Drive back to Texas

Day 1

We did LA to Phoenix for our first day. The car drives beautifully. Very comfortable at speed. I'm cruising rather slow at 65 because the engine is running hotter then I like.

we will continue our relaxed pace today with plans to make the Texas boarder.

Very cool!

Very nice, Chris, beats the heck out of a '69 Beetle trip

What a great looking coupe, enjoy the journey. Need more windshield pics. 

Cool pics, Chris! Hope you guys are having fun with your new ride. I'm sure you're getting a lot of 'thumbs up' from passing motorists! have fun, be safe.

I'll have an extended video of your shake-down cruise up on Youtube either tonight or tomorrow night. Peace-Out! 

Nice post Chris, keep em coming... I know that road too... driven it plenty... Loved the night shots, man your head lights work well...

With great posts like these from Chris and Rich the road trip virus is sure to spread. 

Keep moving Chris! Last time I drove across Arizona towards Texas, I was listening to the Flying Burrito Brothers, drinking Tecate Beer, and got a ticket for going 135 in Tuba City, Ariz. Hundred and fifty cash, a big I'm sorry, and we got to El Paso for a real late dinner. Your car looks fantastic.

How hot is the engine running?  With a new engine, it's always recommended that you vary the speed as much as possible, rather than running at one constant speed.

Lots of luck on your trip.  The car certainly looks nice!

Chris---we're riding along with you !  Good luck on the trip to Austin. Making Phoenix the first day gives you experience with maybe the hottest temps you will have the entire trip.

I love a coupe!

Thank you all for the supportive comments! Day 2 is down and we are relaxing in El Paso. I've added a second page to the journal. Lots of pics out of the windshield.

My coupe was not happy to be at 5000 feet, but as soon as we dropped in Las Cruces, she smoothed out. In the cool night air, she runs like a scalded dog. Too much fun. 

https://www.icloud.com/journal...93-A464-37B30D0C275C

Awesome pix...

I love the color. Only thing I would change is the interior to red. 

An excellent trip and photos....nice one !

Sounds like JPS got the all the bugs out of the car before you picked it up.

I was just thinking the same thing, Ron. Sounds like a well proven, driveable car just ready for the road right out the door. The way it should be IMHO.

That's great!  Glad you made it safe.  Must have been a wonderful ride!

Hi Chris,

Glad to hear that you arrived home without any problem. It looks like I might have my own trip with my boy for tour d'California via the highways and byways (minimal freeway) if everything works out early this summer.

Yup!  We made it back ~ 6pm central time today.  It was a fun adventure.. although I will not be signing up for another run down I-10 anytime soon.  Parts of that highway are brutal. Worst were the dairy farms just out side of El Paso.  Wow.. that smell is powerful.

Eddy and Jim, thank you both for your hospitality in LA!

For anyone that didn't check the link lately, I uploaded the last of our road trip photos..

https://www.icloud.com/journal...93-A464-37B30D0C275C

Ron and David, yes, my car did great on the drive (and JPS did a good job readying the car).  I was prepared with a full set of tools, but the only road trip work needed was a tightening the fan belt (1 shim) and adjusting the idle mixture for altitude.

I did stack the deck in my favor by doing JPS's recommended "break in drive", then return to JPS for a full check out.  I strongly recommend following this process.

Nice little trek Chris, glad everything went smoothly. Thanks for sharing the trip.

Chris- My apologies; what size motor did you put in it? Cam? heads? carbs? exhaust tubing size?

Hi ALB, I've got a 2332 with 44 webers. I will post full specs and pics in a later post.

Hi Chris- Sound like a lot of fun! Looking forward to hearing what's in it. Al