With my '49 Chevy 3800 and 16' trailer I set off on Wednesday for a roadtrip to Nebraska to pick up the '46 Ford pickup I bought off of Ebay.
I stopped for fuel twice, stopped to check wheel bearings, etc. twice and still averaged almost 50 mph. The mpg was just under 12.5 average. That was about the best I've every gotten, with it normally being from 10 to 12 mpg.
With the nearly 50 mph average I remain convinced that the differential gears have been swapped out for lower ratio higher speed ones. Thanks to those that did that. Someday I'll jack the truck up and do some counting to determine just which gears I might have.
Once loaded I spent the night in Nebraska before heading home. I wish that I had contacted Fumblin'46 before I left to see if he lived anywhere near the area of NE I was in. Too late now. Would have been fun to see those '46s of his.
The roadtrip home was a little more antsy because of the extra weight and those darned Nebraska and northern Kansas hills. Lots of semis hauling grain from Nebraska to the feedlots of western Kansas to share the road with.
I developed the habit a long time ago to glance out my back window from time to time using my peripheral vision. Mirrors are okay, but that quick glance sometimes let you see something you miss in the mirrors.
With one glance I got a real scare---a BIG TRUCK was mere inches from the back of my truck, and I do mean inches. It gave me quite a start.
WHEW! That big truck I saw was just the pickup on the trailer I was towing. No wonder it was so close. It only looked big because it was setting up high on the trailer. Needless to say I won't need to get a physical this year as my heart has already been checked.
The return trip was flawless just like the trip going. The added weight did cause me to downshift on the hills a few times however, with a semi behind me only once. Thankfully the driver was patient.
It is a good couple of days when you can drive 620 miles in a 1949 Chevy with confidence that you will arrive at your destination.
Mazda may have gone Hmmmmmmmm with their engines, but my old Chevy 216 purrs like a kitten.
Yup, roadtrips are good!
