Hello,
I just returned from the memorial and celebration of the life of Bob Moranda.
It was beautiful to see and hear form so many of Bobs wonderful friends. It
was also a wonderful tribute to see over a dozen and a half Roadsters all
lined up.
This trip also gave me the opportunity to reflect upon family and friends.
My job and my life which happen to inter-twine but most certainly need to be
seperated for my mental well being.
So a short roadtrip was in order. I headed into the hills of the Motherlode.
Many of you would know it as the Gold Country. It is named so because of
the gold rush to these very hills in the 1800's. I spent the night in a
small motel outside of a historic mining town. I also did quite a few miles
on historic roads and highways. It was absolutely beautiful! The roads were
freshly laid out and soo smooth and twisty that it just called out for
spirited driving. And so I honored Hwy 49, Hwy 108, Hwy 132 and Hwy 120 with
lots of high revs and scrubbing tires. The temperature was around 90 plus
and it made my Yokahama A032 R's nice and sticky. And they sure bite nicely
when they are warmed up. ;>)
The next morning, today... I woke up to cloudy and grey skies. The forcast
said that there was a 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms in the
area. Ooooops! I didnt bring my soft-top on the trip. No big deal. So as
I chased my destination and checked my rearview for big clouds I enjoyed the
wonderful ride. I finally did get caught by the rain and drove about 50
miles in wetness.
The car performed flawlessly but I did have one problem. When I stopped the
car it would not restart. I tapped on the starter with "The Club" but it
didnt work until the car sat for at least 30 minutes. So I didnt stop the
car on the way home unless there was a hill that I could use to compression
start. Which I did do twice. I was also running very low on fuel but I made
it back with about 1/8 tank showing on the gauge. I did a quick mental
calculation and I think I ran at around 25mpg on hilss and flat.
I also did experience some "Pinging" in fifth gear when running hard up a
hill at higher elevations. Does this sound normal? My car is tuned for sea
level.
Get out and drive your car! You only have a month or so left this year.
Pics to be posted soon!
Michael "Calspeed" Carion
San Francisco, Ca
67.5 SRL311-000248 Solex
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