Re: [AMC-List] Shipping a Vdub

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2006-05-14 at 13:40, russ hathaway wrote:
> Justine; driving a new-to-you car cross country is not
> for everyone, especially those feint of heart. You
> don't know for sure what lies in the road ahead for
> you.

True enough; and I'd second the road trip.

A steady 60mph is very easy on cars; lots of air for cooling, little
call for fancy driving, easy on the brakes (most of the time), engine is
usually at it's happy speed, some heat in the trans, but nothing much on
the flat and level.

Climbing big mountains (80 in Calif, 70? in Colo, etc) could be a big
deal. Even desert heat (say 100 - 110 in Needles CA) ain't that big a
deal once you're at speed.

Probably you can find AMC-listers along the way; plot your path and post
to the list! 

I drove my 75 Gremlin sight-unseen from San Jose CA to Tucson AZ. The
starter solenoid failed along the way (required wiggling and multiple
tries), an easy fix the first morning at an AUtozone or something.

If you have a flat and level path, you can do all sorts of horrible
tricks to keep cars running. Aeons ago I bought and drove home (only 50
miles, but read on...) a 1953 Studebaker truck, that had sat in a field
for 10+ years, weeds grown up through it. Motor and brakes seized,
crankcase oil was black putty, tires flat, etc. Paid $50 for it.

(I was 18 or 19, before you criticize... :-) 

We filled the tires (old split-rim nightmares; rubber so stiff hardly
needed air anyways), dragged it to the street with another car, and
pushed it loose; broke the motor loose in 2nd gear, gassed it, oiled it
(I think...), got it "running". Brakes poured fluid out of multiple
wheel cylinders, luckily the master cylinder was under the drivers
floorboard (cover left off, quart of DOT3 on the seat). Drove from
Holliston Mass. to Falmouth. 

Half way, brakes gave out; a rear wheel cyl let loose. I hammered the
steel line flat against the axle with a rock, added fluid, drove on.
Almost didn't make it over the Bourne Bridge for lack of horsepower and
clutch slippage.

When the thing finally died (gee, ya think?), a pulled (flat) head
showed massive wear, and pulled trans revealed a rodent nest in the
pressure plate (sans rodentia). Truck got scrapped; it was junk (then),
had no floor left, the usual Assachusetts salt rot.

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