Road Trip in a new ride

[spacepirate]

I’ve never done something like this before so here goes… it’s gonna be a long winded one so grab a drink and settle in...

I work as a producer in the reality TV world but my passion is old cars. (I’m currently building a 68 Camaro- full DSE front and rear, LS3, t-56, etc...) I’ve been fortunate enough to work on some great shows, namely Top Gear US and Street Outlaws. (Please hold your TG US hatred for another thread) It may sound glamorous but it’s a hard job where my average week runs about 75-80 hours. Sure it pays great, but when you add up the hours, it’s not as good as one would hope. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get to go all over the world, meet all sorts of people and drive some amazing cars. My job has taken me to Germany, Scotland, Canada, Cuba and pretty much every state in the US. However, lately I’ve been feeling burnt out, stuck in a rut, exhausted and needing a break from the constant go go go of the fast pace LA lifestyle. I just hit 36 on Sept. 23rd and it was time for a life experience. I’ve thought about this for a long time and I’ve always wanted to take a road trip by myself. Whatever happens, happens. I want to share my journey with you guys, as I’ve been a member here for several years and thought you might enjoy tagging along for the ride.

THE GOAL: Find a classic truck somewhere in the US that’s mechanically sound enough to make a trip; fly out to buy it, and hit the road. This could go terribly wrong or awesomely cool! Hell, maybe both.

It took me 3 solid days of scouring Craigslist nationally, emailing every potential seller. And I don’t mean a few minutes here and there, I’m in between gigs at this point. I literally spent 7 hours one day and about 8 hours the next going through every city and state on CL to see what was out there. My search was wide - 1966-1973 under $7500. (no reason just felt like the right years and price I could afford) I like the look of old Chevy trucks and finally after emailing about 50 ads, I stumbled across a cool 71’ C10 about an hour outside Eugene, OR.


I spoke with the owner; a retired guy who had a girlfriend in Eugene, who was using the truck to drive round trip 120 miles about 3 times a week to see her. He quickly realized that this truck might not be the most economical choice. HA! After speaking with him about an hour, I realized this was the truck I swnated. He’s owned it for a year, before that it was a local firefighters truck. It’s a long bed (prefer the short beds but the price was right), with a 15 foot paint job, 350 sbc, with some cheap 18” and 20” wheels. I really dig the blue/white combo too. He seems like and honest guy and has agreed to drive the truck over an hour to meet me at the airport.

So that's what I did. I booked a flight this morning from LAX to Eugene and sure enough he was waiting for me curbside. This was my first time actually seeing the truck in person and luckily I wasn't let down. He swapped out the front seats for later model buckets and they're definitely more comfortable. But the gave the the bench seat to have. WIN! Here it is:



We drove to his buddies house about 30 mins away and we chatted about the truck along the way. It drives and runs good but will definitely need some attention down the road. We negotiated the price, he took a hit on it and I headed straight to a tire shop to address the worn out front tires. The back ones are alright.



I knew something was weird with the front setup because the driver tire was worn very unevenly and as soon as they pulled the rim off we found out why. The hub was slightly too big and the rim wouldn't sit properly. About 15 minutes later with a grinder and she's good as new! Now, I'm at a small motel in Eugene for the night. I'm gonna research my route tonight make a plan and hit the road in the morning. If anyone has any suggestions for places to see and stop please let me know. I'll be traveling down HWY 1 for the majority. Here's a couple more pics.




I'll keep posting more pictures as I get the time but for now its time to hit a parts store to stock up for the trip tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[minendrews68]

Well..............Good luck,and have a safe trip.

[Zoomin]

That's a whole lotta cool for $7,500.

[sd67]

Always wanted to do the same thing but will be living vicariously through you. Will be following the thread though, great deal on that truck!

[Flash68]

Awesome.

A buddy (here on Lat-G) and I did this back in 2014... but we went from Maine to Socal.... in January.... also sight unseen from ebay. A '74 F-350 ramp truck.

We used a Food Network app and a Brewery locator app to take care of the man fuel along the way.

Not matter what happens, you'll have a story to remember (and tell) forever.

Enjoy and be safe.

[ironworks]

Just FYI - They have search engines that search all of craigslist at one time for the same search terms.

http://www.searchtempest.com/

[spacepirate]

Ended my first day on the road. Traveled from Eugene over to the coast and down the 101 to end the day in Smith River, CA at an Indian Casino. (about 24 miles from the stateline) I racked up 230 miles and the truck ran great! Actually drove really well, and it made the day that much better. However, the day started weird.

I got up this morning and took the truck to Walmart to get some road supplies and a quick oil change. While I was chatting with the workers, a guy opens the emergency exit doors and walks a brand new mountain bike out the door and just rides off. I look at the workers and ask if he's stealing that bike. They say, "Yeah, but we're not allowed to say or do anything. We just have to watch it and report. It's happens a couple times a week." Shocked me that I just witnessed it and they were so casual about it. Anyways, got the supplies and the oil change and headed out. Hell, if you ever need a mountain bike just go grab one from Walmart! HA!

The weather was perfect. The air was crisp and chilly but perfect to have the windows down and just cruise. There was a marine layer in the morning so I'm sure I missed a few great spots, however I did get an really neat shot of the truck on an empty road. (Its below) Once the weather cleared up the views were breathtaking. If you ever get a chance to do this, you won't regret it and I think this is the best time of the season too.

Here's a few highlights:















Gotta start a new thread due to pic limit.

[spacepirate]

Drove a cool side road called, Langlois Mountain Rd. ,in Langlois, OR and it was awesome. I was getting gas and an old guy sparked up a conversation about the truck. I explained my adventure and he told me about the road. Said if I had the time, it's about 9 miles up a winding road and dead ends at an overlook. He said no-one really knows about it so I had to check it out. Below are some pics. Awesome twisty road but sadly it was closed about 1 mile short of the official end.

[spacepirate]

More pics back on the 101.











Well that's it for tonight. Gonna eat some dinner, grab a couple beers at the bar and hit the bed. Can't wait to see the redwoods tomorrow. Ive been through there before but never had time to stop.