Trip across US

[Dan 48 kaiser special]

My Wife and I are planning a trip in our 1948 Kaiser Special, from Ann Arbor, MI to Seattle,WA, to Denver,CO and back to Michigan.  We are leaving the 1st week in Sept. and plan on being gone 6-8 weeks.  Our  trip will begin from Manchester, MI (just outside Ann Arbor, MI) to the Upper Peninsula of MI where I will pick up US Route 2 and travel across the Northern United States.  We will be pulling a 1947 Tourer Teardrop camper.  It weighs 720 lbs. empty.  I estimate our load at approximately 1000 lbs.
We purchased the car 10 years ago from Curt Bonser in Manhattan, KS.  It had 85000 miles on it at that time.  Curt purchased it from Lawrence Nekola, of Cedar Rapids, IA, April of 1998, with 76000 miles on it.  The car now has 94000 miles on the odometer.  Though it is a Kaiser Special, it has overdrive.  As close as I can tell, the engine was redone and the overdrive installed in the 1980's.  It also has an electric fuel pump.  The car runs and drives well.  I am 59 and I have worked as a mechanic for over 40 years, 25 of which I owned my own shop.
Every Kaiser Meet I've attended, I have been amazed at the wealth of knowledge the members share.  I welcome any advice any of you have for me.  Such as a tool list, spare parts I should bring, spare parts I should leave on my tool bench, (to be shipped to me if needed), pre-trip maintenance, suggestions about going over the Rockies, the route from Seattle to Denver, etc.
I am considering installing an alternator on the car to chg a 12 volt battery, so we can power the trailer with an inverter in case we have to camp somewhere without electricity.  I welcome all ideas and suggestions about the car or trip.   Thanks

[joefrazer]

Take along a spare starter and generator. Seems I've always needed one or the other when doing a long road trip in my Kaisers!

[BigDave LM6174]

Sounds fun, do you have a picture to share of the Kaiser and the Trailer?

[boatingbill]

Dan, Here is few that come to mind:
Talk along the NAPA parts interchange list that Richard Hansen made.
Inspect generator brushes and lube generator.
Inspect starter and lubricate it too.
Change trans and differential fluids.
Take along spare points, condenser, rotor and cap.
Have a good spare and jack for car and trailer.
Grease wheel bearings and inspect brake shoes.
Take along a standard set of SAE tools and powerful flashlight.
Take a spare headlight if you plan to drive at night when it is cooler.
Have a cooler with ice and water in it while traveling.
Put on a new fan belt and keep the old one as a spare during the trip.
Lastly, have a Great Trip!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

A couple of suggestions:

Take along your BLUE COVER factory shop manual and pay attention to the lubrication chart requirements (do this item every so many miles) so you will need to watch your odometer mileage.  Both my father and my uncle suggested oil changes with filter at 3,000 mile intervals on the 226 especially if you are under load (like pulling a trailer) and driving at highway speeds (55 MPH+).  You may want to get a couple of the filters for your car and take them along with you; I expect you will use at least two on the road from Michigan to Seattle and looping back to Michigan. 

Other good things to have include wheel cylinder repair kits (a full set), a master cylinder repair kit, a fuel pump with proper neoprene seals and a set of light bulbs (including head lights).  It is not that they will fail on the journey,  but IF they do, odds are that it will be a "middle of nowhere" kind of thing and, if you have to take it to a garage for repair, they won't know how to get parts.

[Terry T]

Have you considered radials for a softer ride?

I put Diamond Backs on my HJ before I went across Rt. 66 to CA a few years ago.  Looking back, I could not conceive of doing that trip on bias plies!

[Corsairdeluxe]

In 1960 ,I got out of the Army and drove my 51 HJ 6 wo O.D. from El Paso Tex. to Goldsboro N.C. ,1850 some miles. My friend did not belive I would make it and accompanied me in his 1956 olds.The H J made it flawlessly  on gas and oil alone. The Olds had a shock to break loose from it's tower and the regulator burnt out.We spent a lot of time rideing around in the HJ getting the Olds repaired.
No radials then. Wonder how I made it?
I put over 20,000 (near trouble free)mlies in the nexr 3 years on that H J.I have not put that many miles with that little expense on any car I have owned since!

[Aeroman]

Let me know when you're in Atlanta, I have a guest room. I know it's a little out of the way, but just saying...

And don't forget to go over Monarch Pass in Colorado - it's 11,000 feet! I did it with Old Toby when the KFOC met in Ouray and again in my '59 Studebaker Hawk in '86. Both cars and driver were breathing a little hard.

[dusty]

The things you list that might be taken along for safety are good but you also have to have all the necessary TOOLS, I have had minE towed to a garage and gave them the Kaiser interchange catalog and they had me on the road the next day using the NAPA PART NUMBERS. dosn't take any room at all in the trunk.

[Dan 48 kaiser special]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions.  I do not have the NAPA Interchange or a service manual, but will now be on the look out for them.  I do plan to take a roster.  I also plan to go thru the brakes and change all the fluids before we go.  I have new starter,generator, fuel pump, and water pump, plus a carb overhaul kit. However I am undecided as to whether I should install these parts before I go, or leave them on my work bench to be shipped to me if needed?  I already keep all light bulbs, points & condenser, coil and fan belt in the car. (Thanks to Curt Bonser). 
A few more questions have come to mind.  I am wondering about lead additive? Should I run it?  I have been using it.  When the overdrive is off, will these cars compression brake down a mountain?   I don't mind going 30 mph up the mountain, but I don't want to go 85 mph down the mountain!  Should I change the float level in the carb prior to going over the mountain?  Has anyone ever had a drive shaft center support brg fail?  Mine makes no noise and rolls good, but I'm suspect.
Thanks again.

[Fid]

When the car is in overdrive (cable pushed in) it will always freewheel whether or not you are in overdrive so no, you won't compression brake down hills if that cable is pushed in.  I've driven through those mountains numerous times and the engine temp will rise climing them so coasting down is a good idea for cooling the engine off. You may want to make sure that your parking brake works.  We drove a '48 Custom, with overdrive, through the mountains of Pennsylvannia, Virginia, Ohio and it had no problems. I know the Rockies are a bit steeper so keep an eye on the temp gauge.  Oh, also, and you probably know this, do not pull the OD cable out when the car is in motion!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

1947 and 1948 Kaiser Specials were NOT factory equipped with overdrive; it became available in the base line Kaiser series during the 1949-50 model year.

I would suggest that if you still have the rear axle that came with the car (set up for non-OD transmission and could have a base ratio as low as 3.73:1) you disengage the overdrive in the mountains.

[Logan]

RE Route: I would advise taking I-80 and NOT I-70 to Denver.  You can follow I-84 through Idaho to I-15 in Utah, and then take I-80  from Salt Lake, which takes the high route through southern Wyoming.  There will be some climbing out of the Salt Lake valley, but that way you avoid the extreme ups and downs of the Colorado Rockies, which I-70 would take you straight through.  Good luck on the journey!

[xkssfrank]

Wishing you the best of luck, and enjoy the trip knowing help is only a few clicks away, I have Hagerty insurance which you can get a extended package of towing for 125 miles, certainly takes the load off the mind,dont know how they handle the trailer, take a cell phone and lap top if you can. the fun is in the trip not rushing to get there.

[HJ-ETEX]

Well Dan, I think Curt's son drove Curt, me and my brother in that car over to the Coors brewery tour during the KF National in Golden. I was impressed by the car. I was the shortest person in the car.