Our first trip took us from Caledonia, IL to Charlotte, NC. ... 1,500mls in 2 weeks in late April 2017 ... no technical issues ...
Good vehicle for a road trip!
... more photos from the first trip ...
Great to see a 57 burning up the hiway like it should :burnout:. Much more impressive then a driveway decoration.
That is very right, Jim ... and this how you see the USA ...
... and another photo ...
All you need now is a nice little Airstream trailer :003:
Great pics Kai !
loving the one with the 40 Ford on the ramp.
... our 57 meets the 59 Edsel from America Powertrain in TN ...
... the beauty and the beast ... both on the left ... that 57 has some 700hp under the hood ... photo taken at the NSRA event in Knoxville, TN ...
... cruising scenic routes ...
... coole rides ...
... if you go just country roads you always find cool back grounds for awesome photos ...
... another one ...
... we met the King ...
... night cruising in Concord, NC ...
... and finally the first tour ended at Autobarn in Concord, NC after about 1,400mls where we stored the Wagon for a couple of months ... Great people !!!
Quote from: Kai on 2018-03-07 23:12
... we met the King ...
Thats great! I was saddened to see the NASCAR team switch to that other brand this year :005: I have a picture somewhere of my two sons when they were little with Richard and Kyle in the pits at Riverside and Kyle let the kids play with the wagon that hauled the fuel cans. They were always super nice people to talk to.
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2018-03-08 10:05
Thats great! I was saddened to see the NASCAR team switch to that other brand this year :005: I have a picture somewhere of my two sons when they were little with Richard and Kyle in the pits at Riverside and Kyle let the kids play with the wagon that hauled the fuel cans. They were always super nice people to talk to.
Jim, I sent you a P.M.
John
Perfect way to travel
After many many more miles the 57 Wagon is now in Texas waiting for us to return for road trip no.6. We have driven 8,800mls back country roads and can't wait to do more. This is soooo much fun.
Two things:
First of all, great pictures of your wagon and trip. If you're planning future travels out west you should post it, it would be nice to meet you, even if only for lunch.
I've read your thread on brake booster discussion. What did you end up doing and do you like it? I've been reading up on hydro vs. vacuum boosters. Right now I have 4-wheel Wilwood discs, Wilwood brake and clutch master - manual. Not sure which way to go yet. Do you have pictures of your set-up? Thanks
Yeah, what Les said. If we know where your headed, perhaps some of us would have a chance to meet up with you guys for lunch or local tours. I'm in Amarillo Tx., but I'm guessing from the looks of your last picture crossing into Texas, your deep south.........LOL........no trees like that around here. I'm going to hazard a guess you're headed for the Austin area?
Ha ... the car is in Weatherford right now. And yes, our next trip will only bring as as south as Austin. We'll just do 7 days from/to Weatherford. Stopps are in Waco, Austin and Fredericksburg. It will be all about small country roads, good Texan BBQ, rodeo and some good music. We then plan to be at the Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR race and finally get to see a basket ball game in Dallas. Since we run short on vacation already we will the car be trucked to Charlotte. Plan to do the Hot Rod Power Tour a second time. 2018 was sooooo awesome. Especially at 85F and no a/c.
As for the brakes. We did nothing. Still 4 wheel drums and simplex master. I can lock it up if I want. Just need to be sure it is all in good working order. Since we still run the original 312 YB that has about 145hp of the 245hp left we all never be going really fast. I think I passen nobody all those 8,800mls.
All combined, you are taking the dream roadtrip of a lifetime! Keep us posted.
You bet, Rich. This has been our dream for many years and now we are doing it. This is soooo cool. And the old Ford - except for a broken z-bar - has never failed. Just changing the oil and using the expensive gas with some led additive.
However, the flip side is that we are fighting the insurance fight again. Not easy for a non-US person to legally own and drive a car in the US.
Will a Germany insurance company insure it? When I travel to Europe, I have to buy specific health care for travel. If I drive my car out of the US, again, a special rider policy. Just a thought.
See you in Concord in what...117 days.
I'm so jealous :003:
@Gasman ... no, German insurance companies will not insure a car registered in the US. It must be a US insurance company. I am with State Farm right now. Interestingly in Germany the insurance company does not require you to have a license to get insurance. Only the driver of the car must have one. Different rules in the US.
Interesting...so how are other international citizens registering, licensing, and insuring their vehicles. There are several Power Tour and Woodward Dream Cruise international participants that have vehicles in the US. There are also Drag Week participants that import their vehicles.
One might wonder how they do it. Things that were possible some time ago may no longer be possible. A car registered and insured in Germany is only covered in European countries. No one hinders them to drive to or in other countries, but they are not covered. There used to be a German insurance company giving insurance to people shipping their RVs to the US for example. Currently they won't even do that. So if you see a German registered RV (and I have seen many during my trips) then do not get into an accident with them. I have also seen German RVs with a long expired inspection sticker. US cops probably do not know how to read them.
I did the Hot Rod power tour last year and have not seen any foreign registered cars (may be some Canadian). I have also been to Drag Week last year. The Europeans were all stuck in customs and did not make it out in time. I only saw the Ford Taunus from I think Estonia and would not be surprised if he had no insurance.