mountain driving?
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
mountain driving?
was thinking of doing some longer drives this summer. if i go to states with higher altitudes, like 6,000 , 7,000 ft.above sea level, will i have problems with the 64 not running right? will i have to ajust carbs, etc.? or will the old girl be fine?
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From: Washington Michigan
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From: Camp Verde AZ
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The only times you may have problems is crossing some the passes over the continental divide in Colorado, or say climbing the hill out of Reno, down over into Mono lake, where you be at 10,000 feet +/-.
Just drop down a gear and keep the revs higher if your car starts to buck,and remember if you punch it, it may stumble and bog from the added accelerator pump richness, and it will take you a LOT longer to pass someone. Remember the newer cars are altitude compensated, they just lose power proportionally to altitude, you lose 2 times as much due to combo of altitude and overly rich.
Doug
Just drop down a gear and keep the revs higher if your car starts to buck,and remember if you punch it, it may stumble and bog from the added accelerator pump richness, and it will take you a LOT longer to pass someone. Remember the newer cars are altitude compensated, they just lose power proportionally to altitude, you lose 2 times as much due to combo of altitude and overly rich.
Doug
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Burning Brakes
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
thanks, guys!! thats about what i expected but wasn't sure. i can remember yearssssss ago, in higher altitude, the car running like crap. just wasn't sure if i should do anything about it!!!!
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And for the OP..... if your travels can take you to 395 in the Eastern Sierra, the views and places you can see and visit are well worth it.
Jim
Last edited by jim lockwood; Mar 7, 2010 at 09:11 PM.
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From: Going too fast over the hill. Iowa
disconnect the choke - everything else is fine
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Not to be nit-picking, Doug, but,... well,... OK I'm picking nits. Reno is around 6000' and Mono Lake is around 5500', as I recall. Between the two areas I believe you tickle 7500' at the highest point on 395. To come even close to 10000' you have to go to the Tioga Pass Yosemite entrance on hiway 120. And even this is only about 9980'.
Ever been on that one pass off 395, right at the Marine winter training base that has the 30+% grade and connects to highway 49?
Most mountain highways have 6% grade max.
Doug
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Another road in the Sierra that has an astonishingly steep grade is hiway 4, just south of the little town of Markleeville..... around 25%, if I remember the warning signs correctly. No thanks. Not in my '60.
Jim
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From: Norcal CA
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Not to be nit-picking, Doug, but,... well,... OK I'm picking nits. Reno is around 6000' and Mono Lake is around 5500', as I recall. Between the two areas I believe you tickle 7500' at the highest point on 395. To come even close to 10000' you have to go to the Tioga Pass Yosemite entrance on hiway 120. And even this is only about 9980'.
And for the OP..... if your travels can take you to 395 in the Eastern Sierra, the views and places you can see and visit are well worth it.
Jim
And for the OP..... if your travels can take you to 395 in the Eastern Sierra, the views and places you can see and visit are well worth it.
Jim
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: DFW
64 with drum brakes? I think brakes are the biggest risk for your trip, not the mixture. Just watch for signs of fade (increased pedal pressure required), and be prepared to downshift to slow the car.
Harry
Harry
Drifting
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From: Boerne Texas
My '66 lived at 5500' in Colorado for years and made numerous trips above 12,000' with the same tune. Yeah...it certainly wasn't the same beast up there, but it ran ok....just rich...and came back home to the same tune; running the same. Now, I am down at 1500', and it is an entirely different animal indeed.....!!! 
Cheers!!
Cheers!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
Ray
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Army
The car will be anemic above a certain altitude as far as acceleration but that takes a back seat to being able to slow down/stop as needed. Anybody that's come down Pike's Peak knows the only thing they check is the temperature of your brakes with an IR gun on the way down....if it exceeds their safety threshold...they tell you to pull over until they cool down...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Mar 10, 2010 at 11:18 AM.
