We woke up at 3:00 AM, had some coffee, and assembled what seemed a logical kit of tools and accessories.  You can only fit so much in an XK, especially if you opt to carry a spare tyre.  Things we thought we might need included:

Fire Extinguisher
Tow chains
Bailing wire
Duct tape
 Very Strong magnets(Click here to get yours!)
Gas Can
Oil
Water
Bucket of miscellaneous tools
And some other stuff
 
 

The Jaguar ran great, save for some rattles, and windows that didn't work. A cold drive, but there is NOTHING like a spirited drive in an XK 120 up CO Hwy 14 over Cameron pass, in the fall with the aspens and moose and stuff.  We hit Walden right around 8:00 and had some more coffee, and breakfast. 60 miles to Encampmet across the Colorado & Wyoming high valley. Beautiful.

We hit Encampment around 9:30. Encampment (pop 495) sits in the high plains of Wyoming at about 7500 feet. For those who don't know where it is, its just outside of Riverside (pop 85), real close to the middle of nowhere. Not a great place to find Jaguar parts.

Jesse James was up when we arrived, working in his wood shop.  We carefully looked the car over again.   It looked pretty solid, a few welds here and there where metal had fatigued, but no serious rust.  The motor was rebuilt to some degree about 400 miles ago.  It had new tyres, new brakes, new kingpins.  Though I'd seen the car once already, and ridden in it, I had yet to ever drive a model A.  I got Jesse to come out and we started it up, and went for a test drive.

Having never driven a Model A, I thought it drove reasonably well.  It had about 30 degrees of free play in the steering.  It didn't idle too well.  My biggest concern was popping sound from the left side of the engine upon climbing a hill.  It sounded like a head gasket leak to me, which concerned me considering the steep passes we would be driving over on the way home.  After the drive, we scrutinized the car for another hour.   I decided to make an offer-which was accepted.  We tightened up the head bolts hoping that would save the gasket, and off we went on a 160 mile journey home.  After about 30 miles, we pulled over to check the oil and water.  Both cars were down about 2 quarts.  Looked like the A was leaking about a quart every 15 miles!  The jag was doing better, leaking only a quart per hundred.

Another 30 miles and we were in Walden again.  We stopped at Napa to buy a case of oil.  To my delight, the A had used no noticeable oil since our last stop.  There must have been some seals dried out which were coming back to life!  We filled up with gasoline, and off we went towards Cameron Pass.  Short of leaking a bit of oil, so far everything was perfect.  The A motored right along at 45 with room to spare.  I have no doubt it would have done 60 had I pushed it.  It steered and stopped just great.

Onward towards Cameron pass again. This was the biggest concern for both cars, as it is rather steep, the summit is over 10,000 feet. The Ford did the whole thing in top (3rd) gear, and neither car overheated.

From there, it's all downhill. Home free...unless we decide to take a detour over Pennock pass. Things are going so well at this point, and its only about 3:00 pm, we decide that the longer route is a good idea. It does, however, add about 30 miles of narrow dirt roads. The Model A handled them great. The road was, after all, designed for such a car. The Jag was pretty rattley, but also did just fine, as long as I kept the speed up. There were still no door seals in the Jag, so it it stands to reason that there would be a little noise...not to mention the dust.

A good part of the reason for the longer route home was to visit some friends who live up there. First stop was at Tom's house. Tom is a true curmudgeon, and a really neat guy. His first car was a Model A, and he had some great advise, stories, and inspiration. He was glad to see it. The next stop was Dave's, for some more coffee.

From there, we had to take a route that went over Ford Hill. It's is named that because it's so steep that Model T Fords have to go up it backwards. The A has the gas tank in a more logical place, so it was not a problem (if you've got at least 1/2 tank).

From the top of Ford Hill, it was only about 15 more miles, mostly downhill.  The car ran pretty well, with only one minor problem.  Seems like the "upgraded" sealed beam headlight used a bit more power than the generator put out-so the engine ran a little funny, especially when revved up a bit.  It backfired a LOT through the exhaust going down hill.  It was super loud, and happened frequently.  Matt, who was driving the jag, said it sounded like firecrackers going off at arms length.  When we got back(yes-we made it home)-my ears were ringing, and nobody was sleeping in Rist Canyon I'm sure.

Overall, both cars ran great.  I'm real glad we took the chance, and did not "trailer" the car home.  Not only did we save some money, but we had a great time, and we know full well that both these cars work great.  It was my intention to buy a "driver" and now I know beyond a doubt what a great car the Ford is.  I have no doubt I could drive it anywhere.  After taking the dirt road detour, the whole trip came in right at 350 miles, about 160 there, and about 190 back.  We never needed that tow-chain!

Let us know what you think!

email  Dan  (with the Ford)
email  Matt (with the Jaguar)

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