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| Last-minute tidying of the car before takeoff. |
Monday, September 29, 2014
Last day in Turlock!
We spent all day today buttoning up the car and getting ready to shove off tomorrow, to begin our grand journey across the country. Got the car all greased up, all of our necessary tools and parts organized and ready to load up into the trunk, now we just need to get some rest so we can make some real mileage before sundown. Our goal is to hit either somewhere near Bakersfield or Tehachapi, somewhere around the 200-275 miles mark. If anyone lives or knows anyone who lives around those parts who can recommend a place to stay, please feel free to let us know! My number is on the *Contact Info* section of the blog.
Fiddle and Banjo Contest in Columbia, CA
Well we went up to the contest in Columbia this past Saturday the 27th, and had a great time. The weather was pretty nice and Columbia is a neat little town to visit. We were also surprised by a group of about 25 horseless carriages, from Model T's to Caddilacs, and even a rare 1914 Simplex which was the size (and price I'm sure…) of a small yacht! I ended up taking 2nd place at fiddle, Lane took 1st place in banjo, and our friend Michelle took 1st place in fiddle and first place in the overall category, winning a solid gold nugget! It was a good last event before beginning our trip, met some real nice folks and played music with them the next morning before heading back to Turlock.
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| Lane, Michelle, Sean. |
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Buy our Music! Help us pay for gasoline!
Would you like to help us buy gasoline while enjoying our music from afar in return??? Well if you'd like to donate $25 to our fuel tank of our very thirsty Ford, we'll send you a copy of our musical recordings! All you have to do is visit the *Donate* post on this blog, and send us $25 along with your address so we can get you a CD. Thanks for your support!
UPDATES:
Thanks to those who have donated to our trip:
-Walter Tingley
UPDATES:
Thanks to those who have donated to our trip:
-Walter Tingley
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| From Left to Right: Lane, Sean, drivers on the trip, Thomas, a good friend of ours. |
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Day 1: The first day of our trip!
Concord, CA to Turlock, CA: 86mi
Left for the first day of our trip today! Spent the morning with some folks in the Diablo A's club, picked up some last-minute parts from them as well as some positive encouragement. Well it took us a while to leave town since we visited with a few guys and ran a few errands, but we finally left around 4pm. Everything was fine until we hit a busy backroad, with a line of cars behind us, we pulled over to let them pass. As soon as we tried to leave, the car started backfiring a bunch and had no power. Well, we shut the car down and let it cool since it was getting pretty hot climbing up the hill we had just encountered. Once cool enough, I removed and cleaned out the carburetor, which had some junk up in it, as did the sediment bowl. Now I haven't driven my car all that much, so I knew we'd have to cycle the little bits out of the tank, even though it's a pretty darn good-lookin tank. Well sure enough the car fired right up and away we went. Same thing happened a couple more times on the drive, but instead of taking the carb off, I just revved the engine and quickly choked the carb a few times until the idle got better, hoping to suck up any little bits stuck in there. It worked out well and then we'd head right back down the road. The last hour of our drive was great and we had no more carb problems. We got here at 8pm, with about an hour of stop time, and covered a little over 90 miles. It seems as if our gas mileage is pretty low… Seemed to be about 12mpg! We did hit a lot of stop-and-go traffic before leaving so hopefully that was part of the low mileage, but we're also fairly loaded with stuff and it's a bone-stock engine.
To anyone in Turlock: We'll be around for a few days if you'd like to say hi, and we'll be playing some old-time music at La Mo, a restaurant in downtown Turlock on Friday evening at 6pm. Come on down!
Next stop, Sonora, CA/Columbia, CA for the *Fiddle/Banjo Contest* on Saturday the 27th.
Left for the first day of our trip today! Spent the morning with some folks in the Diablo A's club, picked up some last-minute parts from them as well as some positive encouragement. Well it took us a while to leave town since we visited with a few guys and ran a few errands, but we finally left around 4pm. Everything was fine until we hit a busy backroad, with a line of cars behind us, we pulled over to let them pass. As soon as we tried to leave, the car started backfiring a bunch and had no power. Well, we shut the car down and let it cool since it was getting pretty hot climbing up the hill we had just encountered. Once cool enough, I removed and cleaned out the carburetor, which had some junk up in it, as did the sediment bowl. Now I haven't driven my car all that much, so I knew we'd have to cycle the little bits out of the tank, even though it's a pretty darn good-lookin tank. Well sure enough the car fired right up and away we went. Same thing happened a couple more times on the drive, but instead of taking the carb off, I just revved the engine and quickly choked the carb a few times until the idle got better, hoping to suck up any little bits stuck in there. It worked out well and then we'd head right back down the road. The last hour of our drive was great and we had no more carb problems. We got here at 8pm, with about an hour of stop time, and covered a little over 90 miles. It seems as if our gas mileage is pretty low… Seemed to be about 12mpg! We did hit a lot of stop-and-go traffic before leaving so hopefully that was part of the low mileage, but we're also fairly loaded with stuff and it's a bone-stock engine.
To anyone in Turlock: We'll be around for a few days if you'd like to say hi, and we'll be playing some old-time music at La Mo, a restaurant in downtown Turlock on Friday evening at 6pm. Come on down!
Next stop, Sonora, CA/Columbia, CA for the *Fiddle/Banjo Contest* on Saturday the 27th.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Making Way
Today is registration and insurance day for the car, which means we're getting that much closer to hitting the road. First stop: Turlock on Sept 25th, then Columbia on Sept 27th for the banjo/fiddle contest, the Pinecrest on 28th to boat around with a friend, then on down hwy 49 and hwy 41. The route is still a little unclear, but we will most likely be stopping in Flagstaff, AZ to check on Lane's Dodge truck, which has been in storage after a blown transmission. Anyone that lives on the way, give us a holler!
Sean: 925 705 2308
Sean: 925 705 2308
Friday, September 12, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Donate
Donations greatly appreciated!
Would you like to help out with our trip? If you would like to help us out with gas costs, and parts costs we would greatly appreciate it! All donations will go directly into our gas guzzling car, or who knows, maybe a bunch of condensers and wheel bearings!
Update: A $25 donation along with an address will get you a copy of our CD. Please just leave a note stating that you'd like one, along with return address you'd like us to ship it to.
Would you like to help out with our trip? If you would like to help us out with gas costs, and parts costs we would greatly appreciate it! All donations will go directly into our gas guzzling car, or who knows, maybe a bunch of condensers and wheel bearings!
Update: A $25 donation along with an address will get you a copy of our CD. Please just leave a note stating that you'd like one, along with return address you'd like us to ship it to.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Route
Route:
Well so far the route we'll take is very rough. Our main goal is to drive from Concord, to Turlock (where Lane is from) and from there on to Louisiana by way of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and onto Louisiana. Then straight on up to Arkansas for the end of the trip. Our other main goal, is to avoid interstates, fast roads, and incredibly steep inclines where people will be stuck behind us going 15mph, laying on their horns! This car is stock and will only be driven at around 35-40mph tops. So if you live anywhere along the way and would like us to come through your town, please say so! We'd appreciate any advice about any roads we absolutely must drive, and any roads we must absolutely avoid. Places to camp (preferably free) would also be great to know about.
*Rough plan*
Well so far the route we'll take is very rough. Our main goal is to drive from Concord, to Turlock (where Lane is from) and from there on to Louisiana by way of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and onto Louisiana. Then straight on up to Arkansas for the end of the trip. Our other main goal, is to avoid interstates, fast roads, and incredibly steep inclines where people will be stuck behind us going 15mph, laying on their horns! This car is stock and will only be driven at around 35-40mph tops. So if you live anywhere along the way and would like us to come through your town, please say so! We'd appreciate any advice about any roads we absolutely must drive, and any roads we must absolutely avoid. Places to camp (preferably free) would also be great to know about.
*Rough plan*
Links
For those of you who use the Fordbarn.com message boards (you can still view without having account who aren't familiar,) here are a couple links to so threads I've started on there, for a little more background info:
*Thread about when I first started working on the car*
*Thread about this cross-country trip*
*Thread about when I first started working on the car*
*Thread about this cross-country trip*
Introduction/Background
Intro:
Hello everyone, and welcome to my online journal to document two young guys driving a stock Model A Ford across the country. I will try and keep this updated as much as possible throughout the trip, so please bear with me if I don't post something every day while on the road. The purpose of this blog is to keep anyone who is interested updated with where we are, what we're up to, and how we're doing! Feel free to contact us if you hear we're coming through your area, if there are any events going on, or even if you just want us to stay at your house and play you some music!
Background:
I purchased a 1930 Model A Coupe back in February of 2013, and ended up having to move out of California one year later with the car in pieces. The car was stored at a friends house (and still is right now) while I helped move my things and my parents' things to Tennessee, and I didn't get to see it until this Fall. Now that I'm back in California it's time to get it all put together and get it out east! My buddy Lane and I (Sean) will give ourselves roughly one month to drive from either California to Lousiana/Arkansas, or from California to Arkansas/Louisiana/Arkansas. The reason for Lousiana is a goal of ours to make it for a Cajun music festival and Chili Cookoff on October 24th-25th called Blackpot Festival. I am moving to Fayetteville, AR which will be the final home for me and the car, so if we make it out there earlier than planned we'll stop in Arkansas so I can see my new home first!
About us:
I am 25 years old and have loved antique things for as long as I can remember. Within the last few years I became very interested in old cars and motorcycles, and I figured old simple cars would be a good way to learn mechanics. Lane, my buddy who is driving the car with me, is 33 and also loves old cars. We both love adventure, and have traveled the back and forth across the country many times in many different ways, including a big diesel truck that ran off of vegetable oil. We both also play traditional southern fiddle music, music that was meant for squaredancing and was developed mainly in the Appalachian mountains. I will be bringing a fiddle and Lane will be bringing a guitar, so we plan to play music in some of the towns we pass through to make some gas/food money.
Contact Info:
Sean: 925-705-2308
Hello everyone, and welcome to my online journal to document two young guys driving a stock Model A Ford across the country. I will try and keep this updated as much as possible throughout the trip, so please bear with me if I don't post something every day while on the road. The purpose of this blog is to keep anyone who is interested updated with where we are, what we're up to, and how we're doing! Feel free to contact us if you hear we're coming through your area, if there are any events going on, or even if you just want us to stay at your house and play you some music!
Background:
I purchased a 1930 Model A Coupe back in February of 2013, and ended up having to move out of California one year later with the car in pieces. The car was stored at a friends house (and still is right now) while I helped move my things and my parents' things to Tennessee, and I didn't get to see it until this Fall. Now that I'm back in California it's time to get it all put together and get it out east! My buddy Lane and I (Sean) will give ourselves roughly one month to drive from either California to Lousiana/Arkansas, or from California to Arkansas/Louisiana/Arkansas. The reason for Lousiana is a goal of ours to make it for a Cajun music festival and Chili Cookoff on October 24th-25th called Blackpot Festival. I am moving to Fayetteville, AR which will be the final home for me and the car, so if we make it out there earlier than planned we'll stop in Arkansas so I can see my new home first!
About us:
I am 25 years old and have loved antique things for as long as I can remember. Within the last few years I became very interested in old cars and motorcycles, and I figured old simple cars would be a good way to learn mechanics. Lane, my buddy who is driving the car with me, is 33 and also loves old cars. We both love adventure, and have traveled the back and forth across the country many times in many different ways, including a big diesel truck that ran off of vegetable oil. We both also play traditional southern fiddle music, music that was meant for squaredancing and was developed mainly in the Appalachian mountains. I will be bringing a fiddle and Lane will be bringing a guitar, so we plan to play music in some of the towns we pass through to make some gas/food money.
Contact Info:
Sean: 925-705-2308
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| The Coupe, as it sits on Sept 9th, 2014. |
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