Should I drive it home?

[No Sweat]

Originally Posted by Discseven

Dragon's Tail... great drive! At speed, passengers don't fare well.

Watch our for Motorcycles and stay in your lane !!

[fred cook]

The last time I drove the Dragon's Tail "at speed" was in a diesel Ford Excursion! That was fun for the driver (me) but pretty scary for the other 6 people in the car! You got to have your fun where you find it!

[fred cook]

bought my '80 SC, I hopped in and drove it about 300 miles home. One of the most fun rides I have ever taken! Once I got it home, I started making a list of things to do. This was in 2001 and now, only 20 years later, I'm almost to the bottom of the list! Time flies when you are having fun!

[spiderem]

I was in the same situation when i bought mine, it was 1500km away from my home. Never once the idea of shipping it crossed my mind! i drove it straight after signing the paperwork and organizing insurance, and had a blast
Have fun driving.

[Tommy Z]

OK! We have a plan and thanks to all of my Pelican Parts brethren for the advice and wisdom. We are driving it home! Flying up from Florida to Toledo on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and spending the next three days driving her home. The Fiance' will be right next to me and with any luck by the time we get home she will have a better understanding of what this all means.

The car is headed to Tab Tanner's ( same guy who did the PPI )shop, Autobahn Garage in Findlay Ohio tomorrow to get new tires (Michelin PS4's), wiper blades, new turn signal switch, belt and hose check and an investigation of the A/C to see if a recharge of the system might get us a couple of days of minor relief as we drive south. I don't want to do any more as I plan to try and install a Griffiths system when I get better acquainted with the car over the Florida cool season.

I will be armed with a few quarts of oil and a few hand tools, not that I would know what to do with them, and we will hit the road! Going to take a quick detour east to head south to catch Route 555 to enjoy some twistys and then through the hills of West Virginia, Kentucky,Tennessee and finally due south to the Sunshine State.

I'm thinking if we can keep our driving to 6-8 hours or so a day we can make it home on Monday hopefully without incident and with a new appreciation and familiarity for this wonderful air cooled machine. I'll post throughout the trip and thanks again to everyone for all of the great advice and encouragement. I look forward to bombarding you all with lot's of novice questions as I dig into keeping her in tip top shape and making her even better! Until the drive!

[John W.]

Wishing you a safe and fun ride. You’ll find that someone here has the answer to any problem that you encounter and everyone is like a brother or sister always willing to help.

Enjoy your new adventure!

[motorstereo]

Check out the Cherohala Skyway in western NC, it's a super nice road and way less crowded that the Tail of the Dragon. Lots of great roads from there to Asheville or Helen GA. Have fun!

[blucille]

sounds like a great route, many roads that I've enjoyed many times....can't be beat.

If you are considering a Griffith's upgrade, and if some faults are detected now, there are some parts of the system that can be done in stages, and Charlie (@ Griffiths) can help you through it.

The only reason it's worth mentioning, is the current weather has been and looks to be hot and humid and your fiancé (and you) will enjoy the trip even more if you can have the windows up and the AC on fduring the heat of the day....at least.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Tommy Z

I'm thinking if we can keep our driving to 6-8 hours or so a day

Even driving 8 hours leaves you a several hours a day for side explorations, hikes, and detours. If you hit the road by 8am, you're only driving until 4pm, not including lunch. That leaves 6 hours before you hit the sack.

[RSBob]

One of the most memorable drives was picking up my SC in SLC and driving it home with a buddy to Seattle. Th most amusing thing was getting caught in a thunderstorm and having two waterfalls suddenly appear in the corners of the dash. By the time we got home, I had quite a fix list. The only major item was replace second gear synchro

Post pics of your trip and best of luck.

[Cairo94507]

Congratulations on your purchase. I had a '79 SC coupe in 1980 and loved it. I see you will have your AAA card with you. If you have not done it, upgrade to their premium coverage that provides 200 miles of free towing for any reason to anywhere. Don't forget a cigarette lighter plug adapter for your phone charger. Maybe some good window cleaner and a few microfiber towels to keep the windshield clean-makes the drive more enjoyable. The windshield on the SC is super easy to clean. Also throw a flashlight in your bag along with some disposable gloves and maybe an old small blanket. Maybe a set of soft disposable ear plugs just in case the engine whine gets loud for your fiancé. Most of all, drive carefully.

If you have not owned a rear engined car before, get to know her before you start heading quickly into turns. I had a very good friend buy a '73 911 T couple in 1973. He had never driven a 911 before but had seen lots of commercials and shows with the 911 being bragged about for its exceptional handling. The first night he owned it he spun it out in a turn and a barbed wired fence wrapped around the entire car. He said, "I thought 911's are supposed to handle."

OK, have a great trip.
Michael

[walt]

I drove mine home but it was only 8 hours, it's a great opportunity for some mutual bonding. As I said in an earlier post have and extra fan belt and qt. of oil in the frunk. Brakes and decent tires are a must.

[Tommy Z]

Originally Posted by Cairo94507

Congratulations on your purchase. I had a '79 SC coupe in 1980 and loved it. I see you will have your AAA card with you. If you have not done it, upgrade to their premium coverage that provides 200 miles of free towing for any reason to anywhere. Don't forget a cigarette lighter plug adapter for your phone charger. Maybe some good window cleaner and a few microfiber towels to keep the windshield clean-makes the drive more enjoyable. The windshield on the SC is super easy to clean. Also throw a flashlight in your bag along with some disposable gloves and maybe an old small blanket. Maybe a set of soft disposable ear plugs just in case the engine whine gets loud for your fiancé. Most of all, drive carefully.

If you have not owned a rear engined car before, get to know her before you start heading quickly into turns. I had a very good friend buy a '73 911 T couple in 1973. He had never driven a 911 before but had seen lots of commercials and shows with the 911 being bragged about for its exceptional handling. The first night he owned it he spun it out in a turn and a barbed wired fence wrapped around the entire car. He said, "I thought 911's are supposed to handle."

OK, have a great trip.
Michael

Michael,

Those are some great tips and also a great reminder. Limited experience behind the wheel of a 911 and I have read about the differences to expect from a rear engine. I will be sure not to go to crazy. I wonder if there is a thread about how to prepare to drive a 911 for the first time?

[dwelle]

don't overthink it, it's just a car. the quirks won't get you unless you really push the car hard.

do be mindful if you find yourself in a downpour. otherwise, enjoy...

[carreradpt]

Have a great trip Tommie Z. And yes, pics. We love pics.

[darrin]

Originally Posted by dwelle

don't overthink it, it's just a car. the quirks won't get you unless you really push the car hard.

do be mindful if you find yourself in a downpour. otherwise, enjoy...

agree with one caveat -- good to understand how to (and thus avoid) get into trouble with a 911 -- specifically, you don't want to find yourself going into a turn too fast and lift off the throttle/hit the brake mid-turn (overcook the turn) -- this shifts the weight to the front and can cause the car's heavy rear end to become a pendulum (trailing throttle oversteer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-off_oversteer) -- best practice while you're getting familiar with the car at/towards its limits is to go into turns a bit slower than "normal" and accelerate out of the turn (shifting/transfering weight back to the rear wheels through the turn).

[Otter74]

Instead of a USB charger for the cigarette lighter, get a Bluetooth FM transmitter (these always have USB ports in them) and you can play music off of your phone.

Note for the first time you fuel it: if you put the nozzle in in the obvious orientation, it's going to click off a lot. Rotate it around about 180 degrees so that the handle is inside the fender and you'll have better luck.

[9ELVNTT]

Pack a quart of oil for the car and emergency water for yourself and make sure your roadside assistance plan is current. Make sure rubber on the tires are in good shape. Leave the fiance at home. Lol. Enjoy the ride.

[Tommy Z]

Originally Posted by 9ELVNTT

Pack a quart of oil for the car and emergency water for yourself and make sure your roadside assistance plan is current. Make sure rubber on the tires are in good shape. Leave the fiance at home. Lol. Enjoy the ride.

Ha! Nope! At this point she is getting very excited for our trip. We haven't been anywhere in months so were pretty excited just to be traveling. She knows how important this is for me and I think shes looking forward to experiencing it with me as much as I am with her. She is the one who told me just to suck it up and pull the trigger! Before Covid I probably would have paid 30% more than I did. The seller actually turned down higher offers because he realized I would love the car and treat it as well as he has. I'm very lucky to be taking over ownership of this car. This is going to be a fantastic little journey and a great bonding experience for me and the car. I probably don't have to explain it to the folks on this board but to know that a 20 year quest and dream is about to come to fruition is making me giddy!

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Cairo94507

Don't forget a cigarette lighter plug adapter for your phone charger. Maybe some good window cleaner and a few microfiber towels to keep the windshield clean-makes the drive more enjoyable. Also throw a flashlight in your bag along with some disposable gloves and maybe an old small blanket. Maybe a set of soft disposable ear plugs just in case the engine whine gets loud for your fiancé. Most of all, drive carefully.

Best post of the entire thread. Great work.

I went for a 1 hour drive in my 911 today,
and while driving, I was actually thought about this thread to suggest earplugs for a long road trip.

Earplugs for $3
https://www.amazon.com/Flents-Quiet-Contour-Plugs-Pair/dp/B004CZYJLA/

Window cleaner is key for all extended road trips.
Pick up a can of SprayWay at a Walmart or Target in Ohio.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sprayway-World-s-Best-Glass-Cleaner-Value-Pack-2x19-OZ/138067849

The key is to use waffle weave towels, not microfiber towels
Here is a 3-pack for $10. Well worth it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZLC2WM/

Good excuse to upgrade to an LED flashlight for $32
20% coupon for the HF one
https://www.harborfreight.com/390-lumen-magnetic-slim-bar-folding-led-work-light-63958.html
https://go.harborfreight.com/coupons/2019/08/20-off-any-single-item-at-harbor-freight/

Rechargable headlamp eventually for DIY
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NIOCZIK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1