There's a certain kind of fool who thinks you can just fire up a 50-year-old car and drive it across three states without a plan. I say that with love because I've been that fool more than once.

MSN Autos put together a solid list of ten road trip tips for folks driving classic muscle cars and it's worth a read if you've got a vintage Camaro, Charger, or Mustang that you've been itching to take on a long drive. The tips cover the basics that a lot of people learn the hard way. Things like carrying spare parts, checking your cooling system, and not pushing the car harder than it wants to go.

What I'd add from my own experience is that old cars are temperamental. They don't have the reliability of a modern fuel-injected truck that starts every time you turn the key. A carburetor out on the highway in July heat is a different animal than one sitting in a climate-controlled garage. Fuel vapor lock is real and it will leave you on the side of Interstate 44 waiting for things to cool down while semis blow past at 75 miles an hour.

The MSN piece hits on some good points about bringing extra belts, hoses, and fluids. I'd take it a step further. Know how to actually change those things on the side of the road. Having a spare fan belt don't help much if you've never routed one before. Every old car has its own quirks, where the distributor sits, how the hoses run, what wrench size you need for the fuel filter. Figure that out in your driveway before you're two hours from nowhere.

Cooling is the big one. Most old muscle cars run hot and that's just the nature of a big block with a radiator designed in the 1960s. If your temp gauge starts climbing past 210 on a long grade, back off. Don't try to push through it. Pull over, let it sit, check the coolant when it's safe to open the cap. I've seen guys crack heads because they got stubborn about keeping their speed up.

And bring a real tool kit. Not one of those little trunk kits with six sockets and a cheap screwdriver. I'm talking about a bag with the specific wrenches your car needs, some wire, electrical tape, duct tape, a multi-tool, spare fuses, a flashlight that actually works, and a jug of water for the radiator or yourself depending on what the day throws at you.

What I love about road-tripping a classic car is that it's supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be about the drive, not the destination. The sound of that old V8, the way people wave at you at gas stations, the conversations that start in parking lots. But fun goes out the window real fast when you're stranded somewhere with no cell service and a car that won't start.

Do your prep work. Pack your spares. Know your car. Then point that hood down the highway and enjoy every mile of it, because there's nothing quite like covering real distance in a machine that was built when cars still had soul.