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A great drive with Bugsy

Jim_Gruber

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Sunday AM, awake at 7:00 thinking about my favorite stretchof 2 lane, twisty, curvy, with uphill and downhill elevation changes. S Curvesand 90 degree curves, shaded, a perfect road for a Sprite. Temps today say 95with close to 100% humidity. Check my phone and outside temps 72 degrees. Ijumped out of bed, shorts, grabbed my ball cap, top siders. Didn’t even stopfor coffee or to brush my teeth. This is a perfect morning.

Down to the garage, peel the tonneau cover back, hit thegarage door button, click seatbelt on, turn the key, a reassuring tick, tick,tick from the fuel pump, a little bit of choke, pull the starter button and GRStarter engages and within a second or two of cranking Bugsy fires up. A littlecranky for a minute or so, oil pressure at 70 lbs. Depress clutch and slide thegear lever on Gerard’s 210 Quick Shift Kit to the right and down with asatisfying clunk. A release of the clutch and I’m out of the garage and downthe driveway. Down at the bottom, pop Gear Shift Lever into first, release theclutch and Bugsy glides off with a nice burble from the Harley Mufflerattached to the LCB Header.

Temps come up real quickly to 190-195 degrees and as I getinto second gear on the way to the end of the street, I see the temps drop justas quickly back to 185 degrees as the aluminum radiator takes over. A check fortraffic, turn right and off we go to some back roads to Bellbrook, OH about8-10 miles away. Two lane, tree shaded roads and at this hour no traffic. Bugsy is now fully warmed up and I get to exercise the shifter and try tokeep the revs under 4,000 rpm. It’s hard but this engine has about 75-100 mileson it so far and another 1-2 hours of break in time and I want this 1,326 tolast a long time. The road starts to run downhill towards Bellbrook which is onthe Little Miami River. This is an old farming community with lots of twisty,turny roads, that started out as one lane wagon roads dividing farms, that comeup and out of the river valley. Got to watch speed going down the last hillinto town, 25 mph and cops keep the radar out all of the time.

Bugsy has done great on the back roads so far getting here.Engine sounds really good, later disc brakes really stop the car well, andrebuilding the front end, rebuilt wishbones, and new shocks from PeterCaldwell, along with a sway bar allow me to drive Bugsy wherever I want topoint him. Same work for the rear end of the car, rebuilt springs, new shocks,new radius arm rods, and a 3.9 rear end give me top end cruising speed. I didtake him up to 80 mph for a short time the other day, tach right about 3,800RPM with the 5 speed in place.

But today is about taking Bugsy over the roads he wasdesigned for. Shaded lanes, English Countryside, along a babbling brook, quietmornings, and twisty roads. I turn left at the only stop light in town, goabout a ¼ mile and follow the canoe livery sign, past the soccer fields, andball fields and I can finally start to open Bugsy up. The new shift kit fromGerard allows me to make quick and sure gear changes, rifle bolt type action,and shifter moves only a few inches from gear to gear. Positive quick shifts.Speed has picked up, and I go across sharp left and rights and elevationchanges as I get further away from the river plain. Stewart Rd. is coming up, aquick left, and I give it the gas heading up a series of hills as elevationchanges about 600’ over the next 3-4 miles. All tree lined lanes, I pass a ’58T-Bird convertible coming the other way, decked out and painted like theBatmobile, Black and Red, zoomie pipes coming out of the hood he waves, and Itoot back. Someone else enjoying this fabulous road.

The road continues to climb and I go through switchbackafter switchback, a few dips in between and about 3 miles later back to levelground but now a series of rights and lefts as the road winds around propertyboundaries of these old farms. ****, a car with three dogs, theirs heads outthe window, tongues out and ears flapping in the breeze, enjoying a morningtreat from their owner, and it has brought my fun to an end. We crawl along at25 mph, road is too narrow to pass here, and so I endure a mile or two withBugsy wanting to run some more. Stop sign coming up. Yes, the dog car isturning right, and I get to go left. Now two more turns and I’m back on anotherroad that runs downhill towards Bellbrook and the way I just came from. A niceroad here, straight, no traffic and quickly up through the gears to 65mph for the next mile and a half. One more turn for a fast cruise at 55 backtowards home on another very pleasant tree lined road and 7 miles later findsme back at home.

This is what I will miss after a move to Tampa in just a fewweeks. Yes I’m sure there are some nice roads away from the city and I amlooking to explore a lot of them with Bugsy. I know there is a very active LBCCommunity down there that will keep Bugsy and I busy through the “coolermonths” with lots of morning drives, before 4:00 PM Showers in the Summer. YesI will learn to erect Bugsy’s convertible top in short fashion, and plan drivesto take advantage of some of those back country roads. I get to work from hometomorrow, I have Conference Calls at 8:30, but if I get up at 6:30, temps aregoing to the 90’s again tomorrow, but at 6:30 it will be in the low 70’s. Youknow, I think I just may have to repeat my Sunday morning drive all over again.

Life with Bugsy is good.

View attachment 54360
 

JPSmit

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what a great trip! thanks for sharing - and there is something very gratifying about being done. (as done as you ever are)
 
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Jim_Gruber

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And the ride again this morning was just as good. It was worth losing 30 minutes of sleep and getting up early.
 

Nelson

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And that is what these cars are made for. I think you will miss the ups and downs of your current roads but you will still have a great time. Enjoy every mile as you just have enjoyed these.
 
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Jim_Gruber

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Nelson, Yes I will. Thanks. Hope you get to Elkhart Lake for the 60th. Unfortunately with this move I can't get there. My employer wants me to delay retirement for a few months until this project I'm working on is finished. Helps to defray the cost to relocate to FL, and stash away some $ for a trip to Italy planned for next Spring.
 

smaceng

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Great accomplishment! All your hard work is paying off with great rides. Just finished my TR6 build a couple of weeks ago. Just took the car back to the PO, to show him what it looks like in one piece! I painted mine in the Garage! Cheers, Scott IMG_20180703_141236646.jpg
 

nomad

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Your pretty good with descriptions too, Jim. I think you will miss those roads though.

Boy, though, how many cars are there that you just want to seek out twisty roads? I know most of the general public just can't appreciate the fun of a winding road taken in our cars. My wife and I took in the Glenwood Springs Colorado rallye mainly just for the opportunity of driving roads with courses laid out by local folks who know the roads better than us. Sooo much fun to leave the modern traffic behind and just enjoy the rhythm of the road.....and, occasionally, the view.

Kurt
 

drooartz

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Thanks for taking us along with you. It'll be a couple years before I can make that drive myself in Penny, so I'm really enjoying following along with your adventures.
 
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Jim_Gruber

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Unfortunately can’t get to do it again tomorrow but will shoot for Saturday and Sunday am. Need to be in Columbus for a parade to see Kate’s Grandkids in the parade. But looking forward to doing it again.
 

Rut

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Jim,
Hope y’all have a great Independence Day celebration!
Rut
 
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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

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Did it again this AM, a delightful 20 mile drive beginning at 6:00 AM back by 6:30. Absolutely no one about. I feel like I'm part of one of those Jalopnik Films. Bugsy is fabulous. Now off to the parade in 5 minutes.
 

59diamond

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Tonight my wife and I are driving the Bugeye to this Church parking lot around 8:00 PM to watch the fireworks. The parking lot sits up on a hill so you can see the fireworks from three different locations at the same time.
 
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