Flew South, now driving a clunker home
- Thread starter eljefino
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Made it home! Might put together a nice shaky handheld video montage.
I ate four straight meals from the macdonald's dollar menu and slept three hours in the car at a rest area. I was two pounds low in all the tires and drove this way to Virginia where I bought gas andsnuck sped over to the air pump after some other guy was done using it.
None of the tools I packed came in handy. I dropped something in the cigarette lighter and blew its fuse. This stripped out car has no rear defroster, my go-to spare fuse, so I drove home with a backup paper map, no GPS. Folklore says the Fishkill bridge is the way to slither Northeast but I took I-95 through Manhattan.
This led to a $14 GW Bridge toll on top of $9.55 for the Jersey Turnpike. Having blown my small bills, I changed a $100 at the NYS Thruway booth at the far end of NYC. Their policy is apparently to put all such bills in an envelope with the license plate number, and since my plate was temporary she used my actual driver's license. She actually sighed, unlocked her booth door, and went first to my front (no plate) then rear to get the numbers. THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER... My change was 4 20's and 18 1's, which reminds me somehow of trying to figure out when a movie was made by reading Roman Numerals.
It needs struts, plugs & wires, a valve cover gasket, serpentine belt, and maybe a sway bar end link, it's pretty tippy.
I ate four straight meals from the macdonald's dollar menu and slept three hours in the car at a rest area. I was two pounds low in all the tires and drove this way to Virginia where I bought gas and
None of the tools I packed came in handy. I dropped something in the cigarette lighter and blew its fuse. This stripped out car has no rear defroster, my go-to spare fuse, so I drove home with a backup paper map, no GPS. Folklore says the Fishkill bridge is the way to slither Northeast but I took I-95 through Manhattan.
This led to a $14 GW Bridge toll on top of $9.55 for the Jersey Turnpike. Having blown my small bills, I changed a $100 at the NYS Thruway booth at the far end of NYC. Their policy is apparently to put all such bills in an envelope with the license plate number, and since my plate was temporary she used my actual driver's license. She actually sighed, unlocked her booth door, and went first to my front (no plate) then rear to get the numbers. THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER... My change was 4 20's and 18 1's, which reminds me somehow of trying to figure out when a movie was made by reading Roman Numerals.
It needs struts, plugs & wires, a valve cover gasket, serpentine belt, and maybe a sway bar end link, it's pretty tippy.
Just have to ask: How did a '93 Cavalier become your dream car?
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Just have to ask: How did a '93 Cavalier become your dream car?
You should live my dreams!
It's more a function of "I was looking for something unique down there, that I can't get, up here, that will ooze uniqueness"
-- Trucks of any sort/ condition are more expensive.
-- Full size sedans... FWD and especially RWD are all "donked out" with stupid rims
-- They had saturns in my price range, but they don't rust nearly as badly, so I can get a pretty good one here.
When I buy a car I look to add equity somehow, so I know I'm in control. Driving it up here added that. Typically I find something missing one item from the following list:
-- decent (curb appealing) body
-- good powertrain
-- good interior
-- good, nearly new, state inspection
-- good tires
-- low mileage
Just have to ask: How did a '93 Cavalier become your dream car?
You should live my dreams!
It's more a function of "I was looking for something unique down there, that I can't get, up here, that will ooze uniqueness"
-- Trucks of any sort/ condition are more expensive.
-- Full size sedans... FWD and especially RWD are all "donked out" with stupid rims
-- They had saturns in my price range, but they don't rust nearly as badly, so I can get a pretty good one here.
When I buy a car I look to add equity somehow, so I know I'm in control. Driving it up here added that. Typically I find something missing one item from the following list:
-- decent (curb appealing) body
-- good powertrain
-- good interior
-- good, nearly new, state inspection
-- good tires
-- low mileage
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Folklore says the Fishkill bridge is the way to slither Northeast but I took I-95 through Manhattan.
I've taken both routes, and honestly I prefer I-95.
Folklore says the Fishkill bridge is the way to slither Northeast but I took I-95 through Manhattan.
I've taken both routes, and honestly I prefer I-95.
I am impressed! If you ever come up around Boston Metro West area, I owe you a beer or two!! I do DC to Boston Metro West too many times but I take the garden state at Edison NJ, and then Tapan Zee to 684 to 84 and then 90.
Great dashcam work.
Great dashcam work.
nice find!
How did you find it? ebay or craigslist? Carfinder?
How did you find it? ebay or craigslist? Carfinder?
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craigslist. I got a "burner" smartphone specifically for this trip, as the best CL cars are listed for mere hours. But, this one, I saw from home and prearranged a meeting before hitting the plane.
I could have gotten a "cooler" one given time and a backup plan (like a return ticket).
I could have gotten a "cooler" one given time and a backup plan (like a return ticket).
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
It was also the closest Cook Out (an NC fast food staple).
I didn't stop in but the place was pumping smoke out over the highway.
Delicious, delcious smoke.
Interestingly, the "northern" fast food I'm used to was all on one side of the highway, and the "southern" was on the opposite. If memory, and irony, serves, the southern was technically on the northern side. Anyway it was this hamburger stand, three kinds of fried chicken, a Krispy Kreme and a Waffle House (tm).
It was also the closest Cook Out (an NC fast food staple).
I didn't stop in but the place was pumping smoke out over the highway.
Delicious, delcious smoke.
Interestingly, the "northern" fast food I'm used to was all on one side of the highway, and the "southern" was on the opposite. If memory, and irony, serves, the southern was technically on the northern side. Anyway it was this hamburger stand, three kinds of fried chicken, a Krispy Kreme and a Waffle House (tm).
Did the negative thinkers on this message board miss the part where he said it had 38,000 original miles?
Looks like a fun trip. Love the video. I'm trying to convince my brother to do this very thing with me, but his wife is not on board with the idea.
Looks like a fun trip. Love the video. I'm trying to convince my brother to do this very thing with me, but his wife is not on board with the idea.
Right now I'm waiting for my mail order struts and valve cover gasket. Seems the parts stores locally have given up on 1st gen J-bodies.
Will post pics of the valvetrain when I get it apart.
It only ran 1600 miles a year, but has a still-current OC sticker.
It passed a state inspection after I convinced the tire shop mechanics that an out of state cardboard plate was totes legit.
It only ran 1600 miles a year, but has a still-current OC sticker.
It passed a state inspection after I convinced the tire shop mechanics that an out of state cardboard plate was totes legit.
Best of luck with it! Not a while lot on the inside to break, so that's a plus!
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Time for a valve cover gasket. Was worried about sludge from short tripping. No longer worried.
Wow, they probably did the OCI by time by the book.
I like the pushrod 8V head too, not a whole lot to go wrong there!
Time for a valve cover gasket. Was worried about sludge from short tripping. No longer worried.
Wow, they probably did the OCI by time by the book.
I like the pushrod 8V head too, not a whole lot to go wrong there!
man, the outside of the engine is dirty. looks more than 22 years rather than 38,000 miles. how about the rest of the car?
once i actually flew to get a car. i went north to pick up a brand new V6 AWD RAV4 with 3 rows of seats because south had none of those. i still have the car.
once i actually flew to get a car. i went north to pick up a brand new V6 AWD RAV4 with 3 rows of seats because south had none of those. i still have the car.
Hot [censored], that is one clean cylinder head (under the cover).
Quote:
man, the outside of the engine is dirty. looks more than 22 years rather than 38,000 miles. how about the rest of the car?
I bet that VC gasket has been leaking for a decade or more.
Quote:
man, the outside of the engine is dirty. looks more than 22 years rather than 38,000 miles. how about the rest of the car?
I bet that VC gasket has been leaking for a decade or more.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Time for a valve cover gasket. Was worried about sludge from short tripping. No longer worried.
Easy way to clean the exterior of the motor without damage is to spray lots of simple green all over and then hit it with an electric pressure washer at 1500 PSI max. Higher PSI causes damage.
Time for a valve cover gasket. Was worried about sludge from short tripping. No longer worried.
Easy way to clean the exterior of the motor without damage is to spray lots of simple green all over and then hit it with an electric pressure washer at 1500 PSI max. Higher PSI causes damage.
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