Re: Safe Highway Speed

Posted by Rscott77x On 2022/8/3 13:57:00
I recently moved my 1947 Custom Super Clipper from my home in SC to my new home in Florida which is about 3 hours away. Before the trip, I had an engine oil analysis done and the oil and the engine passed with flying colors.

I do have the overdrive and the 356 engine in this car. I carefully listened to the car while driving on the interstate and it seemed comfortable at 70. I also noticed, in an experiment, there was still a lot of power available beyond 70 but reasoned that the car and I are about the same age and it would be unwise to push either of us beyond 70 MPH.

But it is interesting to note that the car was not built for such high speeds. The builders probably anticipated highway speeds of about 50. But the engineering was so robust, that modern speeds can be achieved, within reason of course.

As a footnote to the drive, I noticed the car used about 1/2 a quart of oil during that drive. I cornered Ross Miller at the national meet and asked him about the oil consumption. He thought that was about normal for the car. We have to remember that the high degree of machine finishing we have on newer cars was not available when they were built so we need to apply standards to them that existed when they were built.

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