"mikecyc72usa" (mikecyc72usa)
12/24/2014 at 02:07 • Filed to: Roadtrip, vintage
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"mikecyc72usa" (mikecyc72usa)
12/24/2014 at 02:07 • Filed to: Roadtrip, vintage | 6
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I drove from Austin, TX to Hilton Head, SC. Straight through. With a 52 minute nap. Big deal, right? Well, it was over a span of 24 hours. With my trusty Basset Bleu de Gascogne, Ellie. In my 1978 Triumph Spitfire. Yes. THAT car. 1256 miles.
It wasn't easy. I got gas with much higher than 10% ethanol in Houston, which ate who knows what. Result? Gunk in the fuel filter, gunk in the carbs, and a car unable to get over 60 mph. The distributor is likely on the way out as well. I had serious concerns that I'd even get within towing range of my destination. Somehow, I made it, though there was cutting out, sputtering, incredibly variable mileage, and me having thoughts of walking along I-10 in the rain with my dog.
I realized I was in trouble, or desperate, when a transporter full of new Kia Sedonas rolled by, and I began thinking that the charcoal colored one looked really nice. I also realized I was checking my gauges to insure I could get to my destination, not because I cared about my car. Ahh, the car. My loyal Spitfire. 73,000 miles we have covered since March, 2010. Well over 18,000 this year alone. On this epic adventure I learned a few things.
First, that car isn't the right tool for this job. It's noisy. The seats aren't good for that kind of time spent in them. Since I have a suspension set up for autocrossing, even interstates are very bumpy. It's quite sensitive to anything as large as a CRV passing it or bigger, resulting in it being blown around a bit as they pass you. That requires two hands on the wheel basically at all times. Physical fatigue as a result was a battle fought from about hour 7 until I arrived at my destination.
Now the excitement of tearing down the carbs, fuel pump, and distributor begin tomorrow morning. Maybe some new plugs will go in also. In several days I have to make the return trip, and I'm not exactly excited about it. Maybe I should borrow dad's TR8 for that trip. Or mom's Miata. One thing for certain is next time I make this trip, I'll do it with a Jag, either my XJ6 once it's finished, or an XJR, which I plan to purchase soon.
Happy Holidays!
Rock Bottom
> mikecyc72usa
12/24/2014 at 02:20 |
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You, sir, are an Iron Man. I once drove from Lincoln, Nebraska to San Francisco non-stop, so I know what you went through! I stopped for gas, beef jerky, or Red Bull like 20 times, but not one minute of sleep. The Sierras were incredibly sketchy at 4:00 am with nothing but caffeine and beefy sodium in my veins!
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mikecyc72usa
> Rock Bottom
12/24/2014 at 02:27 |
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I drank 4 bottles of water and ate one packet of Gu Chomps the entire drive. Plus a cup of free OJ in Florida at the Welcome Center. Oddly enough I never got fatigued or felt tired, but I was in endurance racer nurse the car mode from New Orleans on. If I can get the car to run correctly the return drive should be pretty decent.
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Rock Bottom
> mikecyc72usa
12/24/2014 at 02:37 |
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Yeah, I learned that my fatigue is based on ambient light levels. As soon as the sun came up (not far from my destination) I was recharged-ish. But the Sierras in the middle of the night almost killed me... all sorts of rumble strip action. It probably didn't help that I was returning from a week at the SCCA autocross nationals, which was a beer-soaked event...
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mikecyc72usa
> Rock Bottom
12/24/2014 at 02:47 |
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I have driven straight from Lincoln to Austin from Nats, and we had trailer tire problems, which resulted in a very long drive.
StingrayJake
> mikecyc72usa
12/24/2014 at 03:42 |
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Sounds like an episode from Top Gear... "James drives a Spitfire from Texas to South Carolina..."
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mikecyc72usa
> StingrayJake
12/24/2014 at 04:24 |
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Due to the carb issues I had to drive like him also. I tweeted to him so let's see if he responds.