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Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
1/28/08 12:06 a.m.

As some of you who visit the GRM forums may already know, longtime GRM/CMS family member Rennie Bryant and I will be embarking on a great adventure this weekend.

We will be flying into Manchester NH, renting a car to take us to Brit Bits in Rye NH. Once there I will be picking up my spiffy new 74 TR-6 and attempting to drive it back down to Florida!

It looks like we are also picking up a $150.00 Dodge Neon in MD. This Nitro Green beater will be a future project car in GRM.

If anyone would like to caravan with us for a bit, you are welcome to! Also, any alternate routes, restaurant advice, or general wisdom is greatly appreciated!

It should be one heck of an adventure!

Did I mention that the TR-6 needs a top?!

AndreGT6
AndreGT6 None
1/28/08 6:56 a.m.

Sweet should be a nice trip.

Lots of photos :)

A.

Gary
Gary None
1/28/08 12:17 p.m.

I live a short distance off Interstate 95 in Rhode Island. You're welcome to stop by for a cup of hot coffee your journey south. The weather forecast around these parts looks OK for the weekend. Cold, but no snow anyway. You'll have one heck of an adventure indeed!!!

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
1/28/08 3:52 p.m.

Thanks for the offer Gary!

The weather does look promising so far. Hopefully Friday will stay above freezing. It looks like rain which is fine as long as it doesn't turn to an ice rink!

Rennie2002
Rennie2002 None
1/30/08 5:16 p.m.

Ok so now I'm in for the duration. I've packed all the winter gear this Florida boy owns, borrowed what I think I'll need. Then tried to get it all in 1/2 a TR6 worth of space, We'll see.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
1/30/08 6:38 p.m.

ATTA BOY Rennie!

We leave Friday before daybreak

Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter Online Editor
1/31/08 7:45 a.m.

Both of you will be just loaded up with ideas for the new tech tips section.

carnellm
carnellm
1/31/08 10:19 a.m.

If you need any help while in SC, I am in Charleston, give me a shout. Sounds like a great trip!

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
1/31/08 1:16 p.m.

Thanks carnellm!

With any luck this trip will go off without a hitch......or a tow vehicle!

I plan on updating the board as we make progress. Stay tuned!

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
1/31/08 2:13 p.m.

Here are a few pics of the TR in question

carnellm
carnellm None
1/31/08 8:55 p.m.

Very nice! Looks like it should make that trip fine. And I am sure it will want to - to get out of that snow... :nice:

rautox
rautox None
2/1/08 9:42 p.m.

My yard had more water flowing through it this morning than I've seen in the last 10 years I've live here. And that moisture was heading toward NH. Hope things got off to a good start in spite of it.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
2/2/08 11:37 a.m.

We arrived in Manchester without incident under cloudy skies and 30ish temps. We made haste to Rye, knowing that bad weather was incoming. Sam Smith at Brit Bits had really given the car the once over. They really went out of their way to make sure our chances of making it were as good as possible. What a wonderful thing to have expectations exceeded! (Thanks Sam, Ben, and Norm!)

The instant I put the key in the ignition, it started to snow. We drove down to the ocean to take a few pictures, and by the time we made it back to Brit Bits, (10 minutes) it was really coming down. The sky was falling! A snowy, rainy, sleety mess was descending upon us. Good thing the TR-6, although not cosmetically perfect by any means, drove and ran very well. The drive back to Manchester was very treacherous, and I'm no rookie to winter conditions having grown up in Illinois. 101 was a icy, slippery, sideways driving mess. Poor Rennie, the South Florida boy must have been cursing his decision to join me on this adventure. He was plowing along in front of me in the understeering Corolla rental car. We did make it back to the rental agency amid horrible driving conditions. At least the TR's heater sort of works, and it is predictable in a slide. Braking wasn't confidence inspiring to say the least! The drive was kind of fun though, in a completely terrifying kind of way.

Once we left Manchester, the ice turned to driving rain, and the road became a bit less slick. The windshield wipers on the TR-6 actually work, as do all the gauges, and lights! (hope I didn't just jinks myself there!) We started to make decent progress, and our speed increased from 40-45 to 55-60 or so. At least we were reasonably dry, and the car was running well.

Cobra Automotive is located in Wallingford CT. They prepare Shelby Cobras, Mustangs, GT-40's and other neat cars for Vintage racing, and road use. Carl Vogt was nice enough to brave the pouring rain, and stay open long enough for us to stop by. What an amazing place! They had a naked original GT-40 undergoing race prep, a couple of real 427 Cobras, and an incredible barn find 289 dual-quad early Cobra (worm and sector car!) It looked like it had been parked in 1965 and not driven since. It even had it's polyglass tires still on it! Wow! (thanks for staying open Carl!)

After out visit with Cobra Automotive, we hit the wet road again and headed for Rennie's brother's house in Norwalk CT. Tod, and his wife Marija, were incredibly hospitable, and this morning began with coffee, and bagels. Their friend even came by with a beautiful Lotus Elan S1 for some great conversation. What a beautiful car, and great start to the day!

So far so good! Today we are hitting the Merritt parkway for some scenic driving, and then continuing South. Images to come!

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
2/2/08 12:46 p.m.

Cool. I was just about to call. Nice to know that the trip is going well. Oh, and it's like sunny and 70-something today at home.

rautox
rautox None
2/2/08 3:35 p.m.

Cool +1 And today the weather in the mid-atlantic was beautiful. Great day for a road trip.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
2/2/08 5:01 p.m.

Good. Glad to hear that Joe is driving out of bad weather and not into it.

Jensenman
Jensenman None
2/2/08 8:31 p.m.

Glad you are underway! Looks like a solid TR6. Do NOT keep talking about electrics; ol' Joe Lucas, the Prince of Darkness, is listening. :grin:

Shinsen774
Shinsen774 None
2/2/08 8:50 p.m.

When will you be coming through the Richmond, Virginia area? Holler if you need help.

Tim Suddard
Tim Suddard Publisher
2/2/08 9:55 p.m.

They were in New York early this afternoon. Neither of these guys is a morning person. They are trying to make Richmond, VA tonight. They are supposed to be at my house by kick off tomorrow night, as I have a lot of extra beer leftover from last week's Rolexc 24 party.

Joe needs to be back to work on Monday and I have already conned Rennie into staying and helping mw with the Tiger on Monday

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
2/2/08 11:54 p.m.

I will only come to Tim's house if the Patriots are losing. I just love to see a grown man cry.

Maybe halftime......no way we'll make it for kickoff.

Cheaters never win........well not 19 in a row at least!

We have made it to Chris Cobetto's estate near Richmond. Lots of feasting and baffonery ensued. We will hit the road again in the AM. TR-6 is running like a champ, and the mighty Neon is running well. One more long day, and we'll be home.

The top is coming down tomorrow!

Shinsen774
Shinsen774 None
2/3/08 6:05 a.m.

Have lunch today at Patrick's on US 301 just off I-95 in Kenly, North Carolina. It's a former gas station with great home cookin'. Be sure to take your Lipitor.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
2/3/08 9:35 a.m.

We are about to hit the road on day three. Here's a few images of the trip so far. It has been a blast! We've met a bunch of great folks, and the hospitality we have encountered has been more than fantastic. One more day! Time to put the top down.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1179.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1159.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1213.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1186.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1250.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1236.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj304/cmsjoeg/IMG_1241.jpg

racetearoffs
racetearoffs None
2/3/08 2:36 p.m.

Looks like fun and probably smells and sounds weird at every corner , don't give up the Florida border is not to far from the finish line . Pick me up up something from PEPE .

sam2828
sam2828 None
2/4/08 8:27 a.m.

Hi Joe,

Well.............. All of us here at the shop are waiting to hear how the trip went. I'm hoping that the car turned out to be the great driver I know it is. Prior to your trip the last real miles put on the car were when my wife and her best friend friend drove it in our annual rally. Best regards, Sam

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
2/4/08 9:11 a.m.

We have arrived in Ormond Beach safely!

The adventure ended last night around 1:30am when we pulled into Ormond Beach FL. Sam, you are right, the car is a fantastic driver. I am now officially in love with this thing! 80mph=3000 rpm with the overdrive engaged. Makes for a great road tripping machine. We did have a heater hose go out yesterday, but it was a simple repair, that just made the trip more memorable!

Also, thanks to Rennie Bryant, the best road tripping partner in the world. This trip would have been a lot less fun, and a lot more stressful if he had the good sense not to come!

Thanks to all who offered us hospitality, and offered to help in case we broke down. Special thanks to Sam and the guys at Brit Bits in Rye NH, who really went through this car to make sure we had a fighting chance. It performed wonderfully. I can't believe how comfortable a TR-6 is on the open road. Fits my 5'8 frame like a glove!

I drove the car from VA to FL yesterday with the top down......I may never put it up again!

More images and stories to come......for now.....back to work!

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