 1968.