IML: Long distance

["Donn Reese" <DReese@xxxxxxxx>]

I thought I'd pipe up on the travelling long distances in old cars thread.

I just got my Custom on the road this week after a summer of tedious waiting for various things (mostly the money).  I bought the car in April so I'm still getting used to it in general.  If all continues to go well I plan to take it on a day trip on Sunday.  We plan to look at a house for sale forty miles North of here and may visit some friends 20 miles further out.  That's hardly long distance but it's leaving the comfort zone of a big city.

On another note however, back in 1987 at crazy 20-year old packed up all his stuff into a utility trailer, hooked it up to his '62 LeBaron and drove over the Alaska Highway and on down to Arizona.  I had spent over two years driving the car and repairing odds and ends so I felt totally confidant about it's abilities, it only had 32k miles when I purchased it.  Even so I lost a tire on the car on a gravel section of the highway somewhere in northern BC and one on the trailer at Moses Lake, WA.

I never really got worried or nervous about the car until I hit Nevada.  The alternator started making a strange noise (late at night of course) so I pulled into a motel for the night.  The next day it seemed fine and a mechanic in Las Vegas couldn't find anything wrong so I continued on.  On AZ Highway 93 just a few miles North of Nowhere, AZ I was pulling up a hill and the radiator overheated, spraying antifreeze everywhere.  I'm not sure if the alternator belt broke becuase the puley wheel seized momentarily or if it was just old.  But without the water pump, I was toast.

Fortunately a nice retired couple in an RV have me a lift back to a repair garage.  I learned quickly to be patient with the elderly mechanic.  As the wrecker guy told me on the way out to help me with the car "the more you badger and question him the higher the price goes".  I think I paid $50.00 for two fan belts.

I go the new belt on and fortunately the alternator was charging but making some funny noises.  I was able to limp into Phoenix, hoping all the while it wouldn't quit on me that night.  A new alternator the next day and it was happy as a clam.

It was one of the coolest road trips I've been on.

Donn Reese
1960 Custom 4dr HDTP


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