In reply to 84FSP:
Tools aren't an issue, but I'm not going to start the trip back with an engine tear down. I'll save that for halfway home.
The Saturns and Eagle are looking like my best bets right now. I've owned 8 S series over the years, and I have never been stranded by one yet.
The Eagle looks pretty good- the 4.0 is a known commodity, and I usually get 300k mi out of one.
Couple short bed Dodges on the radar, as well. I've done fly and drives back from Cali in these before.
In reply to 84FSP:
I'm trying to stay pre OBDII on anything I get for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I don't want to deal with Illinois emissions testing.
In reply to Cooter:
The SAAB's in Sacramento...
It will be easier for you to drive a car from CA back, though, as the plates stay on the car and all that. Here in NV, you have to get a movement permit and you'll get frowny faces at the DMV if you want to take a car outside the state on a movement permit as the permit is technically not valid outside NV (or so someone at the DMV told me).
BoxheadTim wrote: In reply to Cooter: The SAAB's in Sacramento... It will be easier for you to drive a car from CA back, though, as the plates stay on the car and all that. Here in NV, you have to get a movement permit and you'll get frowny faces at the DMV if you want to take a car outside the state on a movement permit as the permit is technically not valid outside NV (or so someone at the DMV told me).
As mentioned before, everyone I have known with Saabs has had nothing but heartache. I dealt with Nevada when driving my silver '78 D100 back home from Hesperia. Illinois doesn't do a permit; you have a few days to drive it home. The officer who pulled me over let me go and told me where I could get a permit up the road. I high tailed it into Utah instead. It was the only police interaction I had on the whole trip.
There is only one right choice here!
Funny you should mention that.
I'm waiting on the Thruway bus for the second leg of my trip this morning from SanFran to Chico. The seller works from 2-11pm. My bus gets there just after noon. The seller will pick me up at the station in Chico.
Touring San Francisco- "Rubber Legs"
Yesterday was an interesting day, to say the least. We started by getting a Lyft to Pier 39, and wandered around from that point, taking in the shops, the views and a half hour boat tour. Then we noticed one of the many bicycle rental places along the way, and decided to rent a tandem for a ride to Sausalito.
"It'll be fun! Just one small hill and then it is all downhill to Sausalito once you get to the Golden Gate Bridge."
No. It's not. My legs felt like rubber by the time we arrived at the ferries. I mention them as plural, because there were so many bicycles that it took 3 ferries before we we far enough forward to board one. But my daughter was quite the Trooper, and stayed in good spirits throughout. (Note: An Isuzu Trooper is also NOT on the shopping list this trip)
So, the Thruway bus took us to the station, and we waited for the seller. And then it appeared...
I have to admit it was love at first sight.
The seller had bought from the son-in-law of the builder. The builder was a Die Hard Eagle Guy, and was very meticulous, in designing, building, maintaining, and documenting this car. I was told it was a Renix era 4.0, stroked with a 258 crank. It also runs an AW4 in place of the original 998/999 three speed TorqueCommand. A 3.54 geared D35 from a Cherokee brings up the rear. (I may swap this with either one of my 8.8s or a fairly uncommon 4.10 AMC 20 from a Commanche that I have laying around- stay tuned) All of his mods and maintenance is hand written in a small booklet.
Seller is an AMC Guy, and has a seriously cool Javelin he has been working on. Currently has a 304 and 998, but will soon have a 401 and T-5. I REALLY wanted to drive it home, but there was no way he was ever going to let it go. Man, Dick Teague really hit it out of the park with this one! I should have bought one of these when they were still dirty-cheap. I love those curves.
Took a couple quite and dirty snaps with the D90 when I got to the hotel.
The right rear is a bummer, but I think I can save it. Need to find that tail light and a hinge for the hatch, though.
That thing is unadultered AWESOME.
I'm pretty stoked. It's funny how huge 235/75/15s look on this without the fender flares
I was going through the paperwork from the builder last night. This guy was THOROUGH. He has ever mod, every oil change, and even wrote up a folder filled with wiring diagrams and pinouts for the Renix and AW4 swaps. I love to see that kind of dedication to to the point of OCD, but I am too lazy to emulate it.
Nicely done sir! Looking forwards to the homebound hi-jinx.
Oh, there will be hi-jinks...
I'm so tempted to just take I-80 east all the way home now that I have 4wd.
Heading south will add close to 500 miles, but also will give quite a few more chances for Adventure in better temperatures. If I was solo, I would just beeline all the way home. But there are plenty of things to see out there, and the vistas of New Mexico await.
So, woke up to frost on the Eagle in Chico yesterday morning, and that is all it took. We're going southbound!!
Couple observations, not as many photos-
Hitchhikers REALLY want get a ride in the Eagle. They see the car, and start jumping up and down smiling and pointing. Should I be flattered or concerned?
After driving I-5 I am convinced I can make a fortune on brake pads and bumpers here.
65 MpH is an indicated 67 at 2000 RpM. AW4, will you marry me??
While it has a swapped AW-4, the Eagle comes equipped with stick, too. The seller said it came with the car when he bought it, so I have to keep it, as well.
That's all for now. On to AZ and NM!
First off, I need to make a correction. After rereading some of the builder's paperwork, I realized I had one of the three (3??) transmission switches in the wrong position. The torque converter lockup was disabled. 2k RpM is now 75 indicated and 77 actual MpH.
(Revenge of the PotatoPhone; the D90 wouldn't fit through the spokes of the steering wheel)
MpG is now at 20.547 from Mojave to Mohave.
Some pix from the former...
We are now in Flagstaff. We wanted to stay in the WigWam hotel about a hour up the road, but we couldn't get a reservation (I know...)
Plans are to meet a good friend in ABQ later today that I met on a different Epic Adventure that involved buying a 6.2 Suburban sight unseen and jumping in and driving immediately to The Land of Entrapment just to pick up a sofa and drive back to Chicago for someone I had never met.
Powar knows more than a little about that foolishness, but I'm not sure if he is trolling this thread...
Lincoln Highway to Cicero Avenue. Turn left. Drive to Oak Lawn.
In reply to Datsun310Guy:
I'm already on RT 66. Staying in ABQ tonight.
Expect a good sized photodump when we get home. I'm tired of rewriting everything I've written every time I go to photobucket to get a link on this phone.
22.046 MpG from Flagstaff to Sky City. Haven't calculated mileage since, but I have it written down.
In Tulsa now. 1820 miles down,680 to go!
How did I miss this.
Excellent score, looks awesome!
Cooter wrote:
I needs another one but they all disappeared around here.
In reply to fasted58:
I can still find them in a few hundred mile radius of Chicago, but the front frame rails are always shot. The stroker XJ drive train was just icing on the cake for me. I still REALLY should find a nice wedge nose SW for a DD, but that would have really made for a boring ride home. Plus, it would have been like using a kitchen appliance for the photo ops. I couldn't do that to you guys.
Front bumper...
Is that a flat tow setup or is it a load leveling hitch for use while driving in reverse?
In reply to JohnRW1621:
The bumper is just a bumper, from everything I have learned about bumpers over the years.
Now bolted through the bumper are a pair of tow bar brackets. They are for flat towing the car. There is also a hitch on the front. These are often used to maneuver trailers easily into tight areas.
Let me know if anything else about the car is confusing you. I'll do my best to help.
2250 miles down, 250 to go...
Looking awesome! Glad your trip is going so well. Hopefully you and your daughter are enjoying the time together.
It's been great for both of us. The train ride was pretty good, but a little too regimented for either of us. Plenty of opportunities to be random and spontaneous when you stop wherever you feel like. Also, you HAVE to speak to your old man when he is 2 feet away for hours each day. We worked through a lot of things that had been stressing her out in high school.
Sounds like a great trip even without the car. Good work dad.
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