Roadtrips

[sgt_doofey]

Thought that I'd might start a thread about road trips seeing as we have different forms of holidays on here but nothing about how we get there!

With Bathurst rapidly approaching, and this being a bit of a special year with it being the last year of the Falcon on the mountain, my mate and I have decided that we'll do the road trip across this year in my 34 year old XE Falcon.

This car has been in our family since new with my parents buying it. My brother and I have kept it ever since my dad passed away in 2005. It has lots of memories and photos of family holidays spent in it travelling to different parts of Australia.
This car has basically been a spare car for the family and has spent the last 14 years in storage, hardly being driven. That changed slightly last year when the South Australian Government changed the rules regarding historic registration, meaning that we could finally register it under that scheme. It's been driven to a couple of shows and my brother has driven it around Adelaide a little bit, but it still spends a lot of time under cover not get driven.

That all changed last weekend with the decision to take it over to Bathurst! I've since picked it up from my brothers house in Adelaide and driven it home here in the Barossa. And today I went and got some new tyres put on it as the ones on there, although still had a lot of tread, were quite old and I didn't trust them especially after having an old trailer tyre let go earlier this year. Also bought a few spare parts, namely radiator hoses, fan belts, points, windscreen wipers.

Still to do:

• adjust the headlights (it's a bit cross-eyed at the moment)
• change the oil and oil filter
• check the brakes
• grease up everything!

Apart from that, it should be a fun drive over in the old girl! Taking a car that hasn't been driven more than 100kms in a day in the last 14 years to do a 2500km round trip to Bathurst. I mean... What can possibly go wrong?

Here she is home on Wednesday night


New tyres getting fitted this morning

[DFB FGXR6]

Great story and I'm sure the Falcon will do it with ease.

How many km's on the XE?

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

How many km's on the XE?

Approx 163,000kms. Even when it was a daily drive, it spent a lot of time in the garage as my dad caught the bus to work.

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[BENT_8]

Thats a very tidy XE you have there, i still miss mine and its been a decade since i parted with her, time flies they say.

We're heading over for the last Falcon race too only i've taken a slightly different tact, I just traded my BF on a 2013 SZ Territory Diesel today so that will be our mode of transport.
To be honest, the first time i've ever driven a Territory was today and i think i've fallen in love with Ford all over again..

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I just traded my BF on a 2013 SZ Territory Diesel today

welcome to the club

the perfect roadtrip vehicle. I used to sing the praises of the mighty falcon for just eating up the km, but SZ diesel territory kills it, and you hop out the other end feeling surprisingly fresh.

[prydey]

speaking of roadtrips, I've done Adelaide - Brisbane pretty much every year since I was born, as passenger when younger, and then driver when left home. A result of having parents from 2 states. Dad from Bris, Mum from Adel.

Went via broken hill one year due to flooding, but otherwise travelled the same route every time. From Adelaide, I live south so out the freeway, through the mallee to Balranald, Hay, West Wyalong, Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, Gil, Coona, Narrabri, Moree, Goondi, Warwick and in to Bris. There was a bit of work going on with Cunninghams Gap for a few years so we went in via Toowoomba. I've never been one for sight seeing, so all our trips are about getting somewhere. I do stop for meals though as i'm a bit anal about eating in the car and it gives everyone a good chance to have a break and stretch the legs. Mostly we take a day and half to 2 days each way although the last 4-5 years we've left in the arvo and driven straight through on the way up.

I love the roadtrip. The family, not so much. That's where portable dvd players are worth their weight in gold, although the last few times we've entertained ourselves a fair bit of the journey. Kids only watched a couple of dvd's the whole trip.

We go again at xmas, and possibly the last time as a full family as my eldest will be 18 and starting uni next year.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

welcome to the club

the perfect roadtrip vehicle. I used to sing the praises of the mighty falcon for just eating up the km, but SZ diesel territory kills it, and you hop out the other end feeling surprisingly fresh.

You were my inspiration Rob, i saw how impressed you are with yours and the idea has been growing on me ever since so with Bathurst only 3 weeks away i figured now was the time to take the plunge so i have time to get to know it and have it through my mechanics for the all clear, not that i expect any issues with only 100k on it.

Im over black cars and the missus loves silver so a Lightning Strike TX it is.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by prydey

although the last few times we've entertained ourselves a fair bit of the journey. Kids only watched a couple of dvd's the whole trip.

Play Windmills Rob, just block your ears going through Gil

[prydey]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Play Windmills Rob, just block your ears going through Gil

you've lost me?? its either my age or your age that's the issue. might need to explain

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by prydey

you've lost me?? its either my age or your age that's the issue. might need to explain

Must be your age

Have you never played Windmills, it's great with a car full of kids....not!

First one to spot a windmill calls it out. thats why you block your ears when going through Gil

[prydey]

Never even heard of windmills, let alone played it.


Must be like the oldies version of spotto.

(Yelling spotto when you see a yellow car/vehicle)

[sgt_doofey]

Or spot a bug whenever you saw a VW Beetle.

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[.:4:.]

Good call on changing the tyres. I had a blowout on a not that old tyre on a trailer a while back. 90% tread on a LT tyre that had sat for a couple years. It ruined my day. Maybe also get the spare replaced for peice of mind. Just because of the time the car has sat, they can do monster kays and be reliable, possibly also change out the diff and gearbox oils because 2500km is a bit further then a trip to the shops and oil degrades over time. Well thats what i have been told anyway, possibly a sales pitch.

[sgt_doofey]

Yeah, after we had a tyre on our trailer that suffered from tread separation as we were driving home from Halls Gap earlier this year, I thought it best to replace them. They probably also weren't round anymore from sitting around for a while.
Diff and auto trans fluid. Thanks, will see about getting those done too.

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[.:4:.]

The old girl looks mint, so why not give her the full treatment.

[prydey]

i'd be making sure the cooling system is also in good order, incl. radiator and water pump.

i'd also be putting some km's in to it between now and then just to make sure everything is working as it should. Better to have something fail now than half way across the hay plains.

[sgt_doofey]

Thanks Rob.
If the drive home is any indication, then the cooling system is working well. If anything, the thermostat might be stuck open as she was running quite cold at 110km/h.
Also drove it around yesterday to give it a run and to listen for strange noises.

[73 4V XB]

I recently made the trek down to Heathcote for the AFF drag nats with a fellow member and a holden driver. We had a ball on the 3800 Klm round trip. I’m north of Brisbane. Went down the Newell and back on the Hume. Camped in truck stops in swags, cooked on portable BBQ’s, no fires on the way down and at Sox’s inland from Newcastle somewhere on the way home. It’s all about good company and good times, meeting people and putting faces to names

[Spin]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Thanks Rob.
If anything, the thermostat might be stuck open as she was running quite cold at 110km/h.

Just that would be enough to want it changed. If it can stick open it can also stick closed.
They are easy to do and a small investment will give you piece of mind.

Spin.

[pottery beige]

pack the car, jump in and enjoy the drive doofey

dont over think it

[sgt_doofey]

Took your advise pottery beige.
Packed the car and drove it over.

We had a breakdown in Renmark though. For some unknown reason, we lost spark and the car wouldn't start. Conked out on us going around a roundabout. After about an hour and just before the RAA turned up, she started again!
All we'd done was take the distributor cap off and put it back on again and push on the leads. Was going to take it to a mechanic as the RAA bloke was thinking it was either the coil or distributor. Decided to push on through to Mildura and see how it went.

Made it all the way to Bathurst!

Been enjoying our time today, just relaxing a bit.



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[BENT_8]

Good work, how was the road between Hay and West Wyalong?

Last time i was through that way in 2016 the bitumen had a slight corrugation about it which gets a bit much after 200kms, lol.

[sgt_doofey]

Not too bad from memory. Don't remember complaining about it so mustn't be too bad.

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[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Good work, how was the road between Hay and West Wyalong?

Last time i was through that way in 2016 the bitumen had a slight corrugation about it which gets a bit much after 200kms, lol.

been a few years since I've driven that stretch in daylight but I don't recall it being any worse (or better) than most of the other highways. It has sections which are worse than others.

[BENT_8]

Sitting up in the Adelaide hills outside Gorge Wildlife park with 45 minutes to go until i return my passengers to their place of origin and then im done for the week, a quick tub of the Terri, load the JD cans in the Waeco and im in Bathurst mode .woohoo!!!

[BENT_8]

Im thinking you guys must have been extremely fatigued by Hay as that stretch was so bad im still vibrating 4hrs later..lol

Nah, not really, the Terri soaked it up without hesitation and i have to be honest i was a bit sceptical about the notion that long trips leave you feeling as fresh as before you started in a Territory but its bloody true.
Best vehicle to come out of FoA imo.

With 4 blokes, chairs, bags and a waeco it returned 8.8L/100 with A/C on from Hay.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Im thinking you guys must have been extremely fatigued by Hay as that stretch was so bad im still vibrating 4hrs later..lol

Nah, not really, the Terri soaked it up without hesitation and i have to be honest i was a bit sceptical about the notion that long trips leave you feeling as fresh as before you started in a Territory but its bloody true.
Best vehicle to come out of FoA imo.

With 4 blokes, chairs, bags and a waeco it returned 8.8L/100 with A/C on from Hay.

glad you had a good trip and found the terri comfortable. there are sections of highway out there that are quite poor considering they are national highways. I think closer to the west Wyalong end, around Weethalle is a bit like a goat track in areas. Maybe with the painted silo's there now they might spend a bit on the road, but I doubt it.

[sgt_doofey]

For a 34 year old Falcon, we felt pretty damn good when we finally rolled in to Bathurst Wednesday evening.
Weren't sore and weren't complaining! Seats were still quite comfortable.
See how we feel tomorrow night when we get home.

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[BENT_8]

Might see you on the road then, safe travels

[BENT_8]

Back home now, i hope all those who travelled over this weekend from wherever have made a safe return or well on the way to doing so.