Stupid road trip CA-FL

As many of you know, I have been looking for a big stupid old station wagon. Unfortunately, I have found one, a 1959 Edsel Villager and it is in CA. As Joe is already in CA at a conference and I am in Phoenix at the auctions, we decided the logical thing to do is drive a 50 year old car that we know nothing about across country. Can you say Road Trip?!

Starting tomorrow, Joe and I are traveling completely across country, on I-10.

1. I am looking for junkyards or people along the way with parts they want to sell. I would still love a nice, rust free 1500 Spitfire hood and/or some 63 Corvair trim parts and am driving the biggest station wagon ever made and can pick stuff up and carry it in the back. Would love an excuse to get off the highway, see some back roads, visit with a fellow readers, have a beer or two and help justify my stupid trip by saving shipping costs.

2. On another way less likely note... their is a slight, almost impossible chance that some minor thing could go wrong with this car. Does anyone live along this route that has some tools, mechanical skill and is stupid enough to let us ruin your weekend?

3. And finally, are there any roads that are more interesting than I-10, but won't turn a four day trip into a four week trip, along this route.

Thanks.

I'm in the Fort Worth Area if you get lost and are too far north. I have the space and the tools if things go wrong.

I'm headed to LA the 15th to help my daughter move back. Wait till then, put a trailer hitch on it and I'll drive it part the way home for you.

If you go on I-40 instead of I-10, feel free to drop on by. I'll buy you a beer and you can stay in my extra house (if you don't mind cats). Someone here posted some Spitfire bits on CL in the past week or so. You could probably put two complete cars in the back of that thing. I also have toolz and y0 tyte skillz.

Volvo from Canada, Edsel from California....is there a road trip issue coming up or what? I wish I was on the way. Just remember that "interesting" back roads that are fun in a Spitfire can be downright scary in a 2 ton land yacht.

Dam that sounds like fun!

I'm north of your trip. I'm about 5 minutes from Barber Motorsport Park. So, if you're going to take a detour to go to Barber feel free to stop by.

I suggest a few spare parts for the trip- belts, oil, coolant, transmission, etc. Sufficient tools to help yourself out along the way. CB radio, truckers can be interesting and entertaining. Cooler with food and beverages, I get tired of lousy road food. That ol' 352 will be thirsty, so you will be making fuel stops to break up the terror of the ill handling beast. I'll match your road trip and add my own- Haiti in a small plane over loaded with drugs. (mostly legal)

Margie said you wanted the crappier the better. Hang this from the mirror to keep you focused.

Do NOT think about the Ranchero trip.

Good news. Your halfway mark is inhabited by ME

I-10 passes through San Antonio, Tx. I have space and tools there, and im A.S.E. Master Certified if it makes you feel any better . Although every time ive tried waving my certifications at a stubborn car, it didnt help...

If you were planning on stopping in San Antonio anyway maybe we can catch a meal together.

Adam Vigo327@gmail.com 210-381-3841

Sounds like a good road trip - unfortunately northeast PA is a little wide of your intended path. I'd be happy to host if you make a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Having driven I-10 from North Florida to California three years ago, I would highly recommend an alternative route. While I-10 is the most direct, it is mind-numbingly boring. The portion from the AZ-NM border to the TX-LA border is especially bad.

Dr. Hess suggested I-40 and I would vote for that.

It's a decent car—much nicer than the Ranchero when it started. That said, Joe has a list of stuff he's going to pick up before starting the drive!

Check out the Bridgestone Texas Proving Ground, just west of Fort Stockton, Texas. 7.7 mile oval, a black lake, road course ... just made for an Edsel wagon.

In Fort Stockton, detour south at the big roadrunner onto the course for the Big Bend Open Road Race, also known as US 285. Imagine driving it at, say, 100 MPH in that boat. 59 miles down, 59 miiles back.

Oh, and we expect a full report of whatever you do.

I vote for avoiding fort stockton no matter what.

And yes i-10 is the most boring drive EVAR. Ever since they cut down that one launchpad that got my dynasty airborn at 120, there's just nothing there anymore

Stupid road trips rule .

I've done that trip (I-10) and I'd say the boring bit starts when it gets all flat around mid-TX. Hope you have better weather than we did as we had a proper dark clouds that inspire ark builders follow us all the way from AL to Deland, FL.

Oh, and if by any chance it'll take you about three months to make it to LV (that's the next time I'll be in Vegas), I'll buy you a beer there...

Arguably, some of the best BBQ in the world is just north of I 10 in luling and lockhart Tx. My favorite is Smitty's in Lockhart.

If you take a more northern route, I have a full shop in Dallas.

I've got garage space and tools in El Paso, TX right off I-10 if you need it.

As far as interesting side-trips, instead of taking I-10 from Houston to Beaumont, take the Galveston ferry and drive along the Gulf coast for a while. Also, a nice drive in Southern AZ and NM is Highway 80 south of Tucson. Goes through Bisbee which is a cool old town and then follows within sight of the border all the way to El Paso.

I'll be heading out soon. (still waiting in Covina CA for the UPS package to arrive with $$ for the PO)

I'm planning on bringing a "survival kit" as if you are prepared.....nothing bad will happen right?l

Hopefully the constant rain here on the West Coast will stop soon. Vacuum-operated wipers aren't exactly the best for highway cruising. Rain-X will be my friend.

The way I see it, if the beast makes it to AZ, there is a good chance it will make it all the way. Of course we have driven it a total of about 2 miles during the test drive.

Keep your fingers, toes, and eyes crossed for us. This should be interesting!

I vote "Fear and Loathing" style. A stop in New Orleans is a must. Don't have any parts to offer up, and I'm way the hell out the way (unless you take I40,) but the GRM family is always welcome at Hong Norrth for whiskey, wings, etc.

Seems like a 3,000 mile trip in a 50-year-old car would make for great magazine content. Hope to see an article on this!

Take along a manual choke cable and rig it up to the throttle. Redneck cruise control for the long boring bits.

The Rain-X brand of windshield washing fluid is great! Its like normal Rain-x but to apply it you just use the windshield wipers and some fluid. I highly recommend it. I'd dare say it works better than the stuff you apply by hand. No joke.

damn this job! if i was unemployed i would make that drive with you guys in a heartbeat! joe is one of the funniest people i've ever met. and i predict a 90% reduction in ass-crack visibility without Rennie along for the ride.

wetpossum wrote: As far as interesting side-trips, instead of taking I-10 from Houston to Beaumont, take the Galveston ferry and drive along the Gulf coast for a while.

Careful with that. Some of that road washed out during Ike, and I'm not sure you can get all the way across Bolivar Peninsula now.

I'm in Houston, a little way north of 10, and I've got a modest assortment of tools and the skills to match.

This is the kind of "GRM experience" you should sell to your loyal readers. Imagine a convoy of GRM-approved cars making a sustained road-trip. I'd pay to be part of that.

ZOO wrote: This is the kind of "GRM experience" you should sell to your loyal readers. Imagine a convoy of GRM-approved cars making a sustained road-trip. I'd pay to be part of that.

Rally Ame-GRM-ica?

And put me down for "if you take I-40 and decide to swing through Atlanta", we have a bed for you to sleep in, meals to eat, drinks to be had, and stories to be told.