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Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:18 pm

so i'm taking my 71 standard bug to vegas in a couple of weeks and i wanted to ask what i should do to make the road trip as smooth as possible. any precautions i should take? anything i should keep an eye on? how often should i stop to let the engine rest? what spare parts should i take etc... any help i can get would be highly appreciated. i'll post pictures when i get back.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 6:51 am

Depends how far your driving but some things I keep around and always carry on long road trips:
-fan belt
-Oil
-fire extinguisher
-accelerator cable
-clutch cable
-basic tools
-fuel pump
-I have a spare rebuilt carb all set up ( not required but makes life easy )
-tune up kit (plugs,etc)
-any engine/fuel system parts you can pack will be less to worry about
-make sure all wheel bearings are packed with grease

I don't go more than 300 miles without stopping, doing a quick look and letting the car rest. Depends on the outside temp and the condition of your car to start

Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:20 am

I'd go with what BUGGED11111 recommended (unless you're just driving in from Henderson).

Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:30 am

temps have been fairly decent in and around here. Just made a trip to bullhead city and back yesterday with no weather related issues, so you're good there. Bullhead was about 200 miles round trip.

Taken a long trip before? How long a drive is it?

Sat Mar 24, 2007 1:45 pm

well i'm leaving from the lax area so according to yahoo maps i'll be driving approximately 280.3 miles one way. i'll be out there for 4 days and then come back. mechanically my car runs great. 1600 dual port. my average speed is about 65 to 70mph.. 75+ going downhill. my biggest concern is how often to stop. i hear the weather along the way is going to be low to mid 70's. i'll be leaving between noon and 2pm. thanks again guys... really appreciate it.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 1:50 pm

One of California's best views....LA in the rear view mirror.

Just drive it and hold it to 65. Get a "big gulp" as you leave 7/11.

I have done that drive 50 times in a super with nary a problem.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 1:57 pm

thewreckingsoul wrote: well i'm leaving from the lax area so according to yahoo maps i'll be driving approximately 280.3 miles one way. i'll be out there for 4 days and then come back. mechanically my car runs great. 1600 dual port. my average speed is about 65 to 70mph.. 75+ going downhill. my biggest concern is how often to stop. i hear the weather along the way is going to be low to mid 70's. i'll be leaving between noon and 2pm. thanks again guys... really appreciate it.

I drove from LA to SF which is about 400 miles each way in a 74 a few times. The only time I stopped was for gas or to eat. The terrain is a lot steeper going north than it is going to Vegas. Traveling over the grapevine isn't a fun drive, but it made it.

I'll be driving a 71 from Florida to SF in a few months. 8)

Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:10 pm

thewreckingsoul wrote: well i'm leaving from the lax area so according to yahoo maps i'll be driving approximately 280.3 miles one way. i'll be out there for 4 days and then come back. mechanically my car runs great. 1600 dual port. my average speed is about 65 to 70mph.. 75+ going downhill. my biggest concern is how often to stop. i hear the weather along the way is going to be low to mid 70's. i'll be leaving between noon and 2pm. thanks again guys... really appreciate it.

That's not a hard drive for a bug. You should be able to hit it non-stop with maybe just a gas/oil check

.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 6:57 pm

Couldn't have picked a better time to head out here. It was gettin' pretty hot for a couple of weeks. Now the temps have been some damn good cruising weather. Almost chilly at night. Almost

Enjoy your stay and drive safely.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:07 pm

See my post on here. I just got back from a 1,900 trip in my VW. I checked the oil when I gassed up. I had to add about a quart over the entire trip. Once was Thursday night (about a half quart) after driving for twelve hours. I added another 3/4 of a quart in the hotel parking lot last night after over 15 hours on the road.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:07 pm

You also should consider a couple spare lugbolts.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:14 pm

Oh yeah-the spare parts I always carry, generally just things that, if it goes, you can't...

Spare wheel/tire
Factory tool roll
Breaker bar with 17and 19mm combo socket (www.griotsgarage.com)
V belt
Fuel filter
2 feet of : blue brake hose, German fuel hose, vacuum hose
Fuel Pump
Distrubutor
Coil
One front wheel bearing set
Factory jack (if your jack points are bad, get a scissors jack)
Clutch and accelerator cable
Flashlight
2 rolls of wire (different gauges)
roll of electricans tape, small roll of aluminum tape
Adjustable wrench (crescent)
Gloves & 2 terry towels
2 qts of oil

The above fits into a very small duffell bag that fits under the back seat opposite the battery, except the wheel/tire, flashlight, jack, tool roll, and breaker bar which take up almost no space in the front trunk.

If I am going a long way-more than a few hours-I print out the contact info for fellow members of AIRS.

Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:04 pm

WONDERFUL... THANKS GUYS!

Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:09 pm

Two years ago I started carrying those tire repair plug kits. You know, the pipe cleaner looking sticky things where you stab the hole and glue in the strip? I've had to repair 5 nail holes in that span in 2 cars. I figure that $10 kit saved me a ton of cash considering the local tire store wants $25 to remove the tire, patch, and remount. No telling what they'll do in the desert to an out of towner. Now I ALWAYS carry that kit.

Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:33 pm

I used to go to school in Durango, CO and visited Denver often. I usually had to go over Wolf Creek Pass which is said to be the most dangerous pass in North America. At the time the car had a problem that it wasn't able to start with turning the key, so I just left it running, even at the gas station. This is roughly 340 miles one way and through steep mountain passes in the heat of summer. Never had any problems with over heating.

Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:09 am

The weather is great right now in Las Vegas. The one thing to watch out for is the wind. It has gotten quite windy. :shock: Good Luck.

-Speedy G.

Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:17 pm

Atl Phil wrote: Two years ago I started carrying those tire repair plug kits. You know, the pipe cleaner looking sticky things where you stab the hole and glue in the strip? I've had to repair 5 nail holes in that span in 2 cars. I figure that $10 kit saved me a ton of cash considering the local tire store wants $25 to remove the tire, patch, and remount. No telling what they'll do in the desert to an out of towner. Now I ALWAYS carry that kit.

Repair shops repair tires the same way now. I haven't seen any that remove a tire from the wheel to patch it in years. Unless of course it's a sidewall blowout. Then those kits are useless, but usually so is the tire.

It looks rough punching through the tread like that and yanking it out, but those kits are actually better for the tire than removing it from the wheel and patching it. You don't need to re-balance the tire either.

I've found shops that will do it for $5 if you bring them the unmounted tire, but I always do it myself.

Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:10 am

so i made it there and back with no issues. it was NICE. and that's an understatement. i did 65 most of the way and 75 when i felt like it. i sat in traffic and went up hills. engine didn't start getting warm til i hit buffalo bill's on the outskirts of vegas. she handled beautifully though.

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Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:48 am

BUGGED11111 wrote: Depends how far your driving but some things I keep around and always carry on long road trips:
-fan belt
-Oil
-fire extinguisher
-accelerator cable
-clutch cable
-basic tools
-fuel pump
-I have a spare rebuilt carb all set up ( not required but makes life easy )
-tune up kit (plugs,etc)
-any engine/fuel system parts you can pack will be less to worry about
-make sure all wheel bearings are packed with grease

I don't go more than 300 miles without stopping, doing a quick look and letting the car rest. Depends on the outside temp and the condition of your car to start

I have to ask, if you have rebuilt your car, why do you have to carry all this stuff? When I read comments like this, I think, but I put in a new accelerator cable, are these cars prone to breaking them? Why should I carry one with me. I wouldn't do that for my Honda. Same with a carb. I just had mine rebuilt by Chads Carbs. Why should I carry an extra?

I'm not being argumentative, I am trying to understand the logic. It all sounds good, and most of the stuff makes sense.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I see you made your trip in flying colors, so I thought it was legal to do so now. :?

Fri Apr 13, 2007 5:50 am

OH, and you is not a personal attack "you", it is more a if a person has rebuilt ....blah, blah.