What a long strange trip it's been- long

lordgrommit · 09-06-2001, 10:37 PM

I'm Back
Drove the 951 almost 2k in 5 days. Started in Orange county on Tue eve, drove 405-101 to San Luis Obispo. Wed Morn I drove PCH from Slo to Santa Cruz. This was a blast I forget how bad a road this is 10 mph bends around clifs and long straights droping almost to the sea. The drive from SLO to Monteray is prob one of the best driver roads in the country. The traffic was light my only disapointment was that there was no one to play with the only performance Vechicle that I passed was a geo storm, he tried to keep up for a mile or so then I never saw him again.

Got in to Santa Cruz and drove up 17. If you've never done this road it's pretty wild itself think about a two lane super highway twisted around a mountain pass that everyone drives like it's straight. I got passed by a new suburban doing speeds I wounldn't do on this road and the gal was on her cell phone. drove around the east and west bay for awhile then to my friends in Fremont. The next day we went to the BlackHawk not a bad collection I didn't take any digital stuff so when I get my film back I'll scan some stuff. All in all a pretty impressive collection better than the Peterson in LA and on par with the new smaller Harrah's collection. That afternoon I drove up to Sac and then 80 to 50 the road from Placerville to Tahoe runs about 60 miles I took off the top, put the bestie boys on the CD and drove like a bat outa hell. did the 60 miles in about 40 minutes. I parked the car

and didn't look at it for a couple of days.

I was checking things out when I pulled the dip stick and found water in the oil. I figured it was a blown head gasket but the engine seems strong. I put in one of those fix any thing into my water system CWC or somthing followed the directions. I drove over the hill back to Sac the Temp was going up and down. I had to drain the water system twice to do this crap I put in the water system. The system seemed to run at about half the gague then would creep to the 3/4 mark. I'd stop add some water and bleed the system. I had Goodyear drain the oil and pressure bleed the cooling system. ( rip off but I did well at the tables so I didn't mind so much ) I don't think they did either very well as I still had to stop every 30 min let the thing cool down open it up fill up the water bleed the cooling system, about four hours later the system stoped getting hot there was no water in the new oil and the temp gage sat right about the 1/4 mark and didn't move all the rest of the night. Then all day today things were cool.

Matt

3sonfather · 09-07-2001, 03:33 AM

lord,
What's sitting between the 944 and 911? Sorry to hear of blown gasket - most stressful on a trip.

bill*924s · 09-07-2001, 04:00 AM

I did the drive up the 101 from L.A. in the late 80's in an '86 944. You're right about the first part. I thought I was lost for a while. I was on a 2 lane road going right through the middle of nowhere. When the road did open up to a 4 lane up in the hilly areas, man, what a ride. I had the cruise control set to 100 mph and the car and the road were so smooth it was unbelievable. My old lady was in the passenger seat sleeping while I was cruising at 100! She woke up and asked how fast I was Going and I said about 80. She then nagged at me until I slowed it down some. She really hated that car. I ended up getting rid of her and keeping the car!!!!

NickB 951 · NickB 951's Garage

3sonfather, It's a Ferrari Testarossa I think.

Leigh 13 · Leigh 13's Garage

Sounds like an awesome trip, Matt! Glad to hear the overheating has been tamed--would have been a shame to have car trouble creep up in the midst of a drive like that.

Now you've got me jonesin' to get back to the west coast...I just have to figure out how to fit my 944 in the overhead compartment on the flight!

Thanks for sharing-

Leigh

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Everybody in the world is bent.

lordgrommit · 09-07-2001, 06:58 AM

The 944 is mine the 911 and the Black Testarossa is the guy from the condo's down the way. He also had a really nice 1600 cab. I'm looking forward to doing it again soon. Unfortuneatly the next time will be in my Truck.

Matt

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Matt:
could your over-heating problem have been because there were air bubbles trapped in the cooling system? I know bleeding would cure the fix, but just maybe...I had an MR2, and they were known for the 'air bubble' thingy.

Your trip and PCH sounds like fun! The only place that comes close to that here on the east coast is a section of road about an hour from my place where they film the BMW commercials (going along side a mountian with a stone ledge) Of course, there's Lime Rock Park, The Glen, VIR and other race tracks that I must sample soon!

Later,
-Z.

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My_Toy

TheStig · 09-07-2001, 10:12 AM

That's a Testarossa ok. And from the look of the car in that picture, that sure as hell ain't no damn replica.

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Porsche. Es gibt keinen Ersatz.

lordgrommit · 09-07-2001, 12:09 PM

Z-man
I'm pretty shure that the getting hot was air in the system still dosn't explain the water in the oil. I can't belive a 8 dollar bottle of crap fixed a blown head gasket.

VIR I was there about 10 years ago with a friend of mine I drove the track with hay on the pit road and pot holes the size of small Toyotas. I riped out the underside of the rental car I had. I can imagine it's a great track now with out farmers on it

Matt