I have been debating on whether I want to bring my 72 comet home with me on my block leave or not. I deploy in June and I have block leave to go home in May. I want to take the car home for my family to look after. I currently live in el paso, tx and my home is in ohio. The trip is ruffly 1800 miles. I have been replacing everything I can think of possible. New transmission, radiator, thermostat, brakes, belts, distributor, wires, etc... but it being such an old car would the trip be even reasonable to consider. I was wondering what anyones thought on the subject.
looks like you have covered everything but...tires and brakes... throw your ...tools, jug of water, qrt. t/fluide and a qrt. or 2 of oil and let it ride... ..."you got people"... ......
I drove my '69 Cougar htp to Louisville , Ky last summer. The total trip was a total of 1800 miles with no problems. I did get several offers to buy it, numerous thumbs up, and many happy miles of listening to the tune of the Flowmasters. I took the 2 lanes as much as possible and had me a one man cruise through the USA. I am thinking about doing it again this summer with my '73 Stang conv. Go for it!! Jim
Sounds like you are pretty much getting all your bases covered with it. I wouldn't hesitate. I'm driving my '72 to Florida next month, it'll probably end up being about a 1,500 mile round trip. In fact I'll probably be on the road on the way down there exactly a month from now.
I'd throw an extra fan belt and radiator hose. and a couple of gallons of water. Other than that most other things will still let you get to an auto parts store. If you were coming in my direction I would give you my number in case of an emergency. Maybe some guys in the direction you're headed will do the same. That's the neat thing about this board. My wife says we could go in any direction and we'd be able to find help if we needed it.
The nice thing about a 30 year old car is that there are no major break-downs. Other than the actual running gear there are no problems that you can't fix onthe road with a few tools and a "spare parts box". Take the car on a hundred mile trip to shake it down and then go for it. These cars are great on the road.
Once again good advice from Don! Add small Sears tool kit an go for it! I bought a 73 Ranchero from SC, flew down an drove home with the semi daily driver! After getting down there is when the owner told me,,, well it has sat last 2-3 years. Fan belt only problem with trip back to Pa. Good luck, I'm in Pa so I am past your trip, But lets get them offers of help flying! Anyone ever get stuck near Pittsburgh Pa,, give me a holler, Dave Stuckey in the phone book or pm me for cell #
Sounds like you have the bases covered. My rule of thumb on a car that has sat for a long time is to look at anything that holds fluids. You got the cooling, tranny and brakes covered. One thing to watch, especially at highway speeds is the rear main seal. Both of my Comets had minor rear main leaks while putting around town that turned into gushers at 70 mph. These leaks were 1 quart per 100 miles. At higher engine speeds, more oil stays wrapped around the crank. This wouldn't prevent the trip, but you would just have to keep topping it off. The chassis cleanup isn't fun either, but if the car will continue to sit, think of motor oil as rust preventer. A shakedown cruise before the big trip would be a good idea. Make sure that your current work is good and give you an idea if anything else might need attention.
I have a 69.5 Mav, and I drive it to Detroit from Atlanta almost every year. It has never let me down, and drives very well. Go for it, and enjoy it.
