Coast to coast in 4 days in an 83 Scottsdale

[AlexL]

Greetings C10 and square body fans,
This will serve as my intro and blog post about my epic upcoming trip. I am a car enthusiast, truck enthusiast, and old Harley enthusiast from Connecticut. I recently sold my S10 and I've been browsing Craigslist across the country for a rust free C10 (nonexistent in the northeast). I love Chevy trucks and after a friend bought a K20 last year the bug for one of my own has bitten hard.

After a month search or so I found what looks like a really nice 83 Scottsdale on eBay in Lebanon, OR. Rust free, 305, 700r4, long bed. My friend Dave egged me on and we hatched a crazy plan to purchase it sight unseen and drive the truck 3000 miles home in 4 days. And then my friend bailed and I’m dragging my Dad along, more on that below.

I've been listening to the C10 talk podcast and reading through the father son road trip thread in the 67-72 forum to get fired up. I bought new tires for the truck, had it aligned, and tonight we fly to Portland. Tomorrow we’ll drive from Portland to Lebanon then back to Portland and then east on I80. We’ll be trying for 10-12 hours of driving each day with minimal stops.

In a twist of fate my buddy cannot do the trip so I roped my Dad in for a totally unplanned Father/Son road trip (I'm 31, he's 63). I'm more of the gearhead but having someone to share the miles with will certainly help.

I will try to update this thread with some of our progress. Already a flight delay out of NYC tonight. Maybe I'll see some of you guys on the road. Wish us luck!

[Qwk]

Very cool!! Subscribing for updates and pics!

[Jaysonb]

Good luck! Sounds like fun.

[friscobob]

Wish I had time to drive up and meet you, I'm about 2 hours south of Lebanon. Stop in at the Filling Station while you are there, nice folks who hold an annual car/truck show for Chevys and GMCs.
Have a great trip.
Bob

[Matt Man]

Looking forward to some updates and pictures.

[DieselSJ]

Very cool. I did that a couple years ago for a Jeep - flew the family to Atlanta, picked up Jeep, drove back to Phoenix. It was a lot of fun. You might want to find a Harbor Freight (or similar) and get a cheap set of wrenches and sockets to throw in for the trip.

[cadillac_al]

It should be fun. I would take my time and do it in 8-10 days but that's just me.

[flashed]

Im in for another road trip .

[captiva1941]

Very Cool that sounds like a hoot, I am going to be out in South Dakota on my own trip if you would like to meet up. Too bad about your friend, sounds like a real D-bag.

[Westwind]

Wow what an awesome Father/Son experience.. Have fun and good luck!

[Rich84]

Good luck with your trip..I will be keeping an eye on this, it should be interesting.
It's a shame but you are right. Rust free trucks in Ct. are few and far between.

[bd94s10]

Awesome. Enjoy. A friend of mine just drove from Cali to Florida in a bagged full size (not in a C-10) for a big truck show. She had a blast along the way taking photos etc. Drive safe!

[AlexL]

Flew in last night with no issues. Lots of coffee this morning. Stocked up on a few supplies at auto zone. This DMV isn't like the ones in CT. We have an hour line out the door every day of the week.

Can't believe how rust free this is. It's laughable compared to northeast cars.

[Shugalou]

awesome and welcome

do you have any details about this c10 podcast you speak of?

[Prong]

Looks like you got a leaking pinion seal on the rear diff. I'd check the oil on that and top it off before you leave. Good luck and safe travels.

[AlexL]

200 miles down. We've stopped in Idaho for coffee and then dinner. I'll check the rear diff for leaks. The valve covers and intake manifold both have leaks but nothing significant that I've noticed.

15 mpg with the 700r4 and cruising at 75. Nice! The Columbia river was beautiful.

I've got a Bluetooth speaker rigged in the cab. Aftermarket CD player not working, yet. Interior needs some tlc but mechanicals seem very sound. Frame and body are mint.

The C10 podcast I speak of is called C10talk. I believe the guys name is Ronnie out of Arizona. Great "show" all about C10s and their owners.

[Dieselwrencher]

Welcome to the truck board. That is a really clean truck you have. I wish you luck on your trip. That definitely is something I'm going to do in the future. Buy something that runs and drives and drive it across the country.That rust free stuff is worth the trip!

[jdl71]

A little late, but an awesome road trip thread to read here too:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/t...hicles.631495/

I know it's another forum but I'm fairly certain he is a member here also. Bought and old 'Burb in California and towed a car with it home to Illinois I believe.

Safe travels!

[AlexL]

Ok so we covered about 550 miles yesterday (not including the trip back and forth to the dmv) Not too bad. We didn't get as far as I wanted but we'll try to make up for it today.

The mountain passes in eastern Oregon were beautiful and also sucked down the gas gauge.

Right about when we crossed into Idaho we realized the dash lights didn't work. We stopped in Boise for dinner and with a little careful "jiggling" on the light switch the dash lights came back! That gave us much more ability to drive at night than the flashlight I was planning to hold. 😂

We ate at bitter creek ale house (delicious) and had some ipas to raise spirits. Then we made it all the way to twin falls, which is where I draft this post.

Utah, Wyoming, and Kansas today hopefully to stay overnight in Lincoln

[Rich84]

Ct. DMV is an absolute joke..3-4 hours in Waterbury branch is the norm.

I work in the Stamford / Greenwich area quite a bit..You don't see too many Squares there unless they are pulling trailers with lawnmowers.

[Westwind]

Great picture of your dad! What does he think of the truck? Great father son time.

[friscobob]

How was the beer?
Bob

[AlexL]

The beer was great! Awesome place. My Dad is enjoying the simplicity and beauty of the C10. He also can't ignore the excellent V8 rumble. (Even a 305 sounds good with dual exhaust).


Currently sipping coffee in Ogden UT.

[AlexL]

Originally Posted by Rich84

Ct. DMV is an absolute joke..3-4 hours in Waterbury branch is the norm.

I work in the Stamford / Greenwich area quite a bit..You don't see too many Squares there unless they are pulling trailers with lawnmowers.

Yes I suspect I'll have one of the most rust free squares in Fairfield county. And all original.

[AlexL]

Made it to somewhere in Nebraska last night. Walked into a comfort suites we picked off the map. A woman in the lobby was from Stamford CT, where we're from, and was having a road trip of her own. Amazing.

Covered Wyoming and half of Nebraska yesterday. The landscapes out here are amazing. The vastness from horizon to horizon is like nothing we've ever seen. The truck is happy to be out of the elevation. We chugged all the way up to 8800 feet!

Seeing the Rocky Mountains from the north in the distance was incredible. We tried to snap as many shots as we could.

We drove to midnight last night, hope to make Columbus OH by 8 pm tonight and then an easier day tomorrow.