Here we go again!

[Stuart M. Cohen]

So we head out tomorrow morning for Palm Springs. The Lincoln has been check out by my mechanic, the trunk is full of parts and I have 2 extra spare tires. Starting miles are 60,662. We have a bunch of stops planned for pictures, and will be posting along the way. Heading to Chicago to pick up Rte. 66 and will be taking it all the way to Santa Monica. Then, heading to Palm Springs for the show, over to LA and a nice drive down the coast to San Diego. Then, on the way back, hitting the national parks we missed last time. Should be home sometime around Memorial Day.

Wish me luck!

[CARRJ142]

Bonne Chance!

[papawayne]

L'Chaim Wayne

[Dan Szwarc]

Have a safe drive, Stu.

[tomo]

The stretch of original Rt 66 just south of Joliet, IL is very bumpy due to all of the patches that have been done. It is still worth the ride. I don't know the road conditions north of Joliet ( I-80) as I have not driven there in the past 20 years.

Make sure you plan to stay in Pontiac for a few hours. They have some great murals on the building walls, a very good Military Museum, and Rt. 66 Museum. The Pontiac car museum is across from the Courthouse and is well worth a visit.

Just south of Springfield, IL is Country Classics Antique Car dealership. He has a large collection of unrestored or amateur restored cars. The few times that I have visited, he did not have any quality restored cars available. Covid has caused most of the good restaurants along the route to close and I have not been further south than Wilmington, IL since Jan, 2019.

Good luck and I hope that your trip is very enjoyable. That is a lot of territory and attractions to see in such a short time.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Made good time today with not much traffic. Drove to Weston, WV and will see my cousins in Mt. Zion tomorrow, then over to Nitro and Huntington to get some shots with the car. Then head to Lexington, KY where we have a bourbon tour/tasting scheduled for Monday. First full tank of gas averaged 11 MPG. Not bad, with all the hills & a ton of parts. Will try to post nightly and pictures will follow.

[rick]

Following along with much interest. GO STU!!

Rick

[navguy12]

Have fun Stu!!

[TonyC]

That was about what I averaged on my Florida trip: 11 mpg. That was a bit disheartening, as I figured a core rebuild would improve the fuel-economy. But, there are other factors in play, namely other drivetrain problems that just popped up during the trip, which can also adversely affect fuel-economy.

Hope you have stuff for an oil change along the way; from your posted travel plan, you'll need an oil change while still on the trip. Mine already put me past the the 6,000-mile interval.

---Tony

[rick]

Since gas mileage has been mentioned. How far in everyone's opinion, should I be able to drive on a full tank? Thanks, Rick

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Thankfully a very uneventful day, for us at least. No problems driving and we stopped to get a few pictures along the way. Stopped for the night in Lexington, KY. Along the way from Huntington, WV to Lexington, we saw smoke and fire trucks on Rte. 64. Traffic stopped for about a half an hour. As we passed, we saw the car in the picture below. Thank G-d it wasn't us!

Still averaging 11 MPG so far. Can't wait to get to more flatlands to get better mileage.

[papawayne]

Stu, Great pics! Can see you are having a great time! Is Robin keeping a diary, so we can all read it? And Rick, I usually fill up at 200 miles, no matter what, because my bladder only goes that far. Wayne

[TonyC]

Yow! I wonder what triggered that fire! That charred hulk was not an older car, either, not even close. I'd say it was a very eventful day, especially for whoever was driving that rolling crematorium (unless said driver deliberately torched it).

Rick, to figure safe range for you we'd need to know one factor in the equation: Your actual net-economy. That can be easily calculated by noting your odo reading at your next fill-up (and it needs to be a total fill), drive around for a while in all conditions, then note the odo reading and the amount of gas taken in at the fill-up afterward (again, must be a total fill). Subtract the old odo reading from the new one, divide it by the amount of fuel taken in, you have your actual net-mpg. Multiply that figure by 21, which is the amount in gallons your tank can hold, and you have your overall range. Average stated range for these cars is usually 200 to 250 miles; but actual range depends on the individual car, its condition, even any drivetrain mods done, if any; some may not even make that low range of 200, while others could break 300 or more. Do the math for yours to get an accurate range estimate.

I admit I stopped at gas stations far more often than I should have, not just because of my reduced fuel-economy but also because my needle is about as reliable as a '74 Vega's. It would always hit the "E" when there was still a good 10 gallons in the tank, but I did not dare take chances, so I'd stop...and flush more cash thanks to the extortionists calling the market charges in this country. But, at least we're not so bad off as Europe, where people have to pay the equivalent of $9 a gallon...and over there, they cannot do anything about what their governments dictate.

---Tony

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Another good day. Left Lexington this morning after a bourbon tasting (what's wrong with sipping bourbon at 10 in the morning?) and some pictures. Headed over to Metropolis, IL for more pictures, then up to Mt. Vernon where we are staying. Heading up to Altamont for a picture, then to Casey where ther's a ton of stuff to see. After that, heading up to Chicago for pictures and to pick up Rte. 66 to the coast. Yes, I know we're not taking a direct route, but it's all about the pictures.....

As for filling up, I figure I can go 200 miles on a tank and don't push it much more than that; especially when on these long trips. You never know where you'll find gas.... Did actually get 12.5 MPG driving through Kentucky.

Yes, Robin is taking notes nightly for the next article in Commenets. Let's hope it's a boring one.

[George W]

Looks like you’re having a great time. I take it the weather has been favorable as well. This would be a bucket list, once in a lifetime trip, for me. I’m sure you’re keeping track of gas prices along the way. It will be interesting to see what the price spread will be. I assume you’re using premium fuel.
Safe travels !