A compendium of newsgroup messages, comments and chatter about the trip. =============================================================== 190403 - Paul Johnson The wife and I went down to pick up the '64 Avanti yesterday, the one we are taking on the Route 66 trip (cutting it close). When we got there it wasn't ready. He was just starting it for the first time. When it started it sprayed coolant out from between the water manifold and the head which meant pulling the front end of the engine (p/s pump, blower, alternator, etc). Also, when he pulled the axles to change the differential "pumpkin" he found that one rear wheel cylinder was stuck, had leaked and ruined the lining. So, it was obvious it wasn't going to done that day. We came home, one pissed wife. When I got home I called a friend, Darrell Carr, who I knew had a wheel cylinder kit and linings. He rode down with me today and all three of us worked all day on the car. We buttoned it up about 7:30 pm (EDST). After a block or two test drive and topping off the tranny and power steering I started off in the dark, in the rain, on 140 miles of two-lane BLACK highway, original Avanti headlights, non-working speedometer, with zero miles on a completely rebuilt engine. After I got under way I found that only the speedometer, tachometer and vacuum gauge had working instrument lights. Darrell was driving my Ram pickup behind me. I avoided the interstate to hold down the speed. The car ran great all the way, but...everytime I let up on the gas I got a howl sort of like a weak high note horn. I think it was coming from the rear end, but couldn't be sure. With the dark and rain I decided to just go ahead and try to get it home. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be better so I'll jack it, put it on stands and try to figure it out (along with oil and filter change, grease job, tighten exhaust connections, etc.). As I mentioned, we changed the pumpkin to get a 3.07 ratio (vs the 3.73 that was in it). The 3.07 that I got from JP looked like new inside. Anyone have any ideas about the noise/solution? We are supposed to start out Sunday afternoon. Paul (white knuckles) Johnson ===================================== Thanks Ted, Your advice is respected and accepted. I did drive it 140 miles at speeds ranging from 35 to 50 and some stop and go on the 30W non-detergent oil. I changed that and the filter today and put my road oil (15-40 diesel-rated). Tomorrow I will drive another 100 miles under the same speed conditions. Then we leave on the road trip. I can guarentee we won't be holding steady speeds and for the most part we don't plan to run over 55 (looking for a lot of middle finger salutes). One truck is a 1/2 with the Champion and no o/d. Paul Johnson > ============================ The man who rebuilt the engine and did the body work, a long-time Studebaker owner/mechanic told me that by just switching the entire guts of the differential (carrier assembly?), it wasn't necessary to set up the ring and pinion. It is a 44 non-TT. There was no visible tooth wear on the 3.07 ring gear or pinion that he changed in. I have read the manual, but I don't have the expertise or tools to do the set-up. How much harm is there in running it as a "howler" assuming I can't fix it before we start? Thanks, Paul Johnson ======================= That was my plan, but I couldn't come up with anyone here to do it on short notice. I know the guys who want every thing right won't agree, but there is some consensus both on and off the NG that it should be ok as long as it doesn't get worse. This not going to be a high speed venture like my last trip. What I am going to do is try to find someone along the route and arrange ahead to have them set it up. I did check the differential oil level and it is full. The wheel bearings were packed. I changed the oil, and filter today, greased the car, tightened hoses, exhaust fittings, and fixed the speedometer (the pinion hadn't been pushed all the way on to the cable end). I'm carrying a new fuel pump, water pump, caliper kits, brake pads, belts, hoses, an alternator, regulator, solenoid, spare ignition switch and more. My two other cars require too much work for such short notice. Thanks for all the good wishes. Paul Johnson ====================== Day 0 - From Paul Haven't gotten off to a great start. About 10 miles from New Market, VA we stopped at a BK. When I looked underthe car I noticed transmission fluid dripping up front. I checked and the tranny was down to the add mark {tranny had new seals, gasket and filter}. I put in about a quart, but going up the mountain the tranny started slipping. Pulled in and checked the level- none showed. I added another quart. Started up agin and started slipping again. Pulled in to an old restaurant and checked again- nothing on the dipstick. I wanted to make the pass so I coast down to New Market, but it wasn't to be. Had the wife start it up while I watched- was gushing out the hose to the radiator. To add insult to injury, I got about two square inches of blister on my arm from trying to see if the fittings were loose. Called the motor club and they agreed to tow me to the motel where everyone was staying- a very ignoble arrival! In the morning I'll pull both hose and walk to a nearby NAPA store and try to match them. At least I'll have plenty of help. The rear end howl hasn't changed, but the roar of the engine and the wind noise makes it a little less noticeable. Our Huntington {WV} contact is making me an appointment for Tuesday morning to get the ring and pinion properly set up. In addition to our problem, one of the other travelers has a suspected head gasket leak. More tomorrow {maybe} Paul Johnson ============================== Day 1 Bob Johnstone Mustered 5 cars / 2 trucks in New Market,VA, Sunday 20 April Paul Johnson had a breakdown enroute New Market / towed in at 7PM with a ruptured trans cooler line/ fixed next AM and left with group/ Dave Farris arrived with a blown headgasket (lite)/ bad rad cap.... replaced rad cap and 2 doses of Bars Leak soothed the bubbles in the radiator. He's been leading the pack all day, hasn't skipped a beat yet... Some problems on outset, but are being resolved Paul Johnson is having his rear axle attended to in Huntington,Wv,thanks to Dave Bond (ex -Potomac Chapter member, living locally) ==================== Day 0 From Paul Haven't gotten off to a great start. About 10 miles from New Market, VA we stopped at a BK. When I looked underthe car I noticed transmission fluid dripping up front. I checked and the tranny was down to the add mark {tranny had new seals, gasket and filter}. I put in about a quart, but going up the mountain the tranny started slipping. Pulled in and checked the level- none showed. I added another quart. Started up agin and started slipping again. Pulled in to an old restaurant and checked again- nothing on the dipstick. I wanted to make the pass so I coast down to New Market, but it wasn't to be. Had the wife start it up while I watched- was gushing out the hose to the radiator. To add insult to injury, I got about two square inches of blister on my arm from trying to see if the fittings were loose. Called the motor club and they agreed to tow me to the motel where everyone was staying- a very ignoble arrival! In the morning I'll pull both hose and walk to a nearby NAPA store and try to match them. At least I'll have plenty of help. The rear end howl hasn't changed, but the roar of the engine and the wind noise makes it a little less noticeable. Our Huntington {WV} contact is making me an appointment for Tuesday morning to get the ring and pinion properly set up. In addition to our problem, one of the other travelers has a suspected head gasket leak. More tomorrow {maybe} Paul Johnson ================= Day 1 NG'res, this is my first post, although I'm a long-time lurker. I'm Frank Philippi, of Potomac chapter. My wife and I drove over to New Market VA this am to see the group off. It was not uneventful, but they did get off two hours behind schedule. As you know from other posts by Paul Johnson, he had a few problems, the latest of which was a busted transmission cooler line. We were able to go to the local NAPA store, and work out a non-stock fix using a steel fuel line and rubber tubing (NAPA didn't have a transmission line with the the right diameter fitting. In any event, the last I saw of them, they were on the ramp to I-81 south. Daily posts of their adventures will be available on our chapter website. 60 Lark Convertible 62 GT Hawk ============================================================================ Day 1 - Bob Johnstone - New Market to Huntington, VW Departed New Market after helping to repair Paul Johnsons Transmission cooler lines. NAPA didn't have any hoses, so cobled a pipe/hose/fitting combo together. It was more difficult to work with because of the rigidity, but finally installed. The group got together, circled and said a prayer. Off we went, south on Rt 81 to intercept RT 64 westbound. Some apprehension always on doing something like this, but we'll see what happens. Going over some tall grades, the Pres was getting warm, uncomfortably so. On one pull, I had to pass Paul Thrush because he was slowing down too much and the Pres was in 3rd gear at about 1000 rpm. The temp climbed to the top of the white band on the gauge, so the heater was turned on to adjust the temp. Works this way to quell high temps. Bumpy ride thru Local WV streets arriving in Huntington. Turned into motel, where Dave Bond had set up a TV interview. 10 - 12 local car club members to greet us. Later dinner at a buffet style restaurant on the local club. Quite nice. Back to the hotel to do the internet thing. =========================================================================== Day 2 Paul Johnson Virtually uneventful day today. We left Huntington right on schedule {8:00 am}. At the first stop I had something unusual on my transmission dip stick- ATF at the full mark. Car ran fine {and quiet} all day- got a little over 16mpg. Only problem was our leaders took a wrong exit past Louisville then made a U-turn on a four lane leaving most of the rest of us sitting in the fast lane. I got a chance to do the Avanti thing when I went to the head of the line to lead the group in to our motel {tricky entrance}. I ran up to 85 to get ahead quickly {very quickly}. More on Day 3. Paul Johnson ========================================================================== Day 2 - Bob Johnstone - Huntington, VW to Haubstadt, IN. Before departing Huntington, WV, I loosened the distributor and retarded the timing a bit. The high engine temp from the previous leg was troublesome. The carb idle speed was readjusted and we left without incident. Flat driving now toward Indiana, nice scenery, but am always driving with one eye on the temp gauge. Engine oil stays nicely at 50-60 Lbs when hot. Arrived in Haubstadt early PM. Set up in Quality Inn ( Nice place) , next to truck facility. Went over and bought 2 gallons of Shell Rotella-T. Did some minor maintenance on Pres. Helped Norris adjust steering on his truck. Dinner at the Log Inn, a couple miles from the Motel.. Nice family restaurant. ============================================================================ Day 3 - Haubstadt, IN - Paul Johnson We had a great dinner at the Log Inn at Warrenton, IN last night- near private room for our group, huge quantites of great food served family style. We got away from the hotel near Evansville almost on time. We had to check a generator noise on Bob Johnstone's 55 Prez- decided it was ok so we hit the road. Everything was great until we turned off I-64 to pick up old Route 66. The road was so rough we all got stuff loosened up- exhaust on the Avanti. Then when we got on I-44 to go to the next 66 attraction we ran into a jam- three lanes merging into one. Very long delay and the Avanti which hadn't gone over 175 even in the mountains started getting hotter and hotter. At 200 I turned on the heater and fan on full. At somewhere between 210 and 220 I called the wagon master and told them I was going to have to pull over. Just then it opened up and in a couple minutes the car was back down to 170 {but the car interior stayed hot the rest of the day}. The first attraction, Route 66 Missouri State Park, was closed. So we went on to an old 66 restaurant to find it closed too. We ended up at a neat old 66 diner in Pacific {Monroe's Route 66 diner- an old quonset building full of memorabilia}. The next attraction, a toy museum on I-44 was also closed. As we pulled back on the interstate, the chase truck, Norris Edmonds' 57 Transtar, dropped behind and he flashed his lights. His upper radiator hose had come off and dumped anti-freeze all over the beautiful truck. We got that fixed in a couple minutes and took off, but we were so hot and tired that we decided to just stay on I-44 all the way to Lebanon where several Ozark Trails members including Lester Schmidt met us for a hospitality session. We are staying at an original 66 motel, the Munger-Moss. Tomorrow-Oklahoma. ====================================================================== Day 3 - Bob Johnstone - Haubstadt, IN. to Lebanon, MO Before departing Haubstadt, the AM car check revealed a squeeking generator bearing(?). Some oil from the dipstick was dripped into the bearing cup, front and rear and Paul Thrush seemed to think the belt was a little loose. This countered my idea of not wanting it too tight. I can't argue with experience, so I tightened it. Once on the road, you couldn't hear it when the engine speed picks up, so, from then on, the morning ritual was to check the oil and drip the excess into the generator cups. We departed pretty much on time, but when I was backing up, I was visited by another gremlin. There was a rachety, binding noise from something underneath. I immediately suspected the universals, but a look-see will have to wait until evening.... We arrived in Saint Louis about mid-morning and picked up Route 66 downtown. Stopped, for a while at Ted Drewes Custard Stand, then pressed on. I'm not keeping track of when we entered or left old Route 66. Too many other things cluttering my mind, like engine temp, etc. A couple places we tried to visit were not yet opened for the season. This was a little frustrating, moreso for Dave and Nadine, but you can't blame them. They found a neat lunch place called Monroes Diner, in town named Pacific. A slow rain hits shortly before evening stop. We pull into the Monger-Moss Motel ,all of us a bit frazzled from driving. It's cool out and there were 6-8 people waiting for us at the motel, who wanted us to and drive down the road to dinner. We opt to get settled in first and so, then they to go to dinner and come back for a hospitality room. Donna and I get an upper room in the lot and pull the car into the slot. The room is authentic old Route 66 but comfortable and clean. With the early AM departure noise still firmly entrenched, I went out and borrowed Norris's floor jack to raise the rear of the Pres, and look underneath. The universals (3) all looked original ( Yoiks!). I was told they were in good shape and the front 2 did look roadworthy, as did the carrier bearing. The rear one looked a bit questionable., so that evening, I added another item to the daily ritual...greasing the rear universal. Next day, on to Tulsa, OK ========================================================================== Day 4 Paul Johnson Another relatively uneventful day. Paul Thrush forgot to release his parking brake and it began smoking on I-44. Kind of thrilling to stop along the interstate with 18-wheelers clipping by at 75 3 feet away. We made it to Miami {pronounced Miamuh} OK where we were met some local dignitaries and had a catered chicken dinner on the stage of the magnificent old Coleman theater. We will be written up in the local paper tomorrow. From there we took the turnpike to Claremore to see the Will Rogers Museum then on to Tulsa. The turnpike was pretty wild- 75mph max, 50 min. Our leader kept slowing to less than 50 with the rest of us hanging out and getting the middle finger salutes. We met a bunch of local SDC members at the Spaghetti Warehouse where they had a private room for us. Had a great time and saw some NICE cars {like a Bordeaux red 64 GT R1 package car, 4-speed w/air}. BTW, ths morning at breakfast in Lebanon, MO we had two different people tell us about Lester Schmidt {local legend}. More tomorrow Paul Johnson ============================================================================ Day 4 - Bob Johnstone - Lebanon, MO to Tulsa, OK - Rainy AM. Donna and I walked over to a local diner for breakfast / departed on time .... Round Barn / Red Clay.... =========================================================================== Day 5 No one had any problems of any sort today {other than rough roads that seemed to shaking stuff loose}. We did have some real scares trying to merge seven vehicles in to FAST moving traffic on the interstates. We stayed on old 66 or most of the morning. I found that I don't have enough clearance to go over a roadkill armadillo- must have some armadillo debris on my uundercarriage. We visited the "round barn" in Arcadia OK and found it fascinating. From there we went on to Ann's Chicken Fry House in Betheny OK {northwest OKCity}. It was a neat 50's style place with lots of auto memorabilia. My cousin and wife met us there. He took pictures for a local newspaper so we may make the news there too. He was able to take group pix on our cameras {see Bob Johnstone's posting to the Potomac Chapter website for today. In the pm we stopped at the Route 66 museum in Clinton, OK- again, very interesting and well done. The Avanti formerly known as Howler continues to run well. I have over 1500 miles on the "new" engine and I'm just about ready to add the first quart of replacement oil {great parts from Ted}. I have lots of rattles and the front end is looser than I like and the exhaust leaks are annoying, but... Tomorrow we head for Tucumcari NM then Albuquerque the following day. We will have some down time there so hopefully I can clean up the car and do some tweaking. Watch for the Day 6 report here tomorrow. Paul Johnson ============================================================== Day 6 - ============================================================== Day 7 Albuquerque... NG: This update came in from Bob Johnstone. Hopefully, Paul will get back on line soon. If not, we'll try to keep everyone updated this way. "Here now in Albuquerque,NM. Left Tucumcari thisAM, short drive....weather beautiful, as well as scenery. Frank, if you would, please forward this to the newsgroup. Paul's means of emailing has failed and he asked that I (ask) it be forwarded. Current situation/ We landed in ALQ around 1PM. We all spent a couple hours primping up the cars and rendering some well deserved maintenance prior to the Zia Chapter members coming over at 5PM. My car has developed a small oil leak from the front seal.....unknown reason, as the seal and all frontal items are new. Will monitor as we go. More serious is that Paul Johnson has developed a problem of running rich. Coming off the interstate, he commented that it was a problem. Coming back from dinner tonight, he almost didn't make it because the engine was loading up so bad.. Tomorrow, we have a spare day to do things, so he & I will attempt to diagnose and fix the problem. He has a Pertronix and suspects it may have failed. He also has other distributor parts, so we may craft together a standard igntion, change the plugs, check the carb floats, etc and more. We all agree that the altitude (ALQ is at 5000 feet) is exacerbating any minor problems that we usually bear with. The Zia Chapter spent an hour or so with us, bringing a 65 Daytona wagon, 50 Champ Starlite, 52 Convertible, 52 Pickup. More later. Right now I have to process the pics from today... thanks / Bob" (Extra - Group went to Sandia Mountain for dinner. Leaving the highway for the Tram station entailed a very steep climb and the Pres got hot again quickly. Started surging, but we managed to get parked in the lot. Rode the tram to the 10,000 foot peak and had dinner in the High Finance Restaurant. Karen Johnson went with us, since Paul found some help to work on his car and had a date with them. Altitude was affecting everything and everyone, worse on Paul Thrush, who had a hard time breathing. During the earlier part of the afternoon, the Pres would stall at traffic lights, due to the thin air. Earlier that afternoon, all cars were checked over and semi- serviced, including chassis greasing. Larry complained about his speedo cable being noisey. Frank Fuller pulled, lubed and reinstalled it. Dave changed his plugs. Some of us used the laundry across the street in the mall. Walking over past a storage lot, I noticed a lot of old cars just parked out in the open. Many from 50's and 60's Paul Johnson returned around 11PM with a running car... ====================================================================== Day 8 - BobJ - A free day, so we slept in till 7 AM. Later went down to Old Town in ALQ for trinket shopping / Bought a hat to avoid sun on the face. Turned out to be a 'Cowboy' style, so I picked up the name 'Cowboy Bob'. Donna bought a bucnh of souveniers(sp?) Dinner this evening, in a restaurant called the 'Barrel', a few miles from the motel. Larry and Pat knew the area from their past business life and led us to and from. Some of the entourage got separated in traffic, but since we all had walkie - talkies, they found us quickly.. ===================== Day 9 - ALQ to Williams, AZ. This was a long haul and at some of the higher elevations. My digital nav device showed almost 8000 feet at the topmost point travelled. We passed the Continental Divide, where we stopped for a break and took pictures. Passing Flagstaff, we started a long descent on a slight grade. When Williams was only a couple miles to go, Farris car barfed all the water out and we had to pull over, let it cool a bit and refill. A few of us thought the worst and this might be the breaking point for his car, but he elected to run it into Williams and park it in the Hotel lot. We only had one night here and then off to the Grand Canyon for a night. When we exited the Interstate, the first thing that greeted us was a gas station with a sign that read "Regular $2.19". Quite a shocker.... ==================================================================== Day 9 At grand Canyon - no telephone connection ======================================================================= Day 12 - Williams to Needles - Cool AM again, but clear. DF removed the thermostat from his car, used RTV as a gasket and put it all back together again. Apparently no problems, but running pretty cool, but rich. Not a long drive to Victorville and thru a fair amount of back country. Through previous emails, we were supposed to meet Bob Kabchef along the way east of Barstow and have him film us going over some wavy section of road. A couple cell phone calls and we found him waiting in a clear area behind a filling station on the way. We spoke briefly and he was considerate enough to feel a need not to delay us, so with some quick instructions on his game plan, he left and quickly drove up ahead to wait in the 'sweet spot'. We had our moments in his spotlight and then he fell in behind us and continued into Victorville, where DF brought us to his brother Cecil's home for a bit of refreshment. There was a newspapaer reporter there to take a few notes and pictures. Cecil had made arrangements for us to get our cars services in a local Lube shop and brought 4 of us over right away. The kids in the pit needed some assistance on finding all the fittings, so I jumped in and gave them a lesson. The oil change and grease job was $12.95, using our oil and filters. On to the motel afterwards and dinner at a local steak house. In the parking lot later, a fairly young fellow and his son were looking over the cars, having never seen a Studebaker. He was enthralled with the Pres and the Avanti. ======================================================================= Day 13 - Needles to Victorville - Cool AM - Sunny - Back on Route 66 and off we go. ======================================================================= Day 14 May 4 - Victorville to Santa Monica - Still windy and chilly. Luckily, it was Sunday and traffic was light approaching and entering Los Angeles. We were on the Old Route 66 all the way in. Somewhere outside the city limits, we were met by a gent driving a 54 Commander Coupe. He fell in behind us and drove for a few miles, then peeled off and disappeared. We never got to find out his name. Passed into San Bernadino, then west on R10. Saw a lot of the familiar names, " Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, etc." Passed the Santa Anita Racetrack, Saw the big Hollywood sign, but couldn't get a picture off due to traffic. Finally into the city and down thru the older sections of town and onto Santa Monica Boulevard. Left on Ocean Drive and originally the plan was to turn onto the pier and have a group photo. The caravan was a bit loose now because of traffic and the inter-car radio messages started sputtering into nonsense. The last thing we heard was "turn (garbled) Colorado Ave". With Larry in front of me, we did as expected and wound up taking an on ramp to the 101 Freeway North. Seeing the problem, we had to turn back or get inextricably lost. Up ahead a traffic light turned red and to the left, was what appeared to be a restaurant with a gated wall in front. We opted to turn left at the light into the restaurant parking lot and reverse course back to the Pier. When we all pulled thru the gate, what greeted us was a lot full of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Mercedes. It was a private Country Club and many of the patrons, looked up, in astonishment,sipping their tea. Larry's quick maneuvers got us turned around in a hurry and we exited as soon as possible. As we were pulling out the gate, there was what appeared to be a lot attendant approaching, with this puzzled look. I drove slowly out the gate saying that " I thought it was up to us to add a little class to the place", and made my exit. We proceeded back up the freeway, exiting at the pier and found that the group photo was cancelled and we were all going to the hotel a block away... Saying ' No, no ' to hotel food, Donna & I have dinner that night was at the El Fornaio, an Italian restaurant down the street. Molto Bene!!! The 'Beach Cities - Inland Empire Chapter of SDC came to spend time with us at the hotel. ====================================================================== Day 15- To Catalina ======================================================================= Day 16 - To NBC ======================================================================= Day 17 - To Barstow ===================================================================== Day 18 - To Kingman ==================================================================== Day 19 - To Winslow ===================================================================== Day 20 10 May 2003 - Eastbound Tonight we're in Gallup, NM after a trip across Arizona, through the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Yesterday, we went through Meteor Crater Park, withstanding 50-70 mph winds. They wouldn't let us arrival, we were approached by a gent who informed us that he was with the National Route 66 Association and on a 2 month Tour, awarding plaques to various places of interest along the old Mother Road. They knew we were coming and were waiting for us to include our cars in a film that will be on National TV in the coming weeks. I'll put the link to their website online shortly. All cars are running fine. They are a real pleasure to drive. Nothing but high signs and horns honking in many places. Every time we stop, the cars draw a people. There's a lot of pride in Studebakers out there. For all those who were wondering, Paul Johnson changed his plug wires before we left Santa Monica and the Avanti is running fine. The altitude here ( 4000-6000) is still causing some black smoke, but it will clear up when we get back to the lower climes. BobJ ======================================================================= Day 26 Sunny departure from Springfield, Mo to lexington,KY- Making good time allows for a stop at a Barrel factory Paul offers a neat place for lunch, called the Overlook in Leavenworth, Il. We spend a good hour plus in the quiet, picturesque restaurant overlooking the ( ) river.... On departure, Paul notices a noise in the LF wheel. He decides it's a good idea to investigate. We pull the wheel, caliper and rotor to find the spindle adapter for the disc brakes was only being held on by 1 snug bolt, #2 and 3 were backed out a bit and # 4 was rolling around in the rotor hub. A panic stop with this situation would have been disastrous. Reassembled the parts and on our way again. Rain hit as we were approaching Lexington. With almost a 2 hour delay, we depart for Lexington. The remainder of the day went without mechanical incident. We arrived in Lexington around rush hour and make our way downtown to visit the 'Chocolate Factory'. ===================== Day 27 Lexington,KY to Beckley, WV- Raining on departure. Paul stalled at the entrance to the interstate / Larry & I stayed behind to help Paul with a rescue. When it was assured, we continued on, about 2 hours behind the rest. They, again, have a date with Dave Bond, for lunch and a tour of a Railway museum. Larry and I just stop briefly at a truck stop for gas and a bite to eat, arriving at Beckley a few minutes after everyone else. Dinner, that night, was to be at a local Steak house, but traffic was a mess because it was also 'Prom night' and a few of us were separated. D&B did Japanese...with Norris/Gael ==================================== Day 28 - Raining again. The group assembles for their final picture and starts out. Entering the Interstate, the ammeter in the Pres looks like the generator finally gave out, showing no charge. I announce the problem on the radio and decide to continue to run without lights, in the middle of the group. Not long after we get underway, Dave announces that his car is stumbling badly and he must change plugs. We stop briefly along the road, in pouring rain, to get a game plan up. My generator was poked and prodded, to seemingly no avail, so I have to keep going. A decision is made for Larry, myself and Norris to continue. The rest of the group will stick with Dave and render assistance. We part company after 27 days, with hopes that everyone weathers their problems. Rain continued mercilessly all the way to Route 81 and then northbound, along with all the heavier commercial traffic. Norris peels off at Route 64 to head toward Norfolk. Larry and I arrive at New Market around noon. Not long after, during lunch, Pat gets a call from Nadine that they're progressing along slowly, but safely and are about 2 hours behind. e decide to head for home and wait for everyone to contact each other.... Thus, the end of an odyssey, that will never be forgotten. ===================================================================== End of comments / =============================================== Paul Johnson - Afterthoughts 23 May 03 I'm kind of getting my thoughts together and have thought of a couple things anyone planning a long trip in a Studebaker (or other old car) should keep in mind. I'll probably think of some other things too as my mind clears more. First, make sure EVERYTHING is properly tightened. We were very lucky to catch my loosening caliper bracket before it came loose and took out my brakes (or more). I had traveled 7,000 miles since it had been apart. Second, unless you absolutely know your spark plug wires are new and good, install new ones. I would have saved a bunch of grief (and a bunch of bucks) if I had put new ones on before I started. Paul (slow learner) Johnson ================++++++++++ Since I'm trying to figure what I need to sell before the Discover bill comes in, I decided to add up some of the expenses. I bought just over 400 gallons of gasoline costing $609 (just over $1.50 a gallon average). My average gas mileage for the 6,069 miles computed to 15.14 miles per gallon. This was a '64 R-2 Avanti automatic, 3.07 rear (yes, the supercharger was connected). Many hundreds of those miles were in high elevations where the car ran very rich. It also includes a lot of city traffic (St Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, LA). I used 3 quarts of oil. The engine had 140 miles on it from a complete rebuild when I started. It ran quite comfortably on 87 octane (thanks to Ted and his advise to use cupped pistons). It only got hot once- in St Louis where three lanes of I-44 narrowed to one. It got above 210 even with the heater running full blast. However, when the traffic opened, it immediately dropped back to 165 where it stayed almost all the time (170-175 on long mountain pulls, 180 in heavy LA traffic). Even more trivial- I got to wondering how many revolutions those Stude engines turned on the trip so I did a rough computation. Feel free to shoot down my logic/calculations. I figured the seven Studebakers must have turned something like 168,000,000 revs (6,000 miles / 45mph average = 133.33 hours driving time per car. 133.33 hours x 60 minutes = 8,000 minutes running time. Average revs per mile- 3,000 x 8,000 minutes= 24,000,000 x 7 = 168,000,000). Paul (obsessed with numbers) Johnson ============================================ 260503 I was using Google to review the old threads about our trip and found a couple things that I need to correct or comment on. First, the '54 3R5 did have overdrive with a lower ratio than original. He could easily cruise at 70 though the long hills slowed him down. Paul Thrush gets my hero award for the most ingenious (and most reliable) vehicle on the trip. His Briggs and Stratton-powered air conditioner has be seen to be believed. Also, the '57 Transtar driven by Norris Edmonds is a five-speed overdrive. It drew a LOT or attention for it's red and black paint job, wide whites and full wheel covers. One girl at Barrels of Fun in Lebanon, MO just had to have that truck. She was willing to pay him $20 a month for the rest of her life. As an aside, Norris gets my hero award for being a profile in courage. He has been arthritic since 18, has survived leukemia for 10 years, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and he was recovering from pneumonia as he started the trip. His strength and coordination were poor and driving the floor shift, non-power steering truck was hard for him, but he did it. Above all, he maintained a wonderful, wry sense of humor through the whole trip. Paul Johnson -------- //////God bless him. He has my vote, as well. ***"Dave's Place" ----- ////// I gotta say, Paul (and please pass this comment onto him), Norris was an inspiration to me. That's for sure! When I thinik about the whiners that cry about not having A/C and power steering/ windows/ brakes/ whatever - I'll hold him in my mind as a point of reference!!! Lazy-Boy adventurers take note - a jocular-minded fella in his 70s, by the name of Norris Edmonds, makes all your cry-baby complaints look silly. ******"StudeBob" ------- ////////////> I gotta say, Paul (and please pass this comment onto him), Norris was an > inspiration to me. That's for sure! When I think about the whiners that > cry about not having A/C and power steering/ windows/ brakes/ whatever - Would cruise control be included in the, "whatever," category, if added due to a VERY REAL physical dilemma? I didn't put a before the beginning of this sentence, because I don't want to make light of anybody's pain. Pain hurts. > I'll hold him in my mind as a point of reference!!! As we all should! He has my respect!!! Ya know what? Some of us have leg problems. I respect this, because I have had a couple of knee surgeries. I had to sell a perfectly good 4 speed manual truck because of this. I could drive that truck today, but not then! And, I know a fellow, that just a few months ago, had to turn his truck around, go back home, and get a plane ticket to go to Mecca, because his leg pains were so great as to render him unable to press on during what should have been a great adventure... even with cruise installed on his vehicle! (Due to a physical problem.) I admired the initial effort of this gentleman to attempt the drive in the first place, but I admired more his dealing with the reality of the situation, and his determination to make it to Mecca in spite of everything... even if it meant flying! Had he decided to give up completely, I would not have had the pleasure of meeting him. I'm glad I met him! In person! I have even wondered if AC could provide relief to him that a squirt bottle of water can't. In any event, I respect this fellow's determination to enjoy Studebakering! Some have shoulder problems... if you haven't experienced that, let me tell you that power steering and power windows DO make a difference. The rotational motion of turning the steering wheel and... yes... rolling up and down the windows, can create a pain that is not at all unlike being stabbed in the shoulder with an ice pick... clear to the bone. It HURTS! I happen to be in a position to know this, as well. Some add disk brakes... for safety, of course. Others also add power brakes. For the same reason, perhaps... but, there could be physical limitations involved as well, couldn't there? Some can't tolerate heat. If they can, their spouses can't... OK, or WON'T. If one wants to travel with his significant other, it doesn't really matter, does it? Quite a decision one has to make. Do ya leave the Stude, or the wife at home? Silly question! "See ya later, Dear!" While on the subject of AC, what is the difference of having a heater, so that you don't shiver your guts out, as opposed to AC so you don't sweat them out? Always wondered about that. It's just a comfort issue, either way, right? Oh. Cold can kill, or cause serious problems. Heat can't. Well, maybe, if there is some existing health problem that may not be obvious to the casual observer. Now, this response is not just to this quoted post from ya, Bob. I have been avoiding this for a while... I tried to let it pass. I remember a post from you a while back where you questioned others,' "motivations," for some of the modifications to their cars/trucks due to physical "problems." I shouldn't try to make the connection to that post, because I can't quote you exactly, and that gives you the right to challenge me on it. But, I remember it well, if not well enough to make an exact quote. In essence, the comment I am making reference to had something to do with, "Questionable 'physical excuses,'" for some modifications. That just rubbed me the wrong way. "Questionable?" Horse feathers! We should (can, do) relate to your pain and the reasons for what you see as related (therefore justifiable) modifications, but ours are insignificant? This latest post reinforced my objection to the former one, so here we go. >Lazy-Boy adventurers > take note - a jocular-minded fella in his 70s, by the name of Norris > Edmonds, makes all your cry-baby complaints look silly. As earlier stated, Norris has my respect! I can only hope that I would have the same strength to "press on" under such circumstances! If Norris had the means to modify his Stude to make his life easier (less painful,) would he? I don't know. But, I know this... I wouldn't blame him if he did!!! Ya know what? There are some folks less than 70 that have some of those problems... and, they may not be apparent at first glance. In advance of any response, let me say this... I would have added power steering, disc and power brakes, AC, power windows, etc., to my car, even if I didn't suffer from some of the afflictions I suffer from. Yep. Not gonna whine, not gonna cry, not gonna sit in my Barka Lounger. Nope. Gonna build and drive my car as it suits me. While I'm at it, I'll make some cosmetic changes, just by-golly, because I want to! And, I'm gonna be thankful that I can. Also, I'm thankful that as a result I can drive (and enjoy!) my car on days that I might not be otherwise able to. I call them, "Bad shoulder days." They can make a guy want to just stay in bed, but that hurts, too. When the day comes that I can't build it as I like, I hope I can muster up Norris-like courage to ignore the pain and drive it anyway! On that, we agree! Hope this doesn't come across as being another PC issue. If anybody sees it that way, 07!. Nothing PC about that, eh? -- Dave Lester and the Ain't This The Pits Crew Home of 'Sheba, the Internationally Renowned Studebaker Under Construction http://members.provalue.net/studes/ Dave's Place Auto Sales and Automotive Collectibles http://www.davesplaceinc.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- ///////like speeding tickets??? (no here either) I have issues with feeling in my fingers and feet due to diabetes, and I will tend to push the throttle a little farther than necessary on a cruise (Officer, that's my story and I'm sticking with it ) *****oldcarfart@aol.com (Oldcarfart) ----------------------------------------------------------------------