making a vehicle last 40 years/million miles??

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Hello, this is a first post, and although i'll probably be covering this same topic in more specific detail in specific subforums as I ask better questions this is just a catchall and will sort of explain the reason i'm here.

making a vehicle trucks
last 40 years million miles
I don't have the space to fit it into the subject line but lets also add "at minimum total cost".
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When possible also trying to reduce some of the difficult to do work - I DIY repairs, but i'm disabled, so something like modifications for a cross platform engine swap i'd rather do ONCE if I at all can.
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Modifying for longer maintenance cycles or easier maintenance a huge plus.


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To be brief i'm researching the problem of how to choose, modify and set up one or two vehicles to pretty well "last for life". Everyone has suggested I come here since apparently the Masters of Lubrication hang out here and that is a big part of the equation. I assumed that people that care so much about longer engine life would probably also be on top or at least know of other related topics though!

I don't care about style, or having the latest and greatest - my main goal is to solve the problem of transportation and doing work (towing/travel) at the minimum total lifetime cost possible. If i'm driving a 1980's pickup in 2050 it's fine with me! Willing to spend more now to have it set up to last longer later.


So some of the ideas i've already considered or am in the progress of trying to research more about, and i'm posting these hoping you can add something I HAVEN'T yet heard of to give me leads to research:

- Bypass filtration, where I hear these stories of 25,000 oil change intervals and such which amaze me, and which i'll be reading more about while here

- Cryo treatment, where I hear about parts lasting 3-5x longer... will that work on like brakes, clutch discs, transmission gear lifespan?

- Powder coating everything metal to stop rust - frame, suspension, etc. I live in the rust belt so this is a big thing.

- Reengineering, by which I mean for instance using stainless steel parts wherever possible for instance, or a titanium exhaust that will probably last forever, or finding out what other parts can be upgraded that will matter for 40 years/1 million miles, which the factory never did because they didn't think anyone would drive it that long.

- Garaging, proactive maintenance, power washing things in the winter before going in the garage ideally a given but may not always be an option, more listing because I know it would help whenever I could do it.

- Prelubrication pump for engine oil

- Barrier coatings i'm aware of could potentially help as well, everything from heat resistance to oil shedding, this is a whole topic in itself


The above are things that i'm aware should all help.

An example of something that everything i've researched shows WONT work is cathodic protection. (if anyone knows contrary i'm all ears)


Are there any other areas I should look into/things I don't know about yet? Only looking for leads or one sentence comments (like if I hadn't mentioned cryo treatment, someone that knew of it could have said "look into cryo treatment!", or if I hadn't mentioned bypass filtration at all) to see if I missed anything.
 
Just buy a Mercedes diesel. The old W123 had all of 4o years and a million in them with nothing more than they came with from the factory.
 
Hello collumnshift-I'm Minnesota as well and fairly new. A lot to think about. I'm older with pretty fair experience and have dealt with a number of the things.
Try and seal out the start of harsh climate rust for sure and stop what starts. I've used many of the products with varying results, but not powder coatings. Perform regular PM and run quality fluids/lubes with good filtration. Try and control extreme conditions-for us up north, adding heat to mitigate winter's cold.
Weve had have some cars many years and the years rather than the miles have been the larger factor as annual mileage on some is limited.
 
Move.

Seriously, Since I moved out here to California, its like living in a time machine.

I'm from New York (ever been in a Buffalo winter?!)
and i'm seeing cars that I haven't seen in years.

Honda Civics without rotted out wheal wells?!!?

Funny, nearly all the local craigslist ads feature cars where the average mileage is higher as well.
Very common to see Jeeps, mustangs, with 200K+
Yes, American cars that can go the distance too...
 
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Originally Posted By: columnshift
If i'm driving a 1980's pickup in 2050 it's fine with me! Willing to spend more now to have it set up to last longer later.

There are plenty here that know more than me and will have some very valuable suggestions. However, I suspect that a 1980s pickup isn't a bad idea at all. The parts availability is very high (and likely always will be; look at LMC Trucks, for example) and they tend to be easy to work on.
 
Rust will be your biggest problem. Even in warmer drier climates it's not really realistic to plan for a vehicle to last 40 years IMO, although it would be possible to do with a simple vehicle with good parts availability. Not worth getting into stuff like cryo treating etc. No matter how well maintained there is always the possibility of an accident, a tree falling on it, theft, arson, flooding, etc etc.

Parts availabity of electronics will become an issue on newer stuff, especially with modules that need to be programed using dealer tools.

Making two vehicles last 20 years each would be a much easier goal, just buy a new toyota evey 20 years and maintain it according to the severe service scedule. Also, who knows how much fuel will cost in 2054? Will electrics take over?
 
Just get a honda goldwing. You'll think twice about heading into the snow and it's so much fun in the summer you'll go everywhere on it.

Something "modular" with large subassemblies would help in your goal. A saturn s-series for example lets you easily unbolt the subframe and replace it if it has issues. The carline ran 12 years with little change and there are tons of parts. You just have to have an eye for history in the present, and see what platform sells by the million, has histories of high mileage (via courier duty etc), and will have parts/ enthusiast support.

The Prius comes to mind.
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Even if Toyota stops making battery packs the enthusiasts will pick up where they left off, and "hack" the system to make it work.
 
Have you really thought about how long it would take, time wise, to drive a million miles even if the vehicle were trouble free? Unless you were making money with the vehicle it would be an expensive endeavor. A solo over the road trucker averages 120,000 to 150,000 miles a year, and on his days off someone else is driving the truck so it is basically running 24/7. I'm semi retired and drive a couple of days a week and my companys 2014 Volvo tractors which were put in service in April of 14 are already approaching 100,000 miles each. When I pre trip a truck before each run, the engine is still hot from the driver just coming back of a 10 to 12 hour run and I'm getting ready to leave with it for another 500 to 550 mile run. No winter storage for these trucks. A heavy diesel truck or say a MB or Freightliner diesel van would be my choice but they get terrible fuel mileage, as opposed to a car, and again the time factor wouldn't be practical, unless you are young and are making money with the vehicle.
 
Maybe look at a 1st gen insight? Alu body would go a long time, simple manual trans, and the assist battery is optional.
Buy a couple extra drivetrains, driver seats, vacuum seal some sets of winter and summer tires to put in storage and drive the wheels off of it.
 
A couple from Ga bought a 2006 chevy diesel truck new and pulls campers and small trailers across Canada and the USA and have put 1 million 200,000 miles on it in just 6 years, as of 2012. Quite an accomplishment for any vehicle.
 
I have some friends that do 800k to a million in gas and diesels living on the road running freight in cargo vans. A diesel can do it easily, gas engines are really lucky to get to a million miles, usually at 600k they are starting to die, but some keep going. Many drivers get another ride as the other stuff starts breaking and nuisance maintenance is to high---trannys, injectors,hvac rebuilds,and so on.
 
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I don't think things like titanium exhaust will really help.

What will help is the simplest version of the most common vehicle you can find. Parts availability and the ability to to repair the vehicle or not are key. It will need repairs regardless, likely things you don't expect. Trying to beef up everything will just be cost prohibitive.

Something along the lines of a 1973-1987 C-10 with a fresh 350 crate motor, no power steering, no A/C, all manual accessories, etc. Maybe an automatic transmission though as parts availability may be better in the long run. I don't think I'd want to drive that for 40 years/1 million miles though.

There is one guy out there with a 1960s Volvo with 2 million miles on it, but I believe he has put a ton of work into the car. Engine rebuilds and such.

Most of the vehicles that do turn a million do it in a normal lifespan...10-20 years. They spend their life on the highway, in basically ideal conditions. Not a lot of shifting going on, steady engine speed, up to operating temp most of the time, etc. That's really not that hard of a life...doing 1/5th the miles in stop & go traffic day in and day out, not getting up to temp, etc. is just as hard on a vehicle.

Most vehicles that last 40 years don't get driven all that much, spend a lot of time in storage, need a lot of seals and other rubber/cork/fiber parts replaced, etc.

So if you want to keep it forever, get something that will be repairable and have good parts availability for decades.
 
I just tried it with my 91 Mercury (original owner). After 23 years I've now given up. The salt dissolved too much of the car. Not even rustproofing could keep all the rust away. I COULD continue repairing it, but not for a daily driver.

To keep a car 40 years you have to retire it from daily duty and relegate it to collector status, or be willing and able to perform all necessary repairs and tolerate interruptions to your driving schedule.
 
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