Mustang road trips

How to take week long road trips in a 1960's era automobile, such as a 67 Mustang

The Car

Spare Parts

Motels

Chow

Tunes

Towns

Nifty Places Worth Seeing

The Mission

The idea behind a classic car roadtrip is as follows. By visiting the backroads and small towns of strange and exotic places, such as Wyoming, you'll be tempting the breakdown Gods, reliving your youth, and seeing much more of our great country than if you were just taking a normal dull vacation to the nearest tourist trap in your bland minivan or SUV. Your classic car roadtrip is an adventure. I generally figure on about 2000 miles of adventure in a week. That way you'll see many different areas, but have enough time to wander around on foot. You want to be free of any schedule, thus leaving time to do whatever strikes your fancy.

The Car

Any vehicle from the early 70's and older is suitable for roadtrips. The idea is that you're tempting fate by driving something older than 98 percent of the other cars on the road. Additional reasons are as follows.

You'll attract attention, thus impressing the locals when they ask where you're from. Young women will swoon, wishing they too could hang out with such an adventuresome hunk, as opposed to the local fellas working down in the factory who all drive new pickups.
You can fix the thing if it should blow lunch. Hopefully, if you own such a car, you'll know how to work on it. Cars of a bygone era are much simpler than the modern variety of course, and although an older car may not be as reliable overall, it will be simpler to repair if something should happen. The locals will be able to help too if required, unlike a modern car. Older cars tend to have full size spare tires too.
Old cars are fun. They're quirky and unique, with a wide range of personalities. A modern ride is bland, boring, and insulated. You're out there to experience the road, not to be tucked away in your safe and cozy living room on wheels. If your classic car should happen to have air conditioning, leave it off, no matter how hot it is. You want the wind in your hair, the local scents in your nose, and your sweaty back on those fine vinyl seats. Your classic car is not aerodynamic, it can be uncomfortable, and is not particularly safe, but hey, it's cool and stimulates the senses.

Modifications and Additions

Some areas of your old vehicle should be upgraded. An electronic voltage regulator is a vast improvement over your old mechanical relay style unit. An auto parts store will be able to help you with this simple and cheap swap. Additionally, your points style ignition should be upgraded to electronic ignition. You can go with a factory type stolen from a later model in a junkyard, or an aftermarket unit such as Pertronix, Mallory, or Accel. Keep the original working pieces of the above items in your trunk though, just in case.
A decent stereo is required to serenade you down the two lane roads. I recommend a dash unit with a cassette player which also controls a trunk mounted CD changer. The best of both worlds. You'll want to take old tunes with you, and if you've only got them on records (kids, ask some old person what records are) it's much easier to record them on tape than burn a CD. Some automotive CD units (such as mine) don't play burned CD's either. Speakerwise, unlike newer cars, virtually all old cars have room for some nice big 6 by 9 inch units with huge magnets to impress folks with. Since your windows will normally be down, you'll need plenty of volume to overcome the road noise.
As for that road noise, it can be reduced with a special mat which lays under your carpet. You don't want your car to be silent inside, but cutting the noise level will enable you to hear the music and leave you fresher at the end of a day.
Whatever you drive, a few words of advice are in order. Make sure the front end is sound. This could run into some bucks, but being able to keep your ride on the road is usually a good thing. Invest in some decent tires. No need to go overboard on an older car which isn't capable of high cornering speeds and such. Overall, you should replace everything on your old sled that is on the downside of its life expectancy, so you don't have to replace it in the backwoods of Tennesee. Exhaust, brakes, starter, battery, belts, hoses, fluids, and alternator to name a few items. Doing this junk is far beyond the scope of this page, so let's just move on.

Modifications on my car
(click the appropriate thumbnail image)

Image A. Most owners of these old Mustangs don't realize this, but a modern DIN sized in-dash stereo can be jammed into the radio bezel by hogging out the opening with a hacksaw and file. Here's a Blaupunkt cassette deck which also controls a trunk mounted disc changer. It's saner looking than nearly anything on the market these days, and is easy to use . There's also a Technics amplifier to ensure the deck mounted 6x9 inch speakers can be properly enjoyed.
Image B and C. I've upgraded the cooling system in these two ways. The two blue handles serve as valves to isolate the heater core, thus reducing the amount of heat inside the car. Additionally, should the heater core spring a leak, something they often do, you can totally shut the water off. The addition of an overflow tank ensures no coolant will be lost if the car decides to spew some fluid out through the radiator cap.
Image D. Yes boys and girls, that's a genuine 2-barrel carburetor, something few people use these days. It's more manly to mount a nice big 4-barrel carburetor you know. I too used a Holley 600 4-barrel carb for many years ,only to grow up and realize the only time you need a big carb is when you have it floored, which really shouldn't be that often should it? This is a Ford 2150 carb swiped from a 78 Mercury Monarch, bolted to an Edelbrock Performer intake with a homemade adapter fashioned from two layers of 1/4 inch aluminum plate. It starts, idles, and cruises better than the Holley ever did, and delivers an additional 4 mpg over the Holley, in both city and highway driving. The 2150 is very simple, easy to rebuild, and utterly reliable, which is in direct contrast to a Holley.
Image D again. You'll also notice an open air cleaner with a K&N filter, closed PCV system, quality plug wires, an export brace, and manifold vacuum applied to the adjustable advance unit. 90% of all old car enthusiasts will say I'm nuts for not connecting the hose for the vacuum advance unit to the carburetor, but that's their problem. This creates a very nice idle and remarkable throttle response.

Other Assorted Pertinant Alterations

Full length dual exhaust with H-pipe and a pair of Midas lifetime mufflers, which are durable and produce a nice throaty tone.
KYB gas shocks, rear springs one notch stiffer than normal, and 7/8 inch sway bar on the front with 5/8 on the rear. Standard is 5/8 inch on the front only. A rear bar makes a huuuuge difference. It makes the car feel planted to the road, even when going in a straight line. The rear springs are a bit stiff with nothing in the trunk, but are just right for the roadtrips with a trunk full of spares and such.
A separate transmission fluid cooler mounted in front of the radiator.
Heavyweight Ford 9" rear end with 3.25 gears. Not an ideal setup for roadtrips, assuming you have a normal transmission, but the damn thing seems to weigh at least 1000 pounds so it's staying. The gears are a good match for the next item though.
A Ford AOD 4-speed automatic transmission from a 1985 Crown Victoria. This is a reasonably common swap these days, and results in a .67 overdrive gear, which reduces top gear RPM to two thirds of normal. This change increased highway gas mileage from 19-20mpg at 60 mph, up to 24 mpg at 70 mph. Local mileage has increased from roughly 16 to 19 mpg, but this is dependant upon getting the car into 4th gear, which means reaching 45 mph and above.
A mild Wolverine cam, just a bit stronger than stock, bit makes a nice sound with good response and economy.
A sheet of steel separating the trunk from the rear seat, since old Mustangs suffer from Rear-endus Explosionitis, just like old Pintos. The steel is to confine the fire to the trunk area, for a few seconds, so you can get out.
Pertronix ignition module and matching coil, as mentioned a few hundred words above.
Wood steering wheel, since standard Mustang units are crap and fall apart after 10 years.
Aluminum roller rocker arms. Why you may ask? I'll tell you why. It's because the Morons at Midwest Motorsports , a machine shop in Ames, Iowa, butchered the original heads on this engine. I wanted the valves done and guideplates added so I could convert to the more reliable non-rail rocker arms. 1967 289 Ford 2-barrel engines came with rail rocker arms, but of course you knew that. Anyway, the Morons at Midwest Motorsports somehow managed to install the valves and studs non-parallel with each other. They weren't quite at the same angle, and pushrods commenced to bend as the rocker arm tip slid off the valve stem, thus ruining everything involved. They chose to ignore me, so now I choose to badmouth the Morons at Midwest Motorsports every chance I get. I acquired some sound heads and had the Arnolds machine shop in Marshalltown, Iowa fix um up properly. Being paranoid by now, I bought some aluminum roller rocker arms for maximum stability, since once you have a few rocker arms fall off the valve stems, you will do anything to keep it from happening again. I now realize that aluminum rockers may not be as reliable as steel ones, but I have some spare stock steel rockers in the trunk just in case. Oh yeah, I still have those wonderful heads done by the Morons at Midwest Motorsports if anyone would like to make an offer.

Spare Parts

Here's a reasonably complete list of what's in my trunk on one of these trips. This looks pretty anal, but you'll be ready for just about anything. I've had one breakdown thus far. After filling up with gas the car would crank but not start. A quick check showed virtually no spark at the plugs, which turned out to be a faulty Mallory Unilite ignition module in the distributor. I replaced it with the old points, already preset, and away I went. I've since installed a Pertronix ignition module with their coil, and it's performed fine.

Alternator, starter motor, solenoid.
Original mechanical voltage regulator.
Points and condenser on their mounting plate.
Distributor cap and rotor.
Gallon of 50/50 antifreeze, radiator cap, thermostat.
Two qts. of oil, one qt. of P/S fluid, one pt. of brake fluid.
Jumper cables, tow strap, one gallon of gas.
Hydraulic floor jack, lugwrench.
Spare tire, can of stopleak.
Coveralls in case I need to crawl under the car.
Complete sets of wrenches, sockets, and other hand tools.
Digital voltmeter, flashlight with a flourescent bulb.
Quality electrical tape, fuses, spool of wire.
Engine belts.
Rubber fuel line, radiator hoses, heater hose, and clamps.
Silicone and Aviation Form-a-Gasket sealers.
Repair manual of course, with wiring diagrams. If you're a real man, forget the manual.
Brake, tail, turnsignal bulbs and flasher.
Spare radio, ignition and light switches.

Motels

This is an important topic, so pay attention and take notes if needed. Unless you're an experienced camper, or you have friends or family in every town, you're gonna have to shack up in a motel at the end of each day .

On the left is the cheapest place I've ever stayed in. 25 bucks including the tax. Notice the fancy heater, the designer colors, and the fine lighting. This was at a Mom and Pop joint in a small Wyoming village, which was frankly the only motel within 50 miles. Although it's tacky as hell, it was cheap and available. Hey, you're only there to sleep, for one night only, so it needn't be a 4 star hotel. On the right is foggy Lake Superior as seen through the window of a small non-chain motel in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Nifty huh? This was on my honeymoon so I figured I better splurge a bit.

The photo on the left is of a Mom and Pop motel near Virginia, Minnesota. There were dogs behind the office counter, and as you can see, dogs on my bed. Oddly enough, this was in the basement of the motel, but it was a darn nice place.

But what about the big chain motels, you may ask? Aren't they much nicer? Sure they are, if you can get a room. Many is the time I've pulled into a town, especially on a weekend, only to find the chains full. Empty parking lots, but they're full. You could call in reservations like the absent jerks who are filling up these rooms, many of whom later fail to show up, but that defeats the purpose of the free and careless roadtrip.

To make matters worse, the chain motels don't even bother to put up No Vacancy signs, thus requiring you to waste time at each one asking if they have a room. These places are nice once in a while, but in our quest for adventure, let's try to avoid them when possible. However, if you find a lack of Mom and Pop shacks, I've found Super 8 Motels to be a reasonably priced alternative with decent creature comforts.

Beware of certain cities on weekends, as Trish and I found out on our honeymoon excursion around Lake Superior. It seems as though it's common knowledge in Duluth, Minnesota that there are no rooms to be found, anywhere in town, on weekends. Duluth is an interesting college town, and the gateway to the north shore of Lake Superior, so I reckon that's the problem. Additionally, beware of major events such as ball games, festivals, whatever. They can hog all the locally available rooms. You'll only discover things like this the hard way, so this is another good reason to shy away from the beaten path.

You're looking for cities with populations of 2 to 20 thousand, as good places to stay. This size range will ensure a choice of places to stay, a variety of joints to chow down at, and still retain a measure of hominess. The chain motels are almost always on the edges of town, thus you'll see them first. What you're looking for are places with Vacancy signs, which is a good indication of a local one-of-a-kind establishment. Some of them will be on the edges of town, but just as many will be closer to the downtown area. Staying in one of these downtown motels makes it easy to wander around on foot and check out the local shops and such. Staying at a chain motel out on the edge of town leaves you looking at Burger Kings and gas stations.

Chow

Part of the fun of roadtrips is eating the local quisine. Nothing like grits to start off the day you know. Here are some helpful hints to aid you in choosing a place to put on the feedbag.

If you've been cruising on a 4 lane highway, chances are all you'll see are the same boring chain eateries you see everywhere. To escape these you need to look for a town within a few miles of the highway and venture downtown.
Find the main street, or town square, and look for someone's name on the joint. "Bertha's Eats", "Clems Bar and Grille". Bar's that serve food are usually just fine. Usually.
Get yourself the local newspaper and relax in the damp vinyl of the booth of your choice. While waiting for the server, she's most likely in the backroom shaving her mustache, bone up on the local news. Notice how much fun it would be to live there, or not.
Here's where things get fun. Don't try ordering something the place clearly doesn't specialize in. For instance, if the other patrons appear to be meat and potato types, don't go ordering some sissy-ass salad. Get something they would approve of. Something large, and full of cholesterol. This is a vacation, you can afford to live dangerously dietwise for a week can't you? Plus, you don't need to get mugged on your way out because the locals have you pegged for a puss.
Don't be alarmed if they carry RC products instead of Coke or Pepsi. Deal with it. I usually go for chocolate milk myself for lunch, and a domestic beer for dinner. Order a foreign beer and your server may spit in it.
Breakfast, the most delightful of meals when on the road. If you spent the night in a chain motel, you may be tempted by their continental breakfast, which is eurospeak for doughnuts and synthetic orange juice. Don't do it. All carbs and no protein makes Jack a dull boy you know, so it's best to go find yourself some eggs with your choice of pig meat. Lotsa coffee too. Such a breakfast will keep you cleaned out on your trip, and I don't mean money-wise.

Tunes

Naturally, what you listen to while cruising the backroads is your own choice, but since this is my webpage, I will make a few suggestions. Assuming the Cubs aren't playing on a local radio station, or on satellite radio for those of you with that option, you'll need the proper driving music.

Bruce Springsteen. Not only is he a legend, but it seems like fully one half of his songs mention driving or cars in some manner. Plus, he's a big fan of old cars, so you should be a big fan of his.
Neil Young's "Ragged Glory" album. Recorded in a barn, with a his old band Crazy Horse, this stuff can cut through any windnoise you're likely to encounter, short of a tornado. It's loud, distorted, and mind numbing.
If you're in the deep south, opt for some older Doobie Brothers, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Allman Brothers, etc. Put yourself in the mood for your surroundings. Play Kansas when in Kansas. Hopefully you won't be in Kansas for long, so you'll only need an hour or so. Note: This does not mean you should listen to John Denver when in the Rockies. Same with Barry Manilow, or the Village People, or any other embarrassments from the past.
Steeley Dan has been shown to be good driving music, as have the Doors, Yes, Warren Zevon, blah blah blah.
Frank Zappa requires too much thought and attention. Be careful playing Frank.

Towns

You'll want to visit plenty of towns and smaller cities on your roadtrip, as part of your quest is to find the interesting, unique, and unusual. Here are some tips on finding such places.

Rivers. It's hard to beat a river town for interesting sights. Many such places seem to have a thriving art community. Additionally, you'll also often find terrific old buildings of interesting architecture which often house eating and drinking establishments.
2 lane roads. Not too many quaint places will greet you from a stinking interstate. Stick to the smaller roads and you'll find sights such as the one to the right, the famous Babcock's Store somewhere in eastern Oklahoma. That's Brad next to the car. As long as you're looking at Brad, let's discuss medical care. If your traveling companion should happen to develop a kidney stone problem for instance, and begin experiencing excruciating pain while on your trip, you'll be faced with the dilemma of locating a hospital for treatment and thus wasting valuable travel time, or merely dumping him off on the side of the road and pressing on. Your choice, but it's something to consider.
Physically secluded locations, such as this heavily wooded Ozark area city on the lower right, offer chances at uncommercialized local type surroundings. In other words, fewer McDonalds and WalMarts.
You'll even stumble across hidden gems away from any town, such as this old car lot, in the boonies of Arkansas.

I've recently taken up the sport of fishing from a kayak. The left photo shows an Old Town Dirigo strapped to the roof of the Mustang. This seems looney, but with a vinyl roof and foam blocks, no harm is done to the car. On the right you can see what I normally catch.

Nifty Places Worth Seeing

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