Is there a max amount of time one should cruise at that RPM before giving her a break? I've noticed that one problem with my car is the tires are slightly undersized, which is making it turn even more RPM's on the highway.So Cal Mark wrote:4k to 4500 is no problem at all
And they're off!
-
pleiades
Re: And they're off!
-
ga.spyder
- Posts: 3478
- Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:19 pm
- Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
- Location: Blairsville ,Ga.
Re: And they're off!
Hey Steven ,where are you at in N.C. ,and are you driving to FFO? I am towing because I couldnt find any one to drive with.I feel so wimpy after reading about Ace's trip! 
You are the man,Ace. See you Fri.
Craig
You are the man,Ace. See you Fri.Craig
Craig Nelson
1982 Spider 2000...pride and joy
1981 Fiat X1/9..gone but not forgotten
1976 124 Spider..the self-healer
2001 BMW 328ci daily driver and track car
Fling It Around Turns !
1982 Spider 2000...pride and joy
1981 Fiat X1/9..gone but not forgotten
1976 124 Spider..the self-healer
2001 BMW 328ci daily driver and track car
Fling It Around Turns !
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pleiades
Re: And they're off!
I'm in Charlotte. I'm not going to FFO this year. Had other comitments - I hope to go to the next one though.ga.spyder wrote:Hey Steven ,where are you at in N.C. ,and are you driving to FFO? I am towing because I couldnt find any one to drive with.I feel so wimpy after reading about Ace's trip!
Craig
Steven
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ventura ace
Re: And they're off!
Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't had a chance to update you. Been visiting with my folks here in Clemson, SC today, and getting ready to drive up to Cleveland NC to spend the evening with our daughter (1 hour north of Charlotte). Tomorrow, on up to Reading, PA. Everything is going fine. Changed the oil and filter last night (regular 5K mile oil change). Maureen is hanging in there, and having a great time, if I may say so, in spite of the miserable heat and humidity. We are going to be driving through thunderstorms today again.
Alvon
Alvon
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pleiades
Re: And they're off!
ventura ace wrote:Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't had a chance to update you. Been visiting with my folks here in Clemson, SC today, and getting ready to drive up to Cleveland NC to spend the evening with our daughter (1 hour north of Charlotte). Tomorrow, on up to Reading, PA. Everything is going fine. Changed the oil and filter last night (regular 5K mile oil change). Maureen is hanging in there, and having a great time, if I may say so, in spite of the miserable heat and humidity. We are going to be driving through thunderstorms today again.
Alvon
Wish I knew you were coming through town today. (Charlotte) - Good luck on the rest of your trip!
Steven
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ventura ace
Re: And they're off!
Hey guys! This morning (in Winnemeccu, NV), let me try to update this thread. Sorry I haven't had much time (or access to internet) to keep you filled in. The following is copied from some e-mails that I've sent out a few times during our trip:
Sun, July 6 thru Sunday, July 13:
Goodness! I didn't realize how little time I'd have to update you folks --- we've had a fantastic trip so far. I found a little time and an internet connection, so here goes:
We had a wonderful drive across northern Texas, with beautiful scenery from Pecos all the way into Fort Worth, where we arrived at our friends, Jeff and Carol Scheferman in Colleyville. Csaba & Karen Vandor (and 4-mo-old Ben) had also come by to enjoy a super barbecue with us at the Scheferman's. We spent the afternoon going over the car to check things out, and tweaked a few things here and there, just because that's the way we Fiat nuts are! Jeff did a jam-up job of fine tuning the Dual IDF carburetors to the best I've ever experienced them running to date. The barbecue was special, the baked apple desert was to die for, so I just had to tell them that this was one of the most memorable birthdays I would ever have. That's right, it was my birthday!
On Monday, the 7th, we headed for the long drive to Birmingham, Ala, eventually putting the convertible top up to shield us from the scorching sun. The afternoon brought thundershowers a few times, and then we dropped the top again to enjoy the evening as the storms cleared away. We rolled into B'ham at dark and spent a wonderful evening with my sister Judy and her husband Randy, who had only moved into their new home the day before (relocated from South Carolina)!
On Tuesday, the 8th, we left early in the morning, and rendezvoused with my brother Harold and wife July in Atlanta for lunch, then caravanned together up to Anderson, SC. There we spent the day visiting with my Dad and Mom. Dad has been in the hospital there in Anderson, recovering from heart surgery 1 week previous. Dad was in great spirits and looked great, though the atmosphere was certainly tense, since his digestive tract had failed to kick back in following the heart surgery. I am so happy and relieved to learn that he has continued to improve, more on that later.
That afternoon and evening, we sneaked over to my parents home in Clemson to do an oil change and a few other needed errands, then met with many of my old high school friends for a reunion of sorts. Always great to see the old dear friends!!
Wed, the 9th, we spent the morning visiting with Dad and family in the hospital, and were relieved to learn that tests were showing that the digestive system was showing signs of cooperating, again! Hallelujah! Knowing that improvement was coming, we felt comfortable to continue our travel, and left late that afternoon for a 3 hour drive northward past Charlotte, NC to visit with our daughter Alison and husband Brent for the evening. The drive was accented by heavy thunderstorms, and spectacular twilight. We were so happy to see them and only wish we could stay longer, but had to get going again the next day to make our way on up to PA.
Thurs, the 10th, took us 600 miles up to Reading, PA, where we met Shaun and Nanci Folkerts (and new daughter Madelyn), and several other Fiat enthusiasts who had gathered at the famous GarageMahal for a little tour and car preparations before dinner. I don't have time to describe the awe of GarageMahal, the dinner at Amish restaurant Shady Maple, then on to the Folkerts spectacular abode for a short nights rest. Let's just say that we were all overwhelmed, and I'll need to devote another note to this experience later.
Early on Friday, the 11th, the dozen of us left Reading for the a Fiat Caravan up to Pocono Manor, and the start of the FFO activities. FFO was certainly spectacular, with over 200 cars and 500-600 folks converging from near and far for a great weekend of celebrating classic Italian cars. The big car show itself was Saturday, with a banquet on Saturday evening. Maureen and I were given 2 special awards for attending with the car with most miles on the odometer (211,000 miles), and driven the longest distance to attend. That second award was a close one, since there was another vehicle that at FF0 driven by Dave Voss and Chris Millikan (a Fiat 131 that he just sold and personally delivered clear across the country!!)
Today, the 13th, we will be leaving shortly for our Trek westward to Oregon, in caravan with a new Fiat 500 that was transported over here from Ireland by Jim Magill and his friend Alan. We will certainly welcome their company as we make the long drive back out to the West. Destination tonight is Dayton, Ohio.
later,
Alvon and Maureen
-- "ventura_ace@juno.com" <ventura_ace@juno.com> wrote:
Update, July 13 - July 16:
Sunday, July 13: We left the Pocono Manor around noon on Sunday, with Maureen and I in our 124 spider and Jim and Alan in Jim's 2008 Fiat 500, the car that is attracting all the attention around here. Heading west through Pennsylvania and Ohio was a real treat with the rolling hills and farms. We did some switching around along the way, and Maureen and I enjoyed the new experience of driving in the Fiat 500 (right hand drive). We made one emergency rush stop to raise the top on the spider when we hit some thunderstorms, then continued on. We stopped for dinner at our favorite travel place, Cracker Barrel, and then kept rolling along to our destination for the night, my Uncle Bill and Aunt Carolyn's place in Dayton, OH. It began to get dark as we arrived around 9:30, and we noticed that a police car was shadowing the 500. Maureen was riding passenger and was taking a nap with her head leaning sideways against the window. This probably looked pretty dangerous, since that is normally where the driver sits (left hand side)!! The cop figured it out and went on about his way. We had a very nice evening with the Dayton Elrod's. Aunt Carolyn fixed us a wonderful breakfast, then we took turns taking joy rides in the 2 cars in the countryside around their home before heading out to Indianapolis and Chicago.
Monday, July 14: Indianapolis was a drive through, as we headed on up to Chicago, only 325 miles of driving today, as we had plans for some sight seeing in Chicago. As we arrived, we came darn near close to a disaster. I was driving the spider and trying to get directions from Maureen, from the GPS instrument she was cued in on. We had just exited the freeway and were approaching a fork to turn L or R, and were not sure which. I directed too much of my attention to the GPS, and not enough attention to the road, and ended up merging right into a bunch of busy traffic without realizing it. Fortunately, all the cars braked to avoid me and spared us from a trip to the wreckyard! One fellow was extremely upset, and spent the next mile driving along beside me and using his hands and 4-letter words to express his displeasure. Anyway, we were relieved, and swore to ignore all distractions from here on out.
In Chicago, our friends (and work associates) Tony Alagna, Bud Bishop, and Jackie Pusateri drove us downtown to see the sights and to the harbor where Bud's sailboat stays. We headed out on Lake Michigan at about 5 PM, with light winds, which was absolutely perfect for novice sailors Maureen, Jim, and Alan. We tacked back and forth, working our way out from shore and down toward the city center, for an absolutely stupendous sight as the sun set back behind Windy City. This is another one of those outings that I can't muster the words to describe, but only hope each of you has the opportunity to experience one day. We motored back to the harbor in the dark as the city lights sparkled, then found a cozy Italian restaurant for dinner, and hit the sack after another full day!
Tuesday, July 15: Maureen and I left for a 480 mile drive to Omaha Nebraska to visit with Maureens brother Randy and wife Cheryl, while Jim and Alan headed back into Chicago to capture more Photos of the city with their Fiat 500, before treking off to their destination Des Moines Iowa (about 150 miles shy of Omaha, heading west on I-80). We arrived in Omaha as dusk approached, and had the car put away just in time before the area was smacked with a doozy of a storm. WInd was howling at 40-50mph, the rain was coming down in sheets, tree branches were falling everywhere, the streets were like rivers, and lightning and thunder filled the sky!! It was great to visit with our In-laws again and experience Nebraska.
Wed, July 16: 550 miles today to Laramie, Wyoming. A very pleasant drive as we were climbing to higher elevations and enjoying the cooler temperatures. The rolling plains of Nebraska and Wyoming are certainly beautiful! We peaked out just west of Cheyenne at 8650' before dropping down into Laramie for the evening. 3 hours later, Jim and Alan catch up with us in the Fiat 500, so we are all back together again. Tomorrow we have a long 750 mile drive to Winnemeccu, NV ---more later . . . .
Best regards,
Alvon & Maureen
-- "ventura_ace@juno.com" <ventura_ace@juno.com> wrote:
Update, July 17: We left Laramie this morning at 8:30. It was a little cool at the 6000+ elevation, so we had the convertible top up, for starts. 150 miles later, we hit a rest stop, dropped the top, and swapped drivers all around. Maureen and I were in the Fiat 500, with me driving for the first time!! First thing I did was try to start off in 3rd and stalled out! Meanwhile, Jim is sitting in the spider and wondering if he did the right thing with handing me his keys!
A few minutes later we were back on the freeway, and I was a bundle of nerves trying to master all the controls and get used to driving the car from sitting on the right-hand side. Jim was still wondering if he'd done right! Jim and Alan had a blast in the spider, as did Maureen and I in the 500. We had lots of stories to tell each other at the next fuel stop, about driving each other's cars.
Anywho, the sights were astounding diriving West on I-80 accross Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. We were generally flying along at 80 mph, climbing up to 7000-8000', then dropping down to 4000-5000', over and over again. Not great for gas mileage, but the scenery was spectacular, especially dropping into Park City, Utah, above Salt Lake City!
In the southwest corner of Utah, we rolled by miles upon miles upon miles of flat white terrain, that we guessed was salt. At one point, it was so white, and surrounded by craggly mountains, so we just had to pull off the road for pictures. Jim went to step on the white surface, and decided it was packed hard enought to drive his car out there for a few pictures, so I naturally followed with the spider. We were like little kids, running around and taking pictures of each other, and ignoring all the cars and trucks roaring down the freeway with the horns honking at us. Then, we got back on the freeway again, only to find, in the next mile, a pull-out scenic view of the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, where all the land speed records are challenged every year!! Little did we know that we were on the Bonneville Salt Flats when we were goofing off 5 minutes earlier!!
Attached are a few pics from Jim's camera of the salt flats. Also, a couple of shots from our Sailing venture Monday on Lake Michigan, and a shot of the Fiat 500 on the freeway.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 087582.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 087632.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 084862.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 084882.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... dited2.jpg
Take care,
Alvon, Maureen, Jim, Alan
Sun, July 6 thru Sunday, July 13:
Goodness! I didn't realize how little time I'd have to update you folks --- we've had a fantastic trip so far. I found a little time and an internet connection, so here goes:
We had a wonderful drive across northern Texas, with beautiful scenery from Pecos all the way into Fort Worth, where we arrived at our friends, Jeff and Carol Scheferman in Colleyville. Csaba & Karen Vandor (and 4-mo-old Ben) had also come by to enjoy a super barbecue with us at the Scheferman's. We spent the afternoon going over the car to check things out, and tweaked a few things here and there, just because that's the way we Fiat nuts are! Jeff did a jam-up job of fine tuning the Dual IDF carburetors to the best I've ever experienced them running to date. The barbecue was special, the baked apple desert was to die for, so I just had to tell them that this was one of the most memorable birthdays I would ever have. That's right, it was my birthday!
On Monday, the 7th, we headed for the long drive to Birmingham, Ala, eventually putting the convertible top up to shield us from the scorching sun. The afternoon brought thundershowers a few times, and then we dropped the top again to enjoy the evening as the storms cleared away. We rolled into B'ham at dark and spent a wonderful evening with my sister Judy and her husband Randy, who had only moved into their new home the day before (relocated from South Carolina)!
On Tuesday, the 8th, we left early in the morning, and rendezvoused with my brother Harold and wife July in Atlanta for lunch, then caravanned together up to Anderson, SC. There we spent the day visiting with my Dad and Mom. Dad has been in the hospital there in Anderson, recovering from heart surgery 1 week previous. Dad was in great spirits and looked great, though the atmosphere was certainly tense, since his digestive tract had failed to kick back in following the heart surgery. I am so happy and relieved to learn that he has continued to improve, more on that later.
That afternoon and evening, we sneaked over to my parents home in Clemson to do an oil change and a few other needed errands, then met with many of my old high school friends for a reunion of sorts. Always great to see the old dear friends!!
Wed, the 9th, we spent the morning visiting with Dad and family in the hospital, and were relieved to learn that tests were showing that the digestive system was showing signs of cooperating, again! Hallelujah! Knowing that improvement was coming, we felt comfortable to continue our travel, and left late that afternoon for a 3 hour drive northward past Charlotte, NC to visit with our daughter Alison and husband Brent for the evening. The drive was accented by heavy thunderstorms, and spectacular twilight. We were so happy to see them and only wish we could stay longer, but had to get going again the next day to make our way on up to PA.
Thurs, the 10th, took us 600 miles up to Reading, PA, where we met Shaun and Nanci Folkerts (and new daughter Madelyn), and several other Fiat enthusiasts who had gathered at the famous GarageMahal for a little tour and car preparations before dinner. I don't have time to describe the awe of GarageMahal, the dinner at Amish restaurant Shady Maple, then on to the Folkerts spectacular abode for a short nights rest. Let's just say that we were all overwhelmed, and I'll need to devote another note to this experience later.
Early on Friday, the 11th, the dozen of us left Reading for the a Fiat Caravan up to Pocono Manor, and the start of the FFO activities. FFO was certainly spectacular, with over 200 cars and 500-600 folks converging from near and far for a great weekend of celebrating classic Italian cars. The big car show itself was Saturday, with a banquet on Saturday evening. Maureen and I were given 2 special awards for attending with the car with most miles on the odometer (211,000 miles), and driven the longest distance to attend. That second award was a close one, since there was another vehicle that at FF0 driven by Dave Voss and Chris Millikan (a Fiat 131 that he just sold and personally delivered clear across the country!!)
Today, the 13th, we will be leaving shortly for our Trek westward to Oregon, in caravan with a new Fiat 500 that was transported over here from Ireland by Jim Magill and his friend Alan. We will certainly welcome their company as we make the long drive back out to the West. Destination tonight is Dayton, Ohio.
later,
Alvon and Maureen
-- "ventura_ace@juno.com" <ventura_ace@juno.com> wrote:
Update, July 13 - July 16:
Sunday, July 13: We left the Pocono Manor around noon on Sunday, with Maureen and I in our 124 spider and Jim and Alan in Jim's 2008 Fiat 500, the car that is attracting all the attention around here. Heading west through Pennsylvania and Ohio was a real treat with the rolling hills and farms. We did some switching around along the way, and Maureen and I enjoyed the new experience of driving in the Fiat 500 (right hand drive). We made one emergency rush stop to raise the top on the spider when we hit some thunderstorms, then continued on. We stopped for dinner at our favorite travel place, Cracker Barrel, and then kept rolling along to our destination for the night, my Uncle Bill and Aunt Carolyn's place in Dayton, OH. It began to get dark as we arrived around 9:30, and we noticed that a police car was shadowing the 500. Maureen was riding passenger and was taking a nap with her head leaning sideways against the window. This probably looked pretty dangerous, since that is normally where the driver sits (left hand side)!! The cop figured it out and went on about his way. We had a very nice evening with the Dayton Elrod's. Aunt Carolyn fixed us a wonderful breakfast, then we took turns taking joy rides in the 2 cars in the countryside around their home before heading out to Indianapolis and Chicago.
Monday, July 14: Indianapolis was a drive through, as we headed on up to Chicago, only 325 miles of driving today, as we had plans for some sight seeing in Chicago. As we arrived, we came darn near close to a disaster. I was driving the spider and trying to get directions from Maureen, from the GPS instrument she was cued in on. We had just exited the freeway and were approaching a fork to turn L or R, and were not sure which. I directed too much of my attention to the GPS, and not enough attention to the road, and ended up merging right into a bunch of busy traffic without realizing it. Fortunately, all the cars braked to avoid me and spared us from a trip to the wreckyard! One fellow was extremely upset, and spent the next mile driving along beside me and using his hands and 4-letter words to express his displeasure. Anyway, we were relieved, and swore to ignore all distractions from here on out.
In Chicago, our friends (and work associates) Tony Alagna, Bud Bishop, and Jackie Pusateri drove us downtown to see the sights and to the harbor where Bud's sailboat stays. We headed out on Lake Michigan at about 5 PM, with light winds, which was absolutely perfect for novice sailors Maureen, Jim, and Alan. We tacked back and forth, working our way out from shore and down toward the city center, for an absolutely stupendous sight as the sun set back behind Windy City. This is another one of those outings that I can't muster the words to describe, but only hope each of you has the opportunity to experience one day. We motored back to the harbor in the dark as the city lights sparkled, then found a cozy Italian restaurant for dinner, and hit the sack after another full day!
Tuesday, July 15: Maureen and I left for a 480 mile drive to Omaha Nebraska to visit with Maureens brother Randy and wife Cheryl, while Jim and Alan headed back into Chicago to capture more Photos of the city with their Fiat 500, before treking off to their destination Des Moines Iowa (about 150 miles shy of Omaha, heading west on I-80). We arrived in Omaha as dusk approached, and had the car put away just in time before the area was smacked with a doozy of a storm. WInd was howling at 40-50mph, the rain was coming down in sheets, tree branches were falling everywhere, the streets were like rivers, and lightning and thunder filled the sky!! It was great to visit with our In-laws again and experience Nebraska.
Wed, July 16: 550 miles today to Laramie, Wyoming. A very pleasant drive as we were climbing to higher elevations and enjoying the cooler temperatures. The rolling plains of Nebraska and Wyoming are certainly beautiful! We peaked out just west of Cheyenne at 8650' before dropping down into Laramie for the evening. 3 hours later, Jim and Alan catch up with us in the Fiat 500, so we are all back together again. Tomorrow we have a long 750 mile drive to Winnemeccu, NV ---more later . . . .
Best regards,
Alvon & Maureen
-- "ventura_ace@juno.com" <ventura_ace@juno.com> wrote:
Update, July 17: We left Laramie this morning at 8:30. It was a little cool at the 6000+ elevation, so we had the convertible top up, for starts. 150 miles later, we hit a rest stop, dropped the top, and swapped drivers all around. Maureen and I were in the Fiat 500, with me driving for the first time!! First thing I did was try to start off in 3rd and stalled out! Meanwhile, Jim is sitting in the spider and wondering if he did the right thing with handing me his keys!
A few minutes later we were back on the freeway, and I was a bundle of nerves trying to master all the controls and get used to driving the car from sitting on the right-hand side. Jim was still wondering if he'd done right! Jim and Alan had a blast in the spider, as did Maureen and I in the 500. We had lots of stories to tell each other at the next fuel stop, about driving each other's cars.
Anywho, the sights were astounding diriving West on I-80 accross Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. We were generally flying along at 80 mph, climbing up to 7000-8000', then dropping down to 4000-5000', over and over again. Not great for gas mileage, but the scenery was spectacular, especially dropping into Park City, Utah, above Salt Lake City!
In the southwest corner of Utah, we rolled by miles upon miles upon miles of flat white terrain, that we guessed was salt. At one point, it was so white, and surrounded by craggly mountains, so we just had to pull off the road for pictures. Jim went to step on the white surface, and decided it was packed hard enought to drive his car out there for a few pictures, so I naturally followed with the spider. We were like little kids, running around and taking pictures of each other, and ignoring all the cars and trucks roaring down the freeway with the horns honking at us. Then, we got back on the freeway again, only to find, in the next mile, a pull-out scenic view of the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, where all the land speed records are challenged every year!! Little did we know that we were on the Bonneville Salt Flats when we were goofing off 5 minutes earlier!!
Attached are a few pics from Jim's camera of the salt flats. Also, a couple of shots from our Sailing venture Monday on Lake Michigan, and a shot of the Fiat 500 on the freeway.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 087582.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 087632.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 084862.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... 084882.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/v ... dited2.jpg
Take care,
Alvon, Maureen, Jim, Alan
-
TulsaSpider
- Posts: 1547
- Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:33 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 Spyder 124 2L
- Location: Tulsa, Ok
Re: And they're off!
WoW! I am amazed! This is an inspirational story! Thanks for sharing and good luck!
1978 Spyder 1800 make that 2L! Finally making real progress!
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racydave
Re: And they're off!
Thanks for the up-date, and happy 53rd B-Day. Hope your Pop continues to improve. How do you keep the torch lit with the top down? This makes me want to do the Oregon trip, guess Ill need to conspire with some other adventures.