Donny Brass

I usually top out at about 3 mph, and hit .04 G swerving around horse apples......

or is that too reckless ??

Plasticman

Fast enough to just keep up with the marchers in front of us. Or put another way, not so fast that I would run over them.

And I only use the 87 Vette with an auto trans. Tried it ONCE with the 62, and even with a combined first/rear gear of 11:1 running at 1K rpm idle, I had to either slip the clutch constantly or do the in/out clutch jerking along (or risk running over the above named marchers).

Note that in parades down here, there are the candy throwers (from vehicles). Last Xmas, a kid was killed by one of the parade vehicles. I would not make any sudden moves in those circumstances, and keep a wary eye for the kids.

Plasticman

Mike Terry

I did at one time drive my cars in parades but not any more. All my corvettes are 4 spd and it is to hard on the clutch and my leg to do that kind of stuff. Also I could not get enough air to the car and the temp would climb so Parades are out for me. But your speed sounds about right.

Injected Stingray

I once averaged .5 for 2 hours in the St Ignace parade. My knees were shaking when I got out of the car...... well at least the left one......

jkuzzy

LOL....I can't imagine. I did about 45 minutes and was about to pass out from the left leg pain.

nassau66427

Now if the parade is being held on a straight, desolate stretch of "closed course".....

BarryK

I did a parade once in my '65 - never again! My leg was exhausted by the end and I think I killed at least half the life of my clutch.

The '78 is an auto trans so I'd do a parade in that, but never with a manual trans again.

66427-450

agree, leave those to the people with the mild cams and autos

Ron Miller

I drove the '65 4-speed with 3:08 rear differential in a loonnnggg Christmas parade in West Memphis, Arkansas several years ago. Never again, I vowed, and never have. Since then, I use the '66 convertible with Powerglide, such a dream!! The convertible is more of a parade car anyhow, a lot more popular with the homecoming queens.

The parades I've been in for the past several years have learned that the saddle horses and horse drawn wagons go in the rear!! Don't know why it took folks so long to recognize this, I believe the high school bands were more of an impetus for change here than the cars were, though.

Donny Brass

you guys need more gear !!


I run a close ratio box and a 4.56 to keep the speed down in first gear.......

heck, at 600 rpm in first. I chug along at a 3.4 mph, while you speed demon maniacs with your 'highway' gears and 'wide ratio' transmissions chase defenseless Cub Scouts at a neck breaking 5.2 mph........

If I know I will be following the Shriners, I pull out the 5.13 and back it down to a respectable 3.06

66427-450

lol

for the record, I believe us "Wide Ratio" guys with 4.11 "have more gear" than you do in 1st ....... right?

PS: when you going to come get your hood

Donny Brass

More gear for mowing down the Woman's Axiliary ........... you Stroker Ace wanna-be.....

you are correct, though, about the tranmission, and in the name of saftey I will get that swapped out at once.......

C2Driver

The only parade I've ever done was at the invitational of Corvettes at Carlisle. Even at this relatively short event, there sure were a lot of boiling rads!

Similar to a long parade though is the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise in Detroit, although you can occasionally drive faster than parade speed through certain sections of the route. An amazing experience and great way to spend the best part of a week. My left leg was sore for a week, from all the stop and go clutching. - Pat

Cruzmeisters

Woodward - takes ~3 hours on Saturday to drive the 16 miles from Ferdale to the Pontiac "loop" and return to Ferndale Did it my "rookie" year Now I Cruise it all of the other days; come Saturday, I plant my big BUTT in a chair and video all the action

Cruz

dfolse62

Carried one Queen once in the 62, that was enough. Now in Mardi Gras parades I drive the 1956 SEAGRAVE pumper truck. Nice smooth super low gears behind the V-12 dual ignition engine. Pull the throttle out a tad drop her in first and parade on!!

Cruzmeisters

Drove the '62 in a Memorial Day Parade in Carnegie, Pa. years ago; LONG "uphill" behind a (slow) marching band...LOTTA "clutch-slippin' " like mentioned above Swore: "never again"
Then - in '06 - was one of 5 GM/Chevrolet-manufactured 'verts invited to participate in the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Victory Parade
Couldn't "pass" on THAT What a RUSH! 1/4 million spectators honoring/cheering the Steelers It was fairly level "dahn-tahn" but I wouldn't have noticed any discomfort at all...I was too PUMPED!

Plastic Pig

I go as fast as I can using the other cars and band members like slalom cones. The big tuba guys are kinda hard to get around but the baton twirlers make for pretty easy gates. Fastest I've gotten her up to was about 150 during the 4th of July parade. I was doing drifting laps around the the whole parade as it moved. The parade was a little over a mile long so it had some sweet straightaways.

The secret to saving the clutch is to just keep the tires spinning....

philip964

Guys we have gone over all this before.

This is why you have the car. Enjoy it. Time to relive those High School days except this time the cheerleader is in your car with two more sitting behind you on the convertible hatch.

I'd much rather do this than sit in a lawn chair for the whole weekend listening too. "When I was 21, I had a Covette, but it was a 409"

sub006

Drove Miss Disneyland Ambassador in a parade once.

Watch out for overheating! We barely made it with the temp guage pegged.

Procrastination Racing

I haven't driven in a parade for some time.

http://www.geocities.com/cd_mvca/jv78.htm

But I did have my '68 up to 1.50 a few times but it isn't a C1 or C2.

My '66 I had over 1.85 and maybe 1.90 if everything was correct.


The question that was originally asked is answered at this link:

http://www......showthread.php?t=10355