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I was thinking about some of the most aggravating, multiple breakdowns I've experienced on some of my trips with a 41 Chevrolet (Chevy) and thought it would be interesting about yours. Here's my story:

I took the back seat out of my 41 Chevy Cabriolet right after I got back from a trip with it out west to see my sister in Star Valley, WY. The year was 1975 and I had recently retired from the army. I loaded the rear seat and trunk with nice NOS Chevy parts and headed for the swap meet in Dunkirk, NY. Somewhere around D.C. I was humming along at about 55 when I blew the bead on the left front rim. Rust. Searched out a junkyard and was able to pick up another one and had a tire mounted. Good to go and I was soon back on the road. That night In western MD and on the way to Breezewood to join the turnpike, I ran into the worst fog I'd ever been in. Scared to death I was going to get rear-ended by a 18 wheeler. I managed to blindly and only guided by lights from a filling station, pick my way off the interstate. Spent the night there in a motel. On the road again, making good time, and going up through PA the transmission started jumping out of drive, when I couldn't keep/hold it in for any time at all, I shifted down to second. Knew that wasn't a lasting solution. I pulled off at a service station. Met a guy who lived near by and he took me to rent a van. After Dunkirk I found he had taken the tranny out and had fixed it up. Not. Growled like a junkyard dog. We took it back out (oh what joy) and got another gear for it. Still growled in low and second. Had to leave. Coming back through DC the generator quit charging. It was late at night. Parked by a lighted pole and up a slope by a filling station. Took the generator off. Burnt brush. Actually burnt slap up. Found a used one in my tool box (what do you know!). I put it in. Coasted downhill and kicked out the clutch. Charging again. No more trouble 'til I got home.

Soon after, I took my wife to Raleigh one night. Said she didn't want to go in the 41. Whimp. Returning home the carb stuck with gas a-pouring. Rusty gas tank. I left it beside the road and caught us a ride back to Fayetteville. Went back after it the next day. My prayers had not been answered and there it was right where I had left it. Pulled it home. That was the last time I drove the 41 Cabriolet. And, it was the last time my wife spoke to me for almost a year. (Count your blessings, right?) If I'd had a 45 with me that night, I would've put a round through the block. I've still got it but I'm right scared of it. My wife hates it and I think it hates me, for some reason.

Okay. What's your story. Remember nothing but old Chevrolets here, please. And don't be longwinded, as I always am.

Best, Charlie

Charlie I have felt your pain...

stuffed a 455 ci Olds with Muncie in a rusty old 51 pseudo-woddie back in 1966, put the wife and youghest daughter in the old chevy and headed to so calif from western md. header pipe i'd welded up during the conversion broke in witchita falls texas. loud as hell. pulled pipe and got an old timer to re-weld it. all ok till we left the grand canyon heading south . rear axle bearing in the 57 chevy rear end died about 10 miles south of the canyon rim, out in the middle of nowhere. drove about 5 miles at 2-3 mph till came upon an abandoned gas station with an old 55 chevy 4 door sedan out back. nobody around . had limited amount of tools in the wagon. finally got the axle out of the 55 and installed it in the 57 rear axle housing. i've never forgotten that the 57 uses a larger OD bearing. anyway, had to use the 55 axle and drove about 50 miles to a large town where i had a 57 bearing pressed on the bad axle and re-installed it. the old woody served us well for a couple more years when the rust got too bad to live with. sold the 51 and bought a super clean 53 Caddy Hearse which the wife drove as daily driver for about 5 years. with no power steering on the caddy and with the wifes biceps more developed than mine, i gave ner no lip back then. mike

In 2003 I left for New Jersey (Eastern 6 Cyl. Tour) driving my 1950. Had motel reservation in Toledo, Ohio, a distance of about 350 miles that I have driven many times. Was to meet the Lower Michigan members there the next day and join with them for the rest of the trip. On I-80 about 50 miles west of Toledo I passed a semi, putting it up to about 70 MPH so to get back in the right lane quickly. At that time I glanced down and saw the oil prssure slowly dropping to zero. I got off onto the shoulder as quick as possible also pulling away from the lane as far as possible. That left a drop-off to the right side of the car. I got out and dittled with the distributor a bit but was kind of having that sick feeling. What to do. First called one Mich. member. Wasn't sure just where he lived. Turned out he was about 100 miles north. He got in touch with a member that was about 50 miles north and after his wife located him he came down with his trailer and took us back to his house where we spent the night. Wanted to do some more checking on my car bur time flew by and never got to do it. (didn't sleep that night)...Also we really did not know the folks that well prior to that time.Early the next morning several other members arrived and insisted we just ride with them. Really felt lost with no car and not knowing what my problem was.
Two days later we arrived in New Jersey and rode with friends from Ohio .They had a problem a few years befor and rode with us,
All went well til the last day. We toured the DuPont mansion in Wilmington, Delaware. At the end of the tour I was talking to Dave Cavagnaro, stepped back a little and fell and broke my hip. My left leg is weak and that was the forth major fracture to it. I had them drag me back to a hospital in Elmer, N.J. It was about 10 miles from the motel. Good doctor and had a plate put in my hip. Wife had to rent a car to as to comute. At that time I also had developed cough, never coughed so hard in all my life, Thought I was going to die. I was to stay in the hospital til Tuesday. From there went back to the motel. Could hardly eat and coughed like Heck. Were making arrangement for some members to drive us back to Somerset, Pa. and my son was to come and pick us up there. Problem couldn't leave N.J. as a hurricane was comong up the coaast (we were about 50 miles from the ocean, hurrican would not be severe there but would be hitting eastern PA and Delaware so travel wasn't possible. Finally on Thursday we "left town" and arrived in Pa, Met my son and made it back to Wisconsin the next day.
The '50 was still in Mich. so about a month later, when I was able to drive a distance, my son took us back to Mich and I drove the '50 home. A great member went and checked things out. The distributor had lost contact with the oil pump, a thing I could have fixed in a few minues.
Stopped to drop of my son who lives in Racine, about 25 miles from me. My wife got into "her" car and we went about a block and I looked back saw her sitting on the side of the road. Her car quit running . I pushed it (1994 Roadmaster wagon) back to my son's house with the '50 and left it there. The fuel pump went out. Glad it didn't happen in the middle of Chicago.
A bit later I went to my doctor and told him about my severe cough. He had a test done and I had had whooping cough.Tjere were a few other "problems" but this should be enough.
It was the trip from hell.
The next year we again met the LMR folks and travleded on to Vermont with them with no problems. Also by that time we were "good friends" with them.
That was the only problem I had in over 100,000 miles of touring.

Mike and Gene. Thanks for your stories. Gene, the breakdowns I was referring to were directed at the cars we drove. Nonetheless, your story is tops so far and I am pleased you shared it with us. It was a good read. What a trip!

Best, Charlie

BTW: How in the world did the distributor lose contact with the OIL pump without the hold-down bolt coming out? Just wondering.