Road Trip to Texas/ Anyone else taken the ol Caddy for a long trip?

[Jeff Maltby 4194]

Father flew me back to Detroit to will call his new 56.  He saved the will call 2 page list seen here for all these years ~:<)

Click on each to enlarge.

[62droptop]

how cool is that to have that after all these years

must have been a great trip home

how far did you have to go

[52Cadillac]

Yep those are pretty neat to see Jeff. I have never heard of or seen those before. Love history. Ive some enlistment papers somewhere for WW1.
Picked up the car yesterday from Honest Johns. Dad was admitted to hospital yesterday. So mine and the Caddies trip to Texas is extended until further notice. My Gal and the kiddos will head back today in a rental car. I'm going to email some pics of caddy to myself, and use Dads laptop to try and post up a couple pics of the girl.
Mike

[LeRoy DeVol]

I used to live in Mc Kinney Texas, and i had friends in Las Vegas . I drove my 1947 Cadillac 4 times from Texas to Nev. in 3 years with only miner problems. The worst was my generator went bad on my first trip and i could not find anybody to help me. I got smart and converted to a alternator as i had a 12 volt system. This was the best thing i ever did. I have driven the car 20,000 miles since then with no problems. The only other problem was i drove thru Flagstaff in the summer at 110 degrees and the car vapor locked on hwy. 40 and that was scarey . To be broke down on the road with everybody going by you at 80 miles per hr. is not very pleasant.  One thing i must say is i have bias tires on my car and if the road is in good condition, no problem, but if the road is in bad shape the drive is not so nice.

Lee DeVol

[Whit Otis, 1188]

When we moved from Casper, WY to Evansville, IN, I filled up my 1940 7533F Formal Sedan with stuff I wanted to personally move.  On departure day (after trip prep... lube, oil, general service) I went out in the garage and hit the starter and away I went.  It was a 1200 mile trip and many of my car friends thought I was nuts to head out on the road by myself in a '40 Cad.  I was traveling alone and spent one night in motel enroute.  Frankly it is one of my happy memories of this car which I've owned since the mid 1980's.  11 years ago we moved from Evansville, IN to Colorado Springs and I went through the same routine again.  No breakdowns, not even any minor troubles   .... again, a fun trip.  When I stopped to fill up for gas, I was thronged by other people in the station.  Damn fine car and totally reliable, even tho the chauffeurs non adjustable front seat makes for a bit of cramped quarters when you are over 6' tall..... I'd do it again again though.
Whit

[52Cadillac]

couple pics of the Ol Girl

can a moderator flip those around please. Tanks

[52Cadillac]

I've no idea how those ended upside down. chit sorry guys.

Lee your right as I've experienced the broke down beside the road feeling. I was lucky enough to repair with the THP asking how much did that cost ya? (caddy). I def noticed that about Bias ply and Radial. You'll feel the road lines pull you in one direction or the other.

Whit I also had folks saying you gonna drive that old car cross country? my pat answer now is my Toyota wasn't up to the task so I had to pull out the heavy artillery Cadillac 62.

[Walter Youshock]

Whit,  your car is GORGEOUS!  Next time you plan a long trip, let me know!  I'd love to travel in that car.  Really, you don't even need a hotel when you have a formal sedan!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Mike,

It took a while but I managed to flip them.

Initially, I thought you took the pictures down here "Down-under"

Bruce.

[52Cadillac]

Walt I'm with ya, Whits car would be very cool to travel in.  We just don't see enough of our cars traveling the interstate highways. We have folks snapping pics of our car all the time as they drive by.

Thanks Bruce for the flip.
Those pics were taken on our return trip in the western hills of Pennsylvania. Always wanted to visit our friends down under.

[bcroe]

I drive my late 70s to every corner of the US, and also to Canada.  A 2000 mile trip for the
weekend is a common routine.  No caravans for me, I am bent of going somewhere, and
the car had better perform flawlessly.  My record was 1250 miles in one day, last year.  But
I think, late 70s cars are far better suited to this, than those a couple decades older. 
Bruce Roe

[52Cadillac]

Wow Bruce, that's amazing, to me anyhow. No touring at 1250 mi per day? I don't know why you wouldn't have the time. Shoot I'm doing good if I hit a third of your mileage driven. Post up a pic of your car if avail.
Later, Mike

[bcroe]

Wow Bruce, that's amazing, to me anyhow. No touring at 1250 mi per day? I don't know why
you wouldn't have the time. Shoot I'm doing good if I hit a third of your mileage driven. Post
up a pic of your car if avail. Later, Mike 

Mike, Here is the 79 Eldo in my shop.  It's done 7 states NH to IL in a day, 1100 miles.  The
blue 77 did the 1250 from FL to IL, won't do that again.  Yea an Olds, aside from RWD has the
same engine & trans as the 79.  Some people may laugh at me, but read my bumper sticker. 
Bruce Roe

[gary griffin]

A few weeks ago a friend told me of the arrival of a "Big Old Cadillac " in his neighborhood.  I drove by and there was an older gentleman working under the Cadillac.  I stopped to see if I could assist and we had a great chat. He is from Venetia California and has owned the car 40 years. He is also a mechanic (Named Joe) and had a breakdown in Oregon and limped and had a tow to his Sons home in Federal Way Washington.
   Joe told me that the 47 Cadillac series 75 is his primary car and he was getting the crank turned (Bearing Failure) and rebuilding the transmission in his sons garage.
   Showing me around in the car he had TV, Stereo, Refrigerator, and anything else you would want to take trips with your grand kids. It is a divider car with jump seats and basically a rolling hotel.
   Joe is 75 years old and not a club member but I lined him up with a couple of vendors and Otto's "Huge Vendors List"
    I stopped by regularly and chatted and he is a great guy. He drives the car anywhere he needs to go as a person should. I hope he had a great trip home.

[62droptop]

cool story

great to see someone driving the old caddy and fixing it as required

if you never drive your car,nothing breaks or wears out

[bcroe]

cool story   great to see someone driving the old caddy and fixing it as required
if you never drive your car,nothing brakes or wears out

Plenty of things will "break" (brake?) even if you don't drive the car, starting
with unsafe tires.  My old cars are reliable, because everything gets maintenance. 

Bruce Roe

[52Cadillac]

Love to hear the traveling stories. I don't think I would have the room for all that. Well I could toss out the gals luggage and have room for a beer frig. Hehe

[Eric S. Maypother #15104]

I enjoy these stories to, my story, though only a 15 year old Cadillac at the time, in 1999 I drove a 1985 Fleetwood Brougham to Daytona Beach from Massachusetts, round trip about 2,500 miles, then in 2000 I went to Ft Myers Beach, Daytona Beach them back home, about a 3,000 mile round trip.

I didn't have any trouble but saw plenty of fairly new cars broken down on the highway. I guess if you do proper maintenance you shouldn't have any trouble, or very little trouble driving long distances. I have a 1990 Brougham now and I think nothing of taking it on 150-200 mile trips.

On the last trip back from Daytona Beach I drove non stop without sleeping, only stopped for gas, eat and bathroom stops, I did it in 23hrs 45mins, I was less than a mile from my house and some idiot flew threw a stop sign and nearly hit me, he said he didn't see me coming up the hill, I said well that's why they have a stop sign there. Next time I'll stop half way, it's too much driving that far without sleep, I start seeing things in the road that aren't there. I want to drive to Las Vegas sometime from Massachusetts, that's about 2,700 miles and about 40hrs driving time.

My father was stationed at the Airforce base in Idaho in the 50's and met my mother out there and he drove across the country 7 times with my mother and when my oldest brother was born him to, he was driving cars from the 40's and 50's. He was telling me one time after driving to Massachusetts and back to Idaho with no trouble he got a flat tire about a mile from where they were living and he had to take all the luggage out of trunk to get to spare and people he knew were driving by beeping and seeing if he needed any help, he said they probably though he was just out for an afternoon drive and didn't know he just drove across the country and back.

[52Cadillac]

I remember driving through Needles as a young kid in the sixties to see my Grandparents in Mi. Maybe a Plymouth Savoy. We had lived in Calif while Dad was stationed at Ft Ord. Memorable times. Probably why I love putting the top down. Weather(hehe) it's cool or blazing Hot. Ok, maybe not as long with blazing hot, I will put top up at some point for shade.

My Fav Gal returns today for our return trip to the east coast. We leave on Saturday by way of I20. The storm should of passed by then, we hope.
Mike

[52Cadillac]

Alrighty then, we left my folks homestead this morning and headed to SC. Just before we get to the freeway we spot a small local car show, and ride over to check her out. The 52 was well received. One hour later we hit the road for a hot day down I20. The Ol gurl ran well, and without incident. Leaving Jackson,Ms in am for a night in Atlanta. Anyone else traveling in their car this weekend?
I'll try to catch up with a couple of members tomorrow in Atlanta area, or before we leave for Home Monday morning.
Mike