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MGB Road trip!

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DrEntropy

DrEntropy

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Ran the MG down to Sarasota and back today. First trip "outside th' yard" in a L O N G time. At 70 MPH I felt like a traffic cone on the Interstate. Sustained 75~80 MPH with a bump up to 90 a couple times. It may seem strange to some but I feel more comfortable in that car than I do driving Der Benz or Herself's Toyota sled. 65 miles each way, no issues. Happy motoring here.
 
That has got to have felt *good*.

For some strange reason, I find myself envying you being able to enjoy that MG in January. Connecticut - not quite yet ...

Winter2014-1.jpg

Now don't you say a word!
 
Sounds like it's running like it should doc... thanks to you!
The only thing I'd be very afraid of is "cotton tops" heading south on 75 for check-in :cool:
 
Elliot said:
Sounds like it's running like it should doc... thanks to you! The only thing I'd be very afraid of is "cotton tops" heading south on 75 for check-in :cool:
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They were out in spades. Avoided a shunt on the return trip when a BIG white SUV was entering the highway from an on-ramp and decided to jump to the lane I was in. Avoided with accelerator and the guy in the next lane to the left, aware of what was happening. Close.

Doug said:
Why not see how good it really runs - drive it up here to Roanoke.
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Know the area, but I ain't goin' 'north' willingly anytime soon. :wink:

D said:
Or out to Cali!?
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For that I'd get a ticket for a flight. Did a run from Tampa to just east of Cleveland and back (a week apart) in it, in '94. Eighteen hundred miles each way, no stopovers. That was a defining event. Taught me if the trip took longer than four hours, find an alternative mode of travel!

In the maneuver to avoid the crash yesterday, I lost two of the stainless "beauty rings" from the front and rear wheels on the drivers' side. Speed was 80 MPH. Must have been some serious stress on the wheels.
 
Biggest problems down here on I-75. 1. Aggressive Rednecks in oversized pickup trucks. 2. Small RVs and trailers without brake lights,bouncing and swaying all over the road. 3. Tourists who don't know where they're going. 3. Disappearing lanes, forcing you to cut back when you get trapped in one. Still better than bumper to bumper on I-95 in SW CT.
 
Paul said:
Still better than bumper to bumper on I-95 in SW CT.
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:thumbsup:

ADDENDUM: Those Q-Tips who drive (slow) in monsoon rainy season with the headlights off... invisible until nearly too late. :scared:



 
But more'n likely it'll be an octogenarian in a Buick. :smirk:
 
DrEntropy said:
But more'n likely it'll be an octogenarian in a Buick. :smirk:
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And probably a Dentist or a Lawyer. :grin:

Or some smart "A" in a Corvette.:grin::grin:
 
Well, I guess I'm what you are calling a 'Q-tip' - will be 80 in a couple months - and the biggest problem for me is those younger people that seem to have no idea about following distance, reaction time and braking distance. Whether I'm in the '74 MGB GT (engine by Acme Speed Shop), our Ford Fusion, or the MINI Cooper, I have no problem with keeping up, but when I'm doing 80 and there's some goof less than a car-length behind me yakking on a cell-phone, that makes me - the q-tip - one heck of a lot smarter than the goof. Back in 1955, we were taught about reaction times, etc in driver training.
 
For some reason,driver's really like to tailgate here too.
Drives me crazy,especially when I'm in the MGB GT.
The other thing is people coming to a complete stop
when entering the highway/freeway.
 
Flash_Harry said:
Well, I guess I'm what you are calling a 'Q-tip' - will be 80 in a couple months - and the biggest problem for me is those younger people that seem to have no idea about following distance, reaction time and braking distance.
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Not calling you anything, sir. The offenders referenced and the offenses committed are the Q-Tips, not those of us over 65 who drive with an understanding of the physics involved. And your noting of the younger idiots is spot-on. The oblivious come in all ages, shapes and sizes. Most of the shunts witnessed or heard about are the result of one or more of the parties involved having their head(s) located in anatomically unlikely places.

I live in Florida. I drive the Interstates frequently. Whether in a Lotus, an Alfa, the MGB or the Benz, being aware of surrounding situations has kept me from incidents (so far) that would have been injurious or fatal.

Signed: A 68 year old Chrome Dome
 
AngliaGT said:
For some reason,driver's really like to tailgate here too.
Drives me crazy,especially when I'm in the MGB GT.
The other thing is people coming to a complete stop
when entering the highway/freeway.
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I think some of your drivers took lessons from the dimbulbs who drive on I-91 and I-95 up here.

Entrance ramp for highway - car *stops!* at the end of the ramp, so traffic piles up behind - then you have an impenetrable row of cars all trying to "merge" in heavy traffic.

Give yourself some safety space while buzzing along at 75, and several whackos pull in right in front of you - and *slow down*!

yeesh
 
I’m a Qtip and my fellow Qtips drive me crazy with their crappy, unsafe driving. I live in a college town and the students, as bad as they are, are better than our Qtip population when it comes to driving. Just sayin...
Rut
 
NutmegCT said:
That has got to have felt *good*.

For some strange reason, I find myself envying you being able to enjoy that MG in January. Connecticut - not quite yet ...

View attachment 57256

Now don't you say a word!
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Snow hasn't stopped me......but that Polar Vortex did

MGB snow 1.jpg
 
AngliaGT said:
You never know who you'll run into in Florida.
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Might even be me__DrEntropy had to have gone right past me in Parrish__just no predicting what kind of car I'll be in! Although, except as a last resort, I stay away from I-75 (and especially I-4) as much as possible; too many snowbirds this time of year ;)

I'm normally confined to the Healey forum (have owned BN6L/942 nearly 41 yrs) but I'm seriously thinking about dipping my toe back into the MGB pond. My first ever sportscar was a brand new '73 MGB, and between then and the year 2000, I'd had some sixteen (16) MGBs, BGTs and a lone MGCGT. I'm thinking__hoping__I have one (>1?) more restoration left in me, and I'm seriously considering an ideal candidate ('67 rdstr w/ovd).

We'll have to see how this all plays out, but in the meantime DrE, if you find yourself venturing down this way again (I'm just 40 minutes south of the Tampa airport) I'd like to take a close look at that MGB of yours :smile:

If you're ever at the Safety Harbour All British Car Show (typically the last Saturday of October) you might've seen me or my Healey there?

20181029003212-fb8b7ee8-me.jpg


20181029003215-eb062187-me.jpg


PM me sometime, as I'm always up for talking about cars.

Randy
 
Randy said:
If you're ever at the Safety Harbour All British Car Show (typically the last Saturday of October) you might've seen me or my Healey there?
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Hi Randy! Most likely we've seen your Healey there in the past! Wife Mitsy may even have taken a photo of it. My pal of 45 years (also a Randy) and I have been to a couple of the Safety Harbour events.

Myself (L) and pal Randy looking over an Elan at S.H.

S&R3.JPG
 
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