San Diego Sunday Morning Drive

[escondidoron]

I am reminded how fortunate I am to live in a Mediterranean climate as I write this. As many of you are putting your summer cars up for the winter we are entering some of the best driveing weather times here. I got together with some friends this morning and went for a drive. This is a semi-regular (OK, very "semi") event. Probably happens every month or so. We had a really good time this morning. :thumbup:

We drove out to Borrego Springs (about 70 miles) and then up to Julian (about 30 miles and 5,000 feet elevation) for breakfast before returning home (about 200 feet above sea level). All told, about 160 miles counting a couple of double back excursions to repeat some lovely twisty bits through the hills!

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=north+county+fair&daddr=33.24237,-116.68615+to:Palm+Canyon+Dr+to:Julian+to:north+cou nty+fair&hl=en&ll=33.124901,-116.62262&spn=0.611854,1.105499&sll=33.14905,-116.696777&sspn=0.611686,1.105499&geocode=FYKf-AEdD8MF-SmXv6y8WPHbgDEfz2TZRVgMRA%3BFQI9-wEduoIL-SmxSIxhV8fbgDEInRI9Yl9xEg%3BFSp0-wEdWD8Q-Q%3BFX-9-AEdlMsM-SnBFCiKyizagDFAMfiaZbl8RA%3BFYKf-AEdD8MF-SmXv6y8WPHbgDEfz2TZRVgMRA&vpsrc=6&mra=ls&via=1&t=m&z=10

It was pretty foggy in Escondido (my home) but we broke into clear air at about 500 feet elevation, in the first 10 miles or so, as we climbed up into the hills to Ramona, about 2,000 feet elevation. This required me to look over the windscreen as I drove for the first few miles (never really need wipers here in SoCal!). I brought along a damp chamois to keep the windscreen cleared.

This was the farthest I have driven the Seven at one time to date. It ran very well. :clap: I only had one issue, low fuel pressure on the flat, hot (about 95F this morning) and high speed section on the return to Julian from Borrego Springs. I think I'm going to have to get a little higher capacity fuel pump. And maybe add a heat shield under the Webers on my pre-Crossflow.

Any thoughts of a trip up Mount Palomar were quashed as we saw the police presence near Lake Henshaw. A guy getting his ticket to the Policeman's Ball just past Santa Ysabel.

Here's a pic from the overlook above Borrego:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6099/6273231075_cf6ed6334a_b.jpg

[Brian Skeoch]

very cool pic.

[WayneB]

Fantastic view Ron.:)

Sounds like you had a case of vapour lock, which appears to be making a strong comeback due to the ethanol that is put into fuel these days lowering its boiling point.

Anything you can think of to keep the fuel away from heat sources will help, an electric fuel pump (If you dont already have one)and heat reflective sleeve around the fuel lines may work, also getting some colder air around the carbs (scoop in the bonnet?) or wrapping the exhaust manifold.

My GMC motor home suffers from vapour lock (even though it has fuel injection) If I allow the gas tanks to go lower than half full, heat from the road radiates into the two huge 25 gallon gas tanks and boils the fuel.

[escondidoron]

Vapor lock. Exactly my point. I already have the electric fuel pump, mounted behind the driver's seat on the rear bulkhead. The engine is a pre-x/flow so the Webers and the fuel lines sit right over the headers. I already have clear air flow through the bonnet, at least as much as is possible without louvers to let more air out the top of the bonnet, by virtue of no radiator baffle to close out the area above the header tank along with clean air at the inlet stacks. I'm working on fabricating a copy of the OEM inlet scoop for the bonnet. The rivet holes are there, but the scoop is lost somewhere in the unknown history of the previous owners.

Thanks Wayne. Good point WRT the fuel line shielding. I'll have to get after that this weekend.

I'm not going to wrap the headers as I'd like them to last a while. So the heat shield under the carbs and a higher flow, not higher pressure, fuel pump are my thought going forward.

[clockwork]

Good day and lovely scenery,fuel issues could also be a vibration problem with the fuel frothing in the float chamber/s hence the rubber mounting on others,might be worth a try, and who knows how many you could take to the Ball trying it.:lol: Ps I didn`t have agoraphobia till you posted that pic.

[Andy B]

When I had my headers/exhaust system ceramic coated I had them apply 3 coats of the black ceramic to the inside of the headers, they claimed it retained the heat. I was more than a little pessimistic but as the extra cost was minimal I agreed. But I took infra red readings before I removed the wrapped headers and again after they were coated but unwrapped, the difference was very marginal so it appears this stuff works.
The reason I had mine coated was because I was starting to see corrosion and the previous owner had paid an arm and a leg to have the 4 out exhaust custom made and I did not want to do a repeat performance.

[escondidoron]

Ps I didn`t have agoraphobia till you posted that pic.

Me either, until I stood on the top of the little stone wall at the edge of the overlook!

[clockwork]

Now my imaginary vertigo is back as well. :)

[Andy B]

The car with the hood up, an Audi perhaps.

[WayneB]

Chrysler 300?

[Andy B]

Chrysler 300?
Funny that was my first guess but I thought it a strange vehicle to be on that sort of run.