240 miles, 25 gal of gas, and a chicken sandwich

[NAM VET]

Last fall, I drove my truck down from our home near Charlotte, to our cottage just south of Charleston, for a Cars and Coffee, where my car was a big hit, what with my mounted gun and all, amoung about 30 other nice cars. The organizers since then wanted me to come to the invitational yearly big show on Kiawah, and to be sure to put my gun on. So, in the past several weeks at our UpState place, I readied my truck for the trip. Most an oil change, new brake liner, and that was about it. I have about a thousand miles on it since Charles Talbert's crew re-did some of my engine, and other upgrades, and it seems to be in tip-top shape. So, two days ago, saddled up and drove the rural back roads the 100 miles down to my son's place in Columbia, for a RON (military term, Remain Over Night), where we watched the latest Game of Thrones episode, and went out for a Five Guys burger. Then yesterday, after breakfast at a local cafe, letting the traffic ease a bit, started the longer run down to the beach. I stay off the Interstates, but with one bridge out over a river, I had no choice but to use about 8 niles of an interstate, and pushed my truck to a bit over 45 mph, with no problems keeping my speed up the gentle hills. Other wise, it was an easy drive at my 40 mph cruise, thru little dying hamlets. Lots of abandoned homes, which are quickly swallowed by the Kudzu, and soon become one with the woods. When the occasional truck would come up behind me, I would slow and move to the shoulder and let them keep up their speed. But so many cars would just follow me, so I would do the same for them, and I just couldn't believe how they would pull out next to my slowing speed and just not complete their pass. I kept wanting to yell down at them ".... put your right foot down, the pedal on the right, that one, just push it down, not good to stay in that lane with a curve coming up!"

My engine is fully balanced, and leak-free now, and runs the standard military tires and gearing, so 40 mph is an easy cruise, with plenty left over for the occasional hill. It takes an hour for my engine to get fully up to temp, and then my oil pressure is a steady 38 psi, unchanged since the rebuild, and it uses no oil. I do have a small leak at the seal for the transfer case brake drum. I run RedLine products in my drive train.

I had to back track a few miles several times, because once the SC DOT puts up their route signs, when they get knocked down, they are not replaced. So at some rural intersections, I had no idea which way to go. And sometimes, a mileage sign would read "Charleston 78 miles", then in a few miles, a sign would say ".... 74 mies", and further along, ".... 77 miles" , so maybe I was making a big circle or something.

Was hungry, so had a spicy chicken sandwich in one small town, and continued on. Did a mileage check with another 30 miles to here, and used 25 gallons of no ethanol fuel, for then 240 miles.

I had brought my gun down earlier, so today will wash my truck, mount the gun and get ready for the show tomorrow. More then.

So all well here in Coastal SC. NAM VET, aka Hal Copple

[rickf]

Sounds like fun, I have been working on mine bit by bit. Got the bed all unbolted and hopefully over the weekend I will get it under the loader and get that off and get the gas tank out and see what condition that is in.

[Cal_Gary]

Quite a trip, Nam Vet! Thanks for sharing!
Gary

[murano3]

Nice write up chap

[sturmtyger380]

Here Hal is roaming all over the place and I can't get Chris to go more than 25 miles away from his house with a totally rebuilt truck!

(Should know cause I helped do a lot of the work!) (Now if I could only get mine done. )