rustyroger

Some of us take our pride and joy for trips of several thousands of miles, some of us hardly move out of our driveway.
I'm happy to take my car across the UK for fun, to me it's there to be driven and enjoyed, others are reluctant to drive more than a few miles.
I know some of my trips might seem like a local jaunt to members from Canada, Texas, or Australia, then again I have met Americans who haven't ventured more than 100 miles from their birthplace.

What about you guys?, who undertakes multi state (or multi national) road trips in their classic Olds?. Who doesn't care to travel much further than to the local cruise-in?.
If your car is built for the strip or a concours grade car, or it needs fixing then fair enough. But I think cars should be driven and enjoyed.
What are your views, and how big have some of your trips been?, (In an old car, I've crossed America and Australia in new ones, that doesn't count).

Roger.

Allan R

When it was 'younger' it went all across Canada and back. Our 67 went to the US several times, and also up/down the Alaska highway when it was still a dirt/rock road! Now my 72 rarely ventures more than 300 miles (487 km) from home on a good day.

Fun71

When I lived in Texas, mine went from the Houston area to Lake Charles, LA every weekend (about 185 miles each way).

Now that I'm in Arizona, it sits in the garage all summer then when the temps drop below 100 in the fall/winter/spring I drive to work, grocery store, errands, cruising, etc. on a daily basis, plus monthly car club meetings of ~35 miles each way. I drive the crap out of it, just not long distances.

lazy394

Mine is driven way to much, 15k miles in the last 3 years.
Most trips are short, school run or errands, but about once every other month I will do a 200 - 3ookm round trip to a Rock and roll festival or show somewhere.
Although far from practical daily transport IMHO the car is there to be enjoyed and I am enjoying the heck out of it!


Scott

70cutty

I cruise almost every weekend at least 200 miles. From San Francisco down Hwy 1 (along Pacific Coast) down to Santa Cruz even Monterey a few times. Depending where the road takes me. It's my stress reliever.
The farthest I drove the Cutlass was Reno NV last month for Hot August nights. It handled like a champ, 463cu.in. th350 and 3.42 gears, aluminum radiator and dual Spal el. fans no problems whatsoever, never goes over 185.

I drive my show cars around as well, not as much as I drive the Cutlass but they are still driven, no trailer queens.
Last year we drove 2 show cars to Hot August Nights in Reno, my wife was driving the 67 Impala with my daughter, and I was in my 57 Cameo with my boys. Ended up driving back in the Impala cause I sold the truck there.

IMO the cars were built to be driven not trailered around.
No offense meant to the trailer queens. JMO

Tedd Thompson

Well most of you know my car is a road warrior with long legs and a wondering disposition, trips of 2000 miles or more have been a regularity for the last five or six years. Last year we were in nine different states, this year we visited three states and half way up the province of BC Canada on a road trip. Now that doesn't mean we don't keep her up to show standards just means we work a lot between trips and shows to keep things up. So far there has been only one show out of about ten that the car wasn't awarded something and twice the car was awarded best of show so for a old stock car she still looks presentable. It can be done, It just takes time and some work.

I think the satisfaction one gets out of driving a classic car on a trip or anywhere is nothing compared to what others get watching an old piece of nostalgia pass on down the road. If it ain't moving, is a monument not a car, others will thank you for it....Tedd

Aron Nance

We've driven either Big Red (Denver, Cincinnati)/Silver Bullet/ (Detroit, Kentucky)CCRider (Massachusetts, Reno) to several OCA Nationals over the years. Most trips were in the 3K mile round trip, with the sight seeing. Only way to go, and it is so enjoyable getting the smiles, thumbs, and pictures on the road. Drive 'em.

lshlsh2

Mostly short day trips of anywhere from 50 to 200miles. I put about 2000 miles a year on it. When I get it finished and I can retire it will be driven across country. The only question is, will it be pulling a small travel trailer or not.

nj67

I take my 67 everywhere, I put 10,000 miles on it this year and planing a road trip from Jersey to Vegas for next spring hitting casinos in every state along the way. Of course my car is no show car just a very clean driver and I love it that way.

Rallye469

About 1/8 mile.


Longest trip recently has only been about 95 miles down to Daytona.
-Pete

Lady72nRob71

Between 50 and 400 for me.
Anything less will barely get us out of the city and into the 'enjoyable' territory!

oldcutlass

Any where from 1-3 hours generally. The problem living in Texas is its a long way out of state from here.

coppercutlass

I drive 60 miles to the race track , race then drive 60 miles back home. I have put over 120 miles in 1 day crusing around in the past. The old girl dont mind the road even if it is with a 3 speed , 3000 stall converter and 3.73 gears. That v8 sings going 70 mph down the country roads.

Professur

Montreal to PEI. Mtl to Detroit. Mtl to Nashville. Mtl to Atlanta .... yeah, we take some long *** trips. I generally start out about 9pm. Let the family sleep through the first leg of the trip. The next morning they all head for breakfast and I catch an hour's sleep while they eat. Then I drive on until we stop for lunch. At that point we start making decisions about whether I continue driving or the missus takes over. Usually I keep going until we get close to supper. At that point we're looking for beds. Kids are still in good shape as they've only about half a day idle, and we've a full day behind us. Second day we take it easy ... figure something for the kids to do from about noon to supper. I'll usually sneak in another nap about there. Then pull another 4 hrs or so to the next beds, if we're not within striking distance of our destination.

Koda

My 442 does a mile at a time; it needs a lot of work.

My Chevy will do about a 20 mile drive for fun every few weeks, and I will typically do two round trips of a couple hundred miles one way each year for shows.

jpc647

A couple hundred miles is as far as I take mine. It's been down the cape cod twice this year, those were the furthers trips. There's no AC and in the summer it's just too hot to drive in traffic. Not the car, me.

Occasionally I'll take it into CT for a show and that runs about 250 miles. Lately I've been a lot more hesitant of it, its a stock 350 with 3.23 gears and it only gets about 13 miles to a gallon, so I shy away from it on long trips.


The bike gets almost 50 and is way more fun to drive. Well ride, it does wheelies, and burnouts.

Fun71

I would be ecstatic if mine got that mileage. I typically get 8-10, but that's about 80% of the time at WOT. It's just way too fun to NOT open the secondaries as much as possible.

jpc647

Ha. Problem is, when I romp on my car, nothing happens. It's not exciting. I think to myself, "that's it". It'd be fine if I got poorer mileage and the car went like a bat out of hell.

But I'm working on that.Your motor is also much more worked over than mine.

My car also wouldn't get 8-10 if I went WOT very often. If you babied yours for one tank, I bet you'd easily see 15+.

88 Cutty Classic

my local car cruise duty gets split up between several cars so i may not drive the olds every week. sometimes i'll take it to 3 cruises in one weekend. it all depends. It also depends where the national OCA and H/OCA meets are every year. the furthest i've went from pittsburgh is the 06 H/OCA nats in joilet IL. i took the LONG way home and stopped for photo ops in south bend, lansing and an ann arbor for a total of 11 hours of driving. I've done Indy twice, cincy, and norwalk.

my 03 Nationals trip was my first and almost my last. my wiper blade broke in a monsoon. thats was childs play compared to the harmonic balancer. about an hour outside of cincy the balencers two pieces seperated. the outter part would rattle between the pulled and the piece still connected. every time it would hit the crank pulled it would spin it and make this awful noise. well about the 2nd day at the nationals i was going to get lunch. the piece hit the pulley and POW!!!! it blew apart into 3 pieces . luckily they all went straight down into the ground and not up into my hood or a hose or belt or tranny line. after that the car ran smooth as silk with no balancer.

rustyroger

Thanks guys.
Some of you, Tedd, nj67, and professur in particular put up big mileages.
Hats off to you all, and any others who rack up similar mileage. Here's hoping you many more happy trips.
Honorable mentions should go to you guys who drive your strip warriors to and from the racetracks.
And for those who don't go very far, hey!, it's a free country, none of us should argue about your choice.

I like to make long trips, in an old classic is a bonus. However a paved road not to far from civilisation would make me feel more comfortable in an oldie.
I did Perth, Western Australia, to Ayers Rock in Northern Territory Via the Great Central Highway in a Hyundai 4wd. But two thirds of it was across a dirt road, the course of which varied according to recent weather.

Roger.

Professur

Worth mentioning that on the way home from Atlanta one time, the '97 Transport I was pulling my camper with threw a rod through the side of the block pulling away from the New Jersey turnpike tollbooths and we finished the trip on the back of a flat bed. Most memorable vacation ever!

Larry/car

Short! A 1961 Dynamic 88 is no longer my choice for travel. The safety standards of yesteryear just don't give me the piece of mind I have grown to count on. I saw a video of a 1959 Chevrolet being crash tested, it failed miserably. I go to local shows and cruises, occasionally will take it for a drive with no destination in mind.

Professur

We've thrashed that video out many times, amongst many sites. Many folks believe it ... I'm not one of them.

Fun71

I tried that but couldn't go a full tank without opening it up. Actually, I don't think I made it more than a couple of days.
I have no will power.

jpc647

Haha. Your car must really fly then.

coppercutlass

I actually get like10 to 12 mpg. Crusing 70 ish around 3500 rpm. 3.73's 3000 stall. Appx. ., I beat the living crap out of my car. Drive 60 miles run 12.80's and run her back home. Vac. Secondaries help the mpg's lol.

Koda

16.7 mpg on my 72 Monte Carlo this weekend, about 450 miles. 2.73s, 350, th350.

Highway miles, 60 to 70 mph. I stay out of the throttle except when I need to pass fools. Hit 100 unintentionally passing a couple in one shot today, oops.

jpc647

Motor specs? Stock?

Koda

Stock. Corvette weights and springs in the centrifugal advance.

jpc647

That's pretty good then!