Driving 14 hours with the top down

Anyone ever do something this ridiculous to get a car home?

I may be looking at this option if I can't get the top sorted on the e30 by tomorrow night. It is way out of adjustment, or something. It opens/closes ok but will not move forward enough to latch up front. I honestly haven't given it very much effort but I don't see a quick and even halfway safe way to secure it short of drilling holes in the damn car.

Weather channel says it will be a pleasant 65-45 degrees and sunny all the way up the east coast on sunday....

I didn't do this "just to get a car home" but I did drive from northern Pa. to mid North Carolina in one day with the top down on my Spitfire. Heck, I figured ALL little British roadsters were SUPPOSED to be driven (whenever possible) with the top down. After about 12 hours of being wind-whipped, I realized I needed to drive the rest of the way to Fl. with the top up.

Wear sunscreen. Drink water.

In reply to bgkast:

Thanks, now I want to keep an aviator cap and goggles in my Miata just to freak people out on the highway now.

Wear a hat as well as water/sunscreen advice.

neckromacr wrote: In reply to bgkast: Thanks, now I want to keep an aviator cap and goggles in my Miata just to freak people out on the highway now.

I like the wizard of oz.

http://www.steampunkemporium.com/steam.php

Earplugs. With that long of a drive, having some hearing protection will help keep you from getting as fatigued. I love top down driving, but 14 hours of it would kick my ass.

Markde wrote: Anyone ever do something this ridiculous to get a car home?

I drove for 2.5 very long hours with a car with a broken diff pin.

Under load, it stayed together. Let off even for a moment, and the pin would walk and smack into the end of the pinion gear, making all sorts of racket. Fortunately, this was a rear driver. If it was a transverse trans, my first clue would have been the transmission case exploding.

Ever drive a manual transmission where you couldn't let off? It was difficult. Fortunately, when the diff let go, I had a full tank, and my trip was just short enough that I could do it all on internal fuel.

I made it almost all the way home, but ran into a red light. The speed was slow enough that the pin walked out enough that it grabbed the pinion gear and locked the rearend up. Doofus in a new Integra behind me was laying on his horn while I tried to get the car moving again... but I did limp it the remaining 2 blocks home.

bgkast wrote:

Yeah, let her drive it home for you.

Here is a picture of a car that I scratch built. It has no heater and no top. The day I finished it I went on a drive from my home in New Hampshire to my brothers house in Del Mar, California. It was 38 degrees and spitting snow when I left. It was bitter cold until I got to Tennessee. The total trip was over 6,000 miles. It was rain free until I got to within a hundred miles of home.

I drove this car 33,000 miles in 18 months then sold it so that I could build a new car. No top or heater for the new one either. I like Roadsters.

In reply to jmc14:

^^ 6000 miles with no top You sir are a badass.

Definitely earplugs and sunscreen. I think my longest top down drive was about 5 hours. I never even thought to put on sunscreen since it was a cool fall day and somewhat overcast - that ended up being the worst sunburn I've ever gotten.

I think the longest top down drive I've made was from tidewater VA to Nashville. It was March and nice weather. I was tired and got a little sun. It was almost all interstate driving and after a couple hours I was ready to put the top up, but I wanted to make it all the way to AL. We stopped for dinner just outside Nashville and I caved and put the top up for the last 2 hours.

6,000 miles with out even having a top - that is a whole different story.

How far is the top from reaching? Jack up the back of the car. I had a rusty old mustang that would flex just an inch too far if I left the top down for too long. It might be just the little bit you need.

BoostedBrandon wrote: I like the wizard of oz.

Don't talk to me. I'm thinking.

Also, a long sleeve shirt. I've done 700 miles top down in my Miata, with earplugs, hat and sunscreen, but the windburn on my left arm still hurt like the dickens. Of course, I didn't feel it until the next day.

Lots of nancies in this thread. Come back when you start doing 600-700 miles a day round trip on a sport bike in July August.

From a set of guys always acting so hardcore.

Full-face helmet and Winchester shooters' earplugs will make a long trip with the top down pleasant and fun.

I tried to drive through the desert from Oceanside past Las Vegas with the top down in my shiny new convertible.

MISTAKE.

I bought a car in PA in the summer.... The AC quit and the windows blew a fuse. I drove for a few hrs with the door cracked till I cld find a good parts store.... I walked in and they were like, how did you get so wet.... It was sweat.

Should have left that worthless pit and kept my money. It was a 3 hr flight 12 hr drive.

I finished my Mk II Sprite in late fall, years ago- side curtains, no heater, had a tonneau cover but no top.

I bought a fleece lined flying cap and RAF goggles, and wore them driving it all winter. My girlfriend at the time bought me a really nice British made wool tartan "motoring blanket" which was the heater.

Needless to say, she's my wife now.

Knurled wrote: I drove for 2.5 very long hours with a car with a broken diff pin. Under load, it stayed together. Let off even for a moment, and the pin would walk and smack into the end of the pinion gear, making all sorts of racket. Fortunately, this was a rear driver. If it was a transverse trans, my first clue would have been the transmission case exploding.

I did this in a FWD car through about an 1 hour 15 min drive.. Pin had shaved its way all the way through the bottom of the trans case and was sticking out. Drove oddly normal for a car with no transmission fluid.