Misadventures Millie & Me.. yeah and Muskas too =)

Thought I'd post this here since it's been awhile since my introduction and I went MIA for awhile. This is my little blog of my trip.. It was eventful for sure LOL


It began a few months ago and the decision that I wanted to "eventually" get a 1971 or 1972 Ford Galaxie or LTD wagon. Shortly there after as it usually goes one popped up and I didn't know what to do but as a friend said "I know you're not ready but will you be kicking yourself in the ass for not just getting it?" Yes I would have! And finding another like it would be unlikely or would cost 5x more. So I agreed to purchase "Millie" and made arrangements for vacation time and a one way car rental to Mason City, Iowa. Once there became the owner of a 94,000 mile mint green 1971 Ford Galaxie 500 Country Sedan. She was originally bought by a farmer family and used locally as their nice car most likely only for church on sunday, weddings, funerals, or other things you want to drive the nice car to. Average mileage was about 2,400 a year and her entire life was spent in Algona, Iowa. She is pretty basic with a few options: Roof Rack, Air Conditioning, 3rd Seat, Storage Compartment Lock Package and Power Antenna (no longer works).
The adventure begins...
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Thursday 9/1/2011
Pick up my rental and head out to Iowa at 3pm. Allowing lots of time to not feel rushed. I don't have to be there till 4pm Friday. Rental is a 2011 Mazda 3. Its an odd car with a strange radio that seems rather redundant in its switches and stuff. It drives good though and amazed me with 40mpg (its rated for 33). No issues except for the seat hurting my tailbone where I years ago broke or fractured it. Been a long time since a car hurt me.. and no lumbar.. definitely not a car for extended driving.
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Friday 9/2/2011
1,200 miles later we arrive at Mason City Municipal Airport at 4pm. Met with Nikki and her husband to pay them and take ownership of "Millie" (my name not theirs). From there I went down the road to a shop to get an oil change. I had them look the car over good too for any possible issues. They recommended the diff oil and I agreed since it was very dark and had a muffler done too. A few hours later we're on the road back east at 7pm. Wow the seat is weird.. like a springy old couch. Oh and those corners that say 30mph but your car can clearly take at 45-30? Yea they must have been rated driving this car.. that 30 MEANS 30 =) Driving down the road is like floating on gentle waves.. down side is it puts you to sleep. Kinda hard to drive after dark. Oh and why do all old cars seem to have the same distinctive smell? Its not bad but both old New Yorkers had the same smell. Weird. Here she is:
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11pm nap time
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Saturday 9/3/2011
2am 1st refuel 13.5mpg Ouch! Leave the truckstop and get on the highway. Hear a odd rumbly scraping noise. Sounds like I lost a rear brake shoe lining. Just to be safe I pulled over to be sure. Humm.. open the door and smell gear oil. Thats not good. A flashlight under the car showed gear oil running out of the pass drum. Not good! I LOVE my phone! I was able to find a transmission shop open Saturday 8-Noon. But thats in 6 hours! Uggh. OMG It's SO HUMID.. sweat just.. uggh.. and raining on and off so can't have windows open. Storms keep rolling through.. wheres the cool down???
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8am Finally got towed into town to the transmission shop. Guy can't do it but calls his friend down the street and gets my in! 3 hours later and I am on the road again with 2 new rear axle bearings. I told them to do both and good thing too since the other was nearing failure as well! They let me install my am/fm radio while they did the work too =)
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2pm She's starting to run a bit rougher. Debating changing the fuel filter. Checked and cleaned the points though.. picked up some emery boards at the truck stop. They definitely needed it and running better.
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3pm Second refuel 13.3mpg =( I think I got some bad gas because Millie keeps throwing fits of bucking on and off. Feels just like what you're passing a bit of water. Great.
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3:30 Millie is throwing all out fits. She's bucking, couching spitting, sputtering and backfiring. Wow! Haven't heard a pre cat-con car backfire in forever.. sounds just like a loud gunshot! Poor Muskas is freaking out panting and shaking =( Pulled into a rest area to figure it out. Google searching the symptoms kicked back a few things to check and I was able to find and map out to the nearest Auto Zone. It seems to most likely be a condenser inside the distributor. Just gotta limp the 25 miles to the store.
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5:45 At the store.. got a condenser and an extra set of points. Also when changing the condenser noticed the coil was leaking a waxy oil like stuff so went back in and got one of those too as well as better wires, cap and rotor. Somebody did the cap/rotor and wires but didn't like the way the wires felt. Millie has a strange sense of humor too.. hiding the tiny nut from the coil bracket.. making me search for it for a good 30min in the rain.. but I found it so =P Back on the road we go after food at 9pm running smooth =)
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11pm ok the adventures and non stop rain have worn me the f*** out! Pulled over at a rest area to sleep.. real sleep.. no nap. Gonna fold the back seat down and all. Good night see you in the morning! Oh and wow.. even with my travel crap theres tons of room back here!
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Sunday 9/4/2011
10am woke up.. spent a good amount of time walking around the really nice rest area here... Muskas loved watching the geese at a nearby pond.. we played a bit and I washed the windows since they had to be up last night and fogged up. Back on the road at 11am
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1pm 3rd Refuel 16.2mpg! Running smooth at 60mph. Highway driving really cleaning her out =)
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3pm smelled burning oil an smoking =( Gotta check it out. Hope it's not rings or valve seals. Looks to be from the transmission leaking on the exhaust pipe? Type F smells like engine oil burning? Further checking found the oil pressure sender cracked and bubbling oil out that then ran down the transmission. A serious bitch of a time getting it out and a bolt to put in its place (sender needed to be ordered) later and ready for food.. getting bitchy and shaky. After dinner Muskas and i got to meet and alien

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8pm back on the road
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10pm and stopped for the night FINALLY at my Friends house near Dayton OH.. stayed there a week. Took a 400 mile trip one day to rescue a boxer mix puppy and the car did fine.


Heading back to NY was uneventful. So far I put on 2,000 miles. She will need work come spring.. the rust is worse than I was hoping and upon pulling into storage a front wheel bearing started popping and grinding.

 

wow....great story, NY! Not a comfortable one, though. You have to be a true car guy to experience a trip like that without complaint. Reminds me of some of my old car adventures in the rain. Except we didn't have cell phones back then. Or Auto Zones. You did good! Got her runnin' and got her home. Don't like hearing about the rust but it does look like a nice wagon. Thanks for trip diary! Keep us posted.
Hey....did Muskas have to stand on his head to use the fire hydrant?

 

Welcome and thanks for taking the time to share your adventure.

 

What a great story!!

 

Enjoyed the story NY!

 

great account of the adventure....but your home and have a wagon....thats the important part

 

BACK ,great account of the adventure....but your home and have a wagon....thats the important partDID YA rescue a boxer mix puppy ?

 

Thanks everyone. It was an adventure for sure.. the kind where your boxer gives you the wifey look of OMFG is this over yet!!?? And I just end up laughing hysterically in sheer madness over it all

Oh and Muskas didn't stand on his head for the hydrant.. I was much more interested in it than he was LOL

Yes I did rescue a Boxer mix puppy from a shelter in Ohio too. He's quite the spunky little spitfire and keeps us on our toes

 

That was quite a trip. There is nothing like roadside restoration. You either bond with your car over the experience, or leave it on the roadside! It looks like a nice wagon.

 

I am glad you were ready to tackle it all. I seriously considered buying that wagon. It was listed here for awhile. Gorgeous thing it is. I would have probably freaked out about the axle seals and other oil leaks and not known what to do so far from home but you found a way to get it done!

 

Great travel log.

 

Yep, very interesting. I'd say you are a true car guy! Enjoyed your report. If everything went smoothly your story would have been boring. Probably more relaxing for you. But boring. Glad you got it home. We've been in that part of Iowa. Mostly flat land and friendly people. You must have seen some beautiful country traveling across all those corn fields in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.

 

Kudos to you, rescue is my most favorate breed of dog

 

Good job getting your wagon home. I bought mine on ebay and drove it from El Paso, TX back home to KC July 17-20 of this year. Every day was over 105 degrees and I dealt with overheating, blown transmission seals, a flat tire and a bumper jack that wouldn't rachet, and hit a deer in northern New Mexico. The trip took twice as long and cost twice as much as planned, but it was one of those experiences that bonds you to a vehicle. Nothing like hot trans fluid running down your arm and pooling in your shirt while adding a trans cooler in the parking lot of an Auto Zone.

 

And Ohio.. don't forget Ohio. So much corn.. it started speaking to me.. and telling me to do very bad things.. things with burlap and candycanes

I saw him on an urgent list before I started the trip and called/committed to adopting him if still available in 7 days when vacationing with my friends. Figured whatever his issues were I'd just work through them. Poor boy when I met him was so kennel crazy and had big spots of d-mange. He didn't even pay any attention to me other than barking insanely and in the run outside ignored me.. But I knew I could work with him and in all honesty was probably his last hope. Now hes a love bug and all curled up on me right now actually putting my legs to sleep and his skin has cleared a lot and coat is lookin great He's come around to being a good boy for the most part mixed with some naughty puppy and kitty obsession But has fit right in with my other dogs and they all love each other