A road trip to buy a car hauler.... or buying a car hauler to take a road trip?

[fleetus macmullitz]

Great post 'Rob in DC'.

Aside from the mechanical/electrical issues, how does it ride and drive?

How did it handle in the snow?

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by Cosmo MeantIt

Aside from the mechanical/electrical issues, how does it ride and drive?

How did it handle in the snow?

Like a Furd.

Actually, it really does purr and sound good. Brakes are solid. Steering is that old school loosey goosey but just fine. Plenty of power it and pulls fine up hills without needing WOT. Rarely if ever have to downshift for that reason. The back end can be a little tail happy but nothing worrisome.

It really is just like driving a big truck but just a little longer. Really liking it.

I probably passed 85-90% of the cars on the road in New Hampshire when the heaviest snow was coming down. So I'd say it did pretty good.

Originally Posted by FETorino

DG you forgot to mention the dirt and rust soaked air filter element, dirty fuel filter, mucked up vacum advance line.

Oh, and we needed a new tail light... because I backed up into Ron's neighbors' dirt hill and crushed it. (hey, it was dark out)

[57hemicuda]

I'm going to have my daughter phone Payton, and give him the stranger danger speach.LOL Good meeting you guys, sorry if I was alittle out of it, no sleep at all Fri night very little Sat night, by Sunday I was in a bit of a funk. Dawn still doesn't get it. She doesn't understand how guys that I have never met could stay at the house, and we act as if we've know each other for years. I just said, you wouldn't understand, they're car guys.

I do think that 10 mpg with that rig is a bit optomistic, but hey if your going to dream dream big. I'v already started looking on L.A. Craigslist for something I need to buy and drive home. LOL

[GregWeld]

Ron S,


Gwen is just now starting to understand some of the texts and phone calls I get. She'll say - who's that? I tell her it's so and so from such a place... and she squints and says "how do you know him".... Oh - we met at SEMA.... She shakes her head.


I think where it turned the corner was Rodger and Shannon spending time with us when we were both in Hawaii..... and going to the "after race" dinners with Charley and his group. Then she started to "get it". She's certain of ONE thing -- we're all idiots. LOL

[fleetus macmullitz]

Ron,

Saw the wiring pic.

Could you give us a rundown on what you did?

(I understand if you need some stranger danger recovery time first...lol)

[GregWeld]

Seems Rob and Dave have managed to find civilization.... and then it was time for a fill up --- This is where they get GAS... you know... the noxious kind...

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by 57hemicuda

Dawn still doesn't get it. She doesn't understand how guys that I have never met could stay at the house, and we act as if we've know each other for years. I just said, you wouldn't understand, they're car guys.

This is so true. I've made some very good friends on these car sites, and from first introduction it was like we knew each other for years.

[SSLance]

Oh my!!!





At least there is some copper leftover in that bucket to recycle to help offset the labor...

What do you guys figure was installed on the truck that took all of that mess?

[FETorino]

Originally Posted by cosmo meantit

Ron,

Saw the wiring pic.

Could you give us a rundown on what you did?

(I understand if you need some stranger danger recovery time first...lol)

Well Skip back at Jakes when we were winching the car I saw the bottom pic. The 4 ga wire to the 12000lbs winch that was twisted together and almost melting on the muffler. So disconnecting the wire at the battery and a zip tie got us back on the road.

At Rons I took a look at the overall underhood wring. Holy **** the top photo is the negative coil lead. The 14 ga + coil lead from the ignition was spliced into a 10ga hot wire to the Duraspark box. (Ford put electronic ignition on these back in the day = no points).

Of course then they ran the whole "custom" wire harness across top of the PS pump just waiting to commit suicide on the fan belt.

On the firewall the 10 GA wire for the Duraspark is staring us in the face. Ron gets the voltmeter up and it's hot with the key on. Off to the parts store to get filters and such so we figure a bullet connector and we are in bussiness.

Fast forward a lunch at Grog house, 3 hrs and a few beerrs later and we are back to wire the truck.

Luckily we double check if the lead is always hot or just keyed hot. F@##k. Always hot. No problem Ron busts out his Copper retirement stash and has a relay in hand.

While he is soderring the leads I find a green wire laying on teh front shock. Oh the tac lead. A quick end connector and the tac is hoked up. We get everything buttoned up. ROn says " i don't know if this relay is set for off without power or on" Hey we have a 50/50 shot. FIre in the hole......

Now two blind old guys in the dark are swapping pins in the relay. Success. We are back on the road.

Well there was the carb thing but ............ That story if for later.

Gotta go Skip. Need to see the Smithsonian.

[GregWeld]

I wish you'd have said you had time for the Smithsonian.... our good friend Patty Stonesifer is the ex Chairman (chairwoman) of that institution. I could have gotten you into some places.