Solo Cross Country Trip in Viper Contingency Plans

[Tom and Vipers]

I'm planning to drive my 96 modded GTS (aka Bad Viper) from Nevada to Pennsylvania and want to plan for the Unforeseen.

To start with, I want to have:

• Full Internet Access (smart phone or laptop - don't have one yet!)
• Extra space in the event I get a flat rear tire and have to use the donut
• Pairs of pipe plugs 1/8" through 1/2" (a blow oil sending hose is what? 1/8"?)
• Tools
• Flashlights
• Mat for crawling on ground
• Extra scissors jack
• 800 number for a towing service
• maybe should get deluxe Triple A?
• 1-2 gallons of water
• 6 quarts of oil
• spare serpentine belt
• Collision Insurance
• Fully charged extra battery with jumpers (run car with bad alternator)

I see the following basic scenarios:

• Repair by me
• Repair by local garage
• Repair by dealer
• Car transported home (I drive rent-a-car)

The car will either be

• Drivable (alternator for example), or
• Undrivable (electronic failure)

The problems I don't have clear answers to are:

• Where to take car where its OK to work on or wait for help, transport, etc.
• How to get parts if car is undrivable but I can repair
• How to find a local garage that can be trusted
• Don't like idea of leaving car unattended for any length of time.

I might have a friend with me for the trip.

One thing I was thinking that since I will have internet access, I would post a "Help I'm Broke Down" message in the General Forum and maybe I'd get lucky and someone nearby might be able to lend me a hand.

I've put 10k on Bad Viper (70 to 80k miles) over 10 years in NV and have NEVER had any kind of issue. I believe the Gen 2 Viper is a very robust car and will get you where your going. Of course how many Vipers have 80k on them? I know when I look at Viper Wrecks you will see 93's with 4k (just think, 20 year old OE tires!!) so a lot of them never get the miles.

Anyhow, this is where I'm at. Suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tom

 

[Oilman1934]

Pain killers ,Motrin

 

[ILLKing]

Drove my 94 gen 1 from Maryland to Michigan and back to Maryland within 24 hours. Went through a couple storms. Had my spare and jack, few hand tools, extra fuses (in case cigarette lighter fuse blows, mines did) and a small cooler of water and fruit in the trunk. Spent 200$ in gas. Was a little over 1200 miles total. You will most likely be sore though. Also had my sister ride with me.

 

[Steve-Indy]

If you have trouble in or near Indiana...I can help with whatever...just CALL me.

 

[Indy]

You only need ONE thing to deal with all the points you've listed above...DUCT TAPE! Trust me, it can do all that is required and more.
Sounds like a great trip...have fun

 

[BlackSnake99]

Condoms?



It IS a Viper after all........

 

[denniskgb]

Call nbc .....reality show.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Thanks Steve! You sound like a Great Guy - hope I don't see you(haha) At least not under those circumstances.

When I bot my new 2000 GTS, the first new car I ever bot and the most I had ever spent previous only a car was $7k - I drove it to FL from PA with 90 miles on it, in January. I had to fight snow at first gut got into fair weather pretty quick. You can't imagine how timid I was driving a $70k car that was new. I eventually sold it with 16k I put on it in a year. I scraped the air dam about once every 2000 miles and it really pissed me off every time I did it. You could count the stone chips in it - I think there were 6 - I always drove hundreds of feet behind anyone in front of me (that's the trick!)

But I've driven to Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, New Jersey in 10-15 year old cars without any concerns. Of course, these were cars that were my daily drivers and after you've driven one for a couple of years, you get a real sense of how dependable the car is.

With my NV GTS, I only drive it once a year and lately, it really hasn't been driven much - probably 9k miles were put on it the first 5 years it was in NV and 1k miles in the last 5 years - and it sat for 4 years only 2 years ago. Still, no problems.

Actually, I was thinking that my plans are completely flexible and maybe I could hook up with someone else who is driving a similar trip.

In fact, it might be interesting for the club to set up an arbitrary schedule for cross country trips that members could adapt to. What could be more fun than driving a pack of Vipers cross country???

Of course, stopping off in the Rockies would be mandatory in my book and a drive up Pike's Peak or at least the >14,000 ft summit would be non-negotiable.

Of maybe I should post if anyone else is making a West Coast to East Coast cross country trip which I could schedule around?
________________________

I was just talking to a friend who might want to go along too, and the debate was the route - what would minimize the "boring" through Kansas/Nebraska?

It almost looks like the East Okla. and Arkansas might be a little interesting. Then follow the Appalachian mountains. Might even stop off at The Dragon which I have already been to. That would definitely be worth the digression.

 

[kblake905]

You only need ONE thing to deal with all the points you've listed above...DUCT TAPE! Trust me, it can do all that is required and more.
Sounds like a great trip...have fun

Jeezzz! You make it sound like you are going to be driving a Lada!!!
Even if you do break down a lot of the parts you need are probably on the shelf of a local Chrysler dealer to get you back on the road. 80,000 miles is okay if it has been maintained. Enjoy the drive!

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Condums? HaHaHaaaa! (how true)

Have to tell this story:

I'm driving my new 2000 GTS to the dealership and I pull into this gas station to get some pop and this faded silver Honda pulls up behind me.

This 11 out of 10 stunning twenty something, must have been a stripper, girl gets out (yes, I'm a Guy Pig) and appologizes and says, "I'm never done anything like this before..." (At this point I should have already realized what was going on... but I'm also Dumb) "... but would you give me a ride in your car?"

Immediately the Little (********) Voice In My Head is screaming, "JERRY SPRINGER! JERRY SPRINGER! JERRY SPRINGER! ...." so that now, I'm totally confused. You know, Mind wants to go one way, Body the other.

So I pussed out and took her for 2 "hot laps" around the parking lot.

She really liked it and I remembered I might have my digital camera in the car, so I said "Wait a minute...", looked for it, but did not find it.

So I told her I couldn't find my camera and she says, "Thats probably good because if you had it, I'd have to be naked to get my picture taken with this car."

That is pretty much the end of the story.

(Excuse me while I go Kill Myself...)
Tom

 

[FrankBarba]

You will have plenty of help along the way. There are plenty of great people along the way.
Take Tators, Tom Sessions, Jorgensons phone numbers. They will be a wealth of help. Grab a
directory of trusted Dealers & Techs along the way also. A regular sized tire will take up lots of
necessary space.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Oh, and just to use up some more room, I have a spare 335 I'm taking back with me!

I think internet access is the most important.

I had a friend have a wheel fly off his Blazer about 1 hour from home here. He got a ride back home, but it took us about 4 hours on the internet/phone lining up a garage that could tow the car and do the repair. I can't imagine dealing with that without the internet.

And that is about the easiest case scenario when you are home trying to work out the logistics.

I don't have any kind of smart phone because I am too cheap - although when I can buy a limitless data with the ability to completely run everything from my phone including home internet access, I'll hang everything off the phone and have no service of any kind in my home. But I don't think we're there yet.

Luckily for me, Tracfone now has smart phones so that is definitely one solution for the internet problem.
______________________

Cool, I once took Tom Sessions for a diagnostic ride in my 2000 (smoke out exhaust under hard braking) at either Road America or Watkins Glen - can't remember. (Those were the days....)

Tom

 

[Steve-Indy]

I hope that your car already has a billet P/S bracket & pulley...if not, would suggest same prior to departure.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Wow, Billet P/S bracket and pulley? I was not aware of that one.

What do they do? crack? does the pump "fall off" the engine? is the OE bracket steel or alum?

Come to think of it, I don't have the frame recall welding done either.

 

[ROCKET62]

After the girl story, I now understand ........ Dude - Vipers are as reliable as any car out there and you have the knowledge, experience, and friends along the way to deal with any set of circumstances. Small tool kit, air comressor, fix a flat, duct tape, small cooler full of pop/munchies, gas credit card, and a smart phone should be plenty. Condoms not a bad idea as well .....

 

[Steve-Indy]

Pulley is plastic, bracket is a weak casting...well known to fail, and NOT a roadside repair. Dealers do not have these parts. Call PartsRack or Roe Racing for the good stuff.

 

[denniskgb]

Do not forget THE camera this time around mark at www.ipso.com has pulleys too, great guy to deal with.

 

[dtvtech]

Epic Brain Failure.....

Condums? HaHaHaaaa! (how true)=p

Have to tell this story:

I'm driving my new 2000 GTS to the dealership and I pull into this gas station to get some pop and this faded silver Honda pulls up behind me.

This 11 out of 10 stunning twenty something, must have been a stripper, girl gets out (yes, I'm a Guy Pig) and appologizes and says, "I'm never done anything like this before..." (At this point I should have already realized what was going on... but I'm also Dumb) "... but would you give me a ride in your car?"

Immediately the Little (********) Voice In My Head is screaming, "JERRY SPRINGER! JERRY SPRINGER! JERRY SPRINGER! ...." so that now, I'm totally confused. You know, Mind wants to go one way, Body the other.

So I pussed out and took her for 2 "hot laps" around the parking lot.

She really liked it and I remembered I might have my digital camera in the car, so I said "Wait a minute...", looked for it, but did not find it.

So I told her I couldn't find my camera and she says, "Thats probably good because if you had it, I'd have to be naked to get my picture taken with this car."

That is pretty much the end of the story.

(Excuse me while I go Kill Myself...)
Tom

 

[AJ02]

I've taken my 76000 mile 02 GTS from Texas to Illinois (1500 mile roundtrip) twice and the only problem was a broken tensioner pulley which I got at Autozone. Averaged 22 MPG.

 

[speedracervr4]

Seems like a rather large list for not a lot of space. I would skip on the 6qts of oil and the spare battery. If you need to add 6qts of oil on your trip then you have some major issues going on.

Good luck on your trip.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

While you're replacing the ps pulley and bracket replace the high pressure line too. Its proximity to the headers makes it brittle and prone to failure before the low pressure line. $80 cheap insurance.

 

[Grisoman]

With no cruise control, I'd seriously think about some way to relieve your right leg once in awhile without having to stop. I did this in a '71 bug with a stick that I would use to periodically press on the accelerator . . . unsafe but worked well! Also, don't know when your clutch hydraulics were last replaced, but don't be surprised if either your clutch master or slave gives out on the journey. And I second the recommendations above to R&R the PS pulley setup with the billet pieces (IPSCO is recommended).

 

[AZTVR]

I think that having the AAA Premium service would give you piece of mind, and alleviate carrying a lot of that stuff you mention.

 

[ulllose]

I think that having the AAA Premium service would give you piece of mind, and alleviate carrying a lot of that stuff you mention.

Was just thinking call aaa and you can keep all the tools behind. Saves room for some bigger balls and a camera

 

[AJ02]

I'm surprised at so many talking about getting uncomfortable. It takes me 11 hours to drive 750 miles to my daughter's house and I only stop 2 times for gas. No cruise and I get there feeling great.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I'm surprised at so many talking about getting uncomfortable. It takes me 11 hours to drive 750 miles to my daughter's house and I only stop 2 times for gas. No cruise and I get there feeling great.

I've got 150,000 miles on my 98. You don't hear me bitchin' about it either.

 

[martyb]

I just drove from Chicago to AZ in October in my 01 GTS. I had basic tools, can of fix a flat, obd scanner, and some ear plugs with me. Hit horrible rain in OK, but the trip was a blast. A few close calls with old folks that couldn't quite handle staying in their lane in their bus like rv's, along with a friendly Texas cop who was either sleeping in his car or just didn't care that I was cruising about 98mph through his territory.

I made sure that I had Internet with me the entire way also.

Have fun!