Bucket List Trip about to start

[Jim Bathgate]

Maybe having a spare caliper assembly in the back of the truck is a good idea. I've got about 200 lbs of tools and parts back there already including brake line, flaring tool, fittings. I'll see if any local stores have one in stock. It just seems silly to me to just keep replacing calipers all the time.

I think the thing that finally fixed one poster's problem was replacing the hard lines at the front. I've already replace the rubber lines all around and the hard lines for the rear brakes.

Drove the truck about 50 miles around town today without incident.

[Jim Bathgate]

Heading for home this morning. Only 3000 miles to go. Had a nice time in Maryland visiting with family for Thanksgiving and got in a couple nice hikes along the Gunpowder River.

A pleasant surprise was filling my tank up yesterday morning at a trip low price of $2.23 a gallon.

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It must be all those oil wells in Baltimore (not). It's amazing how much impact our governments can have on the cost of living.

I hope to make it to Christiansburg, VA by the end of the day.

I called around to all the auto parts stores in town and none of them had a left front brake caliper. There is one in Salt Lake City, but I can't wait around here for it to ship, so since it's not sticking at the moment, I'll head on down the road. I'll just avoid using my brakes too much, which actually isn't too hard when you're the slowest vehicle on the road.

[popeyes71]

Wish gas was $2.23 here! Drive safe!

[Jim Bathgate]

Made it to Christiansburg, VA (300 miles for the day). Along the way crossed over the Potomac river just downstream of Harper's Ferry. Here's a shot of me parked in the no parking zone just long enough to get a crummy picture of the truck, the river, and Harper's Ferry.

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Christiansburg is a nice little town and I got here early enough to walk around in the old downtown area. Here's one claim to fame for the town.

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I think the idea of dueling with rifles is pretty stupid given that they are WAY more accurate than the old single shot pistols. It's MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction).

Any I was walking through town and saw a store that might have a brake caliper for a 50 year old Ford truck.

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But then I noticed that this Ford dealer had probably been closed for 50 years. Oh well, I'll keep on looking.

[Jim Bathgate]

Because it was cold, windy, and cloudy all day I just got in the truck and drove from Virginia well into Tennessee, ending the day in Kingston Springs which is just west of Nashville. We covered 427 miles which puts us ahead of schedule so that if we get some nicer weather, we can slow down a bit. Maybe in Arizona along Route 66 we'll finally get away from this winter weather.

Here's a nice old barn in Tennessee.

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And here's the truck at one of those cold, cloudy, and windy rest stops.

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The truck is running well.

[azmdgm30+1]

Got any pictures of inside the cab?

[jzjames]

Have fun on Route 66 (I40). Take some pictures of Meteor Crater or Petrified Forest

[Jim Bathgate]

I'll have to take a couple pictures inside the cab. Don't have any on this iPad.

Made it to Conway, Arkansas today. Got here early enough and the weather was warm enough (51 degrees) that I took a walk to their old downtown area. Conway is famous for their annual Toad Sucking Festival which happens in the spring.

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Right now Main Street (actually West Oak Street) is decked out for Christmas.

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Got a haircut while picking the stylist's brain for local history, then went to a fundraiser dinner for the local high school at Bob's Grill. Got more local lore there about the guy who got arrested because he misunderstood the Toad Sucking Festival and was going around town trying to suck on women's toes.

[popeyes71]

Glad the truck is running well! Love the pics and bits of history!

[sargentrs]

It's a real pleasure to ride along with you on this trip, Jim! Keep us updated on your journey.

[Jim Bathgate]

Made another 330 miles today along route 40 and hope to hop on historic Route 66 tomorrow morning. It will be slower going but worth the trouble.

Two new trip records today. I gassed up first thing this morning in Arkansas at a price of $2.08 a gallon.

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Then at the end of the day in Oklahoma, I filled up at $1.83 a gallon. At these prices it makes the big V8 cost-to-run a little more palletable.

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For those interested in my truck interior, here's a few shots. Basically it's what you would expect from a 50 year old truck . . . with 25,000 original miles on it. Yes, those are the original seats, although I had an upholsterer replace the burlap underneath because it was disintegrating with age. I did replace the original lap belts with a 3 point harness from LMC, a nod to safety on my long drive.

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[Jim Bathgate]

For some reason, I can't seem to paste more than a couple photos on one post so let's try this post for a couple more truck interior photos.

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I had a hard time finding an original working Bendix 8TBTL radio but finally found one on eBay. My dad worked for Bendix Radio in Towson, MD for 30 years where these were made so it has some connection. I found an original speaker and bracket on eBay but had to have it re-coned.

[DuckRyder]

Nice interior...

Cool trip, I like the updates!

[azmdgm30+1]

Really looks nice inside. Wish it had been warmer when you were here so I could have gone out to look at it. (After all, it did sit in my driveway but I don't like the cold!!)

[Jim Bathgate]

Wow, what a great day today. Took 200+ pictures. Spent most of the day on Route 66. Saw two Route 66 museums and some classic restored gas stations. Started the day at Lucilles famous roadhouse gas station in Oklahoma. She ran this place for 50 years and was famous up and down Route 66 for her kindness to travelers.

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Spent a lot of time at the Oklahoma Route 66 museum in Clinton, then moved on down the road a piece to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City.

Ended the day in Shamrock, TX staying at an old Route 66 motel across the street from one of the most beautiful gas stations ever - the Art Deco Conoco station and cafe.

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A few blocks away is the Magnolia gas station.

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My truck seems to have a leaking right rear axle oil seal which I'm going to try to have replaced tomorrow morning. I have a spare seal in the back of the truck and talked to a local mechanic who said he would look at it first thing.