So,

I'm just coming up on the one year mark of getting my engine build, T56 swap, brake swap, and suspension rebuild done. I got to thinking about all the road trips I've done in the last year, and figured I'd sit down and total them out. I came up with 6300 miles of long distance driving, covering a significant portion of the Southeastern United States. Here's my map:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5...yearonejpg.jpg

Anybody else done anything like this with their 3rd Gen recently?

And just in case that didn't make you jealous, here's what I plan on doing this summer:

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/4...oadtripjpg.jpg

Anybody else ever made that drive?

Here's some road shots:

Ozona, TX Airport


Biloxi, Mississippi Coastline


Alabama The Beautiful


Late Night Tennessee


Smoky Mountain National Park

...

 

Smoky Mountains Again


A third Smoky Mountain Shot


Cherokee Indian Reservation

Anyways, just wanted to see what y'all think. Let me know if anybody has made that Alaska drive before. I'm interested to see what kind of shape the roads are in.

Thanks,

-Levi

 

Hey man, looks like you had a good time. Did you do all that driving by yourself? Nice looking firebird too.

 

Here's a 3rd road trip, more of a cruise as it was just the single day after putting all the cars on the rollers of a dyno in Portland. 16 3rd gens in this shot IIRC.

 

Yeah we have done this is the Northern California section. Not a real roadtrip like you have done but we went on a nice cruise. Youtube if you want type in may 22 2010 third gen nor cal cruise and you'll see some videos

 

that's pretty cool man. wish i trusted my car enough and had enough time to make long distance trips lol.

you have a nice looking Firebird. love the rims! you should drive up to the third gen fest in IL comin up in May!

 

farthest ive gone in the bird is like 2 hours away.. so no road trips YET. soon though

 

I am looking forward to us Northern California's next cruise. We are going to Santa cruz. it will be fun. I'd love to take a cross country trip in the Camaro

 

I did HotRod powerTour in 07, and 09. What a great time. I didn't build my car for cruising in town only, I like to get it out on the open road where it belongs. Hats oof to you 'cal 30'! I like your style....

 

The most I've done is 2hours at a time. I'm driving to Atlanta in May though which is more like 9 hours lol

 

Here is my 2001 road trip that I did in my 1990 Firebird. I did a little more driving then that but I didn't feel like trying to map every detour I took.

I also did the reverse in 2003 in route to the Thirdgen National Gathering in Maryland. I can't remember my stops as well in 2003, so I didn't map that one out.

 

Thats a road trip Amorget. for sure. nice!

 

Ok, this thread made me nostalgic so I went through my old PMs and the Thirdgen Nats message board and figured out my trip in 03.

Sad part is that I don't think I've talked much at all to anyone who I caravaned with to the Nats from WI to Maryland.

This trip with in my 1991 GTA that I literally had just finished installing a turbo on the day before we left. The water pump went out the day of leaving. I had some wires burn within a couple hundred miles of my house, then my water pump pulley CAME OFF in Montana. I also had the exhaust system cut the positive battery cable in half in Eureka, CA. That melted the negative terminal right off the battery and left us without power in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. The car made it home then would not start the next day. I ended up having to do a bunch of work to it before it ran again. That car had one mission, make it home, then it was done.

 

Since I'm now stuck with just my IROC & my wife has her own car, I really don't know if I'd take a thousand mile road trip but I have taken several short 2 to 3 hour road trips out here in the STL area. Such as taking a 3.5 hour trip from my house to the Illinois border out in the country off of a very long highway. It's a really long trip up 79 and I usually take pics of the country land and I have a pic of me next to a old 1970's gas station. I usually stop at a pizza place out in Elsberry and then I go up the road to see the river.

Here are some pics of my traveling outside the STL area in my IROC.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

I love road tripping with the top down. I haven't hit the highway with the LS but with the 305/t56 I've gone to california a few times, down through Utah once, up to Canada a couple times but never farther than that. I'd love to do a coast to coast trip. I have no problem having faith in it.

 

Shortly after finishing my car, my wife and I took a roady of some 3,000+ miles: through Kansas to Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska. The worst? A highway crew in Utah, using some sort of machinery, splattered the car (and my new paint job) with gravel. I was so angry that I didn't stop until the next town where I found some chipped paint and a pocked windshield. But if you're going to drive them....

JamesC

 

I have a hard time keeping up with all the long hauls I take my 3rd gen on.
Yearly from Toronto to Richmond, Va for golfing. 1500 miles return.
Semi annually to Edmonton, AB. 4800 miles return. Even tried it once towing a u-haul full of my kids stuff. I don't recommend that one.
This year should be the grand daddy of them all. Toronto to Richmond. Then on to Chicago and from there up to Edmonton. Of course back to Toronto. 5100 miles.
Since I bought the IROC in '03 I've racked up 84 000 miles and that's only driving 7 months of the year (and last year I hardly drove at all due to repairs)!

 

Been doing some road trips with some fourth gen buds in my 89 RS 'vert "Ragged".

So far have road tripped from central Florida to:

Cleveland OH for the NEOCC show
Valdosta GA for Camaro5fest
Atlanta GA for G14
Nashville TN for Classic Chevy / Worldwide Camaro International
Next trip......Oshawa Ontario Canada for the Camaro Homecoming
http://www.ontariocamaroclub.com/2011-nationals.php
Looking for additional cars..........see the posting on the SE message board.

 

man that must be fun, im sure you seen a lot of things on your travels? i want to do the power tour when my car is finished!

 

I wanna do bullrun but my car isnt nice enough. dammit. I got a backup plan for that.

 

[QUOTE=RagRoc;4823118]
Next trip......Oshawa Ontario Canada for the Camaro HomecomingQUOTE]

My hometown.
While I have no interest in the plant tour(I used to work there!) I will return to town for the cruise. I might even remember where all the hangouts are.
It should be some kind of weekend. Oshawa suffered through the recession with one assembly plant closing completely and the others being geared down. With the production of the new Camaro, things are looking up.

 

that's good to hear. recession really sucks

 

Before i take a cross country cruise i would be tempted to put on a fresh pump. I have no idea if and when my pump has ever changed, and those things can leave you stranded without warnimg

 

Never gone as far as some of you guys. Just havent had the chance. But I did drive my LS1 swap 87 (before it was wrecked) from PA to the outer banks...twice.

What a fantastic drive. Tops out, music cranked and easily not the worst MPG in the group. In fact...a Scion XB had to fill up before me. Little 4cyl was having issues maintaining 80mph while I just cruised along in 6th gear hadrly using fuel haha. Oh..and that was with the a/c blasting and wasting it right out of the t-tops. What a great trip.

J.

 

Yeah, that was actually two trips I forgot to add to the list. Annapolis, MD to Nags Head, NC once, and then again to Myrtle Beach, SC. Spent some time in Virginia Beach too.

I'll be finding out about that Toronto-Richmond drive this weekend, I plan on taking the '90 GMC burban up to Toronto with some friends to check it out. I just got through doing a quadrajet 4bbl swap on the burban, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff. Any suggestions on places to see?

I've had my share of mechanical problems too. One time the water pump started going out as I was leaving Annapolis on my way down to Columbia, SC. I ended up changing it that evening, and I was on the road by 8pm. Drove straight through, the interstates are pretty fun after about 1am, haha.

Last summer when I drove to Ozona, TX from Annapolis via Pensacola, FL was probably my most interesting trip. That was just after I got the car all back together after the engine build and T56 swap. I still had the 2.73 peg leg rear, but I'd found a guy just east of Pensacola with a 3.27 9-bolt posi. Ended up buying it from him and swapping it out in his back yard, haha. Then I piled back in the car and drove to Austin, TX with one of my friends going to flight school in Pensacola. We stayed two days at his house in Austin, piled back in the car for the 4-hr drive to Ozona, and I realized as soon as I fired it up she wasn't hitting on all 8. I figured out which cylinder was hurt, disconnected the plug wire, and ran it on into Ozona. It blew smoke like no tomorrow. I even got reported to the Texas EPA for all the smoke I was blowing out driving down 6th street in Austin, haha. I made it home, pulled the passenger side valve cover, and found a bent pushrod on the number 8 intake valve. Got a new pushrod, bolted it back together, spent a couple of weeks roaming around the old home town, and then headed back up to Annapolis w/out a hitch. That was one heck of a fun trip.

 

Longest trip i've done was in the middle of moving. I went from Tampa, FL to Atlanta, GA for The gathering(G10) which was supposed to only take 8 hours but ended up being 12 due to a flat tire and trying to plug it with only screw drivers for tools, and then from there I went to El Paso, TX to see my brother before he got shipped out to Iraq again...then I drove to San Antonio, TX and lived there for 2 years. Total was 42hours and 2430mi. At night was the best with the windows down and the music up.

 

[QUOTE=cal30_sniper;4825726]I'll be finding out about that Toronto-Richmond drive this weekend, I plan on taking the '90 GMC burban up to Toronto with some friends to check it out. I just got through doing a quadrajet 4bbl swap on the burban, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff. Any suggestions on places to see?QUOTE]

I do Toronto to Richmond (Flat Run, VA actually, near Fredericksburg) every year. Sometimes I take the Camaro. Other times are in the van with room for my golf cronies.
There's so much to see and do in the Toronto area I don't know where to start. Remember it's winter up here. Snow, slush, a little on the cool side. There are a couple of Auto Shows on the go, pro sports, all the big city stuff.
If you get a little further north, any winter activity you can think of is there. Rent a snowmobile for the day....

 

i might be taking mine for a 6 hour ride up to cape cod this summer...still un decided though

 

I've run mine from Minneapolis to Ann Arbor Michigan, which is about 1500 miles round trip and also from Orlando to Atlanta for about 1000 miles round trip. I've decided on doing the Hot Rod Power Tour this year which will be about 2200 miles round trip (might only go as far as Indy). Leave with about 16k miles and return with 18k+!

 

Power Tour is a blast, hopin to make it out for 3-4 days this year. In 09 I spent one day cruisin' w/ the Year One pack. Lotsa 3rd gens and 4th gens, you'll like it....

 

Christmas of 1998, the year after I bought my 92, I drove from Bremerton, WA all the way to Nashville, TN to spend the holidays with my sister. I chased a snowstorm all the way across and was iced in when I arrived on Christmas Eve.

The following summer, I drove it once again from Bremerton to home in mid Michigan, to Nashville. I found the speed limiter in the chip while cruising through Montana (no speed limit at the time )

 

the last long trip i took was on my honeymoon from Memphis to Hot Springs. car went down hill for a spell and now i'v been able to do some needed maint. our 5th anniv is coming up and i hope to have it ready to go back.

the first shot is the cabin we stayed at, the second is obvious and the third is overlooking hot springs.

the night we rolled in, the guy renting the cabin walked out his front door because he didnt know what the heck was coming down his drive, my car tends to sound a bit obnoxious esp being its a 10.41 comp 305.

 

Only a few States left!
Brand new in '89, I drove from Mpls to Santa Barbara, Ca - then up and down PCH (San Diego to Oregon). I put more miles inside CA (Dec '89), than the round-trip from MN to CA to MN. Stored it with 33,500 miles on Jan 1, '90.
My dream is to drive it in all of the lower 48. I have AR, LA, & MS left in a Bayou trip; and everything north of Yankee Stadium left (a New England fall trip).
Longest drive was Key West to Mpls alone in 38 hrs elapsed time - I was younger and dumber. Now, I'm just not younger. This was a really dangerous drive!
I've driven Mpls to Phoenix twice in 30 hrs each- still a really dumb idea and I capped it off going 120mph down the 8% grade from Flagstaff into Phoenix to wake me up.
I'm a little more restrained these days

 

Same here. I drove mine in 2007, but have attended the 09 and 10 tours. I'm taking my 3rd gen back on the tour this summer, from Nashville to Detroit. I enjoy the tour, but I feel a little young (31) for most of the crowd there. Thankfully my own crowd is pretty cool to hang with.

 

Drove my GTA from Wisconsin to Nevada when I moved about 2 years ago. Was alot of fun!

 

I am planning on a trip down the California coast from Crescent City to LA on US101 and CA 1 once I get my Camaro running and on the road and want to do a Third Gen cruise on that same trip. Maybe if I'm lucky in 2012.

 

I wanna drive mine around the country when I'm older....don't have the money to now though.

 

well my dream when i finish the drive-train and suspension is to take it from the starting point of Route 66 in Chicago to the coast.

Right now I need to decide if I wanna build a 350 or get a vortec from a 00+ truck.

 

Longest I've done is Green Bay to Colorado Springs . Best part of the trip was coming back through Nebraska in the middle of the night passing cars like they were standing still. These cars were made for the open road.
Also did the GB to Richmond VA trip once. Those roads in eastern TN are incredible.
Normally I put on about 3K miles a year.

 

I'm excited for power tour again this year but I don't know if my car will be driveable then. I am building it to drive this time. 25+ mpg hopefully and 400-500rwhp. 17" tires and sway bars once again!!

 

I've taken my old 84,87,91, and soon my 86 up and down the east cost from jersey to florida many times.. had my fair share of break downs along the way but I wouldn't wanna do a trip in another car! Nothing better then having the tops off/down with the muisc up and the open road ahead of u.. I'm hoping to have my 86 track and power tour worthy with in the next 2 years and wille be attending many events, job willing

 

I can help with the whole Alaska roads thing Really, the roads are pretty shitty. Especially where you'll be going (Skagway area?) Getting closer to Anchorage in the southeastern part of the state it's a little better but the winters totally screw up our roads. But I think it's worth it, if you have the time come up further into AK, it's absolutely beautiful. Good luck with your trip man.

 

Been awhile since I have been way up North in AK. I would have to agree though, while the roads are shitty, it is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JEiW...layer_embedded

My KARR @ 3:09

 

I think the only part I wouldn't like is that fact that even with the seat all the way back I still have to have my knees bent at all times, so I think my legs would get really tired. Driving 2 hour straight in my car makes my right leg so tired from constantly having to barely touch the gas. If there is stop lights I'm fine because my leg can relax when I brake, but with the gas pedal I'm constantly having to hold my leg up.

 

if there is a trip coming through phoenix, i might have to join in for a hundred miles or so .

once i get her ready for cruising, ill probably end up taking her out of town every week on the day off. nothing like getting away and just sitting against your car under a tree.

 

I recently drove the Iroc from Maryland down to Georgia, almost 700 miles. My brother and I flew to Baltimore to meet with our dad. We spent a day going over the car and checking everything out, then made the drive in one day. It took about 10 hours total with multiple stops and $110 in Premium gas. It was great bonding time because we don't get to hang out that often. I was prepared with extra belts, a few hand tools, and a jug of water. But it wasn't necessary, the Iroc drove like a champ to it's new home. It was also a great bonding experience for me and the car.

 

I don't really like all the road grime and rock chips that highway driving invites, but I would like to do PowerTour sometime before I strip the car; car's an imperfect driver right now, so I wouldn't feel too terrible if it got a few rock chips going cross-country. Unfortunately this year's happens right before I come back, so hopefully I can do it in 2012.

 

Don't laugh, and this probably goes under the "ghetto thread", but I used a wide roll of painter's blue tape to tape the fenders behind the wheels (fear of rock chips) and the front air dam. The paint was still less than 6 months old and I wanted to keep it fresh. I don't care what other motorists thought of it, but I kept the chips out of my paint.

 

I took a rode trip back in 07 literally 2 days and 125 miles after finishing getting the Z back together from a complete engine and front and rear suspension rebuild. Drove from Lincoln, NE, to Fort Madison IA for a family reunion, then dropped south to St. Louis, and caught Route 66 and took it all the way to Tulsa. I wanted to make it to Oklahoma City, and then head back North, but it was just too hot for my dog with no A/C. Just me and my (at the time) 9 month old red Doberman Zoey.

It was a HOOT! I'd do it again if I could- we stayed at 'classic' hotels, ate at mom and pop greasey spoon diners, camped out one night in Joplin at a KOA and made new friends- 2 and 4 legged, stopped at a LOT of sights on the way. Spent 3-4 days just driving and bonding. To this day, that's still the majority of the miles I put on the car since the rebuild! Now, she's 'limited' to work trips to Omaha, Grand Island, Sioux City. I'd like to get her into the twisties up around the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore!

I hope I can sell the wife on doing one starting in Tulsa on Route 66- otherwise, when my daughters older, her and Dad will have to take a weekend and cruise- too early to tell if she'll even enjoy that kind of thing- she's only 22 months.

Most of my pictures are on our external HD which is busted- but what I have on photobucket for the time being....my sig pic was taken in Joplin at the KOA!