Who has dared to drive across country in a classic Mopar?

[Kern Dog]

I could say that is was presented with a dare, a challenge to drive across the country from California to Pennsylvania next year for the Carlisle Mopar Nationals.
It sounds tempting but we all know how easy it is to say yes to something that is a just an idea and not yet a reality.
I’ve driven this car long distances in California.



I’ve made the trip from north to south and back 5 or 6 times, racking up just shy of 1000 miles each time with zero breakdowns but drive across country? It is approximately 2500 miles from the Sacramento area to middle Pennsylvania. That is another animal!
I thought that there was a thread on the forum a few years back where a younger than average FBBO member from Oregon flew to South Carolina or somewhere around there and bought either a Belvedere or Coronet and drove it back all by himself. He posted pictures and updated the thread during the drive back.
Aside from well known guys like HawkRod and his two epic journeys, who else has dared to do this?

 

[junior340]

Right out of high school I bought a beautiful Charger 318 for $500 and drove through every state starting in Colorado. That was my goal and I did it with only 1 flat and a coil wire failure.
I recommend it to anyone.

 

[DeltaV]

Right out of high school I bought a beautiful Charger 318 for $500 and drove through every state starting in Colorado. That was my goal and I did it with only 1 flat and a coil wire failure.
I recommend it to anyone.

and no ballast resistor issues.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Not me, but I’d love to do that.
Any classic car would be cool to me.
A tool box, some spare parts and a set of jumper cables…
Just like the good old days of dad and his cars we’d have to keep running just for his few-hour-long Sunday drives with the family.

 

[furious70]

I've gone from eastern Iowa to West Texas in a duster and my fury.

 

[440 4 speed]

There is a guy from Ontario that has driven his black, red flames 66 Hemi Charger (Richard Wright) I think? On the tour from New York to Pasadena? First of all he drove to the start from Ontario.

I could say that is was presented with a dare, a challenge to drive across the country from California to Pennsylvania next year for the Carlisle Mopar Nationals.
It sounds tempting but we all know how easy it is to say yes to something that is a just an idea and not yet a reality.
I’ve driven this car long distances in California.

View attachment 1884250

I’ve made the trip from north to south and back 5 or 6 times, racking up just shy of 1000 miles each time with zero breakdowns but drive across country? It is approximately 2500 miles from the Sacramento area to middle Pennsylvania. That is another animal!
I thought that there was a thread on the forum a few years back where’s younger member from Oregon flew to South Carolina or somewhere around there and bought either a Belvedere or Coronet and drove it back all by himself. He posted pictures and updated the thread during the drive back.
Aside from well known guys like HawkRod and his two epic journeys, who else has dared to do this?

You are correct. There is also the guy with a wing car, that came through Saskatoon on his way to Alaska, can’t remember where he started out from. Our son and a friend with a Daytona met him at a service station. He did a documentary of the trip. Either last year or 2023 he was driving to the Artic Circle.
Probably the Winged Warriors would know all about it.

 

[440 4 speed]

Longest trips we have driven , Saskatoon to Detroit, Bloomington Illinois, Jefferson City Missouri, Aurora Missouri (2 67 Chargers and a crank up camper), Mopar’s in the park that was only 900 miles though. All trips were in 67’s.
The previous owner drove our car to Bakersfield.

 

[Cop car wagon]

The wife, dog and I have taken our car on many long trips.
One was 4400 miles. We were home for 2 weeks and did a second for over 2500.
Including going through the desert to vegas in summer at 100°
Alternator failed in oregon. But then the alternator failed in my big truck, 83 D350, taking a car to the spring fling (2800 miles), and had to get one in califonia. I now carry an alternator.
Did an epic, around the country 10k mile trip in a real 65 shelby (coil failure) . Get prepared for a variety of respones from the public.
Picture on Galvaston Island. We used my wheels and tires for the trip.

 

[SGTPaul]

My brother in law did that about 8 years ago in a 60s something VW bus. He went from Detroit to Alaska. It was not a restored car at all. Sort of a survivor type. He broke down several times. Rolled it when he got blown off the road be a semi going the other way. Almost made back but needed to be towed the last couple hundred miles I think. I'd love to do it in my charger when done. It will be a new car by then.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I did drive my 68 Hemi Charger from Massachusetts to the Chrysler Proving Grounds for the Mopar Nats twice back in the day and that’s as far as I’ve gone in the old junk.

In 2 weeks time, I drove cross country and back in my 84 Dodge Daytona way back in 1984. That car would qualify as an antique today.

Being used to the comfort of today’s cars, with air conditioning, I can’t imagine driving close to 6,000 miles round trip in one of our old beaters.

 

[DeltaV]

I could say that is was presented with a dare, a challenge to drive across the country from California to Pennsylvania next year for the Carlisle Mopar Nationals.
It sounds tempting but we all know how easy it is to say yes to something that is a just an idea and not yet a reality.
I’ve driven this car long distances in California.

View attachment 1884250

I’ve made the trip from north to south and back 5 or 6 times, racking up just shy of 1000 miles each time with zero breakdowns but drive across country? It is approximately 2500 miles from the Sacramento area to middle Pennsylvania. That is another animal!
I thought that there was a thread on the forum a few years back where’s younger member from Oregon flew to South Carolina or somewhere around there and bought either a Belvedere or Coronet and drove it back all by himself. He posted pictures and updated the thread during the drive back.
Aside from well known guys like HawkRod and his two epic journeys, who else has dared to do this?

It would be scenic and no doubt memorable.

 

[WileE]

Did it once in a 53 GMC pickup and a 67 Lincoln, my Cordoba would easily do so today.

 

[threewood]

Twice. Once sight unseen from Albuquerque to Cincinnati. Flew out with my mom, bought the 62 Belvedere from her cousin, and roadtripped it back. No issues other than a windshield wiper arm almost got blown off the car and a loose starter wire in Arkansas coused a small delay in the snow.

Years later me and a friend drove it back west to Yuma. Had a blowout west of Albuquerque. I had just put a new spare tire in the trunk before the trip.

 

[68BabyBlue]

In February of 1996, I bought a 1966 Imperial in San Diego, from a flipper who had picked it up in an estate sale. Beautifully preserved car. I inspected while I was in town for a conference, listened to it run, but never test drove it. In late April, I flew in from Chicago, and drove it home. I detoured a bit to visit friends on the way back, and ended up covering over 2000 miles.

The closest thing I had to a mechanical issue was losing power at high altitude when I crossed the summit of Vail pass in Colorado. I carried spare ignition parts and a bag of hand tools on the trip, but never had to use them. I question whether I'd have the same luck with the junk after market electrical components of today. I drove that car for four years and 50,000 miles as a daily driver had no maintenance issues other than wear items.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

You know it won't be a direct route... There are places along the way that must be visited that will pull you off your route... So, the 5200 mile trip will be 6000-6500... You could dream about averaging 500 miles a day but honestly most days 350 would be realistic & there are gonna be days spent going to museums or racetracks... Or the Grand Canyon, or visiting FBBO members... Or dealing with car issues...

Figure a minimum of 25 days on the road not counting hitting Carlisle... Or possibly hitting the Mopar nationals along the way...

Now, lets consider the weather, seems like I was reading about a member trying to get home from Carlisle yesterday that had to detour around a few floods... How many crazy weather incidences would you catch spending a month driving coast to coast and back?

I love my 150-400 mile vintage car adventures... A two three day 1000 mile adventure is great...

6000 miles of not the best seats, $4 a gallon gas, sleeping in the car or a tent, questionable hotels & food poisoning...

I've been coast to coast a few times in old cars it was a blast but I'm not sure I would want to do it again...

I have the upmost respect & admiration for Hawk having done the trip a few times in recent years...

Sorry, I guess I'm not being much of a ray of sunshine...

 

[33 IMP]

In the early eighties, my parents roadtripped from Southern California to visit relatives in Edmonton. They used my Mom's 49 Plymouth business coupe. They had some trouble in Yermo ca., needed me to bring them a set of points, a condenser, and a few tools. We fixed it (points rubbing block worn away and gone) and they finished the trip with no further trouble.
Tho it was my mom's car, dad did most of the driving. Mom hadn't driven a three on the tree since 1955.

 

[68BabyBlue]

More recently, I bought GTX number five in 2016, and flew from State College, PA to Waterloo, IA to drive it home, with my friend Bob (the guy who sold me Baby Blue in 1983.) Unlike the Imperial in my earlier post, I took the car on a thorough road test. A key factor in my decision to road trip that one home was the car's ownership history. When it came out of hibernation in 2001, it had been purchased by a young mechanic who went through the mechanical components with a microscope, and drove the car for 12 years.

We had zero mechanical issues with the GTX, but Bob and I both agreed that cruising at 3500 rpm with a 3:54 Dana rear, and no air conditioning lost its appeal fairly early in the trip. We took four days to get home, and I had 1500 miles covered when I reached my driveway.

 

[davek]

Drove my charger from Rochester NY to Houston Texas when I was young and in love had a water bed tied to the top, No problem. 1550 miles.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Can't say I did but the Satellite did, out to California and 4years later came back. Bonneville Salt Flats 2nd pictures the original owner, think Glacier National Park.

 

[ckessel]

I drove my 67 wagon last fall for the Power Tour West. Point to point, we did 1700 miles. No issues with the car, thank God, but I was prepared. Topped off the oil every 2-3 tanks of fuel. No a/c and two full figured gents cruising the highways. Glad this years version is only 3 days, but I'll have a day on each end of that and happens in December. Potentially cooler than last year but the weather isn't controlled by me, so will have to take it as it comes. I'll have the brake/suspension/steering upgrades done before that happens. Seats and two stroke 440 will have to wait.