Magna86

The reason behind this roadtrip was to retrieve my Oldsmobiles I left in storage in CA when I moved to VA. I looked into having the cars shipped but I was quoted $2600 and up for 2 cars on an open trailer which was just crazy talk. So I came up with the plan that I was going to drive them home. Well due to work commitments I couldn't get one of my buddies to join me driving one of the cars. So then I put the plan in motion to drive the 71 back while towing the 66 on a Uhaul car dolly. So I located a universal trailer hitch that would bolt to the frame, made an appt for some new tires on the 71(old and cracked BFGs), rented a Uhaul car dolly(told them I was towing an 89 civic), added an additional trans cooler and picked some spare fluids to carry in the trunk. The hitch bolted on with some adjustments and hung alittle low. Now I didnt think of this until later in the trip, which was to flip the center of the hitch to gain more ground clearance. If I were to do this again I would have installed some airshocks it bring the rear up when loaded but everything I had planned to get accomplished was screwed from the very beginning thanks to a delayed flight and I had to scramble to get the car ready to leave CA in 1 1/2 days. When towing I just had to watch what gas stations I pulled in due to the low clearance and to makesure I had room to make a wide u-turn if needed to leave the station. The car drove great towing the 66 I just had to be careful with quick steering adjustments and sometime being pushed over in a lane by the semi draft as they passed me. I had a packed a cooler with drinks and food so when I stopped for gas it was a one stop event. The cars seats were actually really comfortable for the drive and I didnt have to use a back pillow for the long haul. Everywhere I went I was getting looks/thumbs up/stares/questions. What made the car ride rough was having no A/C and the heat resonating from the firewall and floorboards. I I can tell you every car I redo the interior on with have additional heat insulation and sound deadening material installed. I took 40 across into TX where I dipped down near Dallas to see family. I was able to squeeze a quick visit to Joe(Costpenn) to see his 70 W30 beauty! She is even better in person than all the photos we have seen. He is also a great guy and look forward to the next run in. I went across on 20 until I hit 85 and then headed north to head home to VA. I was on the road 4 days averaging 12-16hrs for actual driving. I stayed at 55-60mph keeping my foot out of the gas as much as I could. My 455 71 averaged 16mpg through out the trip. I had a low of 13 through the mountain areas and a high of almost 19mpg! My car is equipped with a frankenmotor 455/TH350 and a 3.08 posi rear. I burned about 2qts of oil the entire trip and didnt have to add any coolant or trans fluid. So I can not complain about the performance of my car. I traveled over 3,000 miles on this roadtrip. But next time I want to take a car around the country I want it to be scenic drive not a business get er done trip. Enjoy the pics

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Magna86

The rig ready to roll out
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Arizona Sunrise
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New Mexico Sky
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New Mexico Sunset
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Texas Sunrise
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Magna86

Crossing the Mississippi
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MS where I found the rain
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Georgia Sky
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Home
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Where they belong
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64Rocket

Very nice. Sounds like a great trip.
A long trip by yourself.
That is great you have no problems along the way.
Great MPG.

Gene

66luvr

Congrats, Road trips are great, glad all went well. Very nice looking cars too.
Was there any "Prep" to the 66 for being towed across the country? Did you disconnect the drive shaft from the rear end or anything like that.

rand5204

Congratulations!

What a cool trip. I love doing stuff like that. Your description brought back lots of memories of both U Haul tow dollies and the old tow bars they used to rent. I recall towing a 70 GTO Judge from New Mexico to Wisconsin with a 71 Vista Cruiser in the late 80's on a dolly. You're right, you had to plan trips in and out of gas stations very carefully, not just because of low clearance but because if you tried to turn too tight you'd wind up pulling the car part way off the dolly. You also absolutely could not back up with any degree of success.

Randy

oldcutlass

WTG, I love happy endings.

Magna86

Yes I did remove the driveshaft on the 66 so I didn't burn up the transmission.