1000 Miles of Dirt roads in a Willys

I'm a little late but "Wow!" Hope you're enjoying the trip so far! If you get 'lost' and wind up in CO you've got a place to rest up and borrow tools--my Wagon would love the company!
RE: the highway boil-over. What psi cap is on your radiator? Any reason you can't bump it up a few pounds? That will allow a higher running temp w/out actually boiling over.

As for playing in the desert. I've never regretted making room to carry an extra gallon or two of drinking water on any trip.
Unless you KNOW help, or a better place to wait for help is only a mile or two away from your truck it will ALWAYS be better to wait for help at your broken truck than walking into the less known... and away from all the life preserving supplies you have in your truck. Even better if you plan to check in with someone on specific days--if you miss the check in by one or two days they can alert the state patrol or sheriff office to check on you--not a bad thing... No stress, no worries, just want this adventure to end well!

Get to use one of my favorite terms: Regrouping. Whenever my favorite basketball of football team really gets their ass handed to them, the announcer always says they need to regroup before their next game. I'm not really sure what that means, but looks like I need to regroup.

I made it about 40 miles into the Black Rock section, I was trying to reach a small cabin with a spring called Steven's Camp. Only two things worth knowing about Steven's Camp, most importantly it has water. Less importantly, it was built by Tennessee Earl Ford, the country western singer who wrote "Sixteen Tons." Very cool, but doesn't help.

After driving through 40 miles of increasingly dry, bleak desert, it occurred to me the ol' Tennessee must not have liked folks so much. There ain't much out there, and it only gets drier and nastier the further into the Black Rock desert you go. But even before I made it to the cabin, the radiator issues were getting worse. I suspect (hope) that it is just the radiator cap. The truck usually runs about 160-190, but on grades or when pushing it on the highway, it gets up to 210-215. At that point the radiator cap allows all of the radiator fluid to dump out the top, which of course makes it run hotter. So I have to shut it down before it gets too hot. What I don't know, is if the radiator cap is the problem, or a symptom or larger problems, i.e. water pump or whatnot. At that point I was over 110 miles from Winnemucca, and knew I was getting in too deep considering the truck was being wonky. So, I limped back to Ceadrville, got a cheap motel room (with sketchy internet-hence no photos, again) and am regrouping.

I would like to try a new radiator cap with higher psi, but, I am at least 100 miles from the next parts store (Reno or Susanville). If I can't make it run cool with the parts I have on hand or can scramble to find in a town of 300 people on Memorial day, I will need to think about retreating rather than regrouping...

Dang, sorry I'm not (a lot!) closer--I've got a plethora of radiator caps...
To give you an idea most stock SBC use 16lbs caps. My IH Scout is 13lbs. Unless you're afraid your radiator has worn thin (internal corrosion) there's no reason decent hoses shouldn't hold whatever pressure you'd like to try. Boiling point temp increases 2-3 degrees with each 1psi increase. And if you stop boiling over you could start using a little anti-freeze (I'm guessing you're not at this point) which also raises the boiling point as well as reducing rust formation compared to straight water...
I'd ask around the town--any junk car in a back yard will have a cap on the rad that could be worth trying--just give a close look/prod to the condition of the rubber gasket on it... Heck, is there a diner you're eating at? Just ask any local at the counter who might be able to help out--somebody way closer than 100 miles has a yard full of dead chevys...

Best of luck to you on your journey. I'm looking forward to following along (via the forum) and hope you will have a chance to post some pictures of your trip at some point.

There is a fellow on the cj2a website that did a 2000 mile nervous nirvana I think it was called...he is going for a second run this year...good luck and dont drive any faster than your guardian angel can fly.....I would like to try something with my CJ2A Willys but I have a hard enough time driving mine (and enjoying it)on a 11 mile ride to my work...hopefully your trip goes off great...sounds like the trip of a lifetime for sure...

MikeC

I found a radiator cap! It took a 150 mile detour, but I found a Napa auto parts store in Fallan, Nevada that was open on Memorial Day. The previous radiator cap was only a 4psi cap, new one is ten psi. I'm a little concerned about the extra pressure on the 65 year old radiator, but with the new cap I was able to do 250 miles without stopping to refill. I did have to stop several times on steep passes when the temp shot up to 225 degrees. Something still not quite right with the coolant system, but for the most part it ran 190-200 degrees.

Which brings me a to a question-how hot is safe?

I'm playing catchup on the photos: I didn't take many cause I was stressing about the radiator

First pic is climbing Fandango Pass. and overheating.

second pic is in Cedarville (sorry-upside down)

Third pic is the sign leaving Cedarville-the sign says 100 miles to the next services, more like 150!

Here are a couple more along the way:

And a few more...

Last one for the night. This is a large abandoned ranch in the upper Reese River Valley. really sad to see something like this, you can tell that two or three generations of folks toiled their asses of trying to make a living, even building a brick Italianate mansion in the middle of nowhere.

Glad to hear it is working better.

Glad to hear you're running a little better now. :cheers:
Love the pix--I'm guessing the first set was from a mining operation?
Do you have any coolant in the water now? That'll raise the boiling point of the water another ~20 degrees or so... Well worth doing. I used to have an empty 1 gal coolant container as my puke can. Sat on the frame rail with a bungee cord--that way I'd capture anything I lost on a sudden overpressure and could pour it back in later...
What temp thermostat are you running in it?

Considering where you're at--you could try running with the hood off--having a pickup makes that kinda easy... and see if that makes any difference. Now all your gears covered! Seriously though--I would try that.

Do you have a full shroud for the radiator? Any gaps will reduce the flow efficiency.

The IH Scout folks running the SD33 say the optimum temp is 190`. I realize it's a different engine but...
I think I would tend to keep going if temps are at 215... Or at least DON'T shut down the engine. You wanna keep the coolant circulating through the head (the weak area on the sd33 anyway)
I ran my stock circa '54 226 L6 radiator at 16lbs after I put the v-8 in it. I have no idea how old the radiator really was though--hard to imagine it hadn't been re-cored at some point in the '70's or '80's at least... But I'll never know...

Keep us posted and remember--somebody can send you a package to "general delivery" at a post office where you know you'll be passing through if you need something esoteric in the way of repair parts.

Happy Trails!

Quick check in from the middle-o-nowhere of Nevada:

Truck is running great, temps cooled down and I'm trying to do the highway driving when it isn't too hot. Hitting some great old ghost towns, many requiring 4x4 low.

Banman-have 50/50 coolant, no air leakage between radiator and electric fan, just removed the thermostat, no difference. water pump is nearly new, radiator was cleaned and pressure checked about two years ago.

EPIC.

:cheers:

Pete

Great news! Since your radiators been checked you could probably step up another 3lbs but if your boil overs now cured just run it!

Driving with the hood off on the highway would confirm whether you have an air flow issue or a cooling capacity issue.

Hey @elminero67,

I am loving this thread....gotta love this story...EPIC for sure...thanks for bringing us along for the ride....

Hows the MPG's on the diesel engine???

MikeC

Sounds like a great adventure. Roadside repairs can be over-rated, though. ;-)

Plenty of water. Then, more water. If your radiator leaks, you should loosen the filler cap so it runs zero pressure. Water will boil off but you can keep adding more. Zero pressure reduces leak rate.

Spare tires, two at least. Rocks cut tires. See if you can borrow a CB radio in case of real emergency. Likewise a cell phone - coverage is better than you think. Carry plenty of fuel, plus more.

I'd be inclined to go thru the basic mechanicals, like greasing the wheel bearings and changing the fluids. As long as the truck runs, even slowly, you can get somewhere safely.

I wouldn't worry about a tent or anything. I motorcycle travel in Nevada, and sleep on the ground. Rain is rare, to say the least.

You might want to file a "flight plan" - a rough idea of where you'll go. Should we have to come look for you, it will help.

And more water. Nobody dies in the desert who has water. On the other hand, rescuing tourists in Death Valley who are damn near dead of thirst is all too common.

Good luck, take some pix to share, and tell us all about it!

OK, so I didn't read to the end before posting. ;-)

Spraying or splashing water on the radiator when you are running hot will help it cool quicker. And you have plenty of water, right?

Oliver Hevvy said:

Sounds like a great adventure. Roadside repairs can be over-rated, though. ;-)

Plenty of water. Then, more water. If your radiator leaks, you should loosen the filler cap so it runs zero pressure. Water will boil off but you can keep adding more. Zero pressure reduces leak rate.

Spare tires, two at least. Rocks cut tires. See if you can borrow a CB radio in case of real emergency. Likewise a cell phone - coverage is better than you think. Carry plenty of fuel, plus more.

I'd be inclined to go thru the basic mechanicals, like greasing the wheel bearings and changing the fluids. As long as the truck runs, even slowly, you can get somewhere safely.

I wouldn't worry about a tent or anything. I motorcycle travel in Nevada, and sleep on the ground. Rain is rare, to say the least.

You might want to file a "flight plan" - a rough idea of where you'll go. Should we have to come look for you, it will help.

And more water. Nobody dies in the desert who has water. On the other hand, rescuing tourists in Death Valley who are damn near dead of thirst is all too common.

Good luck, take some pix to share, and tell us all about it!

Click to expand...

Since the truck has been running better, I decided to cross the Blackrock Desert via the Applegate Trail, the same trail I attempted, but turned back a few days earlier as the truck was running hot. This is the first time I've driven across the Blackrock playa itself, which is famous as the site of the Burning Man shindig, as well as location where several land speed records have been made. Based on what I read, the surface is unpredictable: It can be perfectly smooth and hard packed when conditions are right, but if there is any moisture or water, even capable 4x4s will become hopelessly mired:

http://www.canvocta.org/blackrockjune2005.html

http://www.thewildself.com/2013/11/13/signal-mirror-matters/

Coming in from Winnemucca, I missed the Applegate Trail turnoff. I wasn't too worried as I figured if I could find a track out to the playa, I could cutoff the Applegate trail near Double Hot springs. This was not a good plan. First I had to find a way across the former Western Pacific (now Union Pacific) tracks. I followed the tracks for a couple of miles before I found a safe crossing (first pic)

Then, when I finally found a way out onto the playa, I saw conditions on the playa weren't that good. I certainly wouldn't be setting land records, in fact, I saw evidence that others before me had become stuck (broken pieces of plywood, deep ruts). I aired down the tires as much as possible and avoided the darker wet areas and obviously the deep ruts where others became stuck. I ended up driving an extra 10-15 miles to find away around the water of the Quinn River, which empties out into the northeast side of the playa. Even though it was only a few inches deep, I didn't want to risk getting near the mud, or even the darker colored soil where mud could be hiding just under the dried surface. Had this been next to town, it would have been a blast to see if I could get across, but being far from a friendly towstrap (or place to anchor a winch cable) takes all the fun out mud bogging.

In all it took a couple of hours to get across the Blackrock playa. The scale of it doesn't translate to photographs, just miles and miles of blindingly bright white alkali...

Another POV pic driving across the playa towards Blackrock point (the dark colored peak at 12 o'clock) and one of the hot springs. The springs looked very inviting and I would have enjoyed a good soak, but it was a total sausage fest (not shown).