Car travel in the "olden days"

[eljefino]

My FIL's brother used to drive an aircooled VW bus from Maine to Upstate NY and back. It would need a valve job every time.

The hills aren't that big around here. Maybe he should have lifted his foot off the floor once in a while, but can anyone blame him?

My mom used to drive from home to college in a Renault Dauphine. Somewhere in the mountains of VT, every time, that car would overheat. She just brought water and added it, like it was no big deal. She would have been ~20 at the time and everyone accepted that the car was what it was. Shows that water cooling wasn't a panacea. Her dad, who had a Corvair (!) bought her a VW beetle as a graduation present. It served her well. One time it tossed a throttle return spring but she fixed it with a rubber band, LOL.

 

[Creekside]

My childhood was somewhat opposite of what is described here. I spent much of my time growing up with what became basically grandparents although she was a babysitter starting out. They’re still alive and are more like family then most of my actual family. He was a OTR truck and trailer dealer. I knew every bump in the road from from Springfield MO to Bettendorf IA because we traveled that route several times a month. I spent a LOT of time in the sleeper of that old Volvo truck. Even now I can jump in a vehicle or truck and drive 500-600 miles like it’s nothing. Attached a pic of the truck.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

My dad had a 70 and 74 beetles. Both went well over 100k with no engine work. He ran pz10w-40... I remember that the 74 was totaled @145k. Was running fine,not using oil etc

Hey Chris, Those Beetles most likely had dual port engines, which help keep the valves cool, and your Dad was running detergent base oils. The earlier 60's vintage Beetles had single port heads and I think in that era owners were advised to run non-detergent oils......those things make a huge difference engine longevity.

 

[Chris142]

Only the 74 was dual port. Dad said that the 70 always had more get up and go than the 74. Probably emissions reasons?

Hey Chris, Those Beetles most likely had dual port engines, which help keep the valves cool, and your Dad was running detergent base oils. The earlier 60's vintage Beetles had single port heads and I think in that era owners were advised to run non-detergent oils......those things make a huge difference engine longev

 

[01rangerxl]

My 2002 Ranger has been to Maine. At the time it was a fairly new truck though. What was weird to me is on the Cross Bronx Expressway, I was basically in the only non-commercial pickup. This was around maybe 2006 or so. It was just surprising to me since pickups were everywhere in the Southeast.

 

[pghvolvo]

I remember dad taking the family to Atlantic City back in 1965. We had a 1959 four door Impala at the time. No idea on the engine but it was probably the base 283 ci. with an automatic transmission. We took the Pa. Turnpike over to NJ and back at the time. The first car I remember being pretty enjoyable for long distance trips was our 1973 Buick Electra 225.

My sister had a 1993 Buick Roadmaster that she swears was best car that she and her husband have ever owned when it came to highway trips. I had a few sixties cars when I was in High School and College and the thought of doing long road trips in any of them even when they were new is not something that I would believe to be enjoyable. I don't think there were many cars before the mid-to late nineteen sixties that I would classify as a good comfortable highway car.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Only the 74 was dual port. Dad said that the 70 always had more get up and go than the 74. Probably emissions reasons?

Salute to you Dad for getting 100k out of those cars / engines. That certainly was not the norm that I experienced.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The interstates in South Carolina were finished in the late 60's to early 70's, which coincided with the beginning of the decline of the textile industry that killed off a lot of the towns in the interior of the state. Because of the decline of these towns the old single story motels still stand at the edge of town - no reason to bulldoze them since there has been no progress or need for the space. I even found some old maps that pre-dated the interstates and have tried to follow them on occasion. Its quite sad on one hand, but nostalgic on the other.

 

[brianl703]

My 2002 Ranger has been to Maine. At the time it was a fairly new truck though. What was weird to me is on the Cross Bronx Expressway, I was basically in the only non-commercial pickup. This was around maybe 2006 or so. It was just surprising to me since pickups were everywhere in the Southeast.

My dad bought a pickup when we moved to Virginia.

Virginians probably still considered him a Yankee.

 

[2005jettatdi]

Did you get travel stickers from those destinations that got stuck on the trailer? That was a big thing back then.

My parents never bought a sticker. My dad had an 828 camera he always took slide pictures with. I have it now, but how do you get 828 film and besides, digital is so much easier and cheaper. We did a lot of things off the beaten track, which is why I am always heading off in search of some long lost ghost town or whatever.

 

[ChiTDI]

For those of you who don‘t “remember” those treasured trips from America’s history, there is hope.
Motor courts, functional dial telephones, nine square feet shower floors, motel rooms with an attached garage, and other nostalgic memorabilia in full service duty can be found in Tucumcari, N.M.
Checkout the blueswallowmotel.com
They are on Route 66, literally. Recently added to the Registry for National Landmarks, this 1939 classic is worth a look and a smile.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

For those of you who don‘t “remember” those treasured trips from America’s history, there is hope.
Motor courts, functional dial telephones, nine square feet shower floors, motel rooms with an attached garage, and other nostalgic memorabilia in full service duty can be found in Tucumcari, N.M.
Checkout the blueswallowmotel.com
They are on Route 66, literally. Recently added to the Registry for National Landmarks, this 1939 classic is worth a look and a smile.

I looked at the their website photos....that place is indeed a time capsule.

 

[HemiBenny]

I remember a trip from Arkansas to Bakersfield, California in our 1979 Mercury Monarch back in '80-81. I thought that we were never going to get there or get back, it seemed to take forever.

 

[KGMtech]

In the late 60's early 70's we'd all drive from home in Vancouver BC to San Diego CA to visit my grandparents. We'd stop in Portland OR for a night to visit my great aunt at her house. Long drive but my father was very familar with the route so my mother didn't need to read the maps, if there was map reading required my dad would study up at the last restaurant or gas station before setting off because my mother was hopeless with maps!

My dad had a 37.5" sleeve, and wasn't afraid of using his reach to subdue backseat battles of my older brother and me or my 2 younger sisters as needed. I usually phantom steered from the backseat behind dad using the red handle window squeegee braced against the floor, my dad would swat me if I dared use his seat belt anchor for the gas pedal

 

[ekrampitzjr]

My dad had a 70 and 74 beetles. Both went well over 100k with no engine work. He ran pz10w-40... I remember that the 74 was totaled @145k. Was running fine,not using oil etc

The older Beetles (1950s) did tend to require engine overhaul at around 50K miles. When I was a kid, even in the 1970s when lots of later Beetles were around, you weren't seeing the older ones.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

We could call the "olden days" anything before about 1970. Even in the 1970s a lot of secondary roads in rural areas were still dirt or gravel. The Interstate system was not nearing completion in parts of the country before the 1980s.

By comparison, I drove from Tidewater Virginia to Cape Canaveral twice, in 1986 then in 1988, using I-95 all the way after leaving Virginia. But even then part of I-95 had not yet been completed near Miami. I had toyed with the idea of seeing Miami, but that was part of the reason I didn't go. Also, Florida is a long state and Miami is over 200 miles from the Cape.

 

[chrlsful]

...68 valiant with the super 225 slant 6...

did a perimeter tour of all the usa states ina '66 170 waggy (engine from my '64) 1976 (BiCentennial) loaded down w/a big oversized roof rack'n all my cast iron pots'n pans, skis, glass gal jugs of soy beans etc from VT (over a yr travel between grad'n under grad skol). Not much ofa pre-ck. (22 yr old kid) pretty spontaneous after 1st 800 mi (VT to WVa). Cumberland MD, Atlanta, south of New Orleans into bayou (Lafitte) Tucson till wheel bearing went, axle wheel carromed off'n down the rd in Tonapah, NV. Spent wk'n 5 days waiting 4 prts to come in on Greyhound. Cali'n left coast ok, Portland (MtHood)/Seattle to VT OK too. Luck of da Fool? Joker? (take yer pick - tarot or cards). Did they make cars beddah den? No service preformed B4 or after cept that mentioned (pass's wheel bearing). 10 yr ol car (150Kmi @ start)~

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Out west many of the Interstate freeways didn’t exist until around 1970. A lot of trips had to be done on US or state highways. Those went through towns so it was slow going compared to today. A trip from Seattle to Portland on the old US highway 99 took most of a day. Now you can drive down to Portland, shop and eat and be back for supper. ( if there is no traffic )



I still remember the motor courts as they used to be called.

Tourist Courts when I was a kid. Only stayed in one, Groom,Texas on US-66, spring of 1943. We were moving to Albuquerque.