The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Whats the Farthest You have ever driven in your stovebolt?

Me and my girlfriend are getting married in July of 2007 not long after I finish my restoration of my 1950 Chevrolet 3100. I would like to take it for our honey moon which is about a 6 hour drive. So it got me to wondering whats the farthest you have ever driven your stovebolt?

Fort Worth to San Antonio in my 62, 3/4, to pick up a new Harley.

66 GMC Pickup - San Clemente, CA to Quantico, VA and back 5 months later. (I departed Baltimore, MD at 0900 Friday and arrived home in San Clemente at 1300 on Sunday.)

39 Chevy pickup - 250 miles, Oceanside to Yuma and back (twice).

39 coupe - 40 miles, to work and back.

36 CornBinder, 80 feet, out of the garage, and 20 feet up the street.

Josh, #1 does she "get into" old cars? #2 does she mind being stranded on the road for short intervals #3 does she understand that she will play "second fiddle" if she doesn't answer "YES" to 1 and 2 above? If she can honestly answer "why of course dear" to all of the above, then marry her immediately and take her on a cruise. Congrats and good luck! P.S. Well built and maintained stovebolts will run forever. Pack a couple of clothes pins in the truck in case you get vapor lock!

50 feet! Tow truck dropped it off in the drive way, jumped in and had my buddies push it to the back of the shop. lol

I drove my 46 1/2 Ton from San Francisco to Montgomery Alabama and then back to Altus Oklahoma.

winston-salem N.C. and back....about a 350 mile round trip...purred like a kitten....but will growl like a bulldog if you want it to Next year it will be to Kansas Truck Nationals and back. Now that will be a trip.

Well Stovebolt being defined as any pre '73 Chevy or GMC I drove my '72 C10 about 3200 miles round trip a couple years ago. From my home near Seattle to a friends place south of Denver, and back.

On the way out I was towing a '57 Chevy 2-door wagon.

My '55 1st has been 120 miles from home and back but never on a significant trip.

I bought my un-restored '62 Suburban in Joplin, MO and drove it back to Atlanta...actually, about 50 miles NE on the OTHER side of Atlanta. We took back roads all the way to Birmingham, AL, and then jumped on the Interstate to and thru Atlanta. We did about 1000 miles. And when I say "we" I mean my 10 year old boy and me. Road trip of a lifetime.
The truck has been kept running it's whole life, but very basically, Nothing fancy. 283 rebuilt 20 years ago and given later model heads, tired HEI conversion and tired alternator several years ago. Original radiator. Someone swapped in a Dana 44 with Posi, but it wasn't really rebuilt.
The truck never missed a beat the whole way home. That was in March. I've driven it back and forth to work every day since then (25 miles round trip, but I go home for lunch almost every day), go down into Atlanta when I need to, and have no problem running around in it on the weekend for day trips and errands.
Amazingly, my wife really digs it, even though there is NO weather stripping anywhere on it (so it rattles like mad), no A/C, windows are always down (women never like that, but she does in this truck) and it's loud because it has bare steel floors, no sound deadener and no headliner panels.
In short, it's the perfect beginning for a truck that needs everything. My wife's a goodun--she understands cars, understands my passion for them, is fully supportive of them, and is saving for a '70 Camaro.
It's my daily driver, and it hasn't let me down yet. And I don't expect it to anytime soon!
-Brad

I have driven my 1 ton up to oklahoma and back - about 600 miles in one day.

When I was in college (90-93), I would drive it home and back once a month, about 160 miles each way. It's been up some back roads while camping where I had to bring along a 5 gallon can of gas so I would have enough to get there and back once I was tired of fishing (well, had to go back to work). I've been stranded in just about every car that I've owned except the stovebolt. When it's died, it's had the decency to do it in town.

When it was my grandparent's only car (58-69) it made an annual trip up to my great grandmother's about 360 miles each way with four people on the bench seat.

The futherest I drove mine was a 1/2 mile being pulled by a garden tractor from a farmer who had (5) of his kids riding the tractor. Kids hanging everywhere on the little Cub Cadet!

1982: Barstow CA to Albany GA pulling one of U-Hauls largest trailers full of my belongings. Truck bed was full as well.

2004: Son, then 16 with new drivers license, and I made the round trip from Leesburg GA to Santa Barbara CA to spend a few weeks with Mom/Grandma. He got his first taste of handling an old truck and did good but was worn out at the end of every day. Cannot describe the blast we had those five weeks.

My grandfather used to drive his 1939 1 1/2 ton pulling a trailer from his farm here in Il to Ontario Canada fishing every year from the late 30's to the late 40's, about 800 miles one way. And a lot of the trip was gravel roads then.

And some think those babbit engines explode anytime you take them over 20 miles!!

Bob

Is it really "driving" if it's not moving under it's own power?

Well, in the 40 years I've been driving my '48 pickup, I've been a long way in it so I assume Joshua S. means how far in a single trip. That would be Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Palm Springs to Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara to Monterey, Monterey to Los Angeles on a 4 day trip. That's about 882 miles. Fun trip!

Late addition:
Forgot to add I hauled a fully loaded camper on
that trip.

kansas city meet a few weeks ago,,52, straight axle, lowered, over 1,000 miles.. good way for you to get a quick divorce

Joshua, good luck on the marriage and especially getting the truck done on time. I am restoring my '50 3100. Started July 02, planned on driving to family reunion July 04, oops not done, but will be by the end of August, oops not done. Okay, I will drive it to family Thanksgiving, fingers crossed.

I have driving my truck on long trips (about 4 hours one way) prior to the resto. It was fine and a nice drive, including the semi-frequent pit stops to fix or check stuff.

Like 52motorhead, about 50 feet. Taking it down the ramp off the delivery truck the brakes went out. Nursed it into the garage and there she sits still. Broken brake line led to brakes, led to wheel cylinders, led to master cylinder, led to brake lines, led to some bad wiring.... soon, very soon she'll be on the road again.

I only drive the 55 to shows and cruisins,so about 100 mi.is tops.However it is in good enough shape to drive coast to coast.

Joshua, 1200 miles round trip. Look at my drivetrain below. If you are running stock you must take the secondary roads and of course don't be in a hurry. Start early, like 9 AM, stop frequently, enjoy yourselves. Congratulations!

Okay, just to make myself feel better, I have to correct my earlier post. I started my truck in July '04 and thought I would have it done July '06. I don't know were I lost two years last night. This is a two (or maybe three) year project, not 4 or 5, (yet).

Not very far. 50 Miles one way (100 RT) to a Great Hamburger place down the highway. When you live in Fairbanks and the next town in Anchorage, 365 miles away, there's not many places to go to. Driving around just for the fun of it is always a pleasure, but I really don't get anywhere.

Buddy in AK

I haven't driven it yet, but then again, I've only had my '48 for a short time - since 1989.

I had hoped to have it finished this month, but a burned up wiring harness, visitors, etc. have slowed me down.

(I took it apart in 1989, but life intervened (divorce, moving, work, etc.) and I didn;t have a chance or desire to continue with it until I retired. so, last year was spent cleaning up parts and getting the body parts painted, and this summer was starting assembly and burning up the wires.

I have towed it many, many miles, though. :p

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. My chevy is running semi stock it has a 235 from a 56 original 3Speed And rear end but i am getting a gear set from chevy duty to put 3.55's in the rear so i can take some paved roads. I'm lucky to be marrying a great girl she understands the addiction i have (her dad gave her a 1967 Camaro he used to race) So she allowes me to spend my money on it. I hope its going to be a great trip when my dad first got it and we checked everything out we got it running and took it down a paved county road (Small Backwoods Town In North Dakota Also Friends with local Police Officer) and took it for a drive with little or no brakes Bad Master And wheel Cylinders but all fixed now my grin was four miles wide if you ask my dad nothing like shifting through three gears while that 6 just purrs under the hood.

Congrats!

I've only driven my 'bolt the 12 or so miles to the farm (and the 12 or so miles back), and the 11 or so miles to town.

Grandpa used to drive all over creation in it, though.

Dad too.

Most miles in a day in the 41 has been just over 400. Every couple of weeks I have a 170 mile run each way. Head down on the Saturday morning and back Sunday afternoon. Its a good trip.

Cheers

Bob

From Kennewick, WA to Ft. Myers, FL roundtrip. We covered a shade more than 7000 miles and we were pulling a Teardrop Camp Trailer.

Thruwurkin
Kennewick, WA

Oh yeah!! I forgot. It was '51 with a "new" 216 engine.

My first vehicle was a 55 Chevy half ton, short box. My second vehicle was a 66 Chevy half ton fleetside. It was 1970 and our family vacation. There was 4 of us. We had an overhead camper on the back of the truck, which was wrong, because I felt the truck was overloaded. The truck had a 283 and a 4 on the floor with a granny first gear. Our family went from Jamestown, North Dakota to Daytona Beach, Florida and back. The first problem we had was, I had never really experienced hot sunk,and ocean waves. Mom tried to stop me and cover me in sun blocker, but I would not listen. I got second degree burns on my back and began tossing cookies.. so it was time to go home. Then the second problem came up as we were in Nebraska on the return trip. I was driving and I noticed the gas gauge dropping way faster than it should. I told Dad something was wrong.. We stopped along side the road and he said the fuel pump was leaking. Just keep going he said. So we kept on going,, fuel dumping out on the road as we went. Stopping to fill up twice as often as we should have.. We made it home no problem.. but it was nerve racking. :=)

I haven't had the privelege of driving either of my trucks yet. But, from what I see in some of the posts here, seems like the more you drive it, the more "intimate" you become with it and the more reliable it then becomes. That's really how it should be now, shouldn't it?

3/4 of a mile (around the block) about 20 times. Its not quite street legal yet

Lets see now......

I drove My Bolt from Mineral Wells TX to Breckenridge TX, to Jacksboro TX and then back to Mineral Wells TX ...thats about 186 miles.

However from October of 2005 when I bought my 59 to now I have well over 4000 miles on this my Daily Driver.


Cliff59

8,000 miles in 1 month in a 52 1 ton.
235 engine, 4.56 gears, 55 MPH max.
From VA to CA to Vancouver Island to NY to VA.
I can't wait to do it again.
Grigg

I coasted down my driveway once!

I moved my sister-inlaw, from Burlington, N.C., to Virginia Beach, Va. (235 miles one way)on the back of this 1951 Chevrolet COE, http://www.classiccoe.com/friends/spanky/1951_spanky_1a.jpg

Went to Portland and back to Seattle after installing O.D. Got 15 mpg w/70mph average. Can't wait to do it again with new radials, shocks, alignment, HEI, dynomat on the floor, and no vacuum leak. Good thing these motors are so forgiving.

From what I've read so far, I guess I didn't really go all that far. Moved to Wisconsin from Ft. Worth, TX. About 1000 miles. Got my '49 going in April, '98, and made the move in August, '98. Loaded the ol' girl down and away I went. Didn't know if it would make the trip or not, but no problems. Did 65-70 all the way and still got 20-23 mpg with a 283 and TH350 trans. Of course 2.73 gears didn't hurt.

Drove my halfway-restored '53 from Las Vegas, NV, to Port Angeles, WA. Across the desert, over sevral mountain passes, and stuck in an ice-storm in Salem, OR, while I waited for a my generator to re-built. Not to mention lots of rain...and the wiper transmission arm (way up under the dash) broke, too. By the time I got here my wife and I weren't talking.

Oak Grove to Shreveport La. about 170miles,but seemed alot longer than that,no problems just 56mph on I-20 for about 140miles of it,kinda nerve rack'n and expensive,gas was 2.95 a gallon.