<VV> road trip/ranch open house

[jtwiley95 at netscape.net]

Corvair Ranch Open House

First real trip for the car since buying it.  308 miles round trip.  Loaded up the trunk with trolley jack, wrenches, sockets, 4 way lug wrench, emergency kit, some oil, and some ATF.  Map quest directions in hand, a full tank of 93 octane in the tank, and I was off. 

The club was going to meet at a members house and van pool, but I was going to take the vair.  Forecast could not have been better, cool morning to top out at 69 degrees in the afternoon.  There was a little apprehension as I have never driven the car more than 30 miles one way.  They, well Finch, in  How to Keep Your Corvair Alive, says if it will go 30 miles without failure or overheating etc., it will go 300 or 3000.  Today was the test.  Ambient at 50 on departure,  drove onto 476 North, cruising at about 70 indicated which timed out with mile markers and using roadside speed indicators, is about 64 in reality.  This will be a great day. 

I merge onto 76 west and was supposed to wait somewhere for the club van pool.  Construction had taken out the shoulder almost to Valley Forge; so there is no where to wait.  I decide I will just go, better to have help behind me if needed on the turnpike, as turning around could cost an hour and additional tolls. 

Car in humming along as if it is happier than I am.  Can take your hand off wheel at 70 and car is as if it were on rails.  The grin has spread across my face now.  No stops, only very light traffic and perfect weather. 

Approaching Harrisburg I see another vair, an early vert.  He must be going to open house too.  I follow until we exit at 15 and he waves me to the front.  I begin to think of gas as it has been almost 150 incident free miles.  All the stations are on the other side of the highway.  I pull into a Sunoco finally and start pumping, the pump stops at 7 gallons, over 152 miles almost 22 MPG with a powergilde @ 64-70 mph.  NOT BAD! 

Turns out the early belongs to a member of PCA as well.  We get out to the Ranch and park our cars.  Most of the cars that are already there, and many that show up after, are already restored but I am directed to line up with all the others.  The folks at the Ranch are great.  Raffle, food, drinks and Corvairs to the horizon it seems.   A great time.  The Ranch would be worth the trip on any day.  My car draws the interest of, and favorable comments from, many of the people there.  Quite a surprise to me, only in that there are many cars here that are completely restored.  I am really just starting.

After 5+ hours it is time to get home.  It is starting to cloud over.  I stop only at the grocery store on the way home, 3 miles from my house.  The car is performing like a sewing machine.  I had a blast.  For me, 5'10" and a 29 inch inseam, the stock seats were fine for a trip of this length, the rumble of the exhaust in my right ear, the fingertip steering, great handling and reasonable fuel economy has me thinking that there will be many more days like today. 

-- 
John T. Wiley
Corsa/PCA member
66 monza vert 95/PG
e-mail: jtwiley95 at netscape.net
www.frappr.com/66monzavert 


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