Looking to do a road trip with my 83 d150 slant six. 16 plus hours will this truck be able to Handle the ling 16 hr trip? If im going nonstop? It has stock radiator and fan. Im worried about it heating up or causing an issue in which i have to pull over on the side of the road to let it cool down or if something breaks. Any tips or upgrades i could do it help it out traveling a far distance? Thanks.

It will handle it no problem is the systems are in good condition. These vehicles were designed and intended to be driven like a regular car. Just because its old doesn't mean it will fail.

I grew up in Alaska, a place where a car breakdown on a long trip can put your life in danger due to the remoteness of most of the state. When I go on long trips, I always pack a basic set or tools for emergency repair, spare belts, spare hoses (or a way to repair a cracked or blown hose), containers of all fluids (oil, coolant, trans fluid, power steering, brake), and anything else you feel has a reasonable possibility of breaking down.

If you are concerned about overheating, do a cooling system flush before the trip, fill it with fresh coolant, make sure you have a fan shroud, make sure your thermostat opens fully and opens when it should, carry a spare water pump, spare thermostat, spare belts, and carry radiator hose repair tape (or spare hoses).

It also helps to have a CB and/or cell phone and a AAA membership for emergencies.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

without know the history and condition of the truck it can't really be answered.
however if it is a running known rig, without history of issues such as running hot. then just because it is a long trip there should be no problem.

i really don't think you will actually be 16 hrs non stop. first off you won't have enough fuel.
most likely you will be stopping for fuel every 4 to 6 hours.

make sure tune up and cooling system are all set. no old rickety belts or hoses etc.
brakes and tires too. basically check every thing real well.

over the years i have taken many old vehicles on longer trips than that. even a couple bought and brought home for that long maiden voyage.
if you are mechanically inclined, bring tools and spare parts. short of a major failure. most issues can be fixed on the side of the road.

there are a couple of long trip threads that can show you planning and prepping.
hopefully charlie or one of the old hands here can link some of them here. from better memory then mine.

Not to say you should be not be fine, but here is one experience I had years ago.
I had a daily 89 Dakota, drove it all over town and to work.
Never a problem.
It had a little over 100k on the clock.
Coolant regularly changed.
Then I took my son to check out a college in rural VA.
After a couple hours of Interstate speeds it started to over heat.
The longer distance loosened the scale and rust in the cooling system and plugged the rad.
I never expected that.
So, take it slow, do your maintenance, and have a good time!

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Hyper_pak

Just put 1050 Miles on my 64 Dart last weekend. I keep it in good shape and do my due diligence before leaving on such a trip.

I suggest you do the same and you will be good.

Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

Life is an adventure.

Should you be able to make it? Absolutely.

Will you be able to make this particular trip with this particular vehicle, this time? Nobody knows.

As the guys above said, make sure it's well-maintained, and you have tools and spares, and go have a blast!

Worse comes to worst, you'll have a more interesting story to tell than "I drove for 16 hours straight."

Good luck!

- Eric

Is this the truck that you had lots of issues with and did lots of work on this past year? The oddball transmisssion...etc? How has it been running for you locally on shorter trips. If all is well, then plan for what you can and try it. Maybe a triple A membership for some piece of mind.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I was wondering the same things as Rick above...I've made many trips where I look around at vehicles in the road around me and more often than not I see that I'm driving the oldest thing on the road at any given moment... And pass by newer vehicles on the shoulder with their hoods up and 4-ways flashing so get in and GO/ and no I don't have AAA

Just a word of agreement with Rick – An AAA membership at the high level will get you one free tow a year something like 300 miles, which is enough to get me either home or to my destination no matter where I go.

I can be a stubborn SOB (or so claims my wife), and have slept in my car and hitchhiked to the next gas station to buy two bolts, rather than call for a tow, but I have to say that in my second half-century of life, there have been a few times I've been glad to have paid for AAA, including once when I was driving home a "donated" F-350 dually dump over 100 miles in the rain (it's always in the rain) and had two flats, and the guy came by with a flatbed, hauled that dump truck up onto the bed, and drove me to a shop where I could buy two tires. Charge = $0.

A good maintenance go-over, a good set of tools, a few spare parts, and then its between you and the Above.

– Eric

Yes it is. Longest i drove it has been about 40 min. Ive fixed most of the issues no more werid sounds. Shift super smooth now clutch feels great picks up and goes. Still had the odd ball transmission but shifts good. I did a radiator flush when i first got it. Dont have a overfill tank not sure if I would need one. When running it starts up and it goes. On tje first turn of the key. Have to fix an issue with only charging when driving and not at idle. Charges at 2000 rmps. Im confident just nervous. Needs rear parking breaks parts new headlights suspension. Probably will need to change the push rods since two bent and I kinda just hammered them straight and they work. But yeah bringing extra parts is probably a good idea.

Probably.

– Eric

Know where i can find some? I bought some but i need them with the cones and looked on rockauto and they are out. Might as well change all of them

RA would have been my first thought.

Local NAPA?

You may find some here with a Want ad.

– Eric

Are you running solid lifters with adjustable rockers? Or hydraulic lifters with non adjustable rockers?
Rock auto has both types of pushrods listed

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Not sure how could I tell?