My 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 made it from Newark, NJ to Big Pine Key, Florida this week- over 2500 miles, most of it done with two drivers taking turns over 18-hour periods, stopping only briefly for fuel, etc.

The engine and drivetrain did it all in stride... I checked the oil at every stop, and did not have to add a drop. The trans whines as it did before and gets hot predictably. The gearbox is just as ornery and stubborn as before. The 5-liter V8 belches along consistently at idle, and the water temp gauge wavers predictably, never exceeding the halfway point.
The alternator's been charging erratically since I installed it, but no new surprises there.

No exhaust parts came loose, either... win!!!
Also installed some (cheap) fog lights before this trip... they actually came in handy the first night out, driving in a thunderstorms of wet snow and sleet near Baltimore. the main headlights were useless, but the dim yellow light cut through, just barely. They remained bolted to the car for the entire trip, too, which surprised me.

But of course something had to break... in this case, it was first the right front caliper, which seized up leaving our first overnight stop in Orlando. Cracked the bleeder valve and limped to a nearby shop, where I told them to replace both calipers, just for peace of mind. In doing so,they discovered the rotors were a bit worn... meh, the pads are new and the rotors look OK to me... I told them to skip the rotors.

When Li'l Bandit came off the lift, they also advised me that the right front bearing seemed a bit worn... they were going to replace it, but it seemed to have fused with the rotor, and possibly damaged the spindle. Hmmmm. Well, it had never seemed worn-out before... she's off the lift... I decided to settle up and roll it.

Bad idea. We got about a mile when "there arose such a clatter" from the right front that I had to make a 180 and return to the shop. Clearly, the caliper seizure had been the last straw- the bearing was kaput. As it turned out later, it had thrown a roller, and the roller had been used in some interesting spontaneous welding experiments within the right front wheel for who-knows-how-many miles.

They got the parts off the right front spindle without damaging it, and replaced the bearings and rotors on both sides.
Cost: I have put the exact total out of my mind, but it was not bad. Reasonable prices on the parts, and a good amount of free labor when I returned for Phase II... including trimming and re-clamping the lower heater hose, which began leaking as soon as I limped into their driveway the second time (ah, the joys of classic car ownership!).

It was worth every penny for the peace of mind... we had a long way to go.  I realized after the repairs that the car had been impaired for some time- it rolled much better afterwards, and the cooling problem was settled after I topped of the fluid during the first fuel stop.

The trip continued into Miami, then the Florida Keys... and then all the way back home, through rain and dust, over roads good and bad, then through snow and icy slush... all the way burning whatever fuel was cheapest. Average MPG, BTW, was about 25, with two adults, 150 lbs. of sand on the rear axle (the LX is terrible in snow), and about 100 lbs. of camping gear, tools, fluids, etc. Not too bad, but loaded lightly she'll get about 29.
 
Still going strong, and it will be even better in the spring, after I replace the suspension and get the engine properly tuned.