Pics continued.
Travelogue...part duex
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After leaving Fort Knox, I headed further south toward Elizabethtown. Along the way it became clear that something was wrong with the 40. I found myself struggling to get up to 40mph. There was a 18mph head wind but as I continued driving the wind shifted for and my ability to get up to speed did not change. The 40 was also struggling to make it up a decent sized KY hill. In most cases, I would have it floored and would be going 25mph at the top of the hill. The traffic behind me was not very happy. I was sure to pull over regularly to let them by.
When I first pulled over, I checked the oil for signs of coolant, looked for smoke out of the exhaust and checked for spark on each cylinder. That did not reveal the problem. I was more than 1/2 way to the meet up and We already had plans to stop at @wileycoyote 's shop so I decided to just press on......very slowly...... I'm not sure why, but I had a lot of confidence that I would be able to drive home the next day without much issue.... more on that to come.
Next stop was Elizabethtown and a unique site. A building in their town square has a civil war cannon ball that is still lodged in its side.
Follow the arrow on the side of the building...
.
I left E-Town and continued south toward the next stop.. Mammoth Cave National Park where I was going to meet @Tennessee80.
Along the way I could not help but stop at this unique lodging option.... Who wouldn't want to sleep a night in a wigwam!! I may be making a trip back with the kids at some point!
More to come later.....
I left E-Town and continued south toward the next stop.. Mammoth Cave National Park where I was going to meet @Tennessee80.
Along the way I could not help but stop at this unique lodging option.... Who wouldn't want to sleep a night in a wigwam!! I may be making a trip back with the kids at some point!
More to come later.....
Time for the last installment of this leg....
I continued on at a slow pace to meet up with @Tennessee80 at the Mammoth Cave visitor's center.
I handed off the tool and then we took a cruise around the park. It was a cold but beautiful fall day!
The original plan was to camp at the park but my mechanical issues rerouted us to @wileycoyote 's shop that was in the area. We made plans to meet up with him and had a bit of time to kill so we stopped off at a interesting shop on the outskirts of the park. If you are looking for some grossly overpriced 'antiques' I highly recommend this place
I continued on at a slow pace to meet up with @Tennessee80 at the Mammoth Cave visitor's center.
I handed off the tool and then we took a cruise around the park. It was a cold but beautiful fall day!
The original plan was to camp at the park but my mechanical issues rerouted us to @wileycoyote 's shop that was in the area. We made plans to meet up with him and had a bit of time to kill so we stopped off at a interesting shop on the outskirts of the park. If you are looking for some grossly overpriced 'antiques' I highly recommend this place
We then made our way to @wileycoyote place and got there a bit before he was back so we setup camp in the back lot....
Wiley arrived and then we cracking open a bottle of bourbon and some beers and had a look at his shop and awesome collection of land cruisers. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me because I had only ever seen a handful of classic land cruisers in person before this event!
We pulled my 40 into the bay and set to work.
We checked compression, replaced plugs and fuel filter, swapped the ignition system, put on another Weber 38 that was already tuned for a 40 and nothing was fixing the issue.
At some point during all of this, @Tennessee80 pulled all of his cooking gear into the garage and started cooking up steak tacos! It doesn't get better than this. Hanging out with two Mud guys who I had never met, sipping on bourbon and beer, wrenching on my 40 in a garage sourounded by land cruisers with every part and tool I could imagine needing to diagnose the problem! What a trip!!!
Then, during a test drive, @wileycoyote commented that it could be restricted exhaust... we pulled it back into the shop, pulled off the exhaust after the header
Then set out for a Screaming LOUD test drive. Sure enough... problem solved!
We cleaned up, walked out of the shop (probably about 1am at this point) and were smacked in the face by the cold. Chad called us fools for camping. We agreed and crashed in his house
. We left the muffler off for the trip home. Luckily I had a set of earplugs
It's impossible for me to summarize this trip. I knew that I was going to enjoy it, but had no idea that I would meet two guys guys like Joel (@Tennessee80) and Chad (@wileycoyote). I would have never imagined that having mechanical problems (the very thing that I was working to avoid going into this trip) would result in an experience like this...... This trip has shown me what a great community of people that we all have the prevledge of belonging to on Mud!
On to the next leg.....
Great summary and even better photos of your leg, Chris! That's a tough act to follow, but I will try my best. Great to meet you and hang out, and @wileycoyote (Chad) is always a blast to be with too. Hope to see you at an event or another journey like this soon
cheers, Joel
cheers, Joel
@Bluegrass40 what a great addition the the travelogue makes mine look bad. I would have loved to make the trip with you guys. That looks like a blast. I hope you were sharing some good Ohio IPAs down there. Good luck to @Tennessee80 on the next leg. Keep the thread going!
All righty now, gents! I will take my turn, and will try to keep it rational, as I tend to ramble. First off, @hecrod has inspired us to this relay initiative, and it has and will continue to bring cruiser heads together across the country that have only "met" on the forum. That in itself is what this world needs: trust in your fellow man or woman, to exist together in the human experience without letting race, religion, etc. get in the way of common goals. In this case, it is to encourage each other to take our old trucks and drive them (mostly in the right lane) across America. I will be surprised if some independent group doesn't create a documentary out of this if we do it next year.
Enough of that, and on with the travelogue. My task that has been appointed to me is to bring not one, but 2 of the batons towards the west, and so my post here is my 2 journeys to get the said batons.
First off, a bit of history on my truck. It is a 1974 fj40 that I bought last summer off of craigslist in Arkansas. The seller (not an active mud guy, but I think he has a screen name?) was great, and had built up the truck over the last 15 plus years of ownership. He bought it out of California, and had a SOA done right from some "guru" out there. He then proceeded to wheel it (without lockers) through the Rubicon. Once he moved to Arkansas, he proceeded to build the family cage, front and rear bumpers. Then, life got in the way, and he wanted to build his 80 more, so he sold it, and it ended up with me!
Here is what it looked like when I got it, and after some cans of rustoleum flat khaki, some 8" wheels, and a Trollhole soft top, here is what it looks like now.
The truck runs well, except for the original carb needing some adjustment, and doesn't leak much (except for the weep at the top of the radiator), shifts well, and drives well (with PS and 4 wheel disc brakes). So I was confident taking her on the road to meet my fellow cruiser brethren.
My first trip was North to meet @Bluegrass40 in Mammoth Cave National park. I got off a bit later than I wanted, partly due to the old camper wiring I was wrestling with (since we were planning on camping at Mammoth). I just loaded all of the kitchen gear, food, and tent in the 40, and set out!
Enough of that, and on with the travelogue. My task that has been appointed to me is to bring not one, but 2 of the batons towards the west, and so my post here is my 2 journeys to get the said batons.
First off, a bit of history on my truck. It is a 1974 fj40 that I bought last summer off of craigslist in Arkansas. The seller (not an active mud guy, but I think he has a screen name?) was great, and had built up the truck over the last 15 plus years of ownership. He bought it out of California, and had a SOA done right from some "guru" out there. He then proceeded to wheel it (without lockers) through the Rubicon. Once he moved to Arkansas, he proceeded to build the family cage, front and rear bumpers. Then, life got in the way, and he wanted to build his 80 more, so he sold it, and it ended up with me!
Here is what it looked like when I got it, and after some cans of rustoleum flat khaki, some 8" wheels, and a Trollhole soft top, here is what it looks like now.
The truck runs well, except for the original carb needing some adjustment, and doesn't leak much (except for the weep at the top of the radiator), shifts well, and drives well (with PS and 4 wheel disc brakes). So I was confident taking her on the road to meet my fellow cruiser brethren.
My first trip was North to meet @Bluegrass40 in Mammoth Cave National park. I got off a bit later than I wanted, partly due to the old camper wiring I was wrestling with (since we were planning on camping at Mammoth). I just loaded all of the kitchen gear, food, and tent in the 40, and set out!
Hopefully I can finish my post tomorrow, to be continued!
@Tennessee80
Seeing your first post is giving me the dreaded 'fj40 road trip itch'. Doctor says to drink two beers and call him in the morning....
Cheers!
Seeing your first post is giving me the dreaded 'fj40 road trip itch'. Doctor says to drink two beers and call him in the morning....
Cheers!
x2, man. My 80 series is so capable, comfortable, highway/trail friendly. But there is nothing like a 40 series. Period!
^^^ He bought a 40 after trying to follow HENDOG around in his 80. LOL
Henry, you inspire us all, brother!
Don't be like me! Remember I'm lost too!
Ok, Happy New Year's folks! It has taken me way too long to add to this post, but since my work is done, I can try to quickly recount and retrace my steps on paper....
After fueling (very necessary, LOL), I headed to the downtown Nashville riverfront district and posed in front of an iconic honky tonk bar, Roberts. Right next to it is the equally famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge.
At all times of the day (weekdays included), the streets and honky tonks are packed with tourists, aiming to get a feel for Nashville. Live music, beer, and fried food is readily available also!
Next, I headed out for the open road, North towards Bowling Green, and Mammoth Cave National Park for my meet up with Baton #1 and @Bluegrass40. Since I was pressed for time, I didn't take the epic and cool scenic highways and byways that Chris did.
I finally arrived in Mammoth cave after about 2 hours...
After fueling (very necessary, LOL), I headed to the downtown Nashville riverfront district and posed in front of an iconic honky tonk bar, Roberts. Right next to it is the equally famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge.
At all times of the day (weekdays included), the streets and honky tonks are packed with tourists, aiming to get a feel for Nashville. Live music, beer, and fried food is readily available also!
Next, I headed out for the open road, North towards Bowling Green, and Mammoth Cave National Park for my meet up with Baton #1 and @Bluegrass40. Since I was pressed for time, I didn't take the epic and cool scenic highways and byways that Chris did.
I finally arrived in Mammoth cave after about 2 hours...
Here are the shots of the meet up between fellow cruiser brethren and the keepers of the old ways (or something like that, LOL).
After this handoff, I followed @Bluegrass40 towards the legendary @wileycoyote and his infamous parts shop....
The rest of this leg of the journey was very well told by Chris and his narrative... To be continued!
After the bourbon party (A.K.A. mission Blue 40 Power Restore), we crashed out. The next morning, @wileycoyote, who had been gracious enough to lend us his couch and spare bedroom, and @Bluegrass40 teamed up to make a hearty "day after" breakfast before we hit the road and went our separate ways. Good food, good people!
Back on the road, headed home to briefly rest before I hit the road towards Lickskillet, AL!
Back on the road, headed home to briefly rest before I hit the road towards Lickskillet, AL!
About a week-week.5 later, I packed up my rig (this time for just a down-back day trip) and headed towards Henegar, AL to meet up with @sggoat, who had diligently driven his stock 40 from St. Augustine, FL! He had met up and hung out with @GA Architect for a couple of days before I showed up, and i missed Rick altogether when I finally made it down... Packed neatly away was Baton #1, who was happy to be along for the adventure!
With Nickajack lake behind me, I headed towards Henegar. Along the way, I needed to take a leak, and since I am a proper individual (at least I am most of the time, LOL) I stopped at a friendly Alabama rest area. Low and behold, parked in the parking lot, was a gypsy lady traveling the country by herself. The self proclaimed "Wandering Rose" was a cool lady, and she had the camper she was traveling in custom built in Maine by a ship builder. Pretty cool rig!
With Nickajack lake behind me, I headed towards Henegar. Along the way, I needed to take a leak, and since I am a proper individual (at least I am most of the time, LOL) I stopped at a friendly Alabama rest area. Low and behold, parked in the parking lot, was a gypsy lady traveling the country by herself. The self proclaimed "Wandering Rose" was a cool lady, and she had the camper she was traveling in custom built in Maine by a ship builder. Pretty cool rig!