GN cross country drive- am I nuts?

[Squid4life]

Well, I know some guys use their GN's as their daily drivers and have racked up 100 - 200k+ on them, but I was wondering what you all thought about driving one cross country... Next month I am heading from Kansas to Pensacola Florida for a school, then from P'Cola, back to Kansas, then off to San Diego, California. I am getting ready to install my new front cover so I will carry more oil pressure, got all new hoses, belt, tires, ... Actually the engine only has about 2,000 miles on it. I am still chasing knock, whether it is false or real.

One thing I was considering before the trip was going with the F body radiator, even if I am keeping the stock fan for now. Any other suggestions?

I will most likely start a new thread, or add it to this one about asking for a GN guy in each state as a point of contact in case of a break down or something. :redface:

 

[rev. 3:11]

I drove from Houston to Yuma, AZ. & back in my 1st '87, & Hou. to Pensacola and back in my current '87, no problems at all. Just do a good spring cleaning/tune-up, etc. Be careful when you drive through the desert as ambient temps are pretty surprising! Expect higher than normal and try to avoid mid-day driving. Don't push it too hard, enjoy the drive.
D

 

[Grumpy]

20 year old "used" car ...anything could happen

 

[Squid4life]

yeah, seriously considering the F body radiator pre-trip. It is a fresh motor, lots of new parts, but that usually doesn't mean anything. :redface:

 

[TurboTnZ06]

If I had to drive my T across the country, in the trunk I'd have a backup Powermaster, ECM and enough tools to fix almost anything.

 

[Squid4life]

Definitely a big tool box, ECM maybe, (trying) and no on the powermaster. :frown:

 

[PEACHS]

These cars are so proven!!! I would drive mine anywhere besides you would at least break the motor in right. I would make sure your cooling system is up to par. florida gets very warm so a good 5 core should do the trick. I am sure you'll be using your AC to.

 

[Squid4life]

Mine is proven to be a pain in the a$$, that is all.

It wouldbe near perfect if it weren't for false (hopefully) knock. But that is another thread...

 

[Bescurred]

I drove my 86 Gn this past summer from Atlanta, Ga to Dover, De. It was about a 700mile trip. The car had 160,000 on the ticker too when I did that. Not one problem the whole time. I even raced the dog crap out of it up there on slicks at Cecil Co. Cutting deep 1.6's and running mid-low 12's. Drive it. You'll be happy you have your car with you.

 

[Louie L.]

What you have to remember is that if you are going to use it as transportation it must be treated as transportation. If you are 1/2 way thru your trip and a Mustang rolls up next to ya, you should remember that if it breaks you are far away from home.

With that said i drove my Gn when it was a street car to Bristol and Back when it was a 11.20 car. I did make 2 passes at the track the 1st day so i had time to fix it if it would have broken. Nothing broke and drove back. This was in my pretrailer days.

With all the above said a set of tools are a must during a road trip.Make a list fo the cars weaknesses and try to make plans for them"just in case"

 

[Grumpy]

whatever tools or parts you bring will not be what brakes how about breaking a forward clutch drum in the trans as ya "play" a little on the way

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Probably the biggest problem would be "losing" the car when parked at rest areas, restaurants, etc on the trip.

 

[Squid4life]

What you have to remember is that if you are going to use it as transportation it must be treated as transportation. If you are 1/2 way thru your trip and a Mustang rolls up next to ya, you should remember that if it breaks you are far away from home.

With that said i drove my Gn when it was a street car to Bristol and Back when it was a 11.20 car. I did make 2 passes at the track the 1st day so i had time to fix it if it would have broken. Nothing broke and drove back. This was in my pretrailer days.

With all the above said a set of tools are a must during a road trip.Make a list fo the cars weaknesses and try to make plans for them"just in case"

My wife just said the same thing after I got back from beating on it at the track. :biggrin:

Grumpy, I am sure you are right. You could take the whole tool box in a trailer behind you and you will still forget to bring something.

BuickGn Boosted- You are now permanently on my "no Christmas card" list. :tongue: I have a column gard, and will be getting a good alarm before the trip as well. And a few kill switches/hidden features, etc.

 

[Slo86GN]

<shrug> I drove Ol Gray from SE Ga to Albany, NY and back again with no problems other than having the maf meter start acting up. She had 172K miles on the odo, and other than the MAF, gave me zero problems. My first TR was an 86 GN, and I put 60K+ miles on it with only minor hiccups (coil pack, module, O2 sensors, w/g solenoid).....well, the PM did die, so that was more than a minor problem...lol. I would say take a good spare coilpack/module, spark plugs, TPS sensor, maf meter (if you still have the stock one in place), ECM, and the tools to remove said items. Just remember, you are on a road trip, so wouldn't be wise to beat on the car too hard, even if a doofus in a Mustnag revs at you. Just set the cruise and enjoy the drive.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

I would be concerned with my own tranny snapping something (I've broken input shaft, forward drum before on the highway). I still think a backup powermaster would be nice to have. If it goes out when you need brakes, well, yer done. What if you are in the mountains? It is easy to replace, if you've done it before. I lived at 7500 ft up in the Rockies and it was always on my mind- what if the PM went out...Didn't stop me from driving, but I was aware of the scenario. Of course I didn't have a backup in the trunk, but thought about it a lot. I had the PM go out in Dallas after leaving a friend's house. Flat went straight though a stop sign- luckily, late at night and no other cars around.

 

[86gngirl]

Take the drive! Thier are more than enough part stores out their and dealships if needed. Just take some cash with you and enjoy. I'm in PA if you come through. We'll help anyway we can!! Good luck!! :biggrin:

 

[Squid4life]

Slo- I will most likely keep spares handy, or at least part numbers in case. And I doubt I will beat on it on the way there. Once I get there is another story...

TurboTnZ06- I have even considered swapping to vac brakes for that very reason. But I hate to fix things that aren't broke (yet...)

86gngirl- I think PA is a bit out of the way from KS to P'Cola. Although I was stationed in MD, not to far from you. We always took trips to PA. Beautiful area, great hunting! Oh, and I am DEFINITELY taking the drive. If I can do road trips in a '70 Ford Torino with a 3,500 stall and 3.89's, I can handle this car!

 

[Whut]

I drove my old 1984 T-Type from Minneapolis to San Antonio and back to Minneapolis in one weekend. The only problem I had was a cop in Mason City Iowa that didnt appreciate the speed I was doing.

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

Good luck, call me if you need a ride, as I now live in Hesston Ks and couls hook you up with a trailer if needed

 

[wiked87gn]

I drove mine 1,800.00 miles when i first bought it back in early 2000 from Kansas city missouri to california from Dough H with no hickups at all, got 27mph crusing 55 to 65 mhp, now with all the bolt ons and heavy foot i be lucky if i get 16mph lmao.

wikedgn