A1cntrler
Well-Known Member
I just got back from Hilliard OH yesterday afternoon. I was picking up another Thunderbird SC. The one I had originally has rusted through pretty bad, and the cost to get it repaired would be excessive. So the plans I had for it last December when I bought it (Sight unseen from CA) had been put on hold until I could find a suitable replacement..but it had to be a 5 speed and had to be a 1990 Anniversary edition T-bird... Found one minus the motor in OH, which was no problem since I have a new one on the engine stand in my garage. Now I have a good parts car for misc. items that are specefic the the 35th Anniversary Bird.
I left out of Chesapeake on Tuesday Morning at 5 am and headed West on 64 and picked up 77 to US 33 which took me right to Hilliard (Columbus pretty much) Nice ride through the mountains in that direction. I got there at about 4pm, loaded the car up (Of course it was raining while I loaded and chained it down) and headed back southeast. I stopped for the night in Athens OH, and got back on the road again at 5 am Wed. Got back home at 3pm Wed. The Trac towed nicely even with all that weight behind it. I did not use my X-Cal towing tune because I couldn't stomach putting in 93 octane everywhere. I did use the 87 Perf. tune though, which is pretty much standard issue in it every day. I got 15mpg on the ride up with an empty trailer, and about 12 loaded coming back. I set the cruise at 65 and it had no difficulty holding it, even on the 7% grades (8 mile length on some of them according the the truck warning signs) and the trailer brakes got quite a workout going down the same grades when loaded. RPMs held at about the 3-4k range on the hills and flats (With O/D off the whole way up and back of course)
While I was loading the car, the guy I bought it from (Works at a AAA auto center as a mechanic) was telling me I shouldn't be pulling it with the Trac because it can't handle it (I pretty much did all the loading myself..The guy I bought it from stood in the storage unit and came out into the rain to set the parking brake so I could move the come-along back to a new point. That was the extent...oh-he did ball up the excess nylon car tie downs I used in the front and shove it in the wheel well) His friends showed up and asked me if I had to go up any hills on the way home, because they doubted I would make it in my little truck (I could see if I showed up in a little Mazda or Nissan mini truck, but this is a '07 Trac with big chrome V8 badges on the fender...) I even had a guy at a gas station ask me what direction I was going when I was in OH.. I told him East, and he said "You know there are some mountains that way, right???"
Anyways had a good time, but frustrated by all the haters about the ability of the Trac. Only saw about 5 Gen 1 Tracs on the trip (A nice Mandarin gold one got on the highway in western VA along side me, it was a old blue-haired lady in the Trac and seemed oblivious to the world around her) I saw a lot of Ridgelines though..not a single Avalanche the whole trip...
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I left out of Chesapeake on Tuesday Morning at 5 am and headed West on 64 and picked up 77 to US 33 which took me right to Hilliard (Columbus pretty much) Nice ride through the mountains in that direction. I got there at about 4pm, loaded the car up (Of course it was raining while I loaded and chained it down) and headed back southeast. I stopped for the night in Athens OH, and got back on the road again at 5 am Wed. Got back home at 3pm Wed. The Trac towed nicely even with all that weight behind it. I did not use my X-Cal towing tune because I couldn't stomach putting in 93 octane everywhere. I did use the 87 Perf. tune though, which is pretty much standard issue in it every day. I got 15mpg on the ride up with an empty trailer, and about 12 loaded coming back. I set the cruise at 65 and it had no difficulty holding it, even on the 7% grades (8 mile length on some of them according the the truck warning signs) and the trailer brakes got quite a workout going down the same grades when loaded. RPMs held at about the 3-4k range on the hills and flats (With O/D off the whole way up and back of course)
While I was loading the car, the guy I bought it from (Works at a AAA auto center as a mechanic) was telling me I shouldn't be pulling it with the Trac because it can't handle it (I pretty much did all the loading myself..The guy I bought it from stood in the storage unit and came out into the rain to set the parking brake so I could move the come-along back to a new point. That was the extent...oh-he did ball up the excess nylon car tie downs I used in the front and shove it in the wheel well) His friends showed up and asked me if I had to go up any hills on the way home, because they doubted I would make it in my little truck (I could see if I showed up in a little Mazda or Nissan mini truck, but this is a '07 Trac with big chrome V8 badges on the fender...) I even had a guy at a gas station ask me what direction I was going when I was in OH.. I told him East, and he said "You know there are some mountains that way, right???"
Anyways had a good time, but frustrated by all the haters about the ability of the Trac. Only saw about 5 Gen 1 Tracs on the trip (A nice Mandarin gold one got on the highway in western VA along side me, it was a old blue-haired lady in the Trac and seemed oblivious to the world around her) I saw a lot of Ridgelines though..not a single Avalanche the whole trip...
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Guess when you are the only game in town, you charge it and get it....
