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Hello Everyone,
First time here. My grandfather bought this 1967 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe off the lot, and drove it till 1995 as his daily. He gave it to my dad at that point. With my dad now being older, and my ability to store and maintain it, he decided to hand it down to me. It is all original, with the exception of a reupholstered front seat, and a tach under the dash.
My wife and I are driving it from Western Pennsylvania to the Puget Sound area in Washington. We are looking forward to this trip, and hope that everything goes as planned. Ive got spares and tools to replace as much as I can think of. Anyone done a trip like this?
Last edited by fgeese; July 20th, 2022 at 06:00 AM.
Make sure all belts are in good shape, cooling system is working properly, new fluids , ie, oil, rear gear check, trans check..take it for a 100-150 mile run if possible first just to see how it does..Obviously great tires on it to start out and a SPARE tire..take a fuel pump and tools, toss it in trunk, three gallons of water, jug of antifreeze..maybe a spare belt for alternator..most important get a temp guage and oil pressure guage hooked..Drive it 70 mph and enjoy your trip
From the recommendations I'm not sure there will be room left for the two of you to sit in the car, or if you wll have room for luggage. Have you considered shipping it and renting a car?
From the recommendations I'm not sure there will be room left for the two of you to sit in the car, or if you wll have room for luggage. Have you considered shipping it and renting a car?
Lol.. everything mentioned fits in trunk..hey, they would miss the beauty of a road trip..☺️
I try to keep on hand the stuff the parts stores don’t keep in stock. Things like water pumps, fuel pumps, basically anything Olds specific. I wouldn’t worry about belts, you can go to any parts store and find something that is close, may not be an exact fit but it will get you going again.
These cars were expected to be able to drive cross country without a hassle when new, properly maintained there is zero reason they can’t do it today. Look the car over front to back, replace anything questionable, keep the Olds specific parts on hand with some basic hand tools, and relax. The beauty of these cars is the simplicity. With a little ingenuity, you can usual come up with a solution to overcome most problems.
I did something similar, but not as many miles.
I am also into Buicks. I found a 1967 Skylark convertible advertised on the BCA website. It was located in Tucson AZ. I live in the southeast tip of Ohio. We conversed for a while and I decided I needed to look at this one. I had surgery on a bad shoulder so I had time off work, I decided to fly there and look. I bought a round trip ticket and flew there. Seller, retired and with nothing but time, picked me up at the airport and drove me around, stayed at a motel close to his home. We had a lot of fun checking out the car and doing some repairs. I decided to buy it, I took cash. He says "How are you getting it home?" I said driving it. he said "The two of us have put more miles on the car than I ever did all the 12 years I have owned it, and you are going to drive it home!!?"
So we did a little more stuff, like putting the top up which hadn't been up since he owned it, Then away I went. I drove rather slow compared to traffic, I drove 3 long days and stayed in motels. Made it home even though I did spring an oil leak around the front crank seal in the 430 Buick engine. I kept track of the oil level and added as needed, fixed it when I got home. Fun trip, lots of attention from travelers and at stops for fuel, food, motels. I had a ball! But it was good to get home.
Like everyone has said take some Olds specific things .
just did a 3400 mile trip in my 66
you will have a blast .. I think the most important thing is just go with it .. if it breaks it breaks . Fix it laugh and get back on the road
good luck and have a great time doing it
I want to thank everyone for their inputs. Therr is definitely enough room in the trunk for anything I will need to take. I currently have condensers, distributor, coils, points, belts, fuel pump, and fluids. Gonna pick up a thermostat and some gasket material. I have 2 cases of lead additive as well. The engine was pulled last year, and had all the gaskets and seals replaced.
It has just over 100k on the car, none of which were hard miles. I did put new tires on it since the old ones were labeled April 1994.
I do plan on taking a lot of pictures, and I'll document the trip on paper, as well as here. I have always had good experiences in the forums I have been a part of. This one seems no different.
I have a suggestion.
Identify the route you are planning to take to Puget Sound along with your departure date and time.
Members of the Classic Oldsmobile community identify your location, phone number and general area in which you are willing to provide assistance to fgeese if he runs into problems along the way and needs help.
I will be the first, assuming you are coming across on I-80, I live in the South Bend, Indiana area. If you need help in +/- 100 miles of South Bend, give me a call. 574-215-7927 Steve
Wow, great history on the car, your very fortunate! The trip should be a lot of fun. Most parts stores can get you any part the same day. Don't forget the cooler!
Steve
I made two round trips in my 1967 442 from Northern, IL>Disney World, FL (spring, 1972; spring 1973 - I was 20y.o & 21yo. respectively) w/ four friends in the car (~3K miles each round trip). Speed limit on the Interstate through Southern states at the time was 80 mph. The fun of cruising the Interstate between 80mph - 90mph was exhilarating. Spring of 1972 the enormous Disney World parking lot was practically empty. Of course, the car was only five and six years old but it cruised flawlessly - never skipping a beat. Have a great trip.
I have a suggestion.
Identify the route you are planning to take to Puget Sound along with your departure date and time.
Members of the Classic Oldsmobile community identify your location, phone number and general area in which you are willing to provide assistance to fgeese if he runs into problems along the way and needs help.
I will be the first, assuming you are coming across on I-80, I live in the South Bend, Indiana area. If you need help in +/- 100 miles of South Bend, give me a call. 574-215-7927 Steve
Thanks Steve, that is a big deal! I really appreciate it. We have driven I-40, I-90, but haven't come across I-80 yet.
Dad said when they pulled the engine they also put on a new water pump, as well as repack the bearings when they put new shoes and drums on it. So that's a plus.
It’s actually 80/90 coming across Indiana and then splits just south of Chicago with 90 taking a more northern route out west.
Good luck and safe travels.
I ran 1000 miles in my Hurst/Olds last week and took the following:
1 gallon 100% coolant
1 gallon 50/50 coolant (gave away to friend in need)
2 quarts oil.
2 quarts ATF
Small bottle brake fluid
Small can grease
Small bottle power steering fluid.
spare hoses, all
spare belts all,
spare plugs, rotor, cap, coil, condenser.
Hose clamps of various sizes.
Fuel line in both common sizes
Cotter pins.
Fuses.
Chassis service manual.
tach and timing light (probably no need for these).
Spare 1157 bulbs, gave one away.
Loctite.
Tool bag including 1/4" and 3/8" drive standard sockets, extensions, breaker bars, ratchets. Full set of box sockets. Full set flare wrenches,
also needlenose, regular, and side cut pliers, as well as small and large crescent wrenches, and small and large channelocks. Cotter pin removal tool,
screwdrivers, allan wrenches, small combo wrenches, punches.
Gorilla tape.
80s B body frame ratchet jack to avoid using my bumper jack.
I used the loctite, the tape, the small channel locks, and 1 quart of oil. Gave away a gallon of antifreeze and an 1157.
There is a guy on the HAMB- goes by Squirrel. Anyway he took a long road trip in a weird contraption of a homebuilt car in the winter! The car had a rear end out of a 61 Buick Special ( or the like) . He noticed a noise from rear end a long way from home ( I think maybe Iowa or Kansas) and checked it out and found a completely destroyed rear wheel bearing and ruined axle, which was not available thru normal auto parts stores, etc. He appealed to the membership on the HAMB using his phone online. Soon he had a reply from a member who was close to him and they found a used axle and other parts needed to fix the car, They fixed car in motel parking lot, and he was on his way. Yep, I think our fellow CO members would also help a fellow car guy if he had trouble near them. I know I would.
I drove my Jetstar from New England to Phoenix and back a couple years ago. Four days each way with a couple days for a wedding in the mix. Even dragged a lowes 6x10 trailer back with some rust free sheet metal for up coming projects. The car ran great.
I found the window sticker inside the chassis manual that was in the trunk. It was not in the best condition, but you can still make out some of it. I had it laminated.
On another note, we decided that we are going to head from Oil City, PA, and drive up to Mackinaw City, MI. We have never been to the U.P. before, so figured why not. After that we will head out to Whidbey Island, WA, where we currently live. Thanks again for everyone's tips and stories. We will update as we go.
Depending on your schedule/time frame, a gorgeous ride can be found taking the Torbermory Ferry (2 hour ride) across Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) through the Manitoulin Islands, ON, Canada where you'll come down from Sioux Ste. Marie to arrive @ Mackinaw City. I've taken this route numerous times - beautiful, very relaxed. Just an option. Have a wonderful trip.
When I got out of the Army in 1993 (Ft Ord CA), I drove my 71 CS to Portland with my dog to see my dad. The next day we drove to Hamilton OH non stop. It took around 35 hours. The only issue we had was one of the intake end seals blew out the back and we had to add oil at every gas stop. 80 mph most of the way with a rebuilt 350, Edelbrock performer cam, intake and carb, headers, and a 2.56 gear. I had serviced the transmission and added a shift kit but the car had about 150,000 on it. I drove that car for 10 years and never had an issue with it.
Oh man I get excited considering this trip and I'm not the one going! While up in the U.P. stop by Iron Mountain if you get over there, they are known for the copper mines (don't ask why it's called iron mountain, I have no idea) and the local tourist shops have chunks of copper ore you can buy, kind of cool. When I moved down here to Texas from Kansas City Mo. I drove the '77 Cutlass Supreme I owned then down one week before coming down with the wife later. It made the trip just fine, either due to my laze faire attitude or plain stupidity I wasn't as prepared but made the trip without without a hitch. It was so fun getting horn honks, and waves and such from other travelers. People in general appreciate an older car and usually let you know it. I second the recommendation to plan your trip with C.O. members on the route, you will receive help if you need it and may meet friends and put faces to names. Have fun!
Oh man I get excited considering this trip and I'm not the one going! While up in the U.P. stop by Iron Mountain if you get over there, they are known for the copper mines (don't ask why it's called iron mountain, I have no idea) and the local tourist shops have chunks of copper ore you can buy, kind of cool. When I moved down here to Texas from Kansas City Mo. I drove the '77 Cutlass Supreme I owned then down one week before coming down with the wife later. It made the trip just fine, either due to my laze faire attitude or plain stupidity I wasn't as prepared but made the trip without without a hitch. It was so fun getting horn honks, and waves and such from other travelers. People in general appreciate an older car and usually let you know it. I second the recommendation to plan your trip with C.O. members on the route, you will receive help if you need it and may meet friends and put faces to names. Have fun!
I remember one snowmobile trip I took years ago in Copper Harbor. I remember a bunch of old mining equipment and old trains parked along the trail. Just curious if any of that stuff is still there.
I think next year I’m taking a weeks vacation after the Olds Homecoming and taking a leisurely drive thru the western part of Michigan all the way to St Ignance for the car show there. There is a lot I’d like to see, any excuse for a road trip is good enough for me.
We made it to Mackinaw City yesterday, after an 8 hour trip from PA. Not a bad ride other then some potholes and weather. Got an average of 18 mpg doing 65-70 the whole way. Stayed in a dump hotel that cost too much. Do not stay at the Clarion Beachside in Mackinaw City! Got up this morning, got some coffee and drove across the bridge. Great views. Definitely would recommend, just when they aren't doing construction. St. Ignace, on the UP side, was much nicer. Great people and food. We just got into Wausau, WI. Took 2 lane roads most of the way which was fantastic.
Thanks to everyone who has been interested in our trip, gave me their info, or told us their stories. It has been a real treat.
So far, the only issue is a clicking coming from either the left/front, or under the car. Does not coincide with engine rpm, but coincides with tire rotation. When going slow it clicks every half rotation, like something falling when it reaches the top of the circle, then falls, so I am assuming that is the pattern when going faster. All I have is the bumper jack, because I am a dummy and forgot it at the house. If i find a parts place I'll grab a scissor jack.
So far, the only issue is a clicking coming from either the left/front, or under the car. Does not coincide with engine rpm, but coincides with tire rotation. When going slow it clicks every half rotation, like something falling when it reaches the top of the circle, then falls, so I am assuming that is the pattern when going faster.
Just noticed you have hubcaps. I had an F550 which made the same noise. Turned out to be a rock inside the hubcap.
The photographs make the trip real. Thanks for posting them. The driver looks pretty darn confident behind the wheel. Is hard to beat an Oldsmobile ride, rocket on!
As I think of this more, I found the rock not inside the hubcap (which I initially suspected), but instead inside the actual wheel. F-550 wheels are pretty large & they have (IIRC) open areas to mount the lug nuts, and IIRC a number of open oval areas (perhaps heat dissipation?), as well. Look real carefully at the wheels to see if there are any openings at all which could harbor a pebble/rock.
As I think of this more, I found the rock not inside the hubcap (which I initially suspected), but instead inside the actual wheel. F-550 wheels are pretty large & they have (IIRC) open areas to mount the lug nuts, and IIRC a number of open oval areas (perhaps heat dissipation?), as well. Look real carefully at the wheels to see if there are any openings at all which could harbor a pebble/rock.
I ran my fingers around the wheels and through the small cut outs of the steel wheel. I didnt find anything. Drove it again, and the best sound I can equate it to is similar to loose spokes on a bicycle.
I ran my fingers around the wheels and through the small cut outs of the steel wheel. I didnt find anything. Drove it again, and the best sound I can equate it to is similar to loose spokes on a bicycle.
I suspect you've already attempted to visualize the tire - rock wedged in tread groove, bulge (bump) in tire, age of tire(?) (old tires which have sat some time can become out-of-round e.g. flat-spot, even if not losing air a nail/screw/piece of metal embedded). A sound like loose spokes on a bicycle makes me think of a flat spot - which generally works itself out after driving a fair distance - tires heat up, check tire pressure.
Any chance the noise is coming from the speedometer cable or speedometer cable housing inside the dash panel?
Any chance the noise is not there in the morning when the wheels are cold - at least not heated up via travel @ 65mph. IOW, no noise when cold, but develops after some road travel? Could be indicative of a wheel bearing (possibly). Cold they get sticky/goopie may not emanate a noise - hot they get loose as a goose (if bad) - could start making noise. Just some thoughts.
It could be other items, but if it's a safety issue/concern jack car rotate wheel assembly listening for noise.
July 19th, 2022, 11:39 AM
