Comming this summer im moving about 975 miles away from here to escape my family. Im packing all my belongings in the back of my truck and heading to georgia i was wondering do you think my truck will make it?. Its undergoing full resteration right now no expence spared.

Heck ya! I've driven this truck to Montana from NC to see family and it does fine. There are some things you'll want to take along just in case, such as a replacement ignition module but other than that you should do great.

just make sure to go over it good before starting out. Also carry the extra stuff you might need. Jumper cables, tool box, spare tire.

carry a couple jugs of water, too. that way if it overheats you have some coolant plus a jug to get more if you need it.

Ya should be fine but I would take tools and oil for motor and drive train and lots of 50/50 antifreeze. I would also take a grease gun just in case along with any spare parts that ya think ya might need.

Its a ford it will make it

I took my old 66 F100 from Ft. Worth to Mobile AL one night. A little over half way there it quit running around 5am. I opened the hood half the head and about 4' of the exhaust pipe were cherry red. I let it cool down some then tried restarting it. Sounded like it was out of time. I pulled the distributor cap off and I could turn the rotor by hand. It had sheared the drive pin. I found a suitable piece of heavy wire to replace it and I was off again. You couldn't kill that old truck.

radialarm said:

I opened the hood half the head and about 4' of the exhaust pipe were cherry red.

Click to expand...

WOW! You ever figure out what caused that?

cipsmithers said:

WOW! You ever figure out what caused that?

Click to expand...

Yeah like I stated it sheared the distributor drive pin and jumped time a little. either retarded or advanced probably retarded the timing until it slipped a little more and it would not run anymore.

Maybe I should read more thoroughly. I must be getting tired

cipsmithers said:

Maybe I should read more thoroughly. I must be getting tired

Click to expand...

It's OK never hurts to ask you got more detail that way.

Lol, it all happens to us once in a while where we don't read thoroughly. Just prepare for the unexpected so if it happens, you're ready for it. Should make it just fine. My 78 made it a straight trip of 600 miles without a problem.

"Will my truck make it?"

Honestly this question can't be answered with any guarantee. Do you feel confident that it will make it? Do you feel it is reliable?

I look at it this way: If it starts up when you go to leave and it is running well then take it. Anything can happen to you. Just be prepared with common parts that could go wrong. Bring a spare fuel pump and an ignition module. Bring tools to help you out. Have a spare tire. Know your route and find out where parts stores are on the way...just in case. You can take a new car and run into issues. Personally I haven;t had my truck more than 75 miles from my house because I haven't had a need to. My motor burns oil and I add it a couple times a week. I could probably make it 975 miles without a problem but would have to check my oil often enough that it would be a pain, but I am confident in my truck being reliable so I'm not afraid to drive it. When I get to putting a new motor in I will drive like it is a brand new truck. Be prepared. Bring your repair manual with you so you have all the proper steps for a repair if you encounter something.

I used to drive a Dodge D100, broke down 500 miles from home, rebuilt the carb. on the side of the road basically, and drove home.

If you have a laptop bring it so you can post on here if you need help. Maybe there are people near your route that can help if you need it in case something happens. That's my advice.

Or if you want a simple answer then my answer is probably.

Not knowing the condition of your truck I really don't think any of us would know. Are the hoses fresh? Do you maintain the cooling system? Is the oil fresh? what does no expense spared mean when restoring a truck? No expenses meaning to look at or to run?

So many questions, but without the information to support a knowledgeable answer it's difficult to say.

My truck has around 94k miles on it now, but I have replaced a LOT of stuff. I pull a 6,000lb travel trailer and I would trust it to pull it to Florida from California,......... Do you know the basics of what is "ready" to make the over 900 mile haul? Our trucks are workhorses, but must be maintained.
good luck!
Dak

I used to carry a spare starter with me along with everything else you could fit in a Rawson Koenig truckbox lol

Fuses, water/coolant, oil, gas, 90w, tire, jack, wooden blocks to set jack on (for lifted rigs), hi-lift, etc.

I once had a flat in the middle of nowhere (between OK and KS) and didn't have another same sized spare. Luckily, I was moving out of state and had all 4 of my 36" TSLs with me. Took me a little time but I changed all 4 tires and was on my way again. Got crappier gas mileage but was better than walkin lol

I would be willing to say, yes, your truck will make it. However, I always recommend carrying lots of extra fluid. Carry tools that are used the most often. And my father once told me, if it's failed once before, it's a good chance it will fail again. So if you have any problem areas/parts with your rig, carry an extra. I usually drive 30,000+ miles a year going to Wisconsin, back home in NC or out to the coast of NC. I always carry a 4 drawer toolbox with things I use most often and I always JB Kwik. I also carry enough fluid for a complete fluid change for brakes, oil, tranny, radiator along with filters and t-stat. Make sure to carry zip-ties and like I stated above, extra parts (ie starter, coil, voltage regulator, plugs, etc.) Some folks may say that's a little excessive, but I say it's better to be prepared and not need what you have, than be unprepared and not have what you need. So far, I've needed t-stats, voltage regulators, petcocks for the radiator and fluids.

Same advise here... If its broke on your truck before check it and bring a spare.. And just the normal tools. You should be straight..
Idk if your truck would make it..doubt mine would.lol

Thanks for the advise guys im checking over everything mechanical that i know of right now and replacing it if its bad. Before i leave im getting the motor and tranny rebuilt to i decided to stay with the 351m maybe turn it into a 400.

haha..a 351M... you won't make it.haha

Lol why you say that?.