Mark,
In 1978, my 12 year old daughter and I drove my '69 4/4 four seater from Miami, Florida to Monterrey, California, a distance of God knows how many thousands of miles. This was in August, and the heat was brutal. We had the hood up for protection against the sun, and only traveled between 0500 and noon through the Arizona and New Mexico deserts. We carried a cooler full of ice with us, and the heat was so dry and hot (115 F or so) that we could hold a fist full of ice in our hand and never get it wet--the ice just sublimated into the thin air. The car never overheated (never over 85 or 90 C) and never gave any hint of trouble. When we crossed the Sierras and got on the west coast of N. California, it was foggy and cold, so we put up the side curtains.
A few days after we arrived, we took the car to the Monterrey Historic Races at Laguna Seca--that year it was sponsored by Mercedes. We were directed to park in the Morgan lot, and met about two dozen or more Morgan owners there. In fact, we won the long-distance prize for attending (still had Florida plates on the car)--I didn't have the nerve to tell them that we had moved there permanently and didn't just come for the race. We saw Sir Sterling race the historic and priceless 1955 MB 300 SLR (the one with the desmodromic valves) around the circuit. What a sound!
Later, I drove that car from Monterrey to Ottawa, Canada--again in the summer, and a few years later from Ottawa to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina--these are very long distances--and again without a hiccup. Those little X-flow Fords are very reliable, and I would not hesitate to drive it anywhere. I still feel the little thin leather seats mounted on the spring system in the four seaters are very comfortable.
Allen
'69 4/4
Last edited by Allen; 31/05/13 01:24 PM.
