Cross country in a '68 Impala - NY to SF/LA and back
Hello all, first post here. I have been wanting to do the cross country road trip for a while, and now that I'll be finished with college, I'm thinking of doing this in the spring, and in my 68 Chevy Impala. I want some input on how smart of an idea it would be to do this in a classic car. My idea is that it will be really fun as the car is in nice shape, runs great, has lots of room and is generally a big highway cruiser. Also could be great for some photo opportunities on the way. I of course will be getting it fully serviced soon as it's been sitting in my garage for a while, but it is a simple car with no AC or power windows, so things that will break are at a minimum, and with a high amount of parts available, an emergency service shouldn't be a big problem. Of course, during pre-trip servicing I'll be telling my mechanic that I plan on putting around 7000-8000 miles on it during a road trip, and will be getting their opinion on if they think it's a good idea. Besides the much higher cost for fuel (I think it gets around 12-15 mpg, runs on premium), I feel like this would be the experience of a lifetime. This will be my first cross country drive, and I am hoping to do it with at least 2 others, at least one of them who'll be able to drive the car - it's got a tricky manual transmission. Anyway, is this a really bad idea, or is driving an old car without AC something that would be fun in the springtime? (I'm thinking around April)
Hey, you're taking MY trip!
Hello iceberg,
Just over 35 years ago, when I graduated from high school, a friend and I "planned" to take a cross-country trip in my 1969 Impala. A few details like parental permission (the car was titled to them), money, girlfriends, and the Draft Board interfered, so we didn't do it.
I say go for it, absolutely.
By the way, I now own a 1966 Impala convertible, but it's out of service at present, having gently kissed a utility pole with my 16 year old son at the helm. He's yet to raise the money to fix it.
Anyway, in addition to the aformentioned maintenance, I'd suggest the following:
I wouldn't trust belts or hoses and would simply replace all of them, including the heater hoses. Hoses are fairly cheap and installation is simple. Keep the old hoses and belts as spares--they're working now, so will do just fine for spares.
Before replacing the hoses, have the entire cooling system flushed with cooling system cleaner, then replace the hoses before refilling with a fresh antifreeze + water mixture. Be sure to install a new thermostat while the hoses are off. Again, cheap and easy to install.
Completely bleed the brakes and replace the fluid.
Change the rear differential lube. This is a heavy gear oil, typically a 90 weight, and it's crucial to change it before taking a thousands of miles trip. While I agree parts for a '68 Impala are readily available, you don't really want to burn up a ring and pinion gearset in Arizona. Changing the fluid and assuring the fresh fluid is up to the proper level is the way to keep the rear wheel bearings lubed, too, as they rely on the rear differential housing fluid for lube, or so I believe is the case. That's worthy of confirmation, as if not correct, you'll want to pull the rear wheel bearings and replace them, too. Losing a rear bearing on the highway often means chewing up the axle half-shaft in the process and also often results in the entire wheel + halfshaft assembly "walking" out of the housing while under way. It ain't an easy fix and it ain't pretty. More often than not a situation called a "wreck" follows.
Pull and repack the front wheel bearings. Trust me on this one. In fact, if you're unsure as to the history on the bearings, just replace them--they're not terribly expensive, and the replacement costs substitutes for labor to clean the old ones and repack them to a certain degree.
Do a full chassis lube, paying particular attention to the lube points in the steering and front suspension.
Consider new tires if your present rubber is more than, say, 4-5 years old. Again, trust me on this one. I lost a tire to a blowout at 80mph on my '66Impala. It looked fine--lots of tread, but was at least 8 years old and had dryrotted.
So, for sure, go for it. I hope you'll remain in touch as the planning and the execution of the Road Trip proceeds.
Foy
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Based on my experience, its a great idea!
All,
Back in 2004 I was in the same boat as you, I wanted to take my muscle car on a roadtrip but I was terrified of the endless list of things that could go wrong. I also found people I talked to seemed to take great delight in pointing out why it was not a good idea.
On May 14th 2004 I threw caution to the wind and set off from Toronto Canada to Las Vegas in a 440ci Plum Crazy Challenger. For me, there is no better feeling that the sound of the car, the radio and the nostalgic feeling. I was amazed at the number of good people I met each time we stopped or even while driving and everyone was intrigued by my quest. We broke a belt in Crook Colorado and before the car rolled to a stop there were people pulling over to offer rides/help. Net cost of the repair including transportation into and out of town was $12.00 and the gentleman running the little shop regalled us with stories of the Challenger he owned as a young man while we fixed the car. I've made the trip six different times now sometimes in the Challenger, twice in an 87 Daytona and once in a 1968 Charger I bought in Vegas.
The moral of my story, don't overthink it or you will miss out! Worst case scenario, arrange to have the car shipped back, catch a flight home. The piece that you can't quantify until you try it is the experiences/people that you will encounter along the way.
