375,000 mile alert

[R. Button]

Update for things to watch out for... somewhere around the 375,000 miles you might want to take your original fiberglass framed bucket seats completely out of the car and check for rusted staples! http://www.ffcars.com/forums/images/smilies/001_smile.gif LOL... I was pulling out my seat to make some adjustments to the angle of it! Seems that on really long drives 16-18 hours I started noticing my right leg getting numb so thought I'd adjust the seat angle to see if I can relieve the pressure on my leg. Of course the simple solution would be ... get out of the car and walk around a bit...
I pull my seat out and seems all the original staples put in somewhere around 1996 or 7 had rusted leaving the bolts holding the seat to the floor also holding the seat covering in place. Imagine that ...countless water soaking, steel staples lasting only 15-17 years! http://www.ffcars.com/forums/images/smilies/001_rolleyes.gif oh well got my trusty power stapler out to reattach the covering to my oh so very comfortable seat with more steel staples!

Just thought I'd mention it in case someone has one of the original seats from an original Mark I and is creeping up on those high miles! http://www.ffcars.com/forums/images/smilies/001_rolleyes.gif

'Course your mileage may vary and not all staples are made the same etc etc etc

[Dan Babb]

Might be time to look into getting a replacement set of seats for your car. The newer steel framed ones are quite a bit more comfortable than the fiberglass framed ones.

[jrjr]

They just don't build stuff like they used to :-)

[68GT500MAN]

Ralph, You will probably only get 250,000 miles out of the new staples since they probably came from China.
Doug

[ehansen007]

LOL. You should tell Smith they should be replaced under warranty. Just to see what he says.

[Plebeian]

Lets see, I've had my car for nearly 9 years and have averaged 3k miles per year. Yep, my calender is now marked for 116 years in the future. Thanks for the heads up. Cheers.

[jakester888]

375K : truly amazing Mr. Button.

[skullandbones]

You should have butt prints in that fiberglass shell by now! Time to upgrade to one of those plush leather jobs. You deserve it.

Good luck and many more miles!

WEK.

[WIS89]

Ralph-

One heck of a milestone! Awesome, just awesome.

Shame about those seats not holding up... I hope you have better luck with your upgrade. ;-o)

Regards,

Steve

[onefastben]

Ralph, 375,000 miles and you talk about rusty staples. I bet you have some really interesting stories to tell. Odd places you've been to, Interesting people you've met, unfortunate breakdowns, being caught in a rainstorm etc. Can you share some of those stories.

[RM1SepEx]

I remember you autocrossing that car here in Maine when the miles were in the low thousands! Great milestone Ralph!

[first time builder]

Use Monel staples I guarantee 400K miles. WOW what a milestone !!


Kenny

[R. Button]

Yes I have a few miles on my Mark I ... it's not so much the miles but the Fun per Mile you get with these cars! And the people that would just never say a word to you at the gas pump, now peek around the pump ... then start asking questions. That's what builds those Fun per Mile stats! The questions maybe the same but you have to consider that this person has never gotten to ask "that question".
Is it real,
Is it a Corvette?
What kind of car is it?
etc....
So smile, patiently answer them, waiting to see where the conversation goes.
My fill in the blank had one of those! - I'd take a penny for every one of those comments and have money to buy a house with the earnings!!!
Or can I take a picture of it, my fill in the blank will never believe me without a picture! Usually in closely followed by can my son/daughter stand by it... to which I open the door and say wouldn't you rather they sit in it?
Ever so often you get some one that will surprise you ...
Bet that doesn't have the old Bristol engine in it! - heard that one in an out of the way gas station off route 79 in upstate NY.

I have been followed into Rest Stops, followed by school buses that as they pass me every window is open with kids waving, and many of you probably know that drivers on the 4 lanes will hang on your left rear corner as they look over the car - I had to adjust my mirror to monitor that corner closely as it happens so often. I've had truckers tell me in the morning after I've parked at a rest area to sleep in my car, that "We parked around you so no one would bother you last night!"
I've come up on large groups of bikers only to have them split into a wider opening, on the 4 lane, so I can drive up between them! Talk about a motorcycle escort!
I bet some of you southern Calif owners have driven down Rodeo Drive and still, even with all the exotic cars parked there, you get thumbs up from people!
It was a kool feeling to know they liked this car even while they standing by some of those half million dollar cars!

(Our personal SUV also is rather high on miles... two years and it's about to roll over 100,000 miles.)

[rwantin]

That is awesome. Funny thing about this car...I'm actually USING it more and more, as it should be. For some reason, was somewhat less inclined to take longer trips in the TR-6 (replaced with the MK II). :)