Model A adventure 2023 - episode 2
Just checked into my hotel in Salem, VA, after a nearly 15-hour run. I'm simply too beat to post the episode 2 narrative tonight. Will have at in the morning after I get coffee.
But I do want to relate that the car ran superbly today. No issues at all and it starts almost instantly if the float bowl is full. The brakes clearly had not been fully bedded in, as they get better and take less pedal pressure the more I use them. The car is even idling smoother now.
Today's run was from just south of Carlisle, PA, to Salem, VA, with about 110 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a total distance of about 270 miles. Actually, more like 320-330, as I had to detour around a huge traffic jam on I-81.
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I woke to the low rumbling of an engine running near the door to our room, and as Mike was still asleep, I quietly slipped outside to sit on a bench along the wall. Just across the lot was an extremely scruffy work trunk, with not a single straight panel on it and one end of the rear bumper bent up almost vertically, idling away while dripping a substantial stream of antifreeze from the right front corner. There was about a half dozen Hispanic laborers, all more scruffy than the truck, seemingly praying that it would take them to the job site, but actually all worshiping the cellphones in their hands. After about 45 mins, a final barely-awake worker exited his room, and they all piled into their two trucks and rumbled away.
Mike finally got up and we went to the hotel lobby to find as skimpy a 'continental breakfast' as I have ever seen (but I was to later to encounter a lesser one on the trip). Flavored Quaker Oats oatmeal packets (artfully arranged on a large tray to make them look impressive and substantial, I guess), Fruit Loops and cornflakes, white bread and butter, bananas, and something yellow under a clear cover in a tiny three-hole food warmer (I didn't look). At least there was caffeine, coffee for me and tea for Mike. A bit disappointing considering the quality of the rest of the establishment.
We stuffed our things in the rumble seat and headed out to our first stop, the AACA Museum in Hershey. This museum's gestation and birth a few years ago was a difficult one fraught with all kinds of legal issues, power trips, and egos. I was not thrilled with the process and declined to visit the museum when I had chances in 2018-19. But I'm too old to hold a grudge and the museum has risen to a very high level, with exhibits not to be seen elsewhere. The quality of curation and displays is world-class now and I highly recommend it to anyone with a scent of gasoline in their veins.
Ever since my day-long trip on Amtrak I've been afflicted with what I think is a mild case of sciatica in my left leg and walking more than a few steps can be quite painful, so while Mike perused all of the exhibits thoroughly, I limped from bench to bench and observed from them; fortunately there were plenty of places for me to to sit. I'll have to return soon to make a more comprehensive visit when my mobility is back to 100%.
We then proceeded to the new AACA headquarters, which was not complete the last time I was in Hershey, and quite an impressive facility it is, especially compared to the former headquarters 'home.' I didn't get upstairs, but enjoyed the cars on the ground floor. Still find the Spohn special on central display a bit garish and, well, ugly, but I do understand its significance.
Out to the car to drive around a little time before delivering Mike to the Harrisburg Amtrak station to head back home.
But... it would not start. We'd been dealing with a bit of a carb flooding issue since picking the car up (which the seller had mentioned and advised how he dealt with it) but our tricks had stopped working. Lots of fuel dripping from the carb throat with the gas on and the car not running. I didn't bring any wrenches but several nice AACA volunteers and staffers furnished the needed tools. (As an aside, one only needs three wrenches, 1/2", 9/16", and 5/8", to remove and completely dismantle a Model A Tillotson carb.) I blew out all the jets; the main jet wasn't clear until I blew threw it. And removed the 'caged' float value to suck on it to make sure it was sealing and it was. I reassembled the carb (but my technique here was a bit deficient, more on this tomorrow). Mirabile dictu, she started right up!
Off to the Amtrak station to decant Mike before any further ills arose then I headed south to find a place to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As much as I hate taking busy interstates in a car like this, it made the most sense in this instance. So busy I-81 it was. The coupe will cruise happily between 50-55, although it will go faster, and while I-81 was extremely crowded, it wasn't really a problem as traffic behind could get around quickly most of the time.
After more than two hours of driving, I got off at one of the Carlisle exits to gas up and the car started to stutter and misfire. I thought it was another flooding episode, so I turned off the gas, let the dripping stop, and drove around the local mall's ring road a number of times to be sure I wasn't going to have a problem once I got back on I-81 south. (Happily, there was a Harbor Freight at the mall and I was able to purchase a very nice set of combination wrenches, 1/4' to 3/4" for $9.99 plus tax! The nice girl at the check-out made sure I knew they had a lifetime guarantee 'just like Craftsman.’)
No real issue with running during the mall test routine, so I gritted my teeth and took the interstate on-ramp. Alas, within a few miles the intermittent running problem recurred. It wouldn't just stop running completely, but would stutter, die and restart multiple times. Finally it went completely dead a mile past exit 44.
Figuring it was the same flooding issue again, I shut off the gas and just waited. After maybe 45 mins, she started up and I quickly turned left to take advantage of an emergency vehicle median cut to head the mile back to the previous exit, rather than try to go ahead five miles to the next exit. Just as I got to the exit ramp, the car stopped again and I coasted nearly all the way down to the light at the bottom. Another wait, until about 15 minutes after the sun had set, and another successful start got me through the light and into the driveway of the Holiday Inn Express on the corner. About halfway down the driveway, she stopped again but on a very slight down slope so I was able to push the car into the only parking spot left in the row along that side of the hotel.
By this time, it was nearly 9:30 and, cheap barstool that I am, I knew I was going to have to bite the bullet and pay a lot more than I like for a room for a day (or more!). The nice lady at the front desk informed me that she had just booked their last remaining room. (A two-week Army War College seminar at the nearby Carlisle Barracks had filled the hotel.) My sad tale of woe and expressed willingness to sleep on the floor of the boiler room caused her to look harder and she gave me a room that had been reserved for two days but the guest had not showed for the first day "and I suspect he won't show up tonight either." She even signed me up for the chain's rewards program so she could knock another $20 off the rate.
By this time, it's nearly 10 PM, so I grabbed my stuff and headed up, wishing that there was a place in the hotel or nearby to get an adult beverage (or two or three...), but no luck there either.
The narrative will continue tomorrow, with more angels!
And although I didn't have time take a lot of pics, I'll try to add a few to this post later today. The hotel's check-out time is fast approaching...
