SAN DIEGO part 2

well, here it is , 2/3 of 3 week trip from SLC to San DIEGO gone... and except for a junk fuel pump that i replaced in McDonalds parking lot, the trip has been enjoyable.. i even made the mistake of getting caught in LA during a semi rush hour.. the temp gage on the MG did climb, but the cooling system did handle it quite well, and there was no pings or rattles of getting stuck in stop and go for 3 hours.. the car tracked well, and was responsive, even with the traffic not going anywhere fast...

as some may be aware of, the LA area is an area for imported japenese small cars...what i found was quite intresting, was that alot are not familiar with MG's.. at least the ones I encountered..

it was also fun to "mess" with the so called "high-tech" cars with thier "whale tails"...what these drivers would do was charge the traffic, and then slam on thier brakes, while i kept an eye out 1/2-3/4 mile ahead, and then readjusted my speed and road position accordingly, and also kept the engine in is sweet spot, which was tween 3000-5000 rpm...

i guess age and treachery will overcome youth and skill..

also, there is a mountain range north of LA on INTERSTATE 5, going up towards BAKERSFIELD.. and again, i was impressed and proud that my LBC was able to climb these grades, in OD , running 80-85 mph...

WHAT A BLAST.. :o)

That climb is called the Grapevine, isn't it? If so, how many cars were pulled over with blown head gaskets, radiators, hoses, or just lost water when you went by?
Were the truckers going uphill faster than 2mph?

yes, it is called that.. as far as i could see, it was dark when i went up and over them, and could not see any cars on the side.. but the trucks were doing 3 mph over the top, along with persons who still cannot seem to understand that slower traffic needs to stay to the right.

i was more worried about the traffic jams than the pull over the top...but, it was fun... an adventure.

Modern cars are able to handle the Grapevine without too much trouble, but in the old days the side of the road was lined with distressed cars and trucks. Coolent systems gave out on the way up, and drum brakes would overheat on the way down. High winds still stop traffic with SUV's and other high-riding vehicles being blown over sideways. Worst of all are the slick surfaces during winter storms. L.A. drivers don't know how to drive in these conditions and turn the highway into a big bumper car rink.

It's been 19 years since I was last there. I did it in a VW bus in second gear, December. Dead cars were abundant. I wanted to make sure the eastern and euro readers understood just what John had done!

Well Chris, you just had to go nostalgic...

Did my tour, several times, over subject road in Morris Minor 1000. 2nd gear was about as much as the MM would handle. Hard to believe but actually passed some of the big rigs. Dead cars looked like 'possum's. Return trip was real interesting. Actually learned what "brake fade" was. Boiled all the brake fluid on one trip...too much beer and too much of the reason for the trip...

As I recall, the Morris made the trips with no problems.