Man plans to drive 1918 Dodge the length of Route 66 next year

A California man plans to drive his restored 1918 Dodge car on Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles next year, accompanied by his three sons.

It’s not the first time a century-old car has traversed Route 66 — several during The Big Race in 2015 did it. But it’s rare, and it takes commitment to drive more than 2,400 miles in a very old car that won’t top 30 mph.

But first, he has to get it to run.

Warren Roberts of Corona, California, has owned the Dodge for several years but only began the work to restore it in recent months. Here’s a recent video of him taking the engine apart to see what work lies ahead:

The video is part of a series Roberts calls Rolling History. He plans to post videos from his eventual Route 66 journey on the YouTube channel, as well.

Roberts wants to get the car in running condition so he can take his sons — age 16, 13 and 10 — down the Mother Road in September. He said in a phone interview he’ll haul the Dodge on a flatbed trailer to Chicago, then begin the Route 66 trip in earnest. He anticipates he might need the trailer a few times to transport the Dodge on stretches of unavoidable interstate.

He said he bought the car a few years ago for a little more than $700 at an auction in Fresno, California, after seeing a Facebook ad for it.

“If it’s rusty, if it looks like it’s 50 years old or more, I like it,” he said of his fondness for old cars. “I just liked it. But I didn’t know what to do about it after I bought it.”

Months later, Roberts bought a Route 66 hat at an auto swap meet in San Diego. He later wore the hat at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, where it caught the eye of a performing bluegrass musician there. He asked Roberts whether he ever had done Route 66. Roberts replied he’d done “bits and pieces,” but never the entire Mother Road. The musician encouraged him to take that full journey, and it planted a seed in Roberts  of driving Route 66 in his old Dodge.

Roberts said one of the main motivations for the trip is giving his sons a special experience before they leave the household. One son will enter college next fall, so there’s s certain urgency to fulfilling that.

As for his restoration skills, Roberts is confident he can get the Dodge in running condition. He’s restored old Volkswagens and a 1912 Buick. Between the work he also has performed on old tractors at his ranch, he estimates he’s repaired or restored about 40 vehicles.

And despite the fact the car probably hasn’t run in decades, Roberts said he’s encountered no surprises during his teardown of the vehicle so far.

“The car actually is in pretty good shape,” he said.

You can follow Roberts’ quest on Twitter and the Rolling History Facebook page.

(Hat tip to Jim Hinckley; image of the Warren Roberts’ 1918 Dodge via Facebook)