CA to KS (Update)

[OZ2002]

I couldn't be happier! I picked up my "new" '71 '02 in LA on Saturday. I was bumped off an over-booked flight on Friday, so my leisurely jaunt back to Kansas was a bit hurried.

There were a couple of tense monments. My anxiety went higher than the soaring temp guage during a 45 minute stop and go marathon on I-15. Also, I discovered that the fuel guage is accurate in a very relative way. 75% of the fuel is in the top half of the guage. With a "half" a tank to go, I watched helplessly as the needle fell like a rock, and I barely made the next pit stop. To celebrate my good fortune and calm my nerves, I took on liquids as well. I couldn't be happier! The car was a champ...great acceleration, cruises all day long at 70 mph, and gave me no problems. Bored with the interstate and wanting to see how the car handled, I found my opportunity on a 20 mph hairpin exit in W. Oklahoma. What a thrill!

We have bonded. I've even named the car "Mojo" and the name somehow seems to fit. Now that I'm back, the first order of business after tags and registration is the tranny. It makes an uncomfortable ginding noise when it's just sitting there. I suspect the output flange, but don't know how critical it is. The second order of business is to repair/replace the speedo or its cable. It doesn't work at all. After that I have a hundred and one things to repair, replace or refurbish. By the way, did I mention that I couldn't be happier! I'll post some pics later.

Brice

[Supergeek]

Congrats on your 02, Brice! Man, that was some trip! Cant wait to see some pics! Good luck with our new 02!

David

[dubois]

congratulations! You probably have plenty of memories - you will be telling your grandchildren about.

Check the tranny fluid level, also viscosity. I know that 02 owners use a range of fluids, and thinner fluids can produce noise at idle. I changed mine to heavier MTL for the same reason.

[Guest Anonymous]

journey home - nothing quite like a trouble free cross-country trip in a 30+ year old car you've never driven before to make you feel like you made the right purchase decision.............

One suggestion - if the car still wears 6 digit CA blue & yellow plates (if they're the plates that were issued when the car was new, the sequence should be 3 numbers then 3 letters, with the first of the three letters somewhere in the middle of the alphabet) make a color copy of the CA "pink slip" and current year's registration and "lose" at least one of the original plates (preferably the rear one with the registration stickers on it) before you register it in Kansas.

The Kansas DMW will probably have a "lost or stolen plates" form that will let you avoid turning in one or both plates with the title (tell 'em one plate fell off on the trip home from CA....) - even if the car winds up back in CA at some future point, the original plates will never be able to be put back on the car, but they're a key part of its "provenance" proving its history as an original west coast car.

[OZ2002]

Excellent suggestion. Thanks. I have the original temporary vehicle registration as well.