How a broken MGB is making me drive my '70 Corvette 1,500 miles

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
05/16/2019 at 10:06 • Filed to: Cletus-Vette

I’m pretty excited about this one. Myself and a fellow Opponaut are doing a massive tour of Appalachia in my 1970 Corvette. It’ll be six drive days, nine days total and about 1,500-miles when it’s all said and done.

The car itself is pret ty well proven. Last summer Alex and I road tripped it some 700-miles and then I did the Maple Mille in it for another 600-miles. Last winter I spent a lot of time rebuilding the rear suspension and recently took it to an autocross to shake it down. The car works great!

Unfortunately it’s still a terrible road trip car. It is earplug levels of loud, it has an 18-gallon fuel tank and gets 11-mpg on the highway. It has no HVAC system at all, no carpeting, no radio, and no c ivility at all. Why am I driving this monstrosity on a trip like this? Because MG things!

This is Matt’s (His Oppo name eludes me) 1973 MG MGB. He bought it out of Detroit this winter for cheapy cheap. It’s quiet, gets 25-mpg, has a radio, and is generally a pleasant car. Critically speaking, it doesn’t run. We tried our best to get it ready in time for this trip but it just wasn’t in the cards. We both have “normal” modern cars we could have taken but we both wanted to be silly carbureted idiots.

Because the Corvette is so fucking brutal, we tried to really limit the amount of hours we spend in it at a time. Most of our drive days are 3.5 hrs MAX. This is a vacation after all and 8-hrs of driving in the Corvette is work . Anyways, along the way we are sightseeing America! One of my favorite things. We tried to avoid large cities as much as possible and stick to the backroads where we could putz around at 50 mph and be happier. Along the way we’re going to see Fallingwater, The Museum of the Airforce, and a cool steamship museum in Cleveland.

This is a driving trip after all so we will be hitting the winding roads of the Monongahela National Forest. All in all, I’m very excited! If there are any oppos on our route then we want to meet you! Let’s go for beers. I’ll also be shooting the whole thing for a future episode of Reidus and Cletus!

DISCUSSION (13)

CB > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 10:51

Wait, Dodge Avenger Matt bought an MG? Does it fit in the truck of his Buick?

And when he seeks it, is he willing to trade for a white Chrysler LeBaron?

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > CB
05/16/2019 at 10:55

Haha different Matt, this Matt lives in Buffalo, NY.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 11:01

Cool, looking forward to it! Should make a fun episode! :D

I’m n ot along your route, sadly! Hopefully more of you folks head out east someday, h aha !

vicali > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 12:00

Kinja'd!!!

Roundbadge > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 12:00

Sounds like you’re hitting the William G Mather museum in Cleveland. While you’re there, walk a little bit further along the seawall past the Rock N Roll HOF and check out the USS Cod WWII submarine.

I’m nearby in Akron, and if the schedule allows I’ll buy a round.

Tristan > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 13:01

I’ll also be shooting the whole thing for a future episode of Reidus and Cletus!

Excellent- I can’t wait!

MM54 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 20:10

When will you be in the Cleveland area (preferably east thereof)? I’d very much like to meet up if possible. (Alternative would be between Pittsburgh and Erie)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Roundbadge
05/16/2019 at 20:32

Sounds great! We’ll keep you posted

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > MM54
05/16/2019 at 20:33

We will be going east of C leveland! Send me an email at clayton.seams@gmail.com and lets swap contact info. Would be great to meet up!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
05/16/2019 at 20:34

Would be cool to meet you. Stop being far lol

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/16/2019 at 21:27

At some point when I have money I could temporarily be less far and come to the central meetup that seems to happen every so often? :P

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
05/17/2019 at 08:17

If you ever wanted to come by, I’d be happy to put you up

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2019 at 20:29

M ighty kind of you! The same extended likewise! :D

Glad to hear all is well with the Corvette....how’s the Reidus Datsun coming along by the way? :)