Cross Country Trip....

[jonathan-m]

Well, if any of you saw this thread:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=457400

Then you'll remember I was going to Chicago to do my grad work and unsure of what to do with my truck. Well, I got a better opportunity to attend a doctorate program in Arizona so my plans have changed a bit... I'm taking my truck (and motorcycle) with me now, but the move is on rather short notice (I've got to be there by may 29th), and with no time to save up money for the trip I'll be pretty poor ( ) so I don't have the means to rent a moving truck and trailer my c10 behind it... I'll have to drive my truck two thousand two hundred miles from Tampa FL to Glendale AZ.

I know, it sounds ridiculous to even try. Honestly I don't have any other options though, so I'm gonna do my best to make her ready and then pray to the Chevy Gods that my old girl has it in her to make one epic cross country journey to a new life.
Maybe I'm just young and stupid, but I think she can do it. Hell, it might even be fun.

So the big question is, what would you check/replace/upgrade on an old truck to prepare for a trip like this? And what would you bring along supply wise for if (when) something breaks down?

Things to consider:
The truck has a 350 small block in it, which I have put ~15k on since I bought the truck 4 years ago. The PO said the engine was a brand new crate motor when installed, but what do I know, He could've been lying through his teeth on that. In any case, its never had any major issues. PO used the truck as his boat hauler, so its got a good hitch and all that jazz.

four barrel edelbrock carb, which makes it sound great, but terrible on gas. I think I average around 10-11ish per gallon

Its been (lovingly) lowered front and rear, with jeep springs in the back end. (I thankfully kept the original rear springs, which I will be swapping back in so I can haul my junk in the back without dragging ass)

Things I know I need to fix before going:
I don't have any working gauges, except speedo and odo. I know I need to have an engine temp gauge for sure, I don't know what other gauges might be useful. My biggest concern is probably overheating. The radiator doesn't leak or anything, but I've tried to flush it out a few times myself, and its always pretty gunky looking.

My taillights work, but I don't have any running lights (simple fix: don't drive at night ). I'll be figuring out how to install one of those trailer light plugs so I can get a tiny travel trailer or something to haul whatever doesn't fit in the bed.

The only other things I know I'll need are my camera, my trucker shades, and a smokey-and-the-bandit style 'stache; this'll be an interesting adventure

[jimmydean]

Good luck and keep us posted. I have yet to drive my truck further than the other side of town

[chevy_man5]

If you run into problems, remember the emergency contact list on here. I think you just have to contact an admin, and they will try to get you in touch with local board members wherever you are in trouble. There is some amazing stories about truck guys helping others on here!!

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=159313

[jonathan-m]

Originally Posted by chevy_man5

If you run into problems, remember the emergency contact list on here. I think you just have to contact an admin, and they will try to get you in touch with local board members wherever you are in trouble. There is some amazing stories about truck guys helping others on here!!

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=159313

This is super cool, I never knew it existed. I've signed up, hopefully I won't have to call on anyone though!

[jonathan-m]

Originally Posted by jimmydean

Good luck and keep us posted. I have yet to drive my truck further than the other side of town

I'll be taking lots of pictures along the way. Maybe post a few updates when I stop for the night somewhere along the way.

The furthest I've gone in this truck at one time was about 260 miles roundtrip, that was about 2 years ago though. I didn't have any problems then, but I've done a lot to it since.


Oh and yeah, I've been rocking some 50 dollar craigslist specials in the tire category for some time now. they're fine for poking around town, but I'm going to get a fresh set before the trip hopefully.

[heeroyue2002]

i was actually going to try that this summer as well but plans changed a bit.

[Clyde65]

Looks like you might come through DFW, so if you need something, there are plenty of members here that are more than willing to assist any way we can.


FYI, I would take tools of course, belts, hoses, fluids and gloves to start with. just for your info, if you need to leave your truck near the DFW area, I got room and would be more than willing to store for you.

I would do a full tune up, flush that radiator or replace if you can. I also would drive at night, will be much cooler than 90+ degree days, especially in NM and Arizona.

[jonathan-m]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Looks like you might come through DFW, so if you need something, there are plenty of members here that are more than willing to assist any way we can.


FYI, I would take tools of course, belts, hoses, fluids and gloves to start with. just for your info, if you need to leave your truck near the DFW area, I got room and would be more than willing to store for you.

I would do a full tune up, flush that radiator or replace if you can. I also would drive at night, will be much cooler than 90+ degree days, especially in NM and Arizona.

Awesome, Thanks for the offer!

I have made it a habit of carrying all of my tools with me in the truck,so that's gonna be no problem. I even usually carry an extra couple of belts and hoses too. It doesn't take long to figure out the necessities required for driving around in these old things

I've been mulling over whether I should replace the radiator, I might give it one more cleaning and see how it looks before I decide.

[NEVERENOUGH]

I would make sure I had all new tires and a good spare. A good jack, belts, hoses, coolant and a cell phone lol. A good tune up before you leave would also help on the fuel mileage and tune the carb. Good luck and have a blast I drove a 67 el camino about 1500 miles right after high school and it was a blast.

[61_FL_Apache]

Im in the opposite direction, but signed up on the emergency list.

[neto]

I'm going to sign up for that list also. I just bought a trailer so if someone breaks down I can haul them anywhere. Now as for the trip. Take a first aid kit, snacks and music to listen to. Also the best thing to do is to drive at a little slower than speed limit, have patience you will get there. Try to stop every two hours to rest and to rest the truck. Good luck.

[Corts60]

I'm excited for your man. It will be a trip to remember!

This is a list of things I always carry with me when I go out of town in my old rigs:

Tool bag with misc. stuff, but especially a 1/2 and 9/16 wrench, phillips and flat head, adjustable wrench, some needle nose pliers and vise grips. You can fix anything with that combo of tools.

I also carry a timing light and dwell meter, not really necessary but a nice comfort. Of course if you have HEI, nevermind the dwell meter. Carry an extra belt as mentioned above, but replace all the hoses if you can before you leave.

Also bring a can of brake fluid, a quart of oil and tranny fluid and a gallon jug of water.

That should take care of almost all roadside situations.

Good luck buddy and post some mid-travel pics!

[kieth]

get a harbor freight tow bar, pull the truck with the bike in the bed....unless u do not have another vehicle to tow with. or rent a pickup or van one way

[jonathan-m]

Well, yesterday was the big day. I was going to update starting last night but the rinky-dink hotel I was in didn't have any internet.

I started out from Tampa at 8am. Here's me and my mother right before we said our goodbyes.


I switched out the jeep springs for the originals I'd saved. I was actually pretty impressed it handled all the weight so well, that Uhaul is VERY heavy.




Here's what all I did to prepare:
flushed radiator
All new tires
Installed water temp and oil pressure gauges
bled brakes
installed new t-stat, new rad cap,replaced some hoses
tried to fix taillight issues (failed...)

and here's a list of things that turned out to be a problem from the get-go:
Turn signals stopped working (literally the day before I left, they stopped. couldn't resolve it after hours of fiddling.)

No running lights. never resolved this problem. Just don't drive at night :p

slight seepage of fluid from around thermostat housing. I noticed this after 10 hours of driving. I'm not too worried about it as its an incredibly slow leak, but I'm keeping my eye on it.


The biggest problem I had on the first day was with the transmission. I had it on my to-do list to check tranny fluid levels and refill as needed but somehow it totally slipped my mind in the days before I left. To be honest I haven't checked it in probably two years (yeah, I know. DUMB! but the truck has mostly just sat for the passed couple of years besides sunday drives, and I never thought about it.)
Well of course I remembered this after about 90 miles of driving yesterday. Immediately stopped at a rest stop to check it, and found the level was so low it barely touched the bottom tip of the dipstick! If you're thinking I'm an idiot in your head don't feel bad, I was thinking the same thing. I probably did some significant damage to the transmission with that move. I crawled a couple more miles down the road and stopped at a walmart to pick up some fluid. Topped her off, and back on the road we go.


Fred in the Front seat (he sat like this for ten hours, didn't move an inch)


AC sounds so good right about now...


I made it all the way to Pensacola the first day. Nothing really interesting along the way. I spent most of the time listening to the truck and feeling things out. I got passed by about 5 of these tanks near the panhandled though, pretty neat.


This trip may work out well after all....

[greg65]

Looks like the starting of a great story. Good luck and keep us posted.

[BruthaMan]

Subscribed. This is going to be a great trip. Looking forward to the updates. Stay safe on the road. Looks like you have a good friend there (Fred) to keep you company.

[jocko]

that dog is a keeper. awesome picture. good luck and enjoy!

[jonathan-m]

Day 2

We set out from Pensacola around 8am after the fog had cleared. I'd calculated my mileage from the previous day and found that I'd averaged 13.4mpg... not to shabby at all, I was expecting 9-10mpg.

Fred again, ridin' like a boss.


I was going to take some pictures once we hit Alabama and Mississippi but honestly there was nothing worth shooting... They did have nice rest stops though...

I caught this shot of a battle ship while driving through some state, although for the life of me I don't remember which one it was. I'd never seen a battleship before so it was pretty cool. Anyone know where this is?



Todays drive went much smoother than yesterday. I was much more confident in the truck after a successful first day. I averaged about 60mph throughout the day and the truck did just fine with that. We covered 600 miles today (up from just 470 yesterday), and got on average 12.5mpg.

We hit Louisianna later in the day and I got to see some of the residual flooding that's been on the news. I saw couple flooded area's that were blocked off by humvee's and police cars.



Driving through Baton Rouge was probably the most nerve racking part of the trip so far. I was not expecting the drive through there to be so fast paced. The flow of traffic was very quick, and the there were a lot of lanes and very very little shoulder space. It also doesn't help that pretty much the entire passenger side of the truck is a blind spot with the Uhaul and motorcycle in the back, AND my turn signals don't work, AND I accelerate about as fast as a turtle through molasses with all this weight behind me. At one point I was going over a massive (and very steeply graded) steel bridge that was three lanes wide with semi's on both sides and one behind me as well. The truck was struggling a bit over the bridge and all I could imagine was stalling out or something right there on that incline and the unbelievable carnage that would follow... it was a bit hairy...but we made it through.

I ended up calling it a day around Lake Charles, Louisiana. Fred and I were very tired and very hot, but we made pretty darn good time and it was a smooth day. I honestly can't believe how well the truck is doing so far. Each day that goes by on this trip has me more and more convinced that old Chevys are in fact the best trucks ever made.

Up next, Texas:

[Rogue]

Just got back from 10 days on the road, DFW to VLV in Vegas.
We did it in a 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon and ran Route 66 as much as was left.
Stayed in the old Motor Courts and ate at Mom and Pop diners along the way.
after 10 days we ended up staying in one Motel 6 and ate fast food once.
2600 miles DFW out to Oatman, AZ. then to Vegas and around the north rim/Zion.
So much fun, my wife and I are gonna do it again next spring in the 1959 Edsel Wagon.

ps there is quite the thread on the HAMB documenting this trip. (photo heavy)

Have fun, and Blue Skies on your journey west.

[Rogue]

That is the USS Alabama, check it out on your way back. its cool.

I used to drive my '64 from Baton Rouge to Houston all the time.
What a boreing trip, I hate taking the I-10 trip.
If you thought BTR was bad, just wait once you get to Helluston.
I spent hours going round and around the 610 loop my first day there.

[Brandonc20]

This is great. ill be taking a trip this summer pulling my boat. first trip with the c20. getting a 14 bolt rear end in tomorrow. good luck man keep us posted.

[Blue Heeler]

That's a great post!! I love it when people travel with pets, gotta hang with the road dog's

[likaroc13]

so glad to hear you're making it okay...i'm from Mississippi, so i know what you mean about there not being much there, lol...i'm sure you traveled through the Mississippi coast where Katrina hit...Biloxi/Gulfport & surrounding areas are also home of Cruisin' the Coast, one of the most awesome car show/cruises in the Southeast...i also used to live in Pensacola...i would've gladly put you up for the night if i was still there...and yes, as Rogue said that's the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile, AL....keep us updated, & be safe out there

[iehotrod]

We didn't get an update from you today. Hope you and fred is okay. Keep us posted and keep up the pics. We all love to see pics. It keeps this threats intresting.

[duallyjams]

Fred is pretty good at taking pics while you drive or is Fred driving while you take pics