Sunday evening about 6:30 or so east coast time we departed Coeur d'Alene, ID.
First stop was half hour later to pickup a small ice cream dipping cabinet/freezer. Also a craigslist find a few months ago that happened to still be there.
We took a somewhat Northern rout through Montana which would have been nice to see if it wasn't dark out...
Truck and trailer pulled well and soon enough we were in Minnesota where we stopped in Frazee Monday evening to pickup a single cylinder Detroit Diesel for a friend.
Here's a pic with the entire load.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5e191nzhG_1-kEqLzh-dP9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkA little about the towing truck.
My Father's 05 F250 he bought new with a 5.4L gas engine. Couple years ago we had a 1999 24V Cummins and an 07 model G56 manual transmission swapped into it. It performed quite well on the whole trip. Average fuel mileage while towing was about 13.5 and with empty trailer just over 15 MPG. We moved along at 65-75 depending on the road and conditions.
The 100 gallon transfer tank/tool box was borrowed from a neighbor for the trip. In addition to dry storage for our luggage the 100 gallons of fuel was real handy for buying cheap fuel where we could and using it while fuel was expensive at the pump. Also saved time and aggravation because we could pull off at a rest area and top off off the truck all in just a few minutes, no worries about finding a fuel station and navigating to it with trailer in tow in the wee hours of the morning. Increased our range by 4X.
The crew cab truck we had setup with a shelf in front of the back seat making room for a mattress so we could alternate driving and sleeping. On a couple occasions we pulled in a rest area and the other one of us would sleep on the front seat for a spell.
Some pictures of the truck conversion here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/118082...onversion?authuser=0&feat=directlinkFrom Minnesota we headed for Knoxville, TN where Adam's Sister and family live. There we found a splendid supper, warm showers, and comfy beds waiting. I don't care to drive I-75 from Lexington to Knoxville again if I can avoid it. No fun with the traffic and a load.
Wednesday morning we headed out for Asheville, NC to fetch my VW car from the mechanic. This while out of our way still saved 300 miles and better part of a day had I tried to fetch otherwise. Pointed directly home at last Adam drove the VW while I followed along with the truck. Worked out nicely that he could zip along and even fetched takeout lunch while slower but steady I caught up with him at a rest area for the meal.
Well, not quite directly home from Asheville because I realized we'd be close to one of my favorite newer truck junk yards in Roanoke, VA during business hours. (Otherwise I can't get there without taking vacation time from work.) Stopped for a quick browse and to pull an air compressor for a friends truck project.
Finally we made it home pretty much 3 days from leaving Idaho and 2,700 miles later. Total trip an indicated 5,700 miles 9.5 days door to door with 3 days of conference in the middle.
Tomorrow I'll try to get y'all up to speed on the 51 GMC; brake work, carb tinkering, and a few other things,
Grigg
