Kim Thompson
Member
OK, OK I guess it is time to come out of the closet, (so to speak) and join up.
Before I begin the GB road trip, a little history of my car. It is a red ’63 convertible. The motor is a 425 and yet it isn’t. It has all the correct 425 numbers: 814, QB, 690, 881, 3361/62, etc. everything except the solid lifter cam. Instead it has a milder hydraulic cam. I sacrificed the power for low maintenance and reliably. I also installed a Tremec 5 speed OD transmission. It is a fun car to drive and a great highway cruiser!
I began the road trip from my home in Los Osos, CA, a small community on the coast half way between LA and SF, (Go Giants!). North on I5 to Sacramento, then east on I80 to Reno, NV. Just outside Sacramento I had to put the top back up because of heavy smoke from forest fires burning in the Lake Tahoe area. From my 12th floor hotel room in Reno I could see my car in the parking lot. An hour later the smoke was so thick I couldn’t see the parking lot. The next day I continued east on I80 in NV and UT. The smoke cleared and when the temp goes up, the top goes down. With the OD trans, the car will run all day at 70-75 MPH at about 2,100 RPM and nearly 15 MPG. At Salt Lake City I turned south on I15 and spent the night in Provo, UT. The next morning I picked up I70 east and continued though Colorado. Cresting the Vail summit at 10,600 feet, I had my foot deep into both carbs just to maintain the speed limit.
I entered Denver on the elevated freeway at the peak of rush hour traffic. Not a good idea as the car overheated and I quickly bailed off the freeway and into a nearby Burger King parking lot. After it cooled down I could see that SOMEONE didn’t get the cap on all the way and it had probably leaked coolant all day and finally boiled over. The people of Denver were very friendly as several people stopped and offered to help or loan tools. One guy wanted to buy the car. After 2 hours it cooled down and the traffic let up. It took 3.5 gallons of water to refill it. I went the next 5 miles to my hotel near the airport without incident.
The next day was an easy cruise from Denver to GB where I received a warm welcome from Phil. I have known Phil for several years but never met him in person until then. Thanks Phil and crew for putting this thing together.
I took a southern route home to California on highway 56 & 54 and picked up I40 at Tucumcari, NM. Spent the first night near Albuquerque visiting an old Air Force buddy. Then on I40 to Flagstaff, AZ and into California. I did not have and agenda or schedule on the return trip so I slowed down to 60-65 MPH. On a mostly downhill leg from the AZ high desert to the CA low desert, I got just over 17 MPG! The car did fine with no heating problems through the CA desert areas in 95 degree temps. I just have to keep the radiator cap on correctly. Spent the last night in Tehachapi, CA. The next morning with less than 100 miles from home, it developed a gas leak, spaying gas all over the front carb. My roadside repair controlled it to a slow drip. I put the top down so I couldn’t smell the gas anymore…..problem solved! Made it home without incident or fire. Later I found the gas problem was a crack in the nipple that joins the fuel filter to the “Tee”. An easy fix with the right part.
I had a great time driving to and from GB, not mention the great time we all had while at GB. 2,011 miles out and 1,720 miles back. An overall average of 15.4 MPG, not counting the last leg with gas leak. It used 4 quarts of oil and it runs fine on 91 octane gas.
Driving a 50 year old car on a 4,000 mile road trip is a totally different experience than your modern family sedan or tow vehicle. Besides the lack of creature comforts: no AC, no PS, no GPS, no cruise, NO CUP HOLDER, I was constantly aware of any new noises, smells or vibrations. With the convertible there is much more wind noise and with the top down you can’t hear much of anything else. On a 50 year old car with drum brakes, I was always aware of the cars around me and kept a big distance from the car ahead in case of a panic stop. With your modern car, you don’t think about break downs, however I brought a spare alternator, volt reg, fan belts, distributor, radiator hoses, and fuel pump just in case. I’m not complaining, just saying you need to be cautious and aware. I loved doing it and would do it again in a minute………. well maybe in an hour. I need to go get an extra “nipple” for my bag of spare parts.
Before I begin the GB road trip, a little history of my car. It is a red ’63 convertible. The motor is a 425 and yet it isn’t. It has all the correct 425 numbers: 814, QB, 690, 881, 3361/62, etc. everything except the solid lifter cam. Instead it has a milder hydraulic cam. I sacrificed the power for low maintenance and reliably. I also installed a Tremec 5 speed OD transmission. It is a fun car to drive and a great highway cruiser!
I began the road trip from my home in Los Osos, CA, a small community on the coast half way between LA and SF, (Go Giants!). North on I5 to Sacramento, then east on I80 to Reno, NV. Just outside Sacramento I had to put the top back up because of heavy smoke from forest fires burning in the Lake Tahoe area. From my 12th floor hotel room in Reno I could see my car in the parking lot. An hour later the smoke was so thick I couldn’t see the parking lot. The next day I continued east on I80 in NV and UT. The smoke cleared and when the temp goes up, the top goes down. With the OD trans, the car will run all day at 70-75 MPH at about 2,100 RPM and nearly 15 MPG. At Salt Lake City I turned south on I15 and spent the night in Provo, UT. The next morning I picked up I70 east and continued though Colorado. Cresting the Vail summit at 10,600 feet, I had my foot deep into both carbs just to maintain the speed limit.
I entered Denver on the elevated freeway at the peak of rush hour traffic. Not a good idea as the car overheated and I quickly bailed off the freeway and into a nearby Burger King parking lot. After it cooled down I could see that SOMEONE didn’t get the cap on all the way and it had probably leaked coolant all day and finally boiled over. The people of Denver were very friendly as several people stopped and offered to help or loan tools. One guy wanted to buy the car. After 2 hours it cooled down and the traffic let up. It took 3.5 gallons of water to refill it. I went the next 5 miles to my hotel near the airport without incident.
The next day was an easy cruise from Denver to GB where I received a warm welcome from Phil. I have known Phil for several years but never met him in person until then. Thanks Phil and crew for putting this thing together.
I took a southern route home to California on highway 56 & 54 and picked up I40 at Tucumcari, NM. Spent the first night near Albuquerque visiting an old Air Force buddy. Then on I40 to Flagstaff, AZ and into California. I did not have and agenda or schedule on the return trip so I slowed down to 60-65 MPH. On a mostly downhill leg from the AZ high desert to the CA low desert, I got just over 17 MPG! The car did fine with no heating problems through the CA desert areas in 95 degree temps. I just have to keep the radiator cap on correctly. Spent the last night in Tehachapi, CA. The next morning with less than 100 miles from home, it developed a gas leak, spaying gas all over the front carb. My roadside repair controlled it to a slow drip. I put the top down so I couldn’t smell the gas anymore…..problem solved! Made it home without incident or fire. Later I found the gas problem was a crack in the nipple that joins the fuel filter to the “Tee”. An easy fix with the right part.
I had a great time driving to and from GB, not mention the great time we all had while at GB. 2,011 miles out and 1,720 miles back. An overall average of 15.4 MPG, not counting the last leg with gas leak. It used 4 quarts of oil and it runs fine on 91 octane gas.
Driving a 50 year old car on a 4,000 mile road trip is a totally different experience than your modern family sedan or tow vehicle. Besides the lack of creature comforts: no AC, no PS, no GPS, no cruise, NO CUP HOLDER, I was constantly aware of any new noises, smells or vibrations. With the convertible there is much more wind noise and with the top down you can’t hear much of anything else. On a 50 year old car with drum brakes, I was always aware of the cars around me and kept a big distance from the car ahead in case of a panic stop. With your modern car, you don’t think about break downs, however I brought a spare alternator, volt reg, fan belts, distributor, radiator hoses, and fuel pump just in case. I’m not complaining, just saying you need to be cautious and aware. I loved doing it and would do it again in a minute………. well maybe in an hour. I need to go get an extra “nipple” for my bag of spare parts.