Got back to Crab Town mid-afternoon. Still smiling.
Dave (NO_H2O) and his buddy, Kevin, did a fantastic job. Speaking of jobs, I have to get to work tomorrow and my alarm will be set for 3:15 AM -- that's 0315, Jake
. I will nab my daughter's camera for a more complete photo shoot -- maybe this weekend. Those access panels are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to the attention to detail that was performed. In the meantime, here's a quick recap ...
Everyone was real cool -- making my visit an enjoyable one. And that is saying a lot. I don't typically travel well to begin with. Buying an engine sight unseen is against my general nature and has an element of stress with me. Not only can I not offer enough thanks for the work that was performed but also for all of the advice Dave, Jake and others gave along the way. I'm sure some of it probably seemed like hand-holding at times but no one was ever put off by my countless questions.
Dave even called twice during my journey home wanting to know everything. That meant a lot to me.
My car got a Top 40 award at the Toccoa show. Dave tried to convince me it was because I waxed the thing but I'm not stupid. Most of the show-goers were staring at his handywork.
The trip home had some funny events. For the most part, I wanted to keep running at a steady 65-70 MPH. The 2056 handled that between yawns. What we east coasters would call mountains, the 2056 treated like a mole hills.
When I drove the stocker to Georgia, my maintained speed of 60-65 would trail downwards if I stopped paying attention. Driving back, my speed would pick up from 65-70 if I wasn't careful.
Traffic conditions sometimes dictated for me to pick it up intentionally. Almost every time it happened, someone wanted to get even as if how dare I drive a li'l ol' Beetle at 85 and pass them. Once I got around the crowd, I reminded myself I didn't want to flog the new machine.
The funny thing was most of the people who were offended by me were very atypical for wanting a race. There were older folks -- yes, older than me -- pick-up trucks, minivans, and even a would-be 18-wheeler (trailerless). Once in Virginia, I shadowed behind the passer just to let him know it was no fluke and to let him take the lead on any speeding tickets. As I got closer to home, I took roads that allowed for a more entertaining ride.
The truth is I have no idea what the limits might be. It is also mind boggling to think my Type IV was probably the weak sister of the bunch. What I do know is this set-up is exactly what I was looking for -- very, very driveable; plenty of oomph to disregard hills and slow pokes as obstacles; reasonable fuel economy; effortless at legal speed limits; no weezing when I want to kick it; no running out of pull when the RPM's get elevated; and
fun,
fun,
fun.
Did I mention I'm still smiling?
