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Not that going slow is bad but I'm assuming you'll be driving I90 home. At least in Washington most of that speed limit is 70 and Idaho and Montana are at least that or higher (east of that I don't know). That puts you at 10 or more mph under the speed limit. 4:10's and 33" or 35" tires are a nice freeway rpm, you'll loose some off the line and up hills but they cruise nicely.
I would suggest try the truck on the road... If you get to eastern Wa or Idaho and you don't like it start searching craigslist for some used tires or tires and wheels to put on the rear. It might look odd but it will get you home.
One more note, the passes here in Wa have been getting a LOT of snow and "chains required" has been a normal thing. You may want to have a pair of them with you for your trip too.
I drove my C10 from Little Rock to Dallas, to Ft Smith, and home to Ionia Michigan, mostly on the freeway. I kept it at 2800 or so, used about 2 quarts of oil, and got passed alot.
Interstates and high speed travel were around when they were new, so they can do it, just accept the fact that you won't be the guy weaving through traffic.
I have a '78 F-250 4x4 Supercab with a C6 and 4.10 gears. I did a 460 conversion 25 years back and for tires I typically run 255-85x16's.
I am in the Portland, Oregon area and have made many trips to Missoula, by way of the Tri Cities and Spokane. I am familiar with the traffic on I-84, 395 and I-90.
I travel 65-70 mph and the truck feels comfortable. Other than the fuel mileage the rig doesn't seem to suffer, though the dual tank selector switch does get a workout. I do limit my speed to about 70 once I hit Montana though.
I wouldn't hesitate taking a road trip in mine, weather permitting.
I just bought a 74 f250 4-speed with granny gear in El Paso, tx and drove it home to Indiana, about 1500miles. Buddy flew out with me, we did an oil change, air filter change, made sure everything else was good as could be and headed home. Interstate most of Texas and cruised around 60-65. Then hit Route 66 from OKC to STL. Then back to interstate the rest of the way. Definitely a fun road trip and definitely wished I would've taken some more time go get home to enjoy the ride but in the end it was a cool story for my dent side and I now own my dream truck!
Before we left Texas we picked up a bottle jack, spare belt, extra oil, had some tools with me but picked up a knife and multi tool since I couldn't fly with it (didn't check a bag), duct tape, jb quick weld, tire plugs, antifreeze, and a few other things just in case. Then filled a cooler up and enjoyed the cruise home. Made it 1350miles before i hit a problem... Had to leave the truck at a garage and just got it home. Yeah I spent a little extra but it'll make the story that much better
PS my coworkers pushed me to take this crazy road trip and man I'm glad they did!
Honestly, it will be fine. I am more concerned with you hitting snow than I am a mechanical issue with the truck. It does not do that well in snow, since the rear is so light.
I flew from Seattle to Dallas and a friend of mine who lives there drove me to Oklahoma to pick up my truck. It's a '79 F350 4X4 with 4;10's and the tires are 255's (might be 265's, but I'm not gonna go out to the shop to check). I drove that truck from Dallas to the outskirts of Seattle in 2 days, sleeping in the cab for a few hours near Moab, Utah. On I-40 across New Mexico, I felt like an old fogie, cruising along at about 60 on a 75 mph interstate. Everybody was blowing by me, but I got a lot of thumbs up from drivers, especially truckers. At just about every gas station, somebody came up to me to tell me about the old Ford they used to have, or their parents had. The truck did just fine.
Ive had mine all over and the older I get the better this sounds. I now do all my Christmas shopping from Amazon, you just sit back and wait.
Originally Posted by X36-4x4
How long is 'a good way away'?
I doubt 3600 would blow it up over a few hundred miles. More wear, yes, but if it's healthy I can't imagine it being a big deal.
On a side note - transport is surprisingly affordable if you are in not in a hurry. I paid no more the $600 to get my truck home to Chicago from Montana... Seems like a great deal to me, especially if you factor in my time as having any value, and fuel / hotel cost. I worked with a load broker, and told him "I'm not looking for retail transport - I'm looking to fill someone's empty truck, and pay for their gas home" It took 3 weeks to find a truck, and a week for it to get to the pickup. The truck was paid for, and i had the title wayyyyyy before I had the truck! (Arranged with seller in advance that this is how it was going to work with supporting wording in the bill of sale)
God forbid any kind of mechanical difficulty on the road, and the almost nessecity of having a shop fix it with parts at what ever cost they are available ($$$). It seems like a better deal to me the more I think about it!
If transport is impossible, then just slowwwww down - it'll be good!
I was contemplating bringing a handful of sockets and a ratchet just to be safe. I don't think the airlines say anything if it's not on your carry-on. Heck my mom made it through 4 airports with a steak knife in her purse she had long forgot about.
I may still try to find some good used tires on the way just to further help out my RPMs. I'm sure it'd be worth the money in the end. I have a set of tire chains in the garage but I'm not sure what they fit. I'll have to do some checking!
And yes, I'll be on I-90 for over 3/4 of the trip lol
I flew from Denver to PDX in November, 2014. Then took Amtrak to Eugene to buy "Frank" sight unseen. Other than the PO not telling me the T/S and windshield washer wasn't working, it was fine. And fun.
Frank has 4.10 rear end and 35" Bridgestones. I got about 8.5 mpg, but 11.5 in southern Wyoming thanks to a huge tailwind.
Another added benefit of driving it home is the possibility of seeing something you MUST HAVE along the way. See below....
Dad used to run 85-90mph in his '73 F-250 with a 360 in Montana 'till sunset, then 55mph after the sun went down. The speed limit was "reasonable and proper" during the day, and 55 at night.
That being said, I'd roll about 55-60mph, and let people pass if they wanted to. Enjoy the road trip!
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