Road Trip! Who hasn't thought of just ditching work for a week and driving across the country in an old car? "Nowhere to go and seven days to get there" is how my college buddy and I used to describe it. It's not that you've got anything in particular to see, it's enough that "it" is just out there to be seen.
What is important, however, is that your vehicle is up to the task. Sure, a roadside repair or two isn't that big a deal (and will probably enhance your memories and subsequent storytelling in years to come), but there's nothing romantic about having the car flat-bedded to the next town where Bubba's Garage will charge you $869.50 for a new radiator and head gaskets.
So while aesthetics aren't key to enjoying a good road trip, mechanical reliability, safety, and personal comfort are. These are all things the Vanishing Point Challenger was decidedly lacking when we started planning our trip. The life of a stunt car isn't soft or pleasant, and treatment of the white Challenger was no exception. The suspension was completely worn out front and rear, the brakes were shot, and the engine and trans were a bit tired. These ailments were directly attributable to the abuse inflicted by the movie-production company, but any car that's 30 years old is also going to need mechanical attention.
When making a derelict ready for the road, the first concern is safety. We began the makeover with a complete front-suspension rebuild kit from PSC, which included new ball joints, tie-rod sleeves and ends, torsion bars, shocks (front and rear), and sway bars. Out back, the sagging leaf springs were replaced with a fresh set of Eaton Detroit Spring pieces and new shocks.
As far as creature comforts go, driving down the highways and byways of America with the wind whistling through the dried and cracked weather stripping around the windows is only slightly less annoying than water pouring through them when you hit rain. And if you didn't have a bad back before spending 12 hours a day sitting on ripped vinyl over worn out foam and broken seat springs, you'll have one by the end of the trip.
With these things in mind we contacted the companies listed in the source box prior to embarking. Performance Suspension Components, Eaton Detroit Spring, Firm Feel, Tube Technologies, and BFGoodrich lent a hand in the safety department by supplying replacement components and tires, ensuring we didn't have any failures causing us to roll down the side of a mountain or something even less fun.
Legendary Interiors sent us a complete set of seat covers and buns for the comfort of our posteriors, and a replacement headliner and insulation to cut down on road noise. For better reliability, we replaced the water pump and housing, thermostat, hoses, belts, spark plugs and wires, the fan clutch, and the starter, and we flushed and pressure tested the radiator. Hayes Chrysler/Plymouth helped out with an electronic-ignition conversion, battery cables, turn signal switch, and other incidentals you don't usually think of until you notice they're broken, while Clock Doc rebuilt the dash cluster so we could keep track of what was overheating or dying.
If you're a regular reader, you'll know why we contacted Fine Lines for a complete set of brake and fuel lines to replace the old crusty ones on the car, and why we boiled out the gas tank. (For those who don't know, just think, "Crud plugging the lines at very inopportune times.")
Year One came through with all the things that turn an otherwise rough ride into one you can live with. They supplied all the weather stripping and firewall gaskets to keep the elements out, a ton of sound deadener, carpet, kick panels, the dash pad, and a whole bunch more that made the car bearable. They also supplied wiring harnesses that not only made all our lights work, but also kept us from worrying about an electrical fire.
With a cozy interior (after duct-taping the door on the plenum box to keep the cold Colorado air out of the pant legs), and the comfort of fresh parts that wouldn't catch fire or break and cause an accident, the trip was nothing but enjoyable. Sure, we could have done without the transmission's slow death, but that was the worst of our problems, and feeding it a steady diet of miracle goo kept us on the road. But considering what this engine and trans went through during filming, we can't complain.
Here are the highlights of what it took to bring the Vanishing Point stunt double back from the brink in time for our trip. It's still ugly, but at least now it's reliable. Mostly.
We highly recommend taking a road trip this summer-it's an unforgettable experience. Just make sure it's the good kind of unforgettable!
