Just another buy and drive across country

[PapaG]

10 hours ago, Steve Tochi said:

Wow cool aerial footage!   Here's a suggestion, turn off I-70 in Utah before you reach I-15.  Take Scenic Byway 12 south through Capitol Reef NP and through Escalante.  Amazing drive full of twisties and stunning views.  Will lead you towards east entrance to Zion NP, through the tunnels, the quickly join back up with I-15 on your way to Vegas.  Stay safe and enjoy the ride!

This is a STRONG suggestion - one of the prettiest drives in the U.S. and it would be a blast in your car.

[Dug Nichols]

Awesome trip! In Grand Junction I highly recommend taking a drive through Colorado National Monument -- slow twisties with deep canyons all along the way. It's an alt route to I70 that "parallels". Well worth an added 60m.

[irdave]

If you get stuck in GJ, I know some of the nicest people in the world and they live there.

[drew_step]

If you head south again in Grand Junction, the drive from Montrose to Telluride, and then on over Lizard Head pass, is stunning. 16 years ago, I used to drive my first 02 between Montrose and Telluride everyday for work. With Nokian Hakka's, the open diff did just fine in the snow. The drive home in the middle of the night was just as fun as there were no other cars on the road. I once got pulled over by a cop who said he had been going a considerable speed for miles trying to catch up with me before I saw his headlights way down the mountain and decided to slow down. I just got a warning. 

 

I'm in Montrose if you need anything.

[T-Mo]

20 hours ago, Steve Tochi said:

Wow cool aerial footage!   Here's a suggestion, turn off I-70 in Utah before you reach I-15.  Take Scenic Byway 12 south through Capitol Reef NP and through Escalante.  Amazing drive full of twisties and stunning views.  Will lead you towards east entrance to Zion NP, through the tunnels, the quickly join back up with I-15 on your way to Vegas.  Stay safe and enjoy the ride!

Steve, thank you for that. We started off poorly. The metal cover for the transmission went missing and the throttle was crunchy and unusable. We went to a Lowes in Grand Junction and shopped around to MacGyver a cover. Grabbed some metal ducting, tin snips, and an awl. Fashioned a plate and zip tied into place. I’ll show pics later because it’s beautiful. Pulled the throttle linkage out from the floor and figured out there were two issues, broken spring and the pedal had a burr that prevented smooth motion. 
 

We then hit the road and did the route Steve and others suggested. Omg. 
 

No amount of thank is enough. That was beautiful, no, that’s not right, it was more than that but I’m hungry and I don’t have the words. I’ll post some pics later but it was non-stop curves and hills across the incredible landscapes. Up to snow at 9500 and back down into lush squiggly rivers. 
 

perfectly timed shifts and corners that made all three of us lean in hard. 
 

this is what I’ve been dreaming about for 10 years, saving up and having my heart broken with sales that fell through. It was worth it... today was the best. 

[TodB]

10 minutes ago, T-Mo said:

this is what I’ve been dreaming about for 10 years, saving up and having my heart broken with sales that fell through. It was worth it... today was the best. 

So awesome.

[jimk]

1 hour ago, T-Mo said:

I’ll post some pics later but it was non-stop curves and hills across the incredible landscapes. Up to snow at 9500 and back down into lush squiggly rivers. 
 

perfectly timed shifts and corners that made all three of us lean in hard. 

Yeah, it takes the right roads to appreciate what the 02 was meant for.  Not freeways.

[T-Mo]

The top of 12!

 

[Steve Tochi]

18 hours ago, T-Mo said:

Steve, thank you for that. We started off poorly. The metal cover for the transmission went missing and the throttle was crunchy and unusable. We went to a Lowes in Grand Junction and shopped around to MacGyver a cover. Grabbed some metal ducting, tin snips, and an awl. Fashioned a plate and zip tied into place. I’ll show pics later because it’s beautiful. Pulled the throttle linkage out from the floor and figured out there were two issues, broken spring and the pedal had a burr that prevented smooth motion. 
 

We then hit the road and did the route Steve and others suggested. Omg. 
 

No amount of thank is enough. That was beautiful, no, that’s not right, it was more than that but I’m hungry and I don’t have the words. I’ll post some pics later but it was non-stop curves and hills across the incredible landscapes. Up to snow at 9500 and back down into lush squiggly rivers. 
 

perfectly timed shifts and corners that made all three of us lean in hard. 
 

this is what I’ve been dreaming about for 10 years, saving up and having my heart broken with sales that fell through. It was worth it... today was the best. 

Glad you picked that route and enjoyed it!

I'll say what everyone else is thinking....the backside is amazing, with Inka and square taillights combined with the slim bumpers, just a great combo.  I may have to do some upgrades. 

[T-Mo]

Hey All,

 

We got up on Friday to see the sunrise in Bryce Canyon then made tracks across the brutal 104 F hell scape of Death Valley, hit LA traffic, but still made it to the beach in time for sunset and a dip in the ocean. When we got back to the car, there were people taking pictures of it. Sunset light made it glow. So, we did it. Incredible journey and I will have to personally thank a lot of members for all the help. This forum made this trip possible. Thanks for everything! 

[Marsattacks]

Thanks for the travelogue.  Really nice job with the posts and dealing with all the curve balls that came your way.  I bought a 1974 tii about 8 years ago, sight unseen, from a friend of a friend.  I was crushed at work so I flew my brother in law and his best friend to Denver.  They picked up the car in Littleton CO and drove it back to Western PA.  1,500 miles total, so comparable I assume to your trip.  I had new tires put on it and a basic safety check performed before they departed.  They miraculously had no breakdowns at all but basically were deaf for a week.  Plus the twin Webers were gushing fuel and second gear would not work (from start) until they figured out that double-clutching let it shift.  No A/C (it was summer), no radio, badass loud pipes, dim lights, no defrost or wiper fluid.  

 

Regards, John