cross country move

[rogue64gmc]

Hey what would you recommend me checking or replacing before i try to drive my 64 GMC from Alabama to California?

engine and trans have no issues, should i check rear end or change fluids ect?

[brap999]

I would check the typical wear and tear stuff. Make sure your tires are in good order. Do an oil change. Top off radiator fluid. Check the plugs to make sure they look good and replace them if they don't. Pull off the distributor cap and see if the rotor or cap has excessive wear and replace if it does.

If you have an automatic, check your trans fluid and make sure it's full. If you have power steering I'd check that, and top it off if its low.

Check for any oil leaks, or radiator fluid leaks and get those taken care of.

I doubt you'll need to replace rear end gear oil.

Might as well check your timing and dial that in correct too if it isn't already.

Basically, inspect and repair anything and everything you can at home now because nothing worse than being broken down on the side of the road in a town you are not familiar with.

[losthope]

make sure you have a jack and tire iron,spare tire,tire patch/plug kit,gas can,extra belts,hoses,hose clamps,fuel pump,etc....jug of water,jumper cables,tool box...you never know what might take a poop on you...

[jonathan-m]

Good luck man! I made the trip a few months back in my 66, FL to Arizona. It was a blast.
Here's what I did:
Flushed radiator
Put in a new radiator cap and t-stat
installed a good quality temp and oil pressure gauge
Changed oil
new spark plugs
topped off trans fluid
new tires
checked brake fluid levels and bled the brakes

-----------------

I also kept extra fluids of all types in the back of the truck, as well as all of my tools. A good jack, a cheater bar, an 8 pound hammer, and some jack stands are mandatory roadside tools. Oh, and pack SEVERAL gallons of water; you never know when you might need that, especially when driving the thousand miles or so through Texas.

Oh and don't forget your camera! Its a trip you won't want to forget.

[jonathan-m]

Also, I took replacement hoses of several sizes with me too. And good duct tape. If worse comes to worse you can always rig something up on the side of the road and ease her into the next town to get it fixed.

[Clyde65]

I might also add some board member's contact info for the trip, in case you do falter, they would be just a phone call away to help you out.

['63GENIII]

I like to bring a AAA card as well as all the above.Those guys can never seem to fix anything on the road but if you need a tow, that card can be priceless. Where in Cali. are you heading?

[jonzcustomshop]

pack the front wheel bearings too , inspect them, and the brakes while you are in there
as stated check/top off all fluids.

[61_FL_Apache]

Take some cool truck pics along the way and share when you get there.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop

pack the front wheel bearings too

Yup, ya beat me to it.

[66redw/white]

i know that the gear oil in the rear end or manual tranny isnt really something that SHOULD need to be topped off but you might want to give it a shot anyway. i just tried to drive my truck from saint marys ga to pensacola florida. bout 6 hours. 3 hours into the drive my truck bit the bullet. i towed it to the house and just the other day i finally got to takin it apart. i thought it was the rear end that had locked up on me but upon further inspection the trans decided to munch up its gears. it had maybe half a quart of fluid in there. had i checked that i might still be able to drive it. although when i checked the rear end it was just about dry as well. other than that id just do the normal stuff. really beside something major like that what else can even break? to the extent that you couldnt limp it into town anyway. maybe bring a spare fuel pump?

[LT1 Burb]

I would flush the radiator and replace the rad hoses and heater hoses and tune it up. It seems whenever I see anyone broken down it is a cooling system issue most of the time.

[aerotruk63]

Ventilated seat cushion, nothing worse than Monkey Butt after a few days. I found a 12V powered ventilated seat when I was doing deliveries, it's not air conditioning but it's better than nothing.

P.S. fuses and a few strands of wire.