My Stewardship of 10439

[DaraSue]

Excellent, a lot of that has been planned for. The lug nuts is a good tip, what size socket do I need? I will toss one in my bag with a breaker bar or torque wrench.

It's a 19mm.

Also to go along with what David said, if you didn't know, you can sign up for the DeLorean Owner's Directory and print out a list for the states you'll be going through. http://www.citizenkidd.com/dmc/pages/dod.asp

[dodint]

Thanks, the car is already in the DOD so there is a bit of a hiccup with getting registered. I sent an e-mail so maybe I can get it cleared up quickly.

It's funny, as for not trusting the fuel gauge, that's exactly the same thing that I do when I tour my motorcycle on long distances and what I planned to do with the DeLorean. Luckily my first leg is only 199 miles so I should be able to fill it up where I bought it and get to my first stop without much danger in that regard. Amusingly the DMC doesn't get much more range from a tank of fuel than my R1200CLC which can eek out over 200mi from 4.1g of fuel.

[Citizen]

Also to go along with what David said, if you didn't know, you can sign up for the DeLorean Owner's Directory and print out a list for the states you'll be going through. http://www.citizenkidd.com/dmc/pages/dod.asp

Sue, thanks for the reference (hope it's ok to call you that). For ease of remembering, the correct URL to use is www.DeLoreanOwnersDirectory.net.

Thanks, the car is already in the DOD so there is a bit of a hiccup with getting registered. I sent an e-mail so maybe I can get it cleared up quickly. [snip]

dodint, I received your email and so I've deleted the old DOD entry. You can now simply add your new info using the link above. When done, you'll be able to download the DOD and your location information will automatically update the Registry.

And as always, you (and everyone else) can find your VIN Here.

Best of luck on your trip. What a great adventure! Congratulations and welcome!

Thomas

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[dodint]

Got your email, exceptional response time there. Thanks!

[David T]

I gave you very conservative #'s. Potentially you can get as much as 28 MPG. With 12.5 gallons that will get you up to 350 miles per tank. Using 250 miles as a range gives you a lot of reserve. If you can keep your speed at or below 60 MPH your mileage will be maximized. I hope your heat works good! When you fill up reset your trip odometer and cross-check it against your fuel gauge as you travel. You can also check your odometer and speedometer against the mileage post markers along the highway for accuracy. At 60 MPH you should cross a measured mile in exactly 60 seconds. The longer the measured course the more accuracy. For example if you measured 10 miles you should do it in 600 seconds (10 minutes). Take some music along, the radio in the car is not good at picking up weak signals between cities. You should have a lug wrench in the tool kit along with the jack. It should be in the front compartment in the trunk. Figure the spare tire is flat so if you get a chance you should fill it up with air.

[dodint]

Thanks, good stuff.

When I get a new car I generally check the indicated speed against a GPS app I have. It's called GPS Test, a free app that interprets GPS signal in useful ways.

I read a thread on fuel mileage a few days ago that seemed to indicate 250mi was a good time to start looking for a fuel stop, so it sounds like you are in agreement there.

Car has an aftermarket stereo with Bluetooth, and I am always loaded with podcasts. And my wife is coming with which always (usually) makes for a much better time. She's a car nut too and fully supports this realized dream of mine.

Good call on the spare, was going to check pressures when filling up but would have overlooked the spare.

[DaraSue]

Sue, thanks for the reference (hope it's ok to call you that).
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LOL, it's actually just Dara. The "Sue" part is an old nom de blog inspired by the Mary Sues of Star Trek fanfiction infamy.

Good call on the spare, was going to check pressures when filling up but would have overlooked the spare.

If that's the original spare, you might not want to trust it anyway. When I got mine inspected prior to my first trip, that was one of the notes (in those exact words: DO NOT TRUST). I got mine replaced at MW but maybe a normal tire shop could do it.

[dodint]

If a tire goes down and then the spare is bad AAA will bail me out, that's what I pay the subscription for. I could do any number of things up front to try and prevent everything but I have to draw the line somewhere and just hope for the best. I am bringing my North Face arctic gear just in case the absolute worst happens once I get farther north and I'm stranded roadside with no heat, high of 13F on Sunday and all.

And now that I have said that I should probably at least stop and get a can of fix a flat.

I have a decent bag of tools and other resources I'm checking on my flight, might grab an alternator belt tomorrow just because I will probably need it someday anyway.

[nullset]

FYI, if you do have to use the spare, and the one you're replacing is one of the rears, it won't fit in the tire well in the trunk.....so you're better off calling AAA anyway, unless you want to throw it in the cabin. I don't recommend leaving it on the side of the road

[David T]

FYI, if you do have to use the spare, and the one you're replacing is one of the rears, it won't fit in the tire well in the trunk.....so you're better off calling AAA anyway, unless you want to throw it in the cabin. I don't recommend leaving it on the side of the road

I keep a plastic bag and a bungee cord so I can put the flat on the engine cover and bungee the louvre over it. Never had to do it but a plastic bag and bungee cord don't take up much space. Turn the spare tire upside down and put stuff inside. I also keep a can of fix-a-flat in there.