A 3400 mile trip in a 47-year-old car?

"Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz" .

Tom Suddard wrote: Still driving... Between the oil leak and the oil burning, we're having to add a quart of oil every hundred miles now. Luckily, it's getting worse. Err, wait—that's not lucky at all. We just crossed into Florida; hopefully we'll make it home.

Ah, that's nothing. My old Caddy drips that much out the rear main seal when it's running. Now, the other old Caddy pretty much used more oil than gas. And that's saying something.

In reply to Tom Suddard:
Welcome back to FL.
We have enjoyed the trip and the chance to ride along.
We have watched the Suddard family grow. While, after all, you started this trip as just an Intern. Quite the Marketing Event it has been.
Congrats

Woohoo- we made it home!!

Epic thread. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us, Suddards!

Glad you guys made it home in good shape. Thanks for reminding me of summers by the Great Lakes!

Rog

I enjoyed that trip.

JohnRW1621 wrote: In reply to Tom Suddard: Welcome back to FL. We have enjoyed the trip and the chance to ride along. We have watched the Suddard family grow. While, after all, you started this trip as just an Intern. Quite the Marketing Event it has been. Congrats

Well played there, John.

Thanks for allowing us along on the trek to the Wolverine state

So, it's been almost a year since our trip–where are things now?

The Mercedes has since had the larger engine that Tim dreamt about swapped in, and is still driven regularly. We rebuilt the alternator properly, and revamped the suspension bushings and spacers, too.

Most importantly, the story about this journey will be in the next issue of Classic Motorsports Magazine. If you don't already subscribe, now is the time to. This story is just one example of the cool things we do over on the Classic side of the building. Click here to subscribe, it's only $20 for the whole year.

Thanks for resurrecting this. That was one of the better internet events last year to be able to follow along the journey like we were all there.

Just got the latest issue of CM yesterday. It's sitting on top of my stack of reading material in the reading room. Right on top of last month's GRM.

Just took a stroll back through this thread, after FB served me up a "memories" picture of our Merc 230S. (And of a very chunky me--those college years were filled with too much stress and too many snacks.) We sold the 230S several years ago in favor of this 220SE convertible that Tim's still hoarding to restore.

Can't believe it's been more than 5 years since our road trip. The kids are all grown now and employed here at Motorsport Marketing, so I guess our evil plan to kidnap them and hold them hostage in a smelly old German car worked--they're all brainwashed, or in Katie's case, fully Stockholm Syndromed.

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

i recently read a book about Stockholm Syndrome.   At first I hated it, but by the end I thought it was pretty good.

Damn, I'm feeling old.  I remember meeting up with you guys here at work in Dearborn, running Tommy to get vital fluids to keep it going and smuggling you all into the Henry Ford Museum.  You need to do another road trip up this way.  Doe you still have the Manx buggy?  I want to hear about a 3,400 mile trip in a beach buggy.  Note, I said I want to hear about, not experience!  

AngryCorvair said:

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

i recently read a book about Stockholm Syndrome.   At first I hated it, but by the end I thought it was pretty good.

That's funny right there, I don't care who you are.

Nice memories! I really enjoyed this thread back in the day. It inspired me to do my own, shorter road trip in an old car. It took until this summer to make it happen though.

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/road-trip/the-great-beater-challenge-day-1-part-1/

Adrian_Thompson said:

Damn, I'm feeling old.  I remember meeting up with you guys here at work in Dearborn, running Tommy to get vital fluids to keep it going and smuggling you all into the Henry Ford Museum.  You need to do another road trip up this way.  Doe you still have the Manx buggy?  I want to hear about a 3,400 mile trip in a beach buggy.  Note, I said I want to hear about, not experience!  

Yes, we still have the Manx—like the Model A and the TR3, it’s family. And like a lot of family, it would be beyond miserable to spend thousands of miles with just it..

Margie

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

Beatings will continue  til morale improves

Tom Suddard said:

Katie wasn't talked into anything. She's pretty much here against her will.

I hope you installed some USB plugs for recharging smartphones and iPads before you set out.....

edit: missed the part about the wifi hotspot. 

I just read this thread backwards.  I'm glad you enjoyed Michigan and that you visited some of my favorite places.

I now have my own little piece of Norther Michigan, in a little beach marina called Pentwater.  You probably passed right through it if you went up lakeshore drive or right past it if you took 31.

I missed some of the original thread and thought you were letting us know you finally made it home.