Yup, I was just telling Jason last week about blowing the rear leaving Beech Bend in my '70 GS @ the '86 Nationals. Couple guys from our hotel (Ramada) came back & trailered the car to the hotel. On Sunday, got a local guy to deliver a Chevelle rear to the hotel for $50 & he ran me downtown to the parts store he worked @ to get a u-joint/straps, etc. We were kids (19) & Everyone leaving Sunday stopped to check if we were good. Finally, we were the last Buick guys there. Happened to be a mechanic @ the gas station right there late Sunday afternoon that burned the plastic out of the original u-joint. Finally got on the road around 6-7PM. 650 miles with a 2.56 (ish) rear with a 4-sp, metal to metal rear brakes, and probably not much more than gas $, but we got home. Might finally check this year to see if the old rear is still behind the hotel.
At 19 two friends and I were watching Spring break on the Playboy channel (1984) and decided to go to Daytona Beach. Two days later we are on the road for a 1200 mile trip(each way) in his 78 Chevette, no place to stay but we said we would figure it out. 1/2 way there the car dies, ended up being a kinked rubber fuel line. Spent 5 days in Daytona, sleeping where ever we could find a place, mostly on the floors of friends hotel rooms. On the way back the heater stuck on and we took the dash apart while driving and disconnected it. No other issues luckily. Before the trip we did not worry or think about mechanical break downs or any other potential problems. Now I would not even consider doing something like that. I'm old and chicken.... Can't wait to see this car Jasonized because we all know he can't just leave it alone...
The stuff was easy to fix back then if there was a problem (exc. trying to get a used engine in the Florida Keys). Took my 2000 beater Camry w/my little 5x8 trailer on a 1500 mile parts run earlier this year and have taken the 300k mi beater truck on some relatively long runs this year. Was fun. Other than local vehicles, mine were probably the biggest POS's I saw on the road...lol. In a way, these days with towing on the insurance & cell phones (and more $ in our pockets) it's just different than when we could fix the stuff on the side of the road. I could've just as easily gotten Uber to the airport and abandoned the beater car if it blew up. Would've been more worried about my $500 trailer and especially the parts I had, but could've rented a mini-storage unit somewhere for them. Funny, I just saw a Chevette on the road a couple weeks ago & another maybe 6-8 mos. mos. ago. Amazing any are still driving around.
Man, my parents had 2 chevettes when I was a kid. Those things were such immense pieces of rancid crap.....
Car made it here Sat morning. Met the guy at the hotel parking lot a few blocks away from my house. My neighborhood has too many tight streets and low wires. Naturally, the car ran out of gas on the trailer so I had to run home and get fuel, a funnel, etc. Minor hiccup. Car started right up (whew). I drove it home with no plates and Jen following me. First impressions- Its more cranberry than fire engine red. Car has definitely been sitting around for a few years. Needs a good "going over" and Jason-izing. Runs like a Buick, smells like a Buick. It looks like shes got good bones and she'll clean up just fine. Its not ratty, but its definitely a little rough around the edges which is what I wanted. Jen looked at it and questioned my decision to not garage it. She seems to think its too good for the driveway. Overall, it looks like a decent car. Unfortunately, I had a full plate of house stuff to attend to over the weekend. I needed to, what I call, "de-Sanford and Son" the house a little. Also finish the deck repairs and get the parts haul put away. On top of it I had to diagnose and repair fellow LI Buick Club members 69 GS 400 and transport a friend's Monaco orange 69 SS 396/350 4 speed to its new garage about 50 miles away. Needless to say, it was a full weekend. I was actually happy to go back to work this morning. I needed the rest. And now they're saying its going to rain for the next two day I'll probably start a new thread with a bunch of pictures
