Just finished 2,500 mile trip in 911

[Intheshop]

I just got back from a 2 week trip up the Pacific coast in my 1971 911T targa. It was great. Not one problem. Except a flat tire. On the return trip, it was so damn hot inland on the 5 that I decided to take 101 all the way back, finishing wth 2 consecutive 600-mile days. The car was great. I tried to keep it around 80 mph all day and still got 23 mpg! One stretch north of Santa Barbara i took it up to 100 mph and the car never complained.

This trip showed how easy it is to "tour" with a T. The RPM flexiblility was much appreciated, especially on the Oregon coast. With traffic, my speeds were often in the 35-60 mph range, but since I could go down to 2,200 rpms I just kept it in 4th gear and didn't have to shift as much. It made driving more relaxing and the better gas mileage was a minor treat as well since I was paying about $3.10 per gallon. Anyway, it was a great trip and I wanted to share my enthusiam for getting our cars out into the wilds, as driving in town is not much fun. Here are a couple photos, one from the Redwoods National Park Avenue of the Giants and the other at Rincon Beach, near Ventura.

[Type911]

Sounds like it was a great trip. Great shots of your car!
Good to know these cars are so reliable.
Planning a fall road trip around Colorado, or perhaps up to Jackson, WY
in my E. Like your handle its "in the shop" getting prepped.

Cheers

[Type911]

Just read your post about prepping for a long trip.
Hope the can of fix-a-flat came in handy. I never have had luck with that stuff. Reminds me, I need to get a scissors jack

Post some more road trip shots if you can !

[Cornpanzer]

Im probably in the minority, but I think that gold is a VERY cool color for an early 911!
More pics would be appreciated!

[John Fusco]

Excellent voyage, I think that puts you in the Magellan club. Thanks for sharing.
4th for 35 - 60 ? That would be 2nd or 3rd in my car at just under 4grand at 60. Cruises at 3800.
And not real comfortable in the tourist traffic and in the heat (me or the car)at all.

Any more pics ?

John

[Intheshop]

I didn't use the fix it flat since I heard it can be a hassle to the poor guy patching the hole at the tire shop. I actually didn't even need to use the spare, which I consider a bit of a collector item as it is the original that came with the car (stamped "made in West Germany" on the sidewall). I removed the tire and got a lift to a tire shop in Port Orford and a pleasant fellow there patched it for 10 bucks and I got a lift back to my 911. The whole adventure took less than 2 hours. Friendly folk there abouts.
Thanks for the kind words on the car's color. I have had my 911 for 18 years and for 18 years my sister-in-law has given me crap on the color. I typically just clench my teeth around her anyway, and let her digs go -- but the color suits me.
Type911 - One tip on your prep work; my brother joined me in the Redwoods in his 1969 912. Which decided not to start. Turns out his generator was bad. So make sure your mechanic checks the output of your charging system. His generator was fine at idle, putting out 12 volts, but at higher RPMs it dropped to below 2 volts.
As for more pics, I am at work now, but when i get off my swing shift tonight I will post some more. Don't tell me boss I am hanging out on this site!

[Intheshop]

Type911 -- I forgot one thing; be sure your replacement jack can lift your 911 high enough. I borrowed a jack from a 2004 Accord to lift my 911 up to remove the tire. But when I got back to put it on, that jack could not get my car high enough, since the trailing arms sag so low in the back. I had to pull out my german classic -- which as you all know lifts the entire side of the car in the air. (see photo below). Here are a couple of other shots on the trip. I did not mention that I was camping out of my 911, and that is camping TIGHT believe me. But there were no women along and that makes things a bit easier when it comes to the size of your air mattress. My favorite shot below is of my three brothers planning our route as we broke camp in the Redwoods, heading toward Oregon. The three stooges.

[RickS]

Glad the trip went so well. The pics are great fun. Thanks for sharing.

[RandyWebb]

I'd be interested in seeing your camping gear list...

I camp out of mine pretty frequently and it holds a lot (from my point of view) -- but I've spent thousands of days camping from a backpack, so I have a different perspective.

[Intheshop]

Dear Randy Webb - I was a bit proud of my camping list in fact. In all fit into a medium duffle bag. The 911 does hold a fair amount, but I had a few things working against me, such as a passenger with a large bag. I was packing for two weeks. And mine is a targa, so I needed to leave room in the trunk to hold the targa top when I wanted to drive el fresco. My basics were: a small 2-man tent; thin plastic ground cover; therma rest 3/4 air mattress (not bulky); Fleech sleep sack (no bulky sleeping bag); hatchet, flashlight, fire starter, one pot, one coffee pot, small ice cooler. A few others, but that's it. We cooked over a fire, didn't use a lantern at night, but instead firelight. Used paper plates and such. It was fun to camp again after a 6 year absence. By the way, at least a dozen people stopped to talk about the two old Porsches. They usually started with "... when I was young I had one and it was a blast..." I hope I don't get so old that I end up saying that.
Cheers,
SCOTT