X-Country
 

I'm getting ready to drive from Texas to Washington in November and looking for advice on easy to do chores to prepare. So far I've got a rebuilt transmission, an entirely new fuel system and cooling system; the power steering pump has been replaced, and I will be replacing plugs/wires/installing electronic ignition. This is the stock engine and I figure it will have about 174k on it by the time I get to where I'm going. I'm planning on minimizing steep climbs so I figure on heading to Cheyanne and then jaunting over the 8000 foot route to Ogden and then taking 84 up into Washington. I chose this route because it seems to have the most gradual climbs up the mountains. Any help on missing vehicle prep or routes that minimize steep climbs would be great. Thanks!

Re: X-Country
 

Brakes, timing, depending on your carb and your timing setting you might have to adjust your carb if you go in really high altitudes. Take it for a 3-4 hour road trip see what it does. That's what I did with my nova when I moved from Northern California to southern it was a 10 hour drive straight. Not nearly as long as your drive tho. Oh check for vibrations and get them sorted out might not be a serious problem but will get annoying

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Thanks. Brakes seem to be good. I've replaced the back cylinders, front hoses, and the pads all seem to be good. The timing I will adjust once I install the ignition. I've been driving it for the past 3000 miles or so but 2000 miles at once makes me nervous.

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You'll be surprised how well an old Chevy will hold up. I've owned a 66 mustang and a trans am and keep going back to a Chevy with a small block just because they are easy to work on, diagnose and reliable. Listen for weird noises and smells. Change the tranny fluid if it's an automatic and fix any leaks. You'll be surprised on how a small leak will become big after driving a long time

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This sounds like an epic trip. I agree with taking a 3 hour test run and see what happens. Carry extra fluids, duct tape etc. I'd just do a good inspection first.

Be sure to enjoy the sights and take a lot of pictures. There's a lot of beautiful scenery along the way. (I took a road trip in eastern Oregon earlier this year visited a lot of interesting places along I-84)

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I drove from Virginia to California when I was in the navy I'm from mesquite and my cousin lives in Lubbock so I can tell you the worst part of your trip will be driving through Texas lol

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Luckily, I only have 10 miles to get out of Texas!