Eventually, however, butane was rationed in Los Angeles. Without any government coupons for it, we had to drive farther away to “fill ‘er up.” Our nearest available butane stop now was in Bishop, California. This was about a five-hour drive from our home in Santa Monica, but that didn’t matter. With a 30-gallon butane tank and getting over forty miles to the gallon, we could afford to drive to Bishop which was right on the way to some of our favorite ski areas: Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe. When butane eventually became rationed in Bishop we even drove to Ensenada, Mexico, for a fill up.
Susybelle enjoyed all this driving. She stood up well under the changes to her original styling. Because of the extra carburetor and the super charger, a hole had to be made in her hood for the air filter which now sat on top, causing a few curious stares from passing motorists and cops. But she ran well. Butane being a softer running fuel, you could feel the ease with which she gobbled up the miles.
There was one more change made to our girl. Another tank was added and placed on the floor of the back seat. This tank was to be used for any flammable fuel we could find. These fuels included distillate, paint thinner, and cleaning fluid. Another battery was also added and was strapped to a small stool on the passenger side of the front seat. All told, Susybelle was outfitted now to go anywhere. And she did.
On our honeymoon, in November 1944, we drove from Los Angeles to Yosemite, then to Mount Hood, Oregon, continuing on to Sun Valley, Idaho, and next to Alta, Utah, skiing at all these resorts. At the end of the week, on our way back home, Susybelle developed a small problem. Her tires were getting smooth. Since tires were also rationed at that time, we had to search through a junk yard in a small town for the right-sized tires. They were soon located, installed and we were on our way home after a whirlwind trip, locating fuel stops all along the way.
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