1931 Coupe - A month on the road across the USA

[william_smith]

Howdy Fellas,

Here’s a handful of photos of my 2024 run across the US and back in my late father’s 31 Coupe. Spent a month on the road, approx. 5,500 miles, and only one blowout plus a blown head gasket when passing through 110 degree heat in Arizona. Pulled behind a lightweight pop up trailer and camped out at truck stops and Walmart parking lots, and used my handy gym membership for daily showers too! I celebrated my 25th birthday on the road, doing my best to fulfill the dreams my dad and I had together with that car, as it was his first car in 1973 for high school it was my first car at age 15. This year I will be on the road for 40-45 days in my 1914 T across the country. I’ve had too many men tell me they wished they did something like this in their younger years so I’m doing while I still can. Also a heads up for those passing through Colorado in an A- Wolf Creek Pass kicked my behind!

[J Franklin]

Now I'm ready for more!, What fun!

[Rob Doe]

I had a similar, but somewhat tamer adventure right after high school in a 31 coupe. Thanks for sharing.

[Bruce of MN]

Great story! I smoked my brakes on Wolf Creek Pass in a modern car with a small trailer, so you were a better driver. When I was a kid, we lived in Colorado Springs (~1953) and I rode with my Dad up Pikes Peak in my coupe. Now I realize he must have went up and down in 2nd!

[Big hammer]

Cool trip ! Whats with all of the clothes pins on the fuel line ? A niece of mine after she got her nursing license traveled the world while she was young and able, she now has two kids and stays at home .

[Phil Brown]

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Originally Posted by Big hammer

Whats with all of the clothes pins on the fuel line ?

Old time trick that's supposed to stop vapor lock
old guys know all of the tricks

[Fullraceflathead]

What a wonderful trip. Colorado is such a beautiful state to travel through also!!!

[katy]

That's one way to store clothes pins!

[JayJay]

Nasty blowout!

Clothes pins on the fuel line are purported to inhibit vapor lock. Likewise aluminum foil. Don’t know if either works. Last summer on a trip to New Mexico I had vapor lock issues on my ‘31, wrapped some foil on the fuel line and didn’t have any further issues. Don’t know if it was the foil or just driving conditions. I also carried a Tee shirt in my cooler to wrap the fuel line when it happened, but when you vapor lock it’s never under the most comfortable conditions to be sitting at the side of the road.

[GPierce]

Clothes pins insulate the fuel line from engine heat.

[Hitman]

What's the story behind the vapor lock issues? Did it occur under certain circumstances, locations, etc?

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by hitman

what's the story behind the vapor lock issues? Did it occur under certain circumstances, locations, etc?

btu + e-10 = vl

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

btu + e-10 = vl

I understand that, I was hoping for the personal experience since a variety of factors affect vapor lock.

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by Hitman

I understand that, I was hoping for the personal experience since a variety of factors affect vapor lock.

I'll go.....

I have not experienced vapor lock in a Model A. However, I have experienced plenty of this in a flathead V8.

Contributing factor is heat, obviously. Keep the fuel pump and carburetor cool and you will not have any problems. What exacerbates the issue are things like dual exhaust. On a flathead V8 the driver side dual exhaust pipe runs the length of the frame near the fuel line. Thus pre-heating the fuel before it gets to an already hot firewall and fuel pump. Dual exhaust for me is a fools errand for serious touring.

Multi-carb set ups also compound the issue. Just more fuel components to be affected by vapor lock.

What you can do is wrap your fuel line in an inuslating, heat reflective material. This helps a lot. Also a pheonlic carb spacer will help keep heat from migrating to the carbureator. Oh, and run 100% pure gasoline. That is not always possible though.

I know I'm a buzz kill for the headers and dual exhaust guys. However I have ran muti-carb, dual exhaust flathead V8's and in the heat of the summer, have caused me nothing but problems.

[Seth Swoboda]

Can you give us more details? Where did you start from and where did you finish? Explain your experience in Wolf Creek Pass. Did you travel mostly interstates or secondary roads? What were some of your most difficult experiences? What experiences did you have that went better than you expeceted? What would you do differently, what would you pack along that you didn't? What kind of spare parts did you carry? How did other motorist treat you?

[william_smith]

Hey Seth!

I started my trip in Riverside California and made it to Phoenix, Arizona on where I blew the head gasket right before getting into town primarily on Interstate 10. The entire trunk of the coupe packed with every spare part and tool you'd need on a long distance trip. I packed a spare distributor, carburetor, starter, connecting rod, timing gear, gasket set, universal joint, axle keys, full set of wheel bearings, head gasket, and a bit of misc parts. Headed up to Flagstaff and cut across to see the meteor crater, spent the night somewhere along the border of AZ and NM. Day 3 was a scare as I religiously change my oil every 500 miles and found an odd pellet sized piece of babbitt, however as it came to be the engine made the trip without issue. After changing the oil I passed over the divide and made it into Albuquerque NM for the night. Day 4 I spent much of the time on RT 66 roads enjoying the scenery, made it to Amarillo TX for the night, Day 5 I shredded my right rear tire after the tube instantly blew at speed. Met a very helpful fella in Mustang OK that gifted me a tire and tube for the trip, continued my journey and stopped in Oklahoma City. Day 6 dropped into Tulsa OK to meet a very nice A guy and his wife that also gifted me a tire for a spare as the previous one I was gifted was a bit too far cracked once aired up. Stopped at the TRI-State marker of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Day 7 climbed through the Mark Twain forest and traveled more of 66, Stopped by the famous caves and spent the night in St Louis. Day 8 went up the gateway Arch and went through many miles of small towns, and spent the night in Indianapolis. Day 9/10 spent in the ACD Museum and worked on a couple Model A's for guys on the way. Once in Dearborn it was time for OCF! I don't remember much of the route going back besides Kansas being nothing but fields and tons of vapor lock from too mcuh ethonol in the fuel. I had to resort to dumping a full tank into the dirt and refilling with extra fuel in a gas can as the A would barely make it down the road with that junk fuel. Also going through Colorado and Utah was quiet a sight. Wolf creek pass was nothing but second gear going up and up. Burned my brakes up on the down and had to engine brake the entire way down.

The mountains were the most difficult part of the trip, everything after TX was a cakewalk for the most part, and everyone treated me very well on the road. I averaged 43 MPH on the trip and did spend the bulk of the trip on instates to cover 250-300 miles per day. I finished back at home near Riverside CA. After getting a taste of this I will be setting aside a month or so for as many years in the future to do trips like this in a old car. I may be making a run to Alaska in the coupe in 2026.

[william_smith]

Here's a few more photos from the trip

[william_smith]

A rough map and elevation on the first part of the trip to Dearborn, I took a longer different route on the way back.

[ThirstyThirty]

Originally Posted by william_smith

Here's a few more photos from the trip

you get my respect and admiration! well done, there! uh-huh! just watched one of those Aerial America shows on the tv cable. Colorado. yes, as i remember skiing the many ski slopes up there along the Great Divide... plenty of hills and mountains in, there, and about Colorado.

Thanks for sharing your journey and the pix! enjoyed the foto essay...

[Seth Swoboda]

William,

Thanks for the addtional information. I enjoyed reading all of it. You passed near me when you were in St. Louis.

I would like to make a cross country trip like this in a V8 Ford someday. That is why I asked for details.

Keep us posted on any other adventures you embark on please.