480 miles in a 50 Dodge Wayfarer?

[DLK]

After a couple agonizing months looking at various 40's and early 50's MOPARS I purchased a 50 Dodge Wayfarer sedan on ebay today. The car is in great shape but I have to confess being a little nervous about driving it 480 miles back home. I guess I will have my son tail me in my regular car and stay off I-90. If the engine is in good shape as it seems to be I assume at 55 it will not be revved out too much for that kind of leisurely pace - correct? Am I nuts not to have it shipped?

[wayfarer]

Perfectly fine at 55, or more....assuming that the engine is in as equally good condition as the body.

.

[T120]

..Looks great - Saw the photos on ebay,I believe you got a good buy.Personally,I wouldn't hesitate to make the trip and enjoy it

[greg g]

Do a compression test, if the cylinders are in the normal range, and it has good oil pressure, Drive it like you stole it. I have had my plymouth on trips from central NY,

to vermont, virginia, north carolina, and detroit. I almost think that interstate driving is easier on the car than the stop and go on the surface roads, although the surface roads sure have more to see.

Car looks great, the first car I remember was dad's 49 bustle butt meadowbrook. In any case enjoy your trip. I'd drive that thing to cali and back.

[Normspeed]

They were built to be driven, and as nice as your Wayfarer looks, I wouldn't hesitate to get some miles on it. Congratulations, a very nice looking car.

[greg g]

Hey Norm howmany miles did you just put on your wagon????

[Normspeed]

Somewhere over 6,000 on a 2 month trip. No worries!

[DLK]

Do a compression test, if the cylinders are in the normal range, and it has good oil pressure, Drive it like you stole it. I have had my plymouth on trips from central NY,

to vermont, virginia, north carolina, and detroit. I almost think that interstate driving is easier on the car than the stop and go on the surface roads, although the surface roads sure have more to see.

Car looks great, the first car I remember was dad's 49 bustle butt meadowbrook. In any case enjoy your trip. I'd drive that thing to cali and back.

Why didn't I do that before I bought the car? The car seems to run and drive fine with good oil pressure but checking compression on these flatheads is a piece of cake.

[RobertKB]

Nice buy and a great body style. Drive the wheels off her and she will appreciate it!

[steveplym]

Not mentioned here yet, but I would check the brakes. If nothing else, but a visible check of the wheel backing plates to see if wheel cyls are leaking or anything else. Don't want to get halfway home and the brakes don't work. My grandpa always said good tires and brakes are a necessity. Doesn't hurt to have a running engine either.

[BobT-47P15]

Looks extra nice. 55 to 60 is a fairly comfortable speed for these old cars.

I'm with you on staying off the interstate. Those folks are usually running 70

or more. Not expecting to find a vehicle only travelling 55 or so. Only takes one

to not judge your speed when zipping up behind you.

[greg g]

Cribed this from the old MOPARS site Lotsa good info there should be required reading for newbies or those contemplating purchas of an old mopar.

[TodFitch]

I guess if it were me, I'd try to drive it home.

But I also don't really have a lot of faith in a used car of any age until I have had a chance to go over it, change all the fluids, inspect all the critical components and just generally get a feel for the mechanical condition.

So take a long a reasonable tool kit. Allow plenty of time. Check all the fluids before starting out. Start out slow, maybe 50 MPH until you see how the engine sounds, what the oil pressure holds at, what temperature it keeping, etc. Pick up if, after a while, it seems strong and able.

Once you have determined that it is good mechanical condition then you should be able cruise at 65 or so. I just would not start out that way until you know exactly what you have.

[greg g]

Well if it goes 50 miles, I bet it will do 100, then if it does 100, I'd bet on 200, stop for lunch and do it again and then you will be in your drive or cclose enough to spit at.

[Young Ed]

I wouldn't worry too much about i90. Just did that with the 48. No issues. Now we'll really have to meet up at N st Paul

[DLK]

Cribed this from the old MOPARS site Lotsa good info there should be required reading for newbies or those contemplating purchas of an old mopar.

This brings up an interesting question. Did the 50 Dodge Wayfarer with fluid drive and a 3 speed manual like mine have the same 3.9 rear end as the Plymouths or with the fluid drive did they use something lower like 3.77 or 3.54?

To those that mentioned brakes I am having the current owner have the car put on a hoist to have the brakes checked for leaks. I had the misfortune of buying a 53 DeSoto without getting under it and the first time I had it on the road the pedal went to the floor coming up to a 4 way stop. I had to stop with the parking brake - the master cylinder and wheel cylinders were shot! That total brake rebuild cost me $1,300 since I replaced everything and went to a brake shop for the labor and bought the parts from Kanter and Bernbaum. :( But the peace of mind was worth every penny.

[wilmot andy]

Very nice looking car! I have a 49 wayfarer, SOMEDAY, it should be done. I wouldn't worry too much about the engine, I would really check the brakes and lines though. What about a spare ign coil, rad. water, tool kit? Any other small parts he might need? I am thinking of that old cartoon about the quick fixs, forgot what magazine it was in.

[Dennis_MN]

I'll be driving my 49 Dodge Pickup to Waukesha on Saturday and returning home on Monday. My route to Waukesha is US 12 until it connects with 18 just after Madison. Route home is mostly 18 until I can connect with 33 someplace. Pretty loose going home.

Will be at a car show in Waukesha on Sunday. There should be two pilothouse pickups there, mine is the red one.

Dennis Sullivan

Monticello,MN

[greg g]

I believe the fluid drive cars were 3.99 or perhaps a bit lower. if your is lower, geared, road rpms would be lower still. I run my 46 with its 4.11 rear on the interstates. when the speedo indicates 70 my gps says 66. Only worry is the idiots comig up behind at 80.

[48mirage]

Yes you have a 3.91 rearend.

[wayfarerstranger]

I have 3 WAYFARERS 49 50 52 all have 3.73 rears ??

[DLK]

I have 3 WAYFARERS 49 50 52 all have 3.73 rears ??

I hope you are right about mine then. Every rpm I can save at highway speed in a 60 year old engine is a plus. It has P22570R15 tires which look to be slightly taller than the original 6.70x15's.

[woodie49]

The car looks great and should be a load of fun. 500 miles is a good long trip. I would certainly take a careful look at the fan belt and hoses because you are bound to build up a bit of heat on that drive.

[DLK]

I got a call from the seller, the charging system started acting up when he drove the car for an oil change and grease job. This has given me cold feet and I think I will have the car shipped. I would hate to be at the side of the road in NE Iowa with a bad generator or some other calamity 200 miles from home. I was surprised to see I can ship the car open transport with a highly BBB rated transporter for under $400 - that seem like a no-brainer, although it's not hard to find horror stories about that process.

[JerseyHarold]

Shipping the car is the right way to go. Years ago, I bought a '52 Plymouth Cranbrook that had been sitting for 10 years, and drove it from Queens to Staten Island in NYC. All went well until I lost my brakes on the Verazzano Bridge between Brooklyn and SI. Luckily, I didn't hit anything and managed to get the car home with a lot of downshifting and hand-braking, but it's something I never want to experience again.