the latest on Gary

just talked to Gary and it seems he is about 45 miles out of Boise with a blown head gasket. He found a mechanic there and is gonna leave the car and catch a flight to St Looie

Reality sucks. And in reality, your chances are slim of pushing an MG at 80mph cross country in 90 degree weather over the course of multiple days. It makes for one hell of a story though and I'm sure the race was fun while it lasted. It was one hell of a try. I could use a road trip myself. I was really enjoying the Gary posts here tracking his trip. I was on my own road trip in a vicarious kind of way. :)

I wonder if that PCV valve had something to do with it or was at least a warning signal?

I once drove an MG at 90+ across Louisana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, in July. Average temperature well over 100.

They were made to be driven.

Man I hate that! Sure was hoping he would beat the odds.

Baxter. The question is was your car over 30 years old at the time you made that trip?

Hmmm. No. It was a 77, and that was in 95, so almost 20... Still, in the right B, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldn't drive 10 minutes on the freeway in mine, though.

Hear that. I gotta get an overdrive !!! About 55 mph is quite nice.

Aw well...
He made quite a chunk of the distance, though. I was worried how that pretty red car would look when it got there.

Here's to Gary!!

Absolutely. Bless him for trying, and damn the bad luck.

Crap!
Why not fix it and keep going???? He's got time.

Really, it shouldn't take that long, unless the gasket is two days away!! And I'd bet Bob Muenchausen (sp?) has a spare head gasket and some exhaust donuts lying around in his garage!!

overnight the parts for tomorrow. Tear it down tonite and be back on the road by tomorrow afternoon...could be done and would add to the story... Hate to see it end on a plane ride....

In 1998, right after I picked up my MG from a gentleman in Victoria, B.C., I drove it from the Seattle ferry dock to Boise. (Probably not smart because I hadn't checked the car over much.) The heat and relentless sun through eastern Oregon was the worst, pushing 100 f., but cruising 11 hours at 70 mph w/out OD, the car did fine. If I'd have kept going I think the heat would've killed me before the car. Top down=sun burned and blinded. Top up=hot and humid. Engine heat blowing into the cockpit to keep the car's heat down on the climbs. Hard on me, worse on my wife. I didn't catch whether Gary has A/C. If not, I'll say that he is one tough man. Rock on!

Gary has no air, other than that blowing around him.
I have parts here, but he would have to call. I didn't get his cell number. Bob would be a faster bet.

Something had to be wrong from the start, no way should it have bown that head gasket, it was about the newest thing on the car. I couldn't understand the rush to get to Denver last night. It's only about a 12 hour run into St. Louis from there and that would have him arriving tonight. Maybe he will anyway now. Wish he could have made it, but that's the way the mop flops.

Damn, I wish he could have made it in his car. I have been known to push the petal down myself and understand. I hope my car does not decide it wants to rest a while on the way up to St. Louis tomorrow. I only have about 560 miles to get there. Shouldn't take over 8 to 10 hrs., depending on road conditions.

Closer to 10. There is some construction just south of Cape Girardeau on I-55, bridge work for about a year now, but it won't slow you down much. I'd grown so used to it I forgot to mention it before; 50 MPH limit for about a mile and the traffic moves right on through.

No way I'd leave my car with somebody I ran into in a strange town....I'm with Blake..tear it down tonight in the hotel parking lot, have the parts overnited, build it tomorrow & head out....or at least rent a U-Haul truck, put it inside & drive to St Louis where he can build it...

...when we were returning from Alaska, Shannon's Karmann Ghis had shook its engine casings apart on th ALCAN...we limped into Eugene, Oregon & when I saw what it'd take to fix, I went to an Oregon DOT auction, bought a Chevy Luv pickup & towed the little Ghia on to Ft Leavenworth where I dropped the engine, broke the case apart & helicoiled stripped bolts....she still has that car & she was 16 then (she's 31 now)....

Hey, all I know is, when I see Gary in St. Louis, I'm giving him a Yuengling and the keys to my car so he can drive a B almost as nice as his in St. Louis.

I talked to him this morning when he was on his way back to Idaho, and he seemed pretty chipper. He got as far as Wyoming, he said, but he was blowing oil all over the place . . . and there was no cell phone coverage, and nothing around that looked at all encouraging.

I'm sure he'll enjoy reading all your posts of encouragement and regrets. We all wanted him to make it, and make it to St. Louis he still will, even if the car won't.

(Hey, it's taken me three years to get my car to the MG convention. . . And I ain't there yet!)

Wyoming is pretty wide open in several areas. I went across the Big Thunder Grasslands, a little over a hundred miles and met one car, didn't pass any and none passed me.

You can trust most of the folks out here. And that is the land of Bob M and a strong English club.
As for Eugene 15 years ago, you had some golden opportunities to choose from, ranging from a new longblock, a good used engine, to quality VW repair shops that would rebuild yours for you. Volvos and VWs, that's Eugene

I just talked to Gary L., still in Boise with a "Bigger Anomaly"; it ended being a wristpin being blown. This bud has my utmost Admiration, Condolence and Respect � still sounds like he has a �Sense of Humor�.

Next time I see him the first two pitchers, of "Moose Head" are on Me!!

Love the "moose head" reference. Classic.

At least he remembered my warning not to get stuck in Rock Springs, WY. Better to die on the return to ID of thirst in the desert than get caught there.