Road Trip

[bmg]

Hey need some advice on a long road trip. From Anchorage, AK to Pinconning, MI around 4500 miles. I plan on changing all the fluids, new plugs/wires, new belts, and 2 spare tires. Any thing else that could be recommended it would be greatly appreciative.

Also any one living in Canada, how much fuel in cans can I carry accross the border.

Truck is a 70 chevy, 350, 350turbo, NP205, auto.

[ezernut9mm]

tool box, spare belts (keep the old one's in case), duck tape (saved my butt more than once) and lots and lots of cds/tapes. sounds like fun! enjoy your trip.

[1STtimePRo'71]

I'd bring some extra bulbs. And 4500 miles is a lot so 2 tires may not be out of the question. I'd bring fix-a-flat and of course extra fluids.

[Longhorn Man]

Well, this time of year, I'd throw in some food and blankets...if you don't own a cell phone, then I'd grab one of those Tracfone deals and calling cards, if you aren't a member of tripple a, then i'd consider it.
Pressure testing your cooling system would be a pretty good idea, maybe a flush and fill on the cooling, grease the chassis real good, and grease the front bearings and inspect the brakes....check the oil in the rear diff... make sure your alt and batt are both in good shape, if you are running points, maybe think of ditching it now since you're getting wires anyways...that or toss some new points and a match book in the glove box.
The duct tape is a good idea. What ever you can think of that will help rig your truck up to get to the next exit/town. A spool or two of electrical wire, some JB weld, a few bungee cords of both the fabric type and rubber type. Some laceing wire, or bailing wire...heck, a hand full of wire coat hangers...
Throw some extra rubber hose in there, an extra air filter or two.
And most important... a fire ext. Tossing the title in the glove box may be a good idea too. If worst comes to worst, you can sell the vehicle for the cost of a bus ticket.

[ezernut9mm]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

And most important... a fire ext. Tossing the title in the glove box may be a good idea too. If worst comes to worst, you can sell the vehicle for the cost of a bus ticket.

i'd definately recommend a fire ext. in everyones ride. i've seen too many nice vehicles go up in flames because of a carb hiccup or electrical fire.

[Longhorn Man]

YEah...I saw my own go up in flames. i managed to save it, and even limped to the next exit. That's where the bungee cord came into play...the fire melted the throttle return spring so I wrapped the cord around the HEI and run the end up to the throttle on the carb.
You can get pretty creative sometimes.

[bmg]

hey thanks all, leaving in May so weather should't be a problem. i planned on flushing all the fluids and changing em out, brake, anti, repack bearings, brakes are good, front/rear/transfer case oils, good chassie lube, and all the other ites you all noted. not selling truck, will push it 4500 miles before that. gonna put towing coverage on it before i leave.

[68w/sbc406]

this is what happens when you dont have a fire extinguisher and your fuel line ruptures

[ezernut9mm]

that's very sad. and to think, fifteen bux at walmart and that could have been avoided. i hope that wasn't yours...

[Chevyguy111786]

i've heard of ppl grabbin extra water pump, alt, starter, small things like that, are cheap and you can return them if you don't use them....but if it goes out in ho dung town usa, then you don't have to wait x amount of days to get it.

[bmg]

yeah i thought about getting some of the extra parts for the trip. hope all goes well on the trip got my fingers crossed. thanks for all the ideas any more will still be appreciated.

[shortymac83]

Parts that I take in the Olds when I go on a road trip of more than 500 miles (which is often)

oil
tranny fluid
1 gallon of water
belts
hoses
oil filter
duct tape
jackstands
10 feet of electrical wire (if you don't use it for electrical connections, it can hold stuff on really well as well)


other stuff I bring
full tool kit (incl. socket set and open/box end wrenches) with all the popular sizes up to 1" and wire cutters
SUNGLASSES
CD's


now would be a good time to install a good set of quality gauges that you know are accurate. I'm a fan of Sunpro and autometer, and it's good peace of mind to know how hot you're running, how well lubed up you are, and that your alternator is charging. Also, make sure your spare tire is full and in good shape.

With the oil, when the car is being worked hard (I.E. on the pennsylvania turnpike at 90 mph), it burns some oil, so it's always good to keep an eye on your oil level and be able to top it off when necessary. And the transmission is only maybe 7,000 miles old, and I haven't had a problem yet, but you never know...