...I could have been Stranded at ANY Moment, We All Know What ALL can Go Wrong With these Panteras!. And NO Cell Phone Service to call AAA. Everytime I Shut Down the Engine, I was taking the Risk, the Engine would Never Start again! if I could, I would stop on an Incline, so I could 'Start On Compression', if I was Forced To. And try and find an Incline, in the Desert Lowlands. It ain't hap-nin. Dead Stopped...Shut-Down, will She Start?? The Cleveland Never failed to Turn-Over and Fire!
Thank You! To the Gods of "Internal Combustion and Wind in the Face!"
One more note....Having a (small) 'Igloo' Ice Chest Packed with Ice and Cold Drinks, made the Difference. In the 'Middle of Nowhere' with Cold Drinks, Water and Sodas, NO Alcohol.
I was Never 'Running On Empty'. Knowing where ALL the fuel stops were, I would refuel at 1/2 Tank. 21 gal. tank. Calculated, Total Odometer reading, Divided By Total number of Gallons needed to refill tank back up to Full, equals 17.658 Miles per Gallon. How? 358 Cubic Inches....the Smallest Holley 600 CFM Vac. Sec. Carb, On a Dual Plane Edelbrock 'Air-Gap'; and Being 'Light' on the Accelerator. She Still Roared and the Throttle Response was Incredible. When Most of Your Driving is at cruise speed and Idling, Do You really Need a 750-780 CFM? (Sure, if Your Street Racing for 'Pinks'!) I Built the 600 Carb. 600 Body with (750) Center Pivot Float Bowls. the main Jets Increased, for a Modified Cleveland, and a couple of Other Tricks. It worked very well! NOT a Whiff of Raw Fuel, in all that Heat-Soak. I run a Modified and 'Closed', PCV System. I never liked Sitting at an Idle, Watching 'Blow-By' Rise from the Engine Breathers, In the Rear-View Mirror!! I fabricated a pair of 'Vapor Separators' (Transparent), the Engine doesn't burn Oil, through the PCV, it Burns Oil Vapor! The Proof is, in All of 1343 Miles, less than 1 Quart of Oil was lost, according to the Dipstick. That is Far Less than What Is 'Normal'! And Not a Hint of Smoke coming from the Exhaust!
Speaking of the Central Valley California, I came up Highway 99, Yesterday Aug. 4, Cruising 85 MPH, all the way. Temp Gauges at Normal, Veglia stayed at 158F*. Compared to the Desert...She Barely 'Warmed-Up'. By the end of the Journey, as far as the Engine Coolant Temp, there wasn't Anything to worry about.
The Last Leg of this Sojourn, began Sunday Morning in Barstow and heading West on Hwy. 58, with the Video Recording. Especially interesting is the 'Downhill' Run Through the Tehachapi's, to the Bottom, headed for Bakersfield. Your View is In-Cockpit, 'Riding Shotgun'. The Video Camera does Not define how Steep This Downhill was. A 6% Grade.
In ALL of the 'Interstate' Driving we Passed a Lot of Semis...Fast!
85 MPH Sustained, and there were SUV's Passing Me, on the Straights!! Estimate Them at 100+. Go Ahead! 'Pull' the CHP Off of Me! I'am In No Hurry, I'll Just Cruise-On By, EZ. At a $470.00 Min., Citation, I Was Not Laughing, I've Been There!
For those who are curious of the cost of Fuel, 91 Octane = 95...My Logistics were set at $5.00 per Gal. Between the low $3.37 to a High of $5.80, that is exactly what I paid, on Average.
Marlin
PHOTOS: Click-On any Image to Enlarge.
For well over 50 miles, This was the Only safe spot to pull over, without hanging out into the Roadway. Just where I wanted to be, Emigrant Pass, Old Spanish Trail (Highway) California; Between Shoshone, Tecopa, and the 'T' Junction at Highway 160 in Nevada...Go Left to Pahrump, Go Right to Las Vegas.
Kingston Range...Kingston Peak (Highest Point on the Right). By My TOPO Maps, Kingston Peak is 14 Miles from Emigrant Pass (the Sign in the Photos).
The Cat was 118F+ In The Sun. In-Cockpit Parts I Touched would Burn My hands, Another Reason to Wear Leather Gloves.
Witness Shifting the Pantera ZF, Smoothly and Accurately, with No Gates!...Watch and Listen to THESE Videos! Your Riding Along IN the Passenger Seat. Also, Your ON the Rear Wing, Looking into the Cockpit and all surrounding Scenery; for 100's of In-Town and On-Highway, Miles.
First Photo: Taken while Driving. Approaching 'Emigrant Pass' From the West, Shoshone through Tacopa. Camera does not reveal, This was a Fairly Steep Uphill Climb. A 'Rear-View' is provided on the Monitor.
MJ
