Congratulations on a fine trip, I look forward to the day when I will be able to
drive my bugeye.............
Glen Byrns wrote:
> I'm fresh back from a week of vacation in the high Sierra and my wife was
> kind enough to drive the kids up in the van while I drove the bugeye. I put
> 400 miles on it over the week, driving up and down Hwy.49, Yuba Pass, Gold
> Lake, Sierra Buttes lookout, etc. On the way up I saw two MGBs and a TR7
> caravaning down 49. Honks and waves. On the way down I passed another MGB
> on the way up. More honks and waves.
>
> Most of the time was spent at or above 5000 feet. The mixture seemed a bit
> rich by the time I reached 5000 feet, and two flats lean on the carb put it
> right for the week. The turbo was a great asset. The motor pulled strongly
> up fairly steep grades in fourth gear with 2lbs of boost showing on the
> guage. Other than the gassy smell and crackling pop of the exhaust when
> coming down long descents, the performance was excellent. Thank goodness
> I'm exempt from smog controls as I imagine the hydrocarbons must skyrocket
> on the shut-down, gear-braking descents. The oversize aluminum radiator I
> fitted just before I left was a blessing. Absolutely no overheating no
> matter how hot the day or how long the climb.
>
> I got the expected ton of comments and looks, including a long and detailed
> history of the resort owner's past English cars. We've been staying at this
> lake resort for 12 years and the owner is reknowned for being tight-lipped.
> Suddenly we're brothers under the hood, and he went on about his long lost
> big Healey and his beloved Fiat 124. The looks on the faces of the hikers
> at the Long Lake trailhead when I pulled up with my 11 year old and her best
> friend double belted in the passenger seat to go hiking were priceless.
>
> The 5-speed made it possible, as I couldn't imagine being tolerated in the
> Interstate 80 traffic at the 60 or so miles per hour the 4-speed would
> reasonably allow. Most of the way back from Grass Valley on, was at 70+
> mph. Its going to be hard to do without the thrill of the bugeye while I
> take it apart this winter to paint it, but the week in the Sierra will not
> soon be forgotten.
>
> (No, I still haven't had a chance to fit the 1.5" carb to the turbo, so no
> test results yet.)
>
> Best regards to the list
> Glen Byrns
> 59 Bugeye
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