RE: Subject: [ihc] Musical carbs

["Mac @ TRIAD" <mac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

## >> If I drove my TA 20,000 miles a year I'd go broke paying for
## >> gas alone.
## >> You're burning almost 2000 gals at $1.50 each. Good thing
## >> you're not living out
## >> here in Ca where you would be paying over 2 buck a gal. So
## >> maybe 3k/year in gas.
## >> Have you considered maybe getting a diesel rabbit pickup to
## >> do all the running
## >> around or do you need  the lifting capacity of a TA? At 50
## >> mpg the VW would
## >> pay back in about a year and a half I would think. I wonder
## >> if you would even
## >> fit in a VW.
## >>
## >> I like these things too but my TA gets driven maybe every two months.

before my Bride joined the Army, she drove my TravelAll every day.  round
trip to and from work was 50 miles, more than half of it mountain roads.  my
TravelAll at that time got 7 miles per gallon with the 392, 727, 4.10 gears,
33" tires, Holley Pro-Jection, and Crane electronic ignition.  i believe now
that it gets six mpg.  anyway, we would additionally drive the TravelAll
down into the city on weekends for shopping and to visit family, etc.  most
weeks it got driven every day.  that's averaging more than 600 or 700 miles
a week.  almost 34,000 miles a year total.  our montly fuel bill was over
four hundred dollars.

i drove that same truck across from CA here to Texas, with a stopoff in
Prescott Valley, towing the 800A and both trucks filled with lots of gear,
kids, and animals.

now that we're here, the truck sees a maximum of 15 miles a day, with some
days not getting driven at all while i take the 800A out for a spin.  the
800A gets 12mpg with a 392, T18, 3.73 gears, 31" tires, stock ignition and
carb.  when it was in regular service, my B122 got 6mpg with a 304.  i don't
know what the new 345 i got for it will get when it goes in, but probably
not much different.  and i'm okay with that.

that's a price i'm willing to pay in order to continue to drive these old
trucks.  fuel here in Fort Bliss is currently a little over a buck and a
half, i think.  haven't bought gas since early last week, so i'm not
positive what it is right now.

--Mac

P.S.:  my Bride got herself a new car last month, but not because of fuel
costs.  it costs us more a month for the new car than we were paying in fuel
*AND* insurance for all three IH trucks in previous months.  she wanted
something new, that didn't break down on her, and was clean inside with
fresh un-torn upholstery and working air conditioning that didn't get her
uniform all dirty every time she got in.  she got what she wanted, and she's
willing to pay for it.  if it makes her happy, then so am i.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Take care and be well, all thee and thine;

May the Hamr lend thee Strength and Courage,
May the Twin Ravens lend thee Wisdom and Guidance,
May the Wolves Guard and Protect thee, and
May the Light of Harmony ever shine brightly upon thee and thine,
Through all thy Life's Journeys, from this life unto the next!

Hail the Gods and Goddesses of our Folk!
Wassail!

Krystof "Mac" MacBryghde
TyrGothi

http://master.triad.ath.cx/