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  #1  
Old 06-29-2010, 10:50 PM
diametricalbenz's Avatar
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Should I drive from LA to ATL in an unproven W115 240D 3.0?

Well I finally got the call just short of 3 years and it's finally done. 240D with a OM617.910 with new bearings, rods, turbocharger, 4 speed manual, 300D flywheel, 3.69, A/C and all.

My wife and I are considering driving from LA to Atlanta (2200 miles) next week on a car which hasn't been fully road tested. Thoughts? Go for it? Too ambitious? Just ship it?

Any places recommended places to visit? I am trying to avoid severe weather as well but there's not much that can be done about that.

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  #2  
Old 06-29-2010, 11:42 PM
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To be honest with you, I would ship it. Apart from the fact that it will probably be cheaper then flying two people to LA, the fuel and the hotel rooms back, I've driven from ATL to DFW and back 6 times in 2007 and 2008. That's about 1/3 of the drive and i do it in one day.

Unless you're planning to take to take a week and doing the scenic trip, the drive won't be any fun and if something does go wrong, you'll be outside your safety net (Unless of course, you break down in Dallas TX, then I can help you ).
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  #3  
Old 06-29-2010, 11:48 PM
Craig
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I would probably drive, but that assumes you are willing to live with a "worst case scenario" of getting stuck in the middle of no-place and having the car shipped the rest of the way while finding alternative transportation for yourself. You have to ask yourself, "what's the worst thing that can happen?" I would guess that the worst case scenario would involve a couple $1000 in towing and another couple of $1000 in airfare; if you can live with that and have some free time, there is no reason not to drive.
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Old 06-29-2010, 11:53 PM
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Im gonna assume the rest of the car has been gone over with a comb by the mechanic. So im going to say drive the car to ATL. It sounds like a fun trip. I have always wanted to do a cross country drive in my 76 300D, i will someday.
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1979 280CE 225,200 miles
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1976 240D 190,000 miles
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1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

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  #5  
Old 06-29-2010, 11:55 PM
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Assuming you still have the 6.9 in LA, why not get a hitch and tow the w115 with the 6.9 to Atlanta?




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  #6  
Old 06-29-2010, 11:56 PM
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I just did an 8000 mile road trip in my 300D (with no issues)....but only after going over it with a fine toothed comb for a year.

Ship it!!

Get all the bugs worked out and then plan a nice road trip in it. Way less stressful. Its all fun and games until you get stranded in the middle of nowhere at night and nobody can work on your oddball custom car but you.
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  #7  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:04 AM
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I vote for shipping. It's better to find out what problems your car has near home than on I-10 in the West Texas desert somewhere between El Paso and the I-20 junction.
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  #8  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:06 AM
Craig
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Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy View Post
I vote for shipping. It's better to find out what problems your car has near home than on I-10 in the West Texas desert somewhere between El Paso and the I-20 junction.
LOL, I once had an AC compressor blow up right about there; the rest of the drive (from DFW to LA) was a little uncomfortable.
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  #9  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:07 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alabbasi View Post
To be honest with you, I would ship it. Apart from the fact that it will probably be cheaper then flying two people to LA, the fuel and the hotel rooms back, I've driven from ATL to DFW and back 6 times in 2007 and 2008. That's about 1/3 of the drive and i do it in one day.

Unless you're planning to take to take a week and doing the scenic trip, the drive won't be any fun and if something does go wrong, you'll be outside your safety net (Unless of course, you break down in Dallas TX, then I can help you ).
We're already flying to SFO for my cousin's wedding, planning to do a nice leisurely drive to LA via highway 1 with a stop in Monterey to go hiking and visiting friends in LA with a 1 way rental car and fly back to ATL.

The option was to ditch the return flight (refund or use for later) and bring the car and random car parts, 15" bundts, electric guitar etc...back over a 3 day period.
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  #10  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:11 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig View Post
I would probably drive, but that assumes you are willing to live with a "worst case scenario" of getting stuck in the middle of no-place and having the car shipped the rest of the way while finding alternative transportation for yourself. You have to ask yourself, "what's the worst thing that can happen?" I would guess that the worst case scenario would involve a couple $1000 in towing and another couple of $1000 in airfare; if you can live with that and have some free time, there is no reason not to drive.
I am anticipating that in doing a little "risk assessment" spreadsheet. The worst case is that I can get my wife to an airport and she can fly back to be at work on Sunday and I can deal with the mess after the fact. $3000 would be QUITE steep for a road trip on top of basic trip expenses depending upon how far we got if there was a total catastrophic failure.
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  #11  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by DeliveryValve View Post
Assuming you still have the 6.9 in LA, why not get a hitch and tow the w115 with the 6.9 to Atlanta?
I wouldn't have the time to get it road ready in a week and it would be some $$ and if the trans blew, that would be one car without gummipuffers to ship it and the other would need to be driven the remainder of the way.
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  #12  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:21 AM
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Originally Posted by dieseldan44 View Post
Get all the bugs worked out and then plan a nice road trip in it. Way less stressful. Its all fun and games until you get stranded in the middle of nowhere at night and nobody can work on your oddball custom car but you.
That is what the more logical person in me is saying. Can I run it for 35 hours at 70mph in 70-95F heat.....
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  #13  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:35 AM
Craig
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Originally Posted by diametricalbenz View Post
I am anticipating that in doing a little "risk assessment" spreadsheet. The worst case is that I can get my wife to an airport and she can fly back to be at work on Sunday and I can deal with the mess after the fact. $3000 would be QUITE steep for a road trip on top of basic trip expenses depending upon how far we got if there was a total catastrophic failure.
Yup, that's the trade-off. I assuming that shipping the car will cost about $2000?
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  #14  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig View Post
LOL, I once had an AC compressor blow up right about there; the rest of the drive (from DFW to LA) was a little uncomfortable.
LOL, sounds like you had to put the "475 air conditioning system" option to use? That is 4 windows down at 75 mph.
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  #15  
Old 06-30-2010, 12:38 AM
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If you are prepared for anything that could happen, go for it. However, if you waited 3 years for that project to finish, if I were you I'd be tempted to drive it but at the same time I'd also be tempted to make sure it's roadworthy first before embarking on such a trip.

Unless you can remain active on this board for the duration of your trip. That way if you break down some place, a member who is nearby can help. Just a suggestion. It was done before when members travelled long distance like you are planning, and pre-warned the group of his plans.

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