So this Friday, I am packing all of my minimal belongings, along with myself and my dog into (or maybe onto) my Fiero and driving from Colorado to Orlando Florida.
I feel confident that the Fiero will make it 2000 miles, but only time will tell.
Any words of wisdom you wish to share for my journey will be greatly appreciated!
The reason I am moving is.... School.
P.S. don't know where I am living yet so if anyone knows of a good extended stay in the orlando area, please let me know.
Good luck, sounds like fun. I've always wanted to do something similar, and share the mild trepidation. Probably later this summer with some friends for camping... though not nearly as far.
These kinds of trips get harder to arrange when you have a girlfriend with car phobia :P
[This message has been edited by rednotdead (edited 06-22-2015).]
I am pretty excited for the new adventure. I don't know anyone in Florida and have never done anything like this before. That Colorado heat yesterday was preparing me for the daily Florida weather. 96deg is too hot!
Four things. 1. Take along a tool kit and a spare ignition module if it's a V6. 2. Look up Space Coast Fieros when you get there. 3. It's just as hot if not hotter down this way as in Colorado. 4. Do not take I-75 parking lot through Atlanta. Take the I-285 West Bypass to I-75 on the south side.
( ......and don't leave home without a spare ICM, thermal heat-sink paste and a phillips screwdriver )
Edit.... Fierofool beat me to it! Actually there are quite a few other items I would bring along as well. A typical assortment set of metric and SAE tools, fan belt, flashlight, jumper cables, hide-a-key magnetic spare key box, a spare set of fuses, etc., etc....
Also check that your lug nut wrench fits ALL the lug nuts on the car. The sneaky old dude I bought my car from had one off-size nut on each wheel as a theft deterrent.
[This message has been edited by Rsvl-Rider (edited 06-22-2015).]
Im here florida abit south of olando. Goodluck with your trip . Florida welcomes you. And yes its 96 here but thats just the temp with heat index it feels like well over 100 and the uv index is like extreme this year so far . Its crazy . Its way hotter this year than past years. Plus it only gets hotter in july and aug. Working on the car last month or so been hard the heat is intense.
2 or 5 gallon spare fuel tank. Electrical tape, hose clamps, roll of wire, knife, headlight and break light. I'd take i10 and avoid the traffic in Atlanta
Nashville at rush hour can be a miserable time as well as Atlanta. I-4 around the Orlando area can be miserable drive. Many toll roads around Orlando also.
Your stuff all fits in a Fiero, impressive. I bid you good journey. Be prepared, Florida to me feels hotter due to the humidity. These days on a road trip I suppose what you need most is a working cell phone. Remember to check your oil at gas fillups and dont run out of gas. Keep enough drinking water in the car in case you break down.
Things to have that have not been listed above. 1) a metal coat hanger , 2) wire ties(zip ties) (you can wire tie the coat hanger under the hood or car.. so it not take up space 3) duct tape, (yes it is listed above but ) 4)qt of oil 5) qt of transmission fluid 6) gallon of anti freeze, or at least water 7) check the spare before you leave..AND grab a can of fix a flat, I only use it as a last, no other choice but good to have 8) air pump the cheap 9 buck harbor freight one will be fine if you don't have one. 9) fire ex. just in case.. 10) a few road flares and a lighter or matches 11) a piece of 1/2" plywood make it the size of a sunroof and you can store it like it was ment to be there.. this is so if you need to jack the car up.. you can go way off the highway and jack it up on the grass, more people get killed on the side of the road from jackass drivers.. 12) make sure all the jacking parts are there.. 13) a few rags and hand cleaner
most of this stuff you can wire tie in odd spots.. the airpump and can of fix a flat can go behind the spare, good luck.. check the tire pressure, and recheck half way through..
My wife and I did a one week camping trip in our first Fiero. I took the spacesaver spare out because there would be no place to put the real tire should I have a flat. We took a 10 x 12 cabin tent, a weeks worth of clothing, sleeping bags, Coleman inflatable matress, Coleman cook stove and utensils, bug light, coffee maker, and what else I don't remember. Some of the soft or flat items can be put behind the seats or laid flat in the passenger floor. There's actually lots of room in the Fiero if you're creative, like E.Furgal suggests with the plywood.
Atlanta traffic isn't too bad in the middle of the day. Rush hour is from about 6:30 til after 9am and again in the afternoon starting about 4 until 7pm. Use a GPS. If you get stuck in traffic, get off at the first opportunity and force the GPS to take you a different route if it doesn't have the Detour function. Don't take the shortest, but take the fastest. That will usually keep you out of some of the undesirable areas.
So far, not good. Stopped for the night in the most questionable motel on the planet. I am probably about half way there.
Got stuck the first time at a gas station. The car wouldn't start, Well the starter wouldn't engage. I think its the ignition switch. I was able to start it with a screw driver. Haven't had an issue with it since.
Got stuck the second time after busting a radiator hose. The pipe to front engine one. Was able to get a flex house to replace it. I had to stop and redo it about after 4 hours because it started leaking again.
Got stuck the third time, the heater hose was rubbing against my AC clutch and it cut it. Its the one going from the thermostat housing to the firewall... It has a weird fitting on the firewall side and I couldn't find a replacement. So I cut the hose and plugged it. I ended up plugging both sides of the heater system, so I have no heater at the moment, but at least I am road worthy.
If anyone knows where to get those hoses, let me know.
So far, not good. Stopped for the night in the most questionable motel on the planet. I am probably about half way there.
Got stuck the first time at a gas station. The car wouldn't start, Well the starter wouldn't engage. I think its the ignition switch. I was able to start it with a screw driver. Haven't had an issue with it since.
Got stuck the second time after busting a radiator hose. The pipe to front engine one. Was able to get a flex house to replace it. I had to stop and redo it about after 4 hours because it started leaking again.
Got stuck the third time, the heater hose was rubbing against my AC clutch and it cut it. Its the one going from the thermostat housing to the firewall... It has a weird fitting on the firewall side and I couldn't find a replacement. So I cut the hose and plugged it. I ended up plugging both sides of the heater system, so I have no heater at the moment, but at least I am road worthy.
If anyone knows where to get those hoses, let me know.
Good luck bud. I know those type of road trips can be an ordeal even when everything goes ok. Sounds like you are plowing through. Head down and full speed ahead!
I made it here yesterday. My 280lbs self and my 40lbs dog slept in the car one night during a crazy thunder storm. I was able to catch a few zs, but it wasn't fun.
I ended up going driving up the gulf coast. Needed some scenes, It was a long drive. Finding a place to stay is proving to be difficult, but I should be ok.
I almost fell asleep at the wheel driving through Arkansas. It is a pretty weird feeling and glad the intense storm was going on to keep me awake.
Yeah, not good! I've had time like that, and also time that I was delirious and seeing things. Good sign to pull over! Did you stop and tour the battle ship and submarine in Mobile?
-Take a cell phone, and pay close attention to the signs that read 'last gas for X miles'.
-I've driven the Fiero 10 hours from New Jersey to northern Michigan, it broke down 30 minutes into the trip, but made it the rest of the way without incident.
-I-80 is beautiful until you reach Nebraska. Avoid Nebraska.
-When I had to drive 36 hours from Detroit to San Jose, I had to choose between the Fiero and the Subaru. Wasn't much of a decision.
