2430 in 11

I was on the road at 5 this morning after grabbing a coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  Bloomsburg, PA is a hopping place at that hour, a lot of Bloomsburgians are up and at it. 

I motored east on Interstate 80 and cruised along for an hour or so when my engine started running rough.  I pulled off the road and changed one set of points in my distributor, then the other set, both to no avail.  I sputtered along some more and tried changing the condensor.  I thought I had the issue figured out but then the engine really started running rough.

I managed to get off the highway and rolled into a truck stop.  My sights were set on finding a nice shady spot, but I was like an airplane descending without power.  I was not in a position to be fussy.

Once I parked in the bright sun, I began trying to figure out the problem.  On my '09 cross country trip, my truck was acting the same way and it was a fuel pump issue.  I tried changing the pump, but that was not the problem.

While I worked, a dozen people stopped and offered to make a call or to help out.  One man told me he didn't know anything about cars and he felt bad leaving..  Another drove up the road and brought lunch back to me.

It took me awhile to figure out but finally I discovered a loose nut inside the distributor.  The nut held the two point wires onto the coil and condensor pin.  Once I tightened it up, I was back on the road.

From there I drove 235 miles non stop and landed home at 6:30.  It was not the day I had planned, but it all adds to the adventure, right ?

When I got home, the GPS read 2430 miles.  It not hard to pile up the mileage zig - zag - ing around Indiana and Pennsylvania.  From starting the trip at my friend Tim's, to seeing Lancaster, PA, the Harley Davidson Factory, Gettysburg, The Air Force Museum, The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Hoestetler's Hudson Museum, The South Bend Truck Show, Notre Dame, The Studebaker Museum, and going to the Indy 500,  I feel like I covered a lot of ground in eleven days. It was also great to see my Old GMC Truck buddies and to meet and talk to a bunch of strangers while traveling.  There is no easier way to meet people than to drive an old car or truck around the countryside.  It is great fun, and I really enjoy doing it.