"New Engine" driven to Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay), Alaska

[Terry Burtz, Calif]

We have received 2 emails from Dave Gerold regarding his trip to Alaska.

Dave Gerold is one of the "New Engine" builders and he built an engine for his 160 sedan that he uses to pull a trailer when he travels. His "New Engine" is equipped with a Steve Serr Miller head with overhead valves and had over 20,000 miles on it when he began his trip to Alaska.

Dave's 160 sedan has some upgrades for touring, but I don't know what they are.

I admire Dave for his adventurous spirit. He drove from Minnesota to Fairbanks, Alaska, and then drove north on the Dalton Road which is a 414-mile long gravel road constructed in 1974 for the Alaska Pipeline.

Between Fairbanks and Deadhorse, there is only one place of civilization called Coldfoot where you can spend the night safely and buy gasoline. Do a Google map search for Dalton Road, Coldfoot, and Deadhorse, AK.

While Dave was in Coldfoot, someone took pictures of his car/trailer and posted them online.

The following is the latest email from Dave.

No I did not post the photos. Someone who saw me there put them up.
The Miller/Burtz has just over 28,000 miles on it now and has had no issues. For this trip, I installed a Holley TBI fuel injection system in place of the Stromberg carbs. Improved my fuel economy by about 3 mpg.
Dave

John Lampl and I have encouraged Dave to keep a log of his adventures and write an article that will be published in either the MARC or MAFCA magazine.

[Bruce of MN]

I won’t give up my Tilly, but I hope Dave writes up the FI installation.

[ModelA29]

I hope he publishes an article on his trailer (and plans?).

https://www.cooltears.com/

[31 Woody]

Wow! I would love to hear what the engine (build details) and drivetrain is here. Pulling a trailer anywhere from some set point to another requires serious bravery if you expect to promote the success.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by 31 Woody

Wow! I would love to hear what the engine (build details) and drivetrain is here. Pulling a trailer anywhere from some set point to another requires serious bravery if you expect to promote the success.

About 3,000 miles each way! Yawn!

[Bruce of MN]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Yeah, but with the constant threat of polar bears!

[LeonardS]

Originally Posted by Bruce of MN

Yeah, but with the constant threat of polar bears!

And Grizzly Bears and Moose. Come on up Australians and give it a try. Gud Day!

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by LeonardS

And Grizzly Bears and Moose. Come on up Australians and give it a try. Gud Day!

I've been to Alaska and driven plenty of the roads in British Columbia and I'd love to do this drive. While we don't have those particular threats, there are plenty of dangers lurking here too when we do trips that long and longer in our A. We use a Phaeton so we don't have much protection from above but that's not where our dangers lurk. For example, almost nowhere across the north of the country do you go near the water unless you want to end up as crocodile $#!T.

[rotorwrench]

The roads like the AlCan and anything north of Fairbanms are hard as hell on tires. It looks like he has some bigger tires on that rig.

[Terry Burtz, Calif]

These are additional comments regarding Dave Gerold's trip to Deadhorse, Alaska.

Dave Gerold towed his trailer to Coldfoot which is 254 miles north of Fairbanks on a very rough gravel road.

The following is a summary of Dave's emails. He was surprised at how rough the road was and had to concentrate on the road instead of looking at any scenery. Dave also stated that the drive was intense and that the trip could end with one bad pothole.

During the drive from Fairbanks to Coldfoot on August 11, 2023, his muffler broke and he had to retrieve the broken pieces and endure loud sounds until he was able to get it fixed.

Once at Coldfoot on August 11, 2023, Dave spent the night, detached the trailer, and took a wheel off the trailer which provided an extra spare tire for the sprint to Deadhorse. The missing wheel also made the trailer harder to steal.

On August 12, 2023, Dave left Coldfoot at 5:30 AM and traveled 241 miles to arrive in Deadhorse at 12:30 PM. After exploring Deadhorse and filling up with gas, Dave left Deadhorse at 1:30 PM and returned to Coldfoot at 8:30 PM. This return drive was more relaxed and pictures were taken.

On August 13, 2023, Dave returned from Coldfoot to Fairbanks where he had his broken muffler fixed.

The "New Engine" can be purchased at www.burtzblock.com for a "do it Yourselfer", or you can buy an assembled short block or complete engine from Dave Gerold at Durable Performance (http://www.durableperformance.net/). Dave is in Minnesota and has built several "New Engines". More pictures of his trailer can be found on his Blog.

[Synchro909]

IMO, there is no doubt the new motor's better strength and stamina make trip like this less worrisome. Ask a man who knows.

[Terry Burtz, Calif]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

IMO, there is no doubt the new motor's better strength and stamina make trip like this less worrisome. Ask a man who knows.

Thanks, Arnold and others for your posts.

Your last sentence "Ask a man who knows.", says it all.

There are people that know and unfortunately, others that don't have a clue.

[Dave in MN]

Greeting from Teslin, YT,
Thanks Terry for sharing a few details of my trip. I left Minnesota on July 15th and have logged over 9200 miles. Most of the miles have been trouble free. The back half of an exhaust system and the spare tire arm for a side mount are the only issues to date. I’m not home yet, I expect more. The Burtz block is pretty amazing. I built this car and camper to make this trip. The Burtz engine is the third engine I have run in it. The first was a B block with an overhead valve on it that had the intakes in the head and the exhaust valves in the block. It cracked after 5,300 miles. The second engine was a B block with a 7:1 flathead on it but after running an overhead valve head on it, the flathead just lacked the power to avoid aggravating other drivers behind me on hills. When the Burtz kits became available, I ordered one right away. When I received shipment, I knew it would stand up. The components are well thought out and manufactured. I purchased a Steve Serr Miller Hi-speed head along with some other specialized parts to complete it. I have had zero issues with the engine since it was installed in the car. I just passed the 30,000 mile mark on the engine this morning.
The car is fitted with a T5 transmission, hydraulic brakes, 1935 wheels, Coker Classic radials. This past winter, I replaced the dual Stromberg 81’s with a Holley Sniper 1100 throttle body EFI and improved my fuel economy by 3 mpg. I installed a 5 gallon belly tank to pump and circulate the fuel for the EFI. This component was untested for the trip so I am carrying a single Stromberg to replace the EFI should it fail. Not even a hiccup so far and it starts “right now” eveytime..

The trailer is my own design and manufacture. It opens like a clamshell with snap on canvas sides. The door swings down from the top when open. It is fitted with Model A brakes actuated by the weight of the trailer against the hitch pole. There is a pull out kitchen from the side of the camper. It weighs about 1,000 lbs fully loaded.

Another change to the route:
I just learned there is a wildfire at the north end of the Cassier highway, BC 37, this will change my route considerably if they won’t let me through.
I expect to be home by October 1.
I will check in when there is good internet coverage again.
Good Day!

If you did not see the sun rise, you have missed the best part of the day.

[Dave in MN]

I stayed in a park campground at Jasper and on the way south the next day, I got some great photos. Some of them follow.
I made a judgement error when I left home regarding my rear tires. I thought there was plenty of tread left to complete the trip before I left home. Not so! The rough roads in Alaska and nearly twice the planned miles have worn the tread below safety range. I ordered a set from Coker to be delivered to a shop in Colville, WA.
Good Day!

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by Dave in MN

I stayed in a park campground at Jasper and on the way south the next day, I got some great photos. Some of them follow.
I made a judgement error when I left home regarding my rear tires. I thought there was plenty of tread left to complete the trip before I left home. Not so! The rough roads in Alaska and nearly twice the planned miles have worn the tread below safety range. I ordered a set from Coker to be delivered to a shop in Colville, WA.
Good Day!

Absolutely BRILLIANT, Dave! Would you be open to a short interview for media regarding your trip after you return home?

[Benson]

DAVE,

Great reports on the Burtz engine and this fantastic trip!

BYW ... How many miles did you get from the Coker Classic Radials?

Did the rears really wear out faster than the fronts? ... I wonder why?

I wonder what to expect from the Coker Classic 6.00 16 Radials on the Coupe.

I will take into account that your engine has twice the horsepower and more torque as my B.

[Dave in MN]

Originally Posted by Benson

DAVE,

Great reports on the Burtz engine and this fantastic trip!

BYW ... How many miles did you get from the Coker Classic Radials?

Did the rears really wear out faster than the fronts? ... I wonder why?

I wonder what to expect from the Coker Classic 6.00 16 Radials on the Coupe.

I will take into account that your engine has twice the horsepower and more torque as my B.

Total on the front 6.0R16 36,000 changed just before the start of this trip.
Rear 7.0R16 47,000 miles changed yesterday to 6.5R16
Coker Classic Radial tires with tubes.

[Dave in MN]

Originally Posted by P.S.

Absolutely BRILLIANT, Dave! Would you be open to a short interview for media regarding your trip after you return home?

Hi Paul,
I saw your recent interview of Steve and Leah Barnacle and enjoyed it. They are both friends of mine. We all belong to the Twin Cities Ford Model A Club where Steve and I are both pretty active in the touring aspect.

Regarding being interviewed, sure if you think there is some aspect of a story.
I am in the middle of Montana as I am typing. I will be home in a couple days unless I get drawn to something along the way.
I will contact you once home.
Good Day!
Dave

[Model "A" Fords]

Originally Posted by Terry Burtz, Calif

We have received 2 emails from Dave Gerold regarding his trip to Alaska.

The following is the latest email from Dave.

The Miller/Burtz has just over 28,000 miles on it now and has had no issues. Improved my fuel economy by about 3 mpg.

How many miles per U.S. gallon is it doing now?

[stickshift]

Dave,
Your pictures bring back memories of a family trip we took in the early '70's to Canada. We toured B.C. and Alberta. Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Glacier icefield, etc. Still vivid in my mind after over 50 years. I feel like I'm with you on your adventure, thanks for posting.