48 State Trip Update

[Jack P.]

Hi,

My car is being painted and I am working on the logistics of my trip.

I am doing a final data base check of members who wanted to participate in the long time owners project.

Please do the following so that I will not miss anyone and will be able to contact you when on the road.

Send me an E-Mail using your regular e-mail program.

Send it to me : jackpanzica@gmail.com

Include the following:

Name, phone number, e-mail address , zip code & forum name.



This will allow me to not tie up forum tech space with personal instructions on project and it will also allow me to contact you when on the road.

I will use the forum for tech info on car and cars seen.

Thanks for your help. Remember to get me your e-mail.

Jack

[Jack P.]

Re: 48 State Trip Update

For those not familiar with my trip, I have this information:

NCRS Members,

Let me give you some background of how my trip and project came about.

When I was a junior in HS, a friend came to school with a 1957 fuel injected black corvette.

I was in smitten. I was not a racing or corvette hobbyist. I just loved the car and the speed and attention it got.

In 1969, I got my first job and bought a 1961 corvette.

It caught fire and in 1970 I bought a 1966 L79 roadster for a Navy pilot going to Nam. I am the second owner.

I used it as my daily car, and it 1974, I had finished work, I had some money in the bank and I was going to take a year off and drive across the country from the east coast to the west coast. Just living off the land, working when I had to. Just the car, my tent and a compass that pointed west.

Just as I was about to leave, "Life Got in the Way" .

So after 36 years , 250,000 miles, a couple of restorations, and 4 engine rebuilds, I am going to take that trip with the same car & tent.

As I was preparing my car for the trip, I became a member of several corvette forums. Except for the engine and paint, I was doing all the work on this final restoration and needed help. I got all the help I needed.

I started to meet many other long time owners online and I thought it would interesting to meet some of these people on my trip.

My project is not so much about the cars that they own, but the relationship between them and the car.

Many of us have gone though Marriage, birth, death, divorce, triumphant and tragedy, yet the car is still out in the garage.

I wondered what traits do we have in common?

So what started out as a personal journey, has grown into something else. My goal is document that relationship or "love story " if you will.

I hope to spend informal time with you and others like you. I will ask some questions, take pictures of cars, and have you do some tasks before I get to you. But the story is not about the car, what year, what option, but the story of how you still have the car and what it means to you.

Many have tried to get me to schedule my trip with certain events and parades, and I am sure I will make a few , but I will be most happy sitting by a backyard fire, having a nice talk others who make up the special few that we are.

I hope that answers some of your questions.

I hope to put my travels into possible articles and a book but the main part of my trip is to have fun, meet interesting people, see blue highway America.

Look forward to meeting you

Jack

[Rob M.]

Re: 48 State Trip Update

Hi Jack,

Why not extent your scope a little and include Europe in your trip. We would be happy to host you in the Netherlands!!! Who knows maybe the other intl. chapter chime in as well and offer you some beverage on the road in the Canada, the UK, New Sealand and Australia???

regards,
Rob

[Jack P.]

Re: 48 State Trip Update

Hi Jack,

Why not extent your scope a little and include Europe in your trip. We would be happy to host you in the Netherlands!!! Who knows maybe the other intl. chapter chime in as well and offer you some beverage on the road in the Canada, the UK, New Sealand and Australia???

regards,
Rob

Hi , Thanks for the offer, I think one of the new corvette vendors has floats that you can attach to the wheels for driving over water. I don't know if it will pass the judges...........

Who knows, maybe next year, What does it cost to ship the car to Europe

I would love it. On my first trip to Europe years ago, just after I bought my car (1970) , I could only afford a 36 hp VW for a rental car.

Just imagine, no speed limits and a VW on the Autobahn and Auto strata .

Back in America, the speed limit was 55 mph at the time, It would have been great to have the Corvette with me.

Thanks again for following my trip update.

Jack