Spring Mystery Tour in CMP

[Phil Waterman]

This falls under the heading how far have you driven your CMP recently? Our MV Club had its Spring Mystery Tour this weekend. Left the house at 0645 and returned at 2045 having driven a total of 221 miles. Here are a few data tidbits for the trip:


Distance to and from Tour 75 miles

Convoy Group Travel distance 146 miles

Max. Elevation 1,841.59 ft

Min. Elevation 223.49 ft

Total Elevation Climb 9,746.66 ft

Descending Elevation 10,018.32 ft

Climb Distance 73.55 miles

Descending Distance 73.19 miles

From the elevation change you can get the idea there was a lot of up and down hill travel lots of gear shifting. Average actual road speed was between 35-40 limited by the slowest vehicle in the convoy an M-37. My up engined (261) C60S with radio box was my no means the slowest, most of my down shifts being forced by the column ahead slowing down. Very enjoyable trip with 3 meal stops and a stop at winery.

This tour follows the month of May and US Memorial Day parades which our club participated in 6 parades, so lots of chances to use the trucks.

Of the 7 military vehicles there were no breakdowns or problems.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Phil

Any ideas how much fuel you consumed.....?

You sound very pleased with the pulling power of the 261......

Boob

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

It really depends if I'm traveling alone in a hurry, down around 6 mpg or if I'm just tagging along behind a convoy of slower trucks then it is 7+ mpg. Sure is nice not to be the slowest truck anymore. At between 10,000 and 11,000 lbs with the aerodynamics of a brick it is now easy to keep up or pull away from stock M37s on 6% grades.

Even with the extended break in period for the 261 on the test stand it seems to be breaking in more. So I expect that if I can control my foot I can improve the MPGs.

No throttle it is pulling about 25 inches of vacuum. Down hill with not throttle it is trying to pull closer to 30 inches.

In 4th gear pulling a hill at 30 MPH the noise of the intake and the noise of the exhaust note our the tail pipe sound a little like an two engine plane with the engines out of sync. As the engine is settling in I've found that it has a really different torque curve than the stock 216. While the 216 didn't like pulling a load below 30 in 4th gear the 261 seems to like it.

Cheers

Sorry I won't make BBQ this year, say hi to every one.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Phil

Sorry we will not see you in June but may attempt a Rotters driveby in late July for your show.

Watch that vacuum going down hill ...... besides sucking in a gasket you may suck the engine inside out.......

Will be installing my rebuilt carby this weekend.... I hope.... been rebuilt and flow tested..... dropped it off and the owner's ( in his mid 40s) showed me the work station they use to test carbs...... built in the 50s....it has a series of special glass venturi columns and a glass 30 inch tall mercury vacuum guage..... nothing digital in that shop. Carb is suppose to be a bolt on with very minor adjustments to idle screw if at all........... fully anodized.... parts replaced as required.... shafts bushed.... and new leather accelarator pumps.....claims the new neoprene pumps disintegrate in 3 years or less with the new gasoline..... leather may dry but once wet will function well again.

Hang in there.

Bob

[Harry Moon]

Last years western Command freedom route was for my MV the longest of the ones we have done yet. 664 miles or 1068 Km, the highest elevation was probably the Coquihalla Summit. Elevation, 1244 m (4081 ft).
This years trip up to "Waldy's Lake Side Resort" outside of 100 mile house will be 900 k or 560 miles round trip not sure of the elevation.
But if you include the trip to the Arlington Airshow the weekend prior you can add another300 kms , 180 miles.
within 10 days that would make at least 1200 km, 760miles.
I know Waldy will be doing it with his FAT which also now runs with a 261 after the Ferrari encounter.
I think at least twice our little tours have gone to higher elevations, the day trip up the logging roads around Mt Selesse , and the trip from Pemberton to Lilloet over the power line trail ( my wife after that trip vowed never to come with me again off pavement). Even the trip over the Hurley which is paved started with 1 hour and 15 minutes in 2nd or 3rd never building up speed more than 15-18 in my CMP and some more modern trucks couldn't even match that.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Harry

Sounds like an interesting trip, you have more wild country out there to play in, believe.

If we ran a trip here in New Hampshire from the lowest point sea level to the highest 6288 ft is what we would get. Strangely the won't let us drive up and down the auto road on Mt Washington with our MVs, we've asked suspect that it is the coming down the are worried about.

So instead we go up and down a lot of back road hills.

Cheers Phil

[Harry Moon]

"...Even the trip over the Hurley which is paved started with 1 hour and 15 minutes in 2nd or 3rd never building up speed more than 15-18 in my CMP and some more modern trucks couldn't even match that."

Truth is myself and several others went a much longer route back just to avoid going back down that section. We got a ribbing for it but I'm still married!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi


Yesterday was our MV Club's 2012 Spring Tour, they were forecasting 2-4 inches of rain but instead it was under an inch. All the people who would have brought their Jeeps or M37s on a sunny day came in their POVs but they came anyway which was good.

My concession to the weather was putting in the side curtains in the C60S Beauty and hit the road. Ridding in CMP with the side curtains in place is not as enjoyable as without so it is my last concession to the elements.

Picture below as taken in a parking lot at one our stops, trying to back into parking spaces with the side curtains in place and fogged up is a bit of a challenge. As you can see I didn't quite get straight between the lines but on the good side I didn't back over the car or hit the tree behind, so I count that as a win.

This time of the year with Memorial Day Celebrations spread out over three weekends means a number of parades in a short period of time. Club did eight parades but I enjoy the small town parades the best. People just seem to appreciate the importance of the event more.

The Picture above is taken at one of the Veterans Cemetery's that dates to 1860s the parade is short all down hill inside the cemetery grounds but the people are great because they have come out of their way to attend. Short video of helicopter (large file) coming in http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/R...wel%202012.wmv

Just in general having fun.

Cheers Phil