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The 'Philly to Las Vegas in 36 hours in a VW Jetta Limo' challenge AKA Jetta Limo Cannonball Run.

25K views 141 replies 61 participants last post by  the brit 
#1 · (Edited)


Well, I'm officially going to attempt to drive my 6 door VW Jetta Limo the ~2,500 miles non-stop from Orchid Euro in Pottstown, PA to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, in under 36 hours. That's a average speed of approximately 70mph from start to finish, with no provision for slow downs or stops. Which means no extra food or bathroom stops, only 3-4 gas stops max, and no traffic or breakdowns allowed i.e. ..: CANNONBALL RUN! :laugh:

Myself and a couple of friends are planning to leave early on Friday 28th October, arriving in Las Vegas mid-afternoon on Saturday 29th. Even typing that makes me realise how dumb this idea is :laugh: We will be updating via Facebook, Instagram, VWVortex etc, and I hope that at least some people might be entertained for 36 hours by watching a 30 year old stretched VW Jetta 1.8l drive across America at breakneck speeds :popcorn: The plan is to carry 10 gallons of additional fuel, and to not exceed any given speed limit (or at lost by 10-15% and the Limo has a top 'reasonable' speed of 85mph).



I'm hoping to raise some money for 2 different charities during the trip; the Alzheimer's Association Brock Yates Memorial Fund, which I have chosen as Brock Yates has recently passed, and he was the founder of the Cannonball Run (aka the Cannonball Baker), a beloved journalist, and much more. This fund furthers research to cure Alzheimer's. The second charity is the Foundation Blue, which was started by the friends and family of a VWVortex member, and friend/customer of my company, Alexi, whose build thread can be seen here. What originally started with a group of friends helping to complete the unfinished project, has grown into a foundation that assists people within the VW community in times of need, through scholarships and one time gifts etc.

I would like to ask that if you're interested in making a donation that you give the suggested amount of $0.01c per mile for a total of $25.00(we're rounding the mileage off a little bit). Iin return I will choose one person who donated at random to win a goodie bag filled with various swag from the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and I will also give the winner a Wheel Whores t-shirt in the swag bag too, in the size of their choosing, and probably whatever else we can find along the way too :heart: And just for clarity, I do not want any money directly, thank you - please give directly to the charities, and include a note with your name and some sort of identifier for the Jetta Limo Challenge. If you're giving to ALZ, please make sure to make it a publicly viewable donation so I can put your name 'in the hat' at the end :)

DONATION LINKS:

Donate to the Alzheimer's Association in honor of Brock Yates Memorial Fund by Clicking Here

Donate to Foundation Blue by Clicking Here


The background on the car is that it was built about 25 years ago in Canada, by a professional coachbuilding/body company. We believe at least two were produced, with approved designs and safety inspections, which I have copies of. One is lost to the sands of time, while the other reappeared in Virginia where an old guy was daily driving it, followed by a VWVortex member taking it to Waterfest. It then finally fell into disrepair, and was purchased by a VW collector in New Hampshire who stored it for multiple years. He then posted it for sale, and also contacted myself to see if I'd be interested in rebuilding it. I towed it back from NH to PA, expecting to install an engine and repaint it etc - instead I realized quickly what a ground up rescue it was going to be. New brake lines, new wiring, new engine, transmission, suspension, interior, etc etc etc, until it was finally safe-ish to drive. Since then we've driven it all over, and had some great fun with it, but this challenge is going to be a whole different league. Of course it's silly, it's meant to be. I hope you get a laugh out of it, and have some fun following along, and that we can get some money for the charities :heart:

If you do make a donation and would like to be entered to win the swag bag, please post on here, or via my Instagram account (@xjamiexoe) or somewhere else that I will see it, just to make the tracking easier. This is meant to fun first and foremost, but I don't want to miss putting your name in if you after the finest freebies that SEMA can offer ;):beer:





Short URL for linking to this thread: goo.gl/5pqGWy
 
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#5 ·
It was this same color then - but blue interior. It was a CIS-E 1.8 8v w/ 3spd auto when I bought it, and in pretty sad shape even then (overheating, poor rear suspension, one of the control arm bolts sheared off inside the body, etc...). It made it to Waterfest once, then barely made it home where I pulled the engine to undertake a swap that never got finished - or really even underway. That's the condition it sat and languished in for years until Jamie brought it back from the dead 10 years later :thumbup:
 
#7 ·
I love this thing. You really should swap in a TDI or a vr6 though. So at least it can haul 6 fatasses and it's own fat ass out of it's own way. :laugh:

Can you sleep in it?
 
#8 ·
Nice!! Having done a similar trek from Vegas to charlotte.. over a period of days; Impressive feat you're going to pull off here! If you're passing through north texas on the way.. don't feel too bad about skipping amarillo. You won't have missed much.
 
#9 ·
The background on the car is that it was built about 25 years ago in Canada, by a professional coachbuilding/body company.


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

I mean, I like it, obviously people here like it, but how could that have possibly been a worthwhile venture for a legitimate company? :confused:
 
#18 ·
Every. Single. Thing. :laugh:
Jamie,

Does OE have a storefront or any place I can stop in and check out next time I'm in the Pottstown area? It's near enough to Rausch Creek to hit both places on the same weekend.
Yes, we have a brick and mortar location, and are open M-F 10am-5pm. You're welcome to visit, although please call ahead if you'd like to see me personally just so we can make sure that someone/myself is here and we're not out at the port etc.

Will you be parking it in the convention center or outside?

Ill be there, hope to say hi!
Please do say hello :) I'll be walking around the whole time, and the Limo will just be getting parked in a parking lot or on a street somewhere. My main build (the 2017 VW Caddy Van USA project) was waitlisted for a display spot, so that won't be at the show this year unfortunately.

Yeah this might just push me into going this year.
Would definitely be cool to do a TCL meetup :)
 
#29 ·
I didn't even consider dead as a option :eek: My mindset has been 60% logistics analysis, 40% preventative maintenance :laugh:

Not sure if I missed it, but what engine/trans did you end up swapping in? Please tell me it's one of those nifty euro VR5's. :D
Well... It got a long ratio TDI 02A hydraulic clutch 5 speed swap, with the intention of doing a 1.8T swap.. but then I threw a Mk3 1.8L single point injection motor in there instead because of simplicity and ease of swap. It was meant to be a stop gap, but the engine proved itself so willing, reliable (knock on wood) and dare I say, capable power wise, that it's remained as the powerplant.

Good luck! Got a V1 and a good scanner?
Thanks! The plan electronics wise is currently:

  • EZ Toll Pass
  • Aging Escort 8500 Radar/Laser detector.
  • Vbox Mini GPS Data Logger - for cumulative average speed, and actual mileage tracking for fuel stop reasons.
  • iPhone or iPad mounted on dash exclusively for Waze app.
  • Also considering adding a CB Radio, mainly for fun though to be honest.
  • I installed a new Sony headunit with a USB input and Pandora integration (I need to add more speakers up front - currently only has 2 x 6" in the rear).
  • Extra 12v outlets for charging everything.
 
#27 ·
Not sure if I missed it, but what engine/trans did you end up swapping in? Please tell me it's one of those nifty euro VR5's. :D
 
#32 ·
The family owned repair shop that does all my exhaust work just pledged 10¢ per mile to be split between the two charities :) So a big shout out to J&H Automotive in New Hanover, PA (which is just north of Pottstown) not only for their great work but also for their support.:heart:
 
#33 ·
Wheels for the road trip came back from Perfect Metal Finishing in Newark, NJ. Just a nice simple refresh, in a bright silver and clear coat.



I then mounted a new set of 185/60R15 tires, which are a good amount taller than the previous tires. I hope this will set the speedometer to the actual speed reading, and should also decrease the engine RPM at a given speed. And heck, it should even be a bit more comfortable too.



Next up is a wash, clean the windows, and Rain-X everything. Then off to get the tires balanced at J&H, as although I have a tire machine I don't have a balancer in-house sadly.
 
#36 ·
I love the RAs!! I had them on my Scirocco and wanted them for my old MK2 GTI but I couldnt find a good set for the life of me.


Have fun on the trip, Im sure it'll be amazing!
 
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