Follow us as we coax a pair of classic Chevettes (Actually these are the Pontiac variant “Acadian”) down the full stretch of Route 66, from the Chicago skyline to the Santa Monica Pier. This is the Mother Road done the hard way: no horsepower, no cruise control, just 1.6 liters of plucky determination and 2,448 miles of diners, desert, and wide-open Americana. Buckle up for breakdowns, big skies, and small towns as we prove you don’t need a big rig to take on a big adventure.
Prepping the Accadians: Two Engines, Twice the Grit
Before we could even think about touching Route 66, both Acadians needed some serious garage time. The orange one was bleeding oil from every gasket it had, so Josh pulled the 1.6L and resealed the entire engine: new head gasket, oil pan, valve cover, rear main, front seal, the works. No leaks left behind.
The red Accadian was worse. Its motor was toast. So Rob raided a pile of junkyard parts and rebuilt an entire engine from scratch. Rods from one block, crank from another, head from Ottawa, And here’s the kicker: You can hardly get any new parts for these engines but somehow everything aligned to let this happen and become a reality.
Two tiny cars, two complete teardowns, and a whole lot of grease. But they’re sealed, tuned, and ready to chase that “End of the Trail” sign in LA.
