Hot August Nights 2017 - On the Road to Reno

This year I decided to drive my 65 Mustang to Reno.  According to Mapquest, it was approximately 950 miles from our house to my father in law's home in Minden, NV.  I was making the trip alone and it's been quite awhile since I've attempted a trip this long in the Mustang.  I packed along a tool bag full of tools, and another bag containing a spare parts consisting of an alternator, mechanical fuel pump, a dual point distributor with a Pertronix ignition system installed, and the distributor plate with points and condenser, distributor cap, rotor, two radiator hoses, one fan belt, an assortment of electrical connectors, a roll of wire, 5 quarts of oil, and two gallons of water.  I also packed two buckets full of cleaning supplies to do a real good cleaning of the car once I arrived in Nevada and got ready for the show.  My wife was a bit apprehensive about me driving the Mustang.  She sees me many times under the hood or under the car working on this or that, replacing worn out/broken parts, upgrading components, experimenting, etc.  She was also concerned about the heat affecting me due to having no AC in the Mustang.  I promised her to stay in touch, packed along a tow strap and an AAA card  :)  My main concern was gas mileage - around town I get 12-13 miles per gallon and don't do a whole lot of just highway driving.  I have a 289 with a dual quad manifold with a Holley 600 cfm as the primary carb, and a Holley 390 cfm as the secondary carb.  I'm also running a 4 speed Toploader and have a 3.55 Traction Lock rearend.  All in all, not a good combination for fuel economy.

Anyways, it was time to hit the road.

65 Mustang parked next to last year's tow vehicle

My planned route was to drive through Tucson, Phoenix, Wickenburg, Kingman and then Las Vegas the first day.  On the second day, it was Las Vegas and then up US 95 through Amargosa, Beatty, Tonopah, Hawthorne, and then west to Carson City/Minden.

We have been getting a lot of rain here in southeastern Arizona, and everything has turned nice and green. 

 This is the east side of the Mule Mountains outside of Bisbee.

St David, AZ - about 45 minutes southeast of Tucson

I topped of the gas tank in Tucson to start keeping track of the mileage.  Between Tucson and Phoenix is Picacho Peak - site of the westernmost battle of the Civil War between uniformed elements of the Union and Confederate Armies.

Picacho Peak, AZ

 One of my concerns about making this trip is the desert heat.  Before switching over to an electric fuel pump, I had issues with vapor lock and fuel percolation in the carburetor.  I believe the ultimate issue there was the aftermarket mechanical fuel pump.  Most likely a weak spring not allowing good pressure to the carb.  I went with a Carter electric fuel pump.  It's external, mounted between the fuel tank and rear axle.  I've read that there could be issues with heat on these as opposed to an internal fuel pump.  More on this later.

Between Tucson and Phoenix, I checked the temperature online and it indicated that it was 100* at my location.  This is what my TEMP gauge looked like:

When I arrived in Phoenix, it felt a bit hotter outside, so I checked the temperature again - it was 105* outside and my TEMP gauge looked like this:

I'll keep an eye on the TEMP gauge for the remainder of my trip, but it appears overheating won't be a major issue for me unless I lose coolant or my thermostat doesn't open.  One less thing to worry about.

When I arrived in Wickenburg, AZ, I stopped to fill up the tank.  On this leg, with running speeds anywhere from 70 to 80 mph, I averaged almost 17 miles per gallon.  It was somewhere between 16.8 and 16.9 mpg.  While getting gas, and older gentleman came up to me and told me how he use to have a Mustang just like mine.  Except his was a coupe, green in color, and had a six cylinder engine.  I think the only thing his car had in common with mine was they are/were Mustangs.

I left Wickenburg and headed towards Kingman and ran into the only breakdown I experienced on the road during this trip.  I was moving along at about 70 - 75 mph headed up a long hill when suddenly the engine started bucking and then died.  I coasted to the side of the road and then tried to restart the engine with no luck.  I opened the hood and hit the throttle on the primary carburetor with no gas coming out.  I then visually checked the clear fuel filter and noticed it was empty.  Back inside, I put the ignition switch to ACC but did not hear the fuel pump kick on.  Checked the fuse, and swapped in a new one with no change.  Got out my "road" blanket (an old Army green wool blanket) and checked the fuel pump to make sure both wires were still attached...they were.  I then reached up and grabbed the fuel pump...it was HOT!  I figured it needed a cool down, so I took out my bottle of glass cleaner, switched out the cleaner with water and sprayed the fuel pump.  At first the water sizzled when it hit the pump, and then cooled it down where the water just ran off of it.  Got back inside, turned the key ON and heard the pump start up.  Put everything away and got back on the road with no more issues.  When I told this story later on in Reno, Kelly H made the comment, "That what I love about these old cars.  You can fix them on the side of the road with a spray bottle of water!"

I arrived in Kingman and tanked up.  17+ mpg on the latest stretch.  I did a bit of cruising around Kingman as I know it's a major stop on Route 66 in Arizona.  Took some pictures and then headed up US Highway 93 towards the Hoover Dam and then Las Vegas, which was my stop for the night.

 

Side of the Hotel Beale in Kingman, AZ

AT&SF Locomotive in Kingman

My perverted mind found this funny...Kingman, AZ

I left Kingman and headed north on US 93.  Lots of miles of a whole lot of nothing to really look at.  By this point, I still had not turned on any music in my car.  I was monitoring the various squeaks and rumbles of my car as I was driving, and noticing how smooth everything was running.  The exhaust had a nice tone to it, and the engine was just humming along.  Gauges were nice and steady.  I was definitely pleased how things were going.

Last view of the desert before entering the mountains surrounding the Hoover Dam

I made it into Nevada, and decided to take some pictures of the Hoover Dam.  I went through the security checkpoint, where there was an older man and a younger lady manning the post.  The man told me that he and the lady had a bet on what year my car is.  He told me he figured it was a 66, and she thought it was a 68.  I told them to give me the money because they were both incorrect - it's a 65.  That got a good laugh from the three of us, and they waved me through.  I parked in the parking lot and walked up the walkway that leads to the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge and it's great view of the Hoover Dam.

I made it to Nevada!

Hoover Dam from the Memorial Bridge

Parked away from the general flow of automobile and foot traffic

After leaving the Hoover Dam area, I headed into Las Vegas.  I had a reservation for The California Hotel and Casino with its covered parking.  Didn't have to worry about leaving my car exposed to the desert sun.  It was still hot as Hades in the parking area.  I checked in, got something to eat and called it a day.  One bizarre thing about The California - it's Hawaiian themed.  Why it's not called The Hawaii....any guesses?