Road Trip - Route 66

[49_buick_super]

Started the road trip today that was one of the underlying reasons we restored our Buick.  

 

Start in Arizona on Route 66, east to Chicago, U-turn and head to Santa Monica.  From there, another U-turn and back to the starting point in Arizona.

 

I'll post some pictures as we progress.

 

Dan

[49_buick_super]

Day 1.  Phoenix to Flagstaff.  Flagstaff is the start of the trip - actually on Route 66 at that point.  In the photo of the Buick parked at the Chevron station, we are at the junction of Old Route 66 with the connector to I-17 headed to Phoenix.  I posted a map image showing the start point.

 

The trip to Flagstaff was not uneventful.  The car ran well for the first 100 miles.  Temperatures in the desert were in the mid to high 90's.  I climbed one hill with an elevation change from 2000 to 3500.  No problems.  I followed some slower moving 18-wheelers to kept the stresses at a minimum.  But then I got to the point where you have to climb from about 4000 to 6500 feet in about 12 miles.  With no signs of overheating, I started to bog-and-surge from vapor lock.  I got to about 1/2 mile from the top when she crapped out.  I had to sit along side the road for about 1/2 hour and let things cool to the point where the glass bowl would fill using my electric fuel pump.  From that point, we were back in business.  I've driven this car in Phoenix on very hot days and never experienced vapor lock.  Elevation, heat and crap gas, I guess.  I thought my 6 volt fuel pump was going to keep me out of vapor lock trouble.  Fooled me.

 

I did quite a bit of planning for this trip and I'm still amazed at how much "stuff" we've got along for a trip that will last somewhere in the range of 3 to 5 weeks.  I've got a small NAPA store of spare parts in the trunk and that, combined with cleaning supplies, a tool bag, a luggage bag apiece for the wife and I, camera bag, a laptop computer each, jack, car duster, car cover, and a dry bag containing a quart of oil, 2 quarts of Dexron, and a gallon of coolant.  Sheesh.  

 

Dan

 

 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Good luck, Dan. Will be "riding along with you" on this trip.

 

  Ben 

[dei]

Like Ben, looking forward to your adventures and pictures. Wishing you much happiness and success on your trip!

 

I live 5 hours due east of Chicago and did the trip to Phoenix and back in my parents 1968 Meteor station wagon in 1977 so truly looking forward to "riding along" with you. My sister graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe and needed to bring home things she had amassed while there so the wagon was elected to do the trick. She also had her car there to load things up but.... it was a early 1960 Covair sedan which really didn't hold to many big things.

I won't hijack your thread with all the details but thought I'd let you know this is going to be fantastic to relive my adventure through yours!  

Thanks for sharing.

[49_buick_super]

On 9/11/2016 at 7:11 AM, dei said:

I live 5 hours due east of Chicago and did the trip to Phoenix and back in my parents 1968 Meteor station wagon in 1977 so truly looking forward to "riding along" with you....

Lots of interesting stories about east to west travel.  Yours sounds like my own kid story.

 

In May 1964, my family traveled west from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles on Route 66.  We got on the Mother Road in Missouri.  We traveled in a 1960 Ford 2-door with an inline six-cylinder engine and a three-speed standard transmission, no air conditioning. We saw the route as it was in the final years of its real US highway existence.  Fifty-two years later, in 2016, we’re traveling in a 1949 Buick Super 4-door with no air conditioning.  For the first trip in ’64, I was 12 years old and our ’49 Buick - where ever it was then -  was already 15 years old! 

 

Dan

Edited September 13, 2016 by 49_buick_super (see edit history)

[49_buick_super]

DAY 2 - Flagstaff, AZ to Holbrook, AZ

 

Before we left Flagstaff we visited Lowell Observatory where the planet Pluto was first discovered.

 

Then we stopped by a Route 66 icon in Flagstaff - the Museum Club.  First started in the 1930's as a museum of hunting trophies, but for decades it has been a lively country western music place.  A few local tour consultants stopped by to admire the car, give some Route 66 site seeing advice and insisted they be photographed with the car.  

 

 

After leaving Flagstaff, we passed through Winona.  Recall Bobby Troup's famous "Route 66" song and the lyrics, "...don't forget Winona..."  If you blink, you'll miss Winona but there is an old bridge here worth seeing.

 

 

Traveling east, we stopped by a Route 66 icon that is now dead.  Twin Arrows.  I recall seeing this as a bustling business in 1964 but it was right on Route 66 and had not been bypassed by I-40.

 

 

Moving further east, but 6 miles south of Route 66 is the Meteor Crater.  This is on private land and is not a state or federal site.  Well worth seeing if you get the opportunity.

 

Years ago, and I saw this in 1964, there was a business that advertised to all west-bound travelers.  The bill boards started in Oklahoma and had catchy phrases like, "See it.  625 miles"  Then you'd pass another and another, always a catchy phrase with the mileage yet to travel until you arrived to see what ever it was they were hyping.  Finally, when you got there, this is what you saw.

 

Yep.  The Jackrabbit Trading Post.  Still here and still open for business.  Bought some postcards and an iced tea.  Doing my part to keep it alive.

 

Holbrook was our destination and if you've watched the Disney movie, "Cars" and you are on Route 66, you just have to stay at the Wigwam Motel.  The Wigwam was the creative inspiration for the "Cozy Cone Motel" in the movie.  This is a wonderful place that has been in family hands since the 1950's.  The owner has a bunch of old cars parked outside the Wigwams and as props they give the place a real "back then" appearance and atmosphere.  I'll show two of the cars here because they are Buicks.

 

 

 

 

And of course, us, parked at Wigwam #12.

 

 

I met the current owner of the Wigwam Motel.  His name is Clifton Lewis.  A very interesting man.  Most of the cars on the property have current Arizona registration plates.  They all run.  He takes each of them out once a week and gives them an exercise run about town.  If you ever motor west, you must stay in Holbrook at the Wigwam Motel.  Being inside one of the rooms is like being back in the late 40's or anytime in the 50's.  Great fun.

 

Dan

Edited September 12, 2016 by 49_buick_super (see edit history)

[EmTee]

I remember seeing pictures from my parent's honeymoon trip in 1957 showing the Wigwam, where they stayed one night.  They cruised Rt 66 in my dad's '57 T-Bird.

[MrEarl]

Great that you're posting your trip, look forward to following. Good luck and may the Buick gods be with you!

[retirednow]

What a great trip! Love the Wigwam! Enjoy!

[39BuickEight]

Oh man, I did this in 2014 and now you are making me want to head out the door right now!!!   I could go on an endless drive on Route 66 and be happy forever!

[49_buick_super]

Just a little historical fill here before I move on to post Day 3.  It is Buick-related.

 

The cities and towns mentioned by Bobby Troup in his song, “Route 66”, are: Chicago, St Louis, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino and Los Angeles.  Of special note to Buick aficionados is that Troup and his wife, Cynthia, penned most of the lyrics to the song in 1946 while traveling from Pennsylvania to California on Route 66 in their 1941 Buick.  Troup was headed to Los Angeles try to make a living as a song writer.  Having earned more than $4 million in royalties for just this one song in his lifetime, I believe he accomplished his goal.

End trivia entry.

Dan

[49_buick_super]

Day 3 – Holbrook, AZ to Albuquerque, NM

Lots of interesting travel on the real Route 66 on day 3.  Most of the Arizona travel for us this day is on the surface of Interstate 40.  Route 66 lies beneath the roadbed of the eastbound lanes of I-40.  About 8 miles west of the Arizona/New Mexico state line, the real Route 66 roadway is still there and accessible.  You jump off I-40, get on the Old Route 66 and head east, eventually crossing into New Mexico at Lupton.  There are rest areas on both sides of the border as well as many commercial ventures that have been here for years.  Chief Yellowhorse and the Tee Pee Trading Post have been here for years.  If you look in the photo below you can see the towering sandstone cliffs that straddle the Arizona/New Mexico border.  If you have seen the movie, “Grapes of Wrath,” you have seen these very cliffs displayed in the background scenery as the Joad family made their entry into Arizona through the inspection station.

 

 

In this photo, the roadway in the foreground is the actual Route 66 and beyond is the every-busy Interstate 40.  The cliffs in the distance appear like this in several places along Route 66 in New Mexico and also in Arizona between Kingman and Oatman.  They suggest to me where the creative inspiration came for the background cars-and-fenders cliffs in the movie, “Cars”.

 

New Mexico has many, many miles of the original Route 66 to drive.  It parallels the Interstate and you just cruise along just like they did back in the 40's, 50's and 60's.

 

 

The end of the day’s travel was in Albuquerque and we stayed at another Route 66 classic motel, The Monterrey.  This motel has rooms that are unbelievable in their amenities and décor.  And I love neon signs.

 

 

 

 

.

On to Buick matters.  This day saw us dealing with more trouble.  During the day’s travels, I began noticing an ominous loose rumbling and banging coming from what seems to be the area of the transmission mount.  Of course, I’ve looked under the car but can’t see anything amiss.  The noise happens mostly when I’m stopping or on rough road like cattle guards.  As the day progresses, I was becoming very concerned.

Problem 2.  Rain.  We went through some real down pours about 30 miles east of Albuquerque.  When I got to The Monterrey Motel, I found that my rear window seal is leaking (slightly) but nonetheless, it had moistened a small portion of the left side of my trunk upholstery.  This has me a bit chapped because I discovered this leak well over a year ago.  I took it back to where I had the rear window installed during the restoration and it was allegedly fixed.

So, tomorrow we will figure out a way to deal with the leak and I will have to find a shop with a lift and get my eyes on whatever is causing the rumbling and banging under the car.

 

Hope you guys are enjoying reading about this.  For me, its all about the Buick and a long road trip that recreates my first real adventure as a 12-year-old kid in May/June of 1964.

Dan

 

Edited September 13, 2016 by 49_buick_super (see edit history)

[NC-car-guy]

Enjoying very much thank you

[EmTee]

Sorry to hear about the troubles; hopefully the rumble isn't anything serious.  As for the leak, maybe some black electrical tape applied between the glass and gasket and also between gasket and body will stop the water temporarily and not be too noticeable until you can get it permanently fixed.  Thanks for the beautiful photos and the history  - I'm jealous!

[39BuickEight]

Are you taking the route up to Santa Fe?  If so, I would like to suggest a trip to check out La Bajada Hill--they used to go up it backwards due to the grade/gearing.  You can't drive it now, but you can get up to it.  You clearly know a lot about Route 66 already, but that was just one of the many,many things I really enjoyed seeing for myself.

[MrEarl]

Re the noise, maybe check for loose exhaust pipes or muffler hitting the frame. Sure hope it's nothing serious? 

happy trails

love them big old neon signs, especially with an old Buick sitting underneath... giant, hint 

[RivNut]

For anyone contemplating this drive, you might consider one of these.  It's a "yellow pages" for "The mother road."  It has many well detailed maps that show where the original road went as well as all of the attractions along the way.  Many paid ads as well as services listed in a yellow pages format.  I've got one and it's in my bucket list folder.  Pretty good reading even if you never make the trip.

 

Ed

 

http://www.route66news.com/2012/09/10/second-edition-of-route-66-yellow-pages-makes-improvements/

 

 

[39BuickEight]

The Route 66: EZ66 Guide is also excellent.  I would not have found some of the original alignment without it.

[49_buick_super]

DAY 4 – Albuquerque, NM to Tucumcari, NM

The start of Day 4 has me hot on the trail of figuring out what is causing the noise I’m hearing.  I whip out the trusty iPhone and sure enough, I’m within blocks of Jim’s Route 66 Muffler and Auto Repair.  As luck would have it, they had no customers when I arrived and I got on the lift right away.  Inspection revealed that when the car was restored, the tail pipe bend above the rear axle housing was poorly positioned.  The articulation of the suspension had caused the axle housing to impact the exhaust pipe which, in turn, broke the exhaust pipe hanger.  We are traveling with a load in the trunk and that is the probable reason why I’ve never experienced this problem before.  Some handiwork by Jim and we were good to go with a new hanger and the exhaust properly positioned.

 

Leaving Albuquerque, we passed through Moriarty, NM.  An interesting stop there was an old Whiting Brothers gas station with a restored sign.  The current proprietor is using the old place as a tire repair shop with a small Route 66 museum.  We talked with him at length about old stories of Route 66.

 

 

The rest of the day found us cruising on old Route 66 which sometimes was near the Interstate and other times was out of sight of the Interstate.  Wonderful feeling to be driving the Buick across the high deserts of New Mexico, moderate temperatures, windows down, enjoying the driving experience and scenery not to mention the nostalgia of the old Mother Road.

 

Arriving at our destination for the day, Tucumcari, we stayed at a Route 66 classic motel, The Blue Swallow.  This motel is literally an international favorite, very well-known in Route 66 circles.  The old motor court style is stunning and the current owners are friendly and just a blast to talk with about the road and the town.

 

 

I won't bore you with room pictures but look at this telephone.  It works.  This has to give you an idea of staying here.  It's like a time warp to the 50's.

 

 

Most of the rooms have an accompanying garage.  Our room had one.

 

 

A few more pictures of the motor court and neon lights.

 

 

 

 

Dan

[49_buick_super]

14 hours ago, 39BuickEight said:

Are you taking the route up to Santa Fe?  If so, I would like to suggest a trip to check out La Bajada Hill--they used to go up it backwards due to the grade/gearing.  You can't drive it now, but you can get up to it.... 

 

Yes, taking the old Route 66 alignment to Santa Fe on the return trip.  I've heard of La Bajada and I think it would be considered 4WD today.

 

Dan

[49_buick_super]

10 hours ago, 39BuickEight said:

The Route 66: EZ66 Guide is also excellent.  I would not have found some of the original alignment without it.

 

I agree.  We are using the 4th edition of this guide for our trip.  Jerry McClanahan is the author.  He lives and breathes 66 not to mention his artwork.  He is a very talented car artist.

[49_buick_super]

DAY 5 – Tucumcari, NM to DISASTER!

Having stayed at the Blue Swallow Motel, we were somewhat disheartened to discover that we could have stayed where Clint Eastwood stayed.  Bad luck, I guess.

 

Day 5 started off with a wonderful tour of Tucumcari.  This town is rich in the history of Route 66.  There are many beautiful murals here.  I photographed a few but did not get them all before we left town.  Here is a sampling of the beautiful sights in Tucumcari –

 

Here's a perspective from the driver's seat as you drive along the original Route 66 in eastern New Mexico.  Interstate 40 is off to the left.

 

We were driving along, enjoying the day, about 15 miles west of Amarillo, Texas when - DISASTER!

That is exactly what it looks like.  One of the fan blades curled and embedded in the radiator.  How this happened is anyone's guess right now.  The water pump is intact.  The fan remains securely bolted to the water pump.  The generator is where it should be.  I really don't have a clue at this point.  As a result, this was our ride into Amarillo -

We are sleeping in a motel in Amarillo tonight and the Buick is sleeping here -

I've got every spare part I could possibly need except a radiator and fan.  And here's the problem when you run into trouble like this while traveling in a classic car: where do you go for repairs?  I talked to a AAA garage in Amarillo and at first they were receptive.  They called back before we were loaded on the tow truck and said they could not do any radiator repairs and referred me to a specialty radiator shop in Amarillo.  I called that shop and the owner said to have the car towed there.  We did and when he looked at it he said he couldn't fix it.  Talk about a lost feeling.  There you are with your car on a flatbed tow truck with nowhere to go.  I was having visions of being dumped in a parking lot and having to sleep with the vehicle while fending off creeps and cops.  Kind of in desperation, I asked the tow truck driver if his company could store the car until I could figure out what to do.  He got it approved and I have sheltered storage of the car for $25/day until I can figure something out.  The tow truck driver is a decent guy and he started making some telephone calls.  He put me in touch with a shop here in Amarillo called Vintage Autohaus.  I talked with the owner of that shop and he told me to have the car towed to his shop tomorrow and he would get me repaired.  I don't know this shop and so I'm left with taking a chance and having the car towed to that shop to see if I'm moving in the right direction or losing ground.  In the mean time, we Uber'd ourselves to an overpriced hotel in Amarillo and are looking forward to renting a car tomorrow and settling in to be temporary residents of Amarillo, Texas.  

To Be Continued...

 

[EmTee]

  sad to hear; just when I figured the tailpipe fix would be the end of the troubles...  The fan must have hit something???  Check the motor mounts?  Hope there's a reasonable fix available to allow the journey to continue.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Well, dang it anyway!  Will be interesting to learn the reason for that. 

 

  Ben

[dei]

OUCH! Wishing you the best on the repair and the diagnosis.

(Trust your wife is being a sport about this....bless her - been there)

[49_buick_super]

We are now starting Day 2 in Amarillo.  The weather matches our mood - overcast, gray skies, fog everywhere... 

 

But the Buick has been safely towed to Vintage Autohaus here in Amarillo and we appear to be in good hands.  This is a huge vintage/classic car operation here with a very large shop.  The service manager, Brian, is a car guy right down to the ground.  The first speculation on what caused the damage is road debris thrown up that hit the fan.  Possible, I guess, but I'm reserving a conclusion until they get everything apart and get a close look.  I doesn't appear that the fan walked out of the water pump.  There are two local shops that may be able to recore the radiator.  Failing that, we will be here until one can be shipped in.  It's a Walker radiator in the Buick now.  Walker is in Tennessee, I think, and we are in Texas.

 

The adventure continues.

 

Dan

[NC-car-guy]

Best of luck!  I look forward to seeing you get back on the road.  However I now have George Strait's "Amarillo by morning" stuck in my head!

[49_buick_super]

3 hours ago, dei said:

...(Trust your wife is being a sport about this....bless her - been there)

 

She is the best.  We did all the seat and arm rest upholstery in this car together and she was the lead.  I couldn't have done it without her.  

 

Dan

[Bill Stoneberg]

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  If you have a car, head south toward Lubbock and go see Palo Duro Canyon. Its the Grand Canyon of Texas.  Not nearly as large, but very pretty and worth seeing. Minimal charge to get in.  While you are there see Charles Goodnight's heard of buffalo. They are the mother heard, saved from Slaughter during the late 1800's and have been used to populate the Buffalo heards elsewhere.  The finish the day off with a 72 oz steak (free if you can eat it in 1 hour) in Amarillo. 

[Pilgrim65]

Very sad , enjoying your trip , hope you get sorted soon at a reasonable price.

keep us posted 

best regards 

pilgrim

[MrEarl]

23 hours ago, EmTee said:

  sad to hear; just when I figured the tailpipe fix would be the end of the troubles...  The fan must have hit something???  Check the motor mounts?  Hope there's a reasonable fix available to allow the journey to continue.

 

What he said...Motor mounts was my first thought too, but man that blade is BENT! Are you sure you didn't run over an armadillo, those suckers jump straight up as you run over them, often destroying grilles. 

Sorry to hear of your troubles but sounds like you're taking it in stride, probably better than I woud be. Enjoy Amarillo 

[49_buick_super]

3 hours ago, MrEarl said:

 

... Are you sure you didn't run over an armadillo, those suckers jump straight up as you run over them, often destroying grilles. 

 

That's exactly what my friend who used to live in Texas asked!  He said, "$hit, you hit an armadillo, didn't ya?"  

 

We're having a good time here, livin' like locals.  The lemonade is good.

 

Dan

[Fr. Buick]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but be sure to examine engine and trans mounst and the thrust pad.  It looks to me like the engine momentarily slid forward on an acceleration.  Hard breaking would pull it back, leaving you with a mess.  Were you accelerating or pulling a hill when it "hit the fan"?

 

Hope you are back on the road, I love what you are doing for vacation...

[MrEarl]

1 hour ago, 49_buick_super said:

The lemonade is good

 

Tonight, for a good nights rest, add a few shots of 100% agave silver tequila, and since you have probably had to adjust your budget, the cheapest you can find, you'll not taste it anyway for the lemonade.

 

 

[49_buick_super]

6 hours ago, Fr. Buick said:

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but be sure to examine engine and trans mounst and the thrust pad.  It looks to me like the engine momentarily slid forward on an acceleration.  Hard breaking would pull it back, leaving you with a mess.  Were you accelerating or pulling a hill when it "hit the fan"?

 

Hope you are back on the road, I love what you are doing for vacation...

 

I was just accelerating away from a stop sign and about 1/2 way across the intersection I heard a thump/bang and then the fan commenced to eat the radiator as you can see in the picture.  The shop where I'm having the repairs performed said they haven't seen anything that would have caused the fan to slide forward.  As I said, I have my reservations and I'm going to insist on looking at the engine and transmission mounts because, as you can see in the photo, the one fan blade curled before it hit the radiator and the radiator surely didn't cause that curl.  Thanks for your advice.  I just don't know what the fan hit if the engine moved.  Everything on the engine would have moved back at the same time.

 

And, yes, the trip continues as soon as the car is fixed.  I hope that is sometime before we become residents of the State of Texas by virtue of the time spent within the borders.  

[Bill Stoneberg]

6 hours ago, 49_buick_super said:

 I hope that is sometime before we become residents of the State of Texas by virtue of the time spent within the borders.

 

There are worse things in this world....

[49_buick_super]

22 hours ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

There are worse things in this world....

 

We love Texas.  And, icing on the cake - discovered Joe Taco this evening.  

[49_buick_super]

Patient in surgery...

 

[Pilgrim65]

Hope op goes well and a speedy recovery

Cheers

Pilgrim

 

[buick man]

On September 15, 2016 at 7:25 AM, 49_buick_super said:

 

That's exactly what my friend who used to live in Texas asked!  He said, "$hit, you hit an armadillo, didn't ya?"  

 

We're having a good time here, livin' like locals.  The lemonade is good.

 

Dan

Great neat adventure with a lot of color and irony which is the best and most memorable kind …. but just make sure the local man thinks you be a local as well.  spent 2 months in parrington dry county texas not far from amarillo in the summer of 1974.  seemingly every few days what with our out of state plates we would get pulled over at gun point and harassed in various ways, multiple times often by the same tag team, but always at gun point usually by the clown riding shotgun that day.  can only imagine what it may be like today …..  regarding your mounts, likely sourced during the restoration from the usual sources and these are made where ? and slammed out and very often detach ...  always best to use the old ones and get them re-vulcanized and put back into service.

Edited September 17, 2016 by buick man (see edit history)