Thread: Road Trip in the 57

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I just got back from a trip to visit family and be there for Mom’s 85th birthday. I took the 57 Plymouth, and put just a bit over 4000 miles on it over the last week.

I called my Insurance company (Grundy) before the trip to find out if the car would be covered on the trip and was told that it would be if I was travelling to or from an automotive related event like a car show. I did some checking before I left and found out there was a small show/cruise in the Quad Cities, so I spent last Saturday at that. It was pretty much the last event for the year back there and a lot of guys had already put their toys away for the winter. The turnout was still pretty good and I saw some old friends and met some new ones.




While I was back there I picked up a lot of my granddads and dads old hand tools, mostly stuff from the 1920s-50s, so I probably had 300 extra pounds in the trunk on the way back.

I left to come home Tuesday, but only made it to about Des Moines before the clutch came apart (one of the release arms broke at the pivot and caused the clutch to not release). I limped it into a parts store and they recommended a small independent shop (the owner is a Hot Rodder with a pretty neat twin turbo Trans Am. I spent most of the day there, mostly waiting on the parts and was back on the road by early evening.

I still managed to run ahead of the rain and snow that went thru the area on Wednesday and Thursday but the wind thru Texas was pretty brutal. I stopped at a truck stop in New Mexico on the way back that incorporated a small car museum….they had some pretty neat cars and autoorabilia.



Overall except for the clutch problem it was a great trip and the old Plymouth did really well. I cruised 75-80 most of the time and mileage was still just under 20MPG…. a little less than the last time I made the trip. I don’t know whether it was the wind I was running into or the 10% ethanol I was forced to run most of the trip.

Sounds like a nice cruise!!!

Isn't it amazing how many folks there are who can help out a rodder who's down on his luck, or clutch!

Thanks for the photo's!

".....Isn't it amazing how many folks there are who can help out a rodder who's down on his luck, or clutch!...."

I couldn't have been any more lucky in finding that garage. I could tell by the cars they had in there and the way the guys were working that I had gone to the right place. Like I mentioned the owners a hot rodder and has taken his TA on the pwer tour a couple of times. They already had a full days worth of work before I got there but they made time and room for the Plymouth and even stayed about an hour late to get me back on the road that evening. In spite of everything you see and hear there are still good shops out there!

I had a similar thing happen on the way to an airshow, throw out bearing on my 63 TR-4 froze up on a Friday afternoon in Everett Washington and we finally found a shop in the yellow pages who knew how to spell TR-4! Limped over there to find out that it was already beer-thirty but they shared and said they would come in on Saturday and take care of us. Even gave us a ride to a hotel nearby.

Next morning went over to the shop and was down the road by early afternoon.

Went home and skipped the airshow and sold the car next week. Whoever thought of a positive ground anyway???

I guess I need to remember those folks and be ready to help someone else out when the need arises...and you know it will!

Sounds like you had a good trip Mike, other then the clutch. Oh well, stuff breaks when it wants to...

If it had happened up here I have a lot of clutch arms and pressure plate parts from the top fuel days---what weight and ht arm do you want???OK--just put this one in and adjust this bolt to where you have 1/4 in between here and there!!!!!How much weight do you want to put on it???Oh then use this narrow arm and you'll have a bigger range--want to do adjustable static pressure?? On 3, 6 or 9 springs???

Glad it was a good trip for you!!!!