Am I crazy? (Mali Update ish)

"64Mali" (ctaaffe64)
09/07/2016 at 10:25 • Filed to: HunkOJunk, CrazyIdeas, Maliupdate

So the last few months have been absolutely crazy (well lets go with months). I had my event at Mt. Washington for New England Mazda Auto Club Inc./ Family Vacation, been to Germany & Italy for work, multiple family obligations, Buying a new car, Getting T-Boned in said new car, and a very little time working on the Mali.

See Kelso learning how to weld

OHSA Approved Attire

Now if you all remember in some previous post (I doubt it I can’t even remember my name) the plan for the Mali is to drive it from Mass up through Canada to the North West Territories, into Alaska and then back through the upper US states. The ideal is 2019 or 2020, 2019 would be a 10 year wedding anniversary. One of the challenges of the trip would be finding places to stay as our rough estimate would be 8hrs of driving a day so that we can enjoy the vacation. Well that got me thinking which can never end well. In 1964 it seems the Mali was rated to tow 5000 Lbs with its original straight 6 and 4 wheel drum brakes. I have upgraded to a 4 speed Auto and a 350CC V8.. Which leads me to looking at one of these:

A retro style camper trailer. I figure With a little modifications I can make a nice Class V trailer hitch for the back, add up some extra cooling and boom towmobile. This then would give us an easy place to crash every night, use a restroom, and extra storage for close so I can put a larger spare fuel cell in the trunk, (yes I’m doing a reserve tank). My BIL who is a mechanic sees no issues providing I make sure the trans cooler is up to the task as well as engine cooling.

I’ve been getting quite good at towing awkward things. See the trip to Mt. Washington, Where I used a 2016 Mazda 3 to tow a 4x8 enclosed trailer to carry the grills and tents around. Only had about 400Lbs Max in the back of it.

My 3 towing a trailer as big as it.

The Wife’s 6 on Mt. Washington

So Oppo am I crazy for wanting to use a 1964 to tow a camper 11000 miles across country?

DISCUSSION (31)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:30

Yes but it’s the kind of crazy that makes legends.

MonkeePuzzle > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:32

no crazier than some front page writers who are doing similar with a merc.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:32

350CC V8? That would make an epic go-kart motor...

64Mali > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/07/2016 at 10:36

Ha I cant freaking type CID ..... 350 CID...

64Mali > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 10:36

I’m a little insulted by that, I’m planning trailer brakes and a correctly rated hitch at least.

64Mali > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
09/07/2016 at 10:37

We should drag your Vette when I come through.

crowmolly > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:40

Get that guy a welder’s bandana.

-Other bald welder

CalzoneGolem > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:41

When were you at Mt Washington? I drove past the spot the Mazda is pictured with the trailer about two dozen times 2 weeks ago.

MonkeePuzzle > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:41

see, certainly NOT crazier than what he did :D

64Mali > CalzoneGolem
09/07/2016 at 10:44

August 13th was the event, I was in the area all weekend.

64Mali > crowmolly
09/07/2016 at 10:45

It was his first time, I don’t think he was planning on doing it that day. I love how you say get a bandanna to a guy wearing flipflops and shorts.

Urambo Tauro > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:45

In 1964 it seems the Mali was rated to tow 5000 Lbs with its original straight 6 and 4 wheel drum brakes.

I’m not sure if I would trust that rating. I can’t help but think that the standards for towing a given amount of weight have changed since then.

The 350 and trans are probably good enough, and I think you’re on the right track regarding the cooling systems. But I think you need to seriously consider braking system upgrades, especially if you’re anticipating elevation changes.

64Mali > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 10:46

What he did makes my bad decisions look great, Those 1 1/4 to 2" adapters say do not use to tow on them. For my 3 I got a 1 1/4 euro with a 2" ball.

CalzoneGolem > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:47

I love that area. Did you do anything in the surrounding area while you were there?

64Mali > Urambo Tauro
09/07/2016 at 10:47

The Mali has been upgraded to power 4 wheel disks already with a dual master cylinder. I don’t trust drum brakes.

crowmolly > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:48

Sparks to the dome hurt the most!

LOL

64Mali > CalzoneGolem
09/07/2016 at 10:48

Did a short trip on the Conway scenic railway and spent all day Monday at Story Land with my daughter, she loved it. We had rented a condo not far from everything.

64Mali > crowmolly
09/07/2016 at 10:49

I got a spark of slag down my ear the last time I was welding under the car, all I could hear was ear wax sizzling. It was horrible.

CalzoneGolem > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:51

Story Land is the shit. We got season passes and camped right next to the park. I love the flying fish.

Urambo Tauro > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 10:53

Oh! Sweet.

In that case, just beef up the cooling, throw a receiver hitch (class V is way overkill, BTW) and some wiring in there, and you should be good to go!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 11:44

Always happy for an excuse to drive that thing.

lone_liberal > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 12:05

You might think about some way to keep the rear from squatting down. In the old days we would use air shocks when towing with a car but I’d guess air springs might be better since it puts the load on the springs instead of the shocks.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 13:12

8 hours a day of driving, every day, sounds like a lot! How long do you have available for the trip? 8 hour driving days are fine on occasion but I couldn’t imagine doing that every day for a couple weeks. It sounds like an awesome trip to partake in though, I wish I had the time to pull something like that off.

64Mali > CalzoneGolem
09/07/2016 at 13:16

Yeah we do the Mt. Washington event every year so family vacation time.

64Mali > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/07/2016 at 13:18

Right now I will do day trips that are 6hrs round trip, driving is 2nd nature at this point. I think the plan is around 3 weeks to do the whole trip.

CalzoneGolem > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 13:24

You should check out Diana’s Baths if you’re looking for a little hike and a swim. It is a series of water falls and rock basins.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 13:27

well yeah 6 hours in a day are fine normally. And I mean I have driven 2500 miles in 5 days with a one day break in the middle. But I just couldn’t imagine doing that for 3 weeks straight without a couple days here or there to kinda relax and enjoy staying put.

So that would be around 500 miles per day if you drove every day? You would have to be averaging around 66mph per whole day of driving to accomplish that in 8 hours. That just sounds fairly aggressive haha.

I enjoy crazy, I applaud the ambition, and I like the idea. But I worry about that being feasible. And doing it in a classic and a trailer in tow is bound to lead to at least some issues that slow things down.

64Mali > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/07/2016 at 14:32

I’m trying to build a buffer into the schedule, and by the time the car is done, almost all the systems will be new. If not all of them.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 15:05

http://sdautomuseum.org/exhibit/louis-…

You should set the car up like this one:

Changing tires while moving (via crazy deployable airplane wheels), motor fluid changes via in-car buttons, a ridiculous tow-along fuel/water rig, and everything else done to the car is certifiably insane. This was my favorite part of the San Diego Auto museum. I wish that guy was still alive so that I could meet him and learn from his ways.

64Mali > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/07/2016 at 17:51

That is amazing

MM54 > 64Mali
09/07/2016 at 21:51

Go for it!