Itinerant Air-Cooled

Today, I had such a steep climb that even 1st gear almost didn't do it for me. Sweating bullets with that 26% grade on Route 108 and no way of backing down out of other drivers' ways. Dumbass here stopped to take a pretty picture . . . the slope is much worse than it looks:



. . . in a steep turnout and could not for the life of me get going again, the 9,000 foot elevation, rich mixture, weak engine, pissed-off clutch, hairpin turn that I did not dare back out into. . . finally had to:
*lean out mixtures
*pull off vacuum retard
*advance the timing to 25* at idle
*apologize to clutch
*do a 12 point turn to get car sideways in turnout
*slip the clutch and block the entire road as I barely got it to get back on the uphill
*maintain 1st gear for the 9,000 to 9,600 climb on the Sonora Summit
(close-up):


(actual)



Now DjEep was mentioning three hours in 2nd gear, well, my bus is empathetic with that because today above 7,000 feet or so, it became the gutless wonder. Floored in 2nd and praying that nobody would blast a hairpin curve and make me have to lift off, because if I slowed down, that would have been the end of anyone behind me getting home before noon tomorrow.

Finally, the downhill allowed me to stop and take pictures with a chance of getting going again:


But, the film clip I shot distracted me from taking care of my brakes. This is a photograph of the beginning of the downhill:


By the time I pulled off again, the brakes were fading like crazy and smelled like burning paint, hey! it was burning paint! right off the left rear drum! and the ebrake/rear shoe adjustment I did YESTERDAY is all gone!
A loyal rattled bus cooling off its brakes:


I am outside of Carson City stocking up on water for my trip through Death Valley tomorrow.
Colin

Sonora Pass is one cool area. That view out on Nevada is spectacular. Taking 395 south? It's awe inspiring.

That's a gorgeous drive...I've never had the stones to try it in the bus. Tioga pass is much more bus-friendly.

ooooooh! cool. route 108. that's a skinny little line on the map I've never driven, though I've done a number of the cross-Sierra roads. I've been as far as Twain Harte on 108. I looked at a log cabin and potter's studio that was for sale. It's nice to see some photos further up the road.

Inspiring! We'll be taking 395 from Susanville to Yosemite on our road trip. Looking forward to seeing some of this awesome beauty first hand!

man....that's a blue sky there.

Amskeptic wrote:Sweating bullets with that 26% grade on Route 108 and no way of backing down out of other drivers' ways.

26%! That's over a foot up for every four feet forward.

Good lord.

whc03grady wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:Sweating bullets with that 26% grade on Route 108 and no way of backing down out of other drivers' ways.

26%! That's over a foot up for every four feet forward.

Good lord.

A level road is a 0% grade, a 45 degree hill is a 100% grade. If your elevation changes 1000 feet over a distance of 4000 feet, you would divide 1000 by 4000 and get .25, which would equal a 25% grade. So I was climbing something like a 14* hill. The '73 bus is rated to attack a 16* hill . . . with the correct 5.37 rear axle. Mine is a 4.82 which dogs me down. Close call there.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote: A level road is a 0% grade, a 45 degree hill is a 100% grade. If your elevation changes 1000 feet over a distance of 4000 feet, you would divide 1000 by 4000 and get .25, which would equal a 25% grade. So I was climbing something like a 14* hill. The '73 bus is rated to attack a 16* hill . . . with the correct 5.37 rear axle. Mine is a 4.82 which dogs me down. Close call there.
Colin

I'd like to see how my 1st gear would handle it. I don't know what my rear axle is, but she feels like she could pulls stumps out of the ground in 1st.

Steepest grade I've ever seen is about 15% on a logging road near home. 26% just boggles the mind. Them VWs are a force to be reckoned with.

Wait!.... I can hear.... I think... Yes, YES1 It's Scarlatti! Ah. Sweet piano music wafting across the desert from Pahrump to Moab.

Steepest grade I had with my bus hauling a boat trailer was leaving Duluth to Canada.

Down to fisrt gear and then, not sure it was going to keep going up.

twinfalls wrote:Steepest grade I had with my bus hauling a boat trailer was leaving Duluth to Canada.

Down to fisrt gear and then, not sure it was going to keep going up.

If you drop below 3,000 rpm while floored in 1st, start looking for an escape, terminal stall can come up quick.
Colin

E gads I thought Colin was currently in Nevada and the Road Warrior was a ghost!

Damn! I've yet to try a road that steep. Although I cam close along the norCal coast. Nothing that long though. Glad to hear a Bus with proper guidance can conquer such obstacles.