Update...................finally.

I have been very lax on blogging. I will try to to recap the high lights of the past few weeks. After leaving Wendover on Saturday, Barry and I drove to Salt Lake City to visit some friends. First it was Dick Rodwell, the maker of the cool windshields that we both run on our roadsters. Dick is cool old hot rodder....he has done it all. Has a killer roadster, a bonneville roadster and a 34. He makes the windshields in his basement shop....a one man show. Pretty amazing. Next is was off to see Stanley Wanlas, he is an artist and specializes in bronze sculptures of cars and people. He designed the windshield that Dick now makes. Stan also makes some awesome bronzes of 32 Ford hot rods. Google his name and find his web and checkout his art. Joy, his wife and him had a great lunch all waiting for us...what a nice thing. We ate, talked, checked out his art gallery and his garage....always a fun time there. Sunday morning it was on the road again, Barry headed north to Idaho and then Yellowstone, I headed east to Cheyenne for the night and then on towards home. I spent Monday night in Pierre SD. Tuesday I left early on Rte 14. About 40 miles out I decided to stop and take of my coat, as I pushed on the clutch it slapped to the floor....oh oh.....that's not right. I pulled to the side of the rod in this little tow, don't remember the name...I felt under the car and could feel the slave cylinder hanging in two pieces. There was a repair shop about two blocks back, so I started the car in first and drove there. It was a nice, clean spacious shop, two lifts and both were empty. I went in and told the guy my problem. I drove the car in and we put it on the lift. Raised it up, I screwed the slave back together, we had to rebleed and adjust it and it all worked. I had no brake lights in Salt Lake, changed the switch and still no lights except for a flicker, we tried to bleed the brakes in the hotel lot but could not get a wrench on the bleeder....so I said heck with it. Since it was on the lift I could reach the bleeder. So I asked the guy to help me bleed the brakes as long as it was in the air...he did and the lights worked....fixed two things in one stop. I was back on the road and headed for home. ****************************************************************************** At home we had the "Topless Tour Completion Celebration" at my house........just a big party...lots of people, something like 180 showed up, had hot rods parked all over the neighborhood....a fun day. ******************************************************************************* Just a few days after the party, I got a lead on a real nice deuce tudor body in Missouri....long story short, I bought it and did a quick road trip to pick it up. Real nice, no rust, decent paint, complete interior....80 years old but complete...all glass, garnishes, dash, good top insert...plans are to order a new Cornhusker chassis, sbc, 5 speed, pop the body on that, add steel fenders that I have and drive it! ****************************************************************************** A few weeks later we went to The Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood NJ. On the way we stopped at Steadfast hot rod shop in Ohio, then the big swap meet in Carlise, PA, the Hot Rod Garage in Denton MD then finally the race. It is a race, 1/8th mile drags on the beach, right by the Atlantic ocean....and only three classes....motocycles, flatheads and fourbangers....thats it. It was a GREAT time!! I think I need to get that flathead running, put it in the Modified lakester and go racing next year...that's the plan anyway. **************************************************************************************************** On the drive home Greg and I heard about an auction in Ohio coming up in a few weeks. We got a pickup with a topped and turned back around and headed for the auction. Its a good thing we did not take a bigger truck,( we did discuss that,) because the truck we brought was FULL, that sort of held us in control!! I brought home firewalls, gas tank, grille, tires and a bunch of small parts.We had a great time...meant some new friends too. **************************************************************************************************** I have been working on the phaeton, got the body on, fitted the floor boards, shifter, fenders and going to start the wiring in a day or so. Oh yes, made steering column bracket, and orderd a ton of more parts, like wheels,steering parts and so on. THis next two weeks should really get it close to being done. The fordor will be next, unless I get side tracked on the new tudor....or finish the paint on the panel,,,,or put the fttie in the lakester.....all I know is that I will be busy in the shop!!

Friday/Saturday

We pulled out of the hotel about 9 AM. There was 4 roadsters and a coupe running together. We decided to stop for breakfast at a truck stop on the west side of Salt Lake City. Three of the roadsters decided not to eat so they went ahead. That left Bart from Vermont , me and two trucks with trailers. After breakfast Bart and I left first and let the trucks follow behind. The speed limit is 80 MPH and we did all of that and sometimes more. It was a great 120 mile run. We arrived at the Nugget casino and hotel about noon, checked in and found a place to park for the nights activities that night. The racers were pulling in and parking in the back lot. The salt was wet so no one could go to the pits yet. We all hung out in the lot until night time. A reaally cool car show....many cars for a Friday night. The announcement came that everything was moved out one day to give the salt time to dry. Saturday morning Barry and I decided to drive to the end of the road to check the salt condition. It was not good....it was water evey where...not just wet but under water.....6 inches or so at the black top end and who knows how deep farther out. At that time it was announced that Speed week...100 anniversary was officially canceled! We scooted back to the hotel to check out before the deadline of 11AM and headed to Salt Lake City.

Thursday

We had breakfast at the hotel about 8AM and left for Orem Utah about 9ish. It was a nice short and beautiful ride. We arrived at the hotel about noon, had lunch at the hotel, cleaned the cars and then headed to the Salt Flats Speed Shop. Chris does some real nice work there. He had a deuce roadster, a 34 tudor, a 34 phaeton all under construction. He served a great BBQ sandwich for dinner. There were maybe 40 cars parked outside the lot up and down the street. We had special parking in the lot by the front doors....cool! I saw some old friends there and had a good time. Then it was back to the hotel. The next morning it was off to Wendover.

Wednesday

I woke up to some rain....waited till 11 AM for the skies to clear. To the west was clear blue and that was where I was heading. I80 has lots of construction. Many miles of one lane each way. Next year it should be a great drive with all the roads repaved. I was going to Rock Springs for the night. About a 100 miles out of Cheyenne the skies clouded up. I got the rain poncho on and kept going. The skies opened and it poured for for 20 or 30 miles. I did not get that wet but it was really hard to see. I made it to Rock Springs hotel about 4:00 PM. I was to meet the Rolling Bones there. They showed up about 8 PM finally. I ate dinner earlier but went with them to have a drink while they ate. The plan was to leave the next morning for Ogden about 9 AM.

Monday/Tuesday

I left Lincoln Monday morning for the drive to Cheyenne. The skies were a little cloudy but dry. Within 70 mile or so it looked like rain ahead. I checked the radar and it showed it just to the north of I80....but it sure looked like it was right ahead of me. I stopped and put on the rain poncho. I think that was the magic trick because it never rained a drop.......until I pulled into the hotel lot in Cheyenne! 400 and some odd miles, a good drive, a little warm the last 100 or so miles. It rained off and on all night. When I got up this morning it was still raining lightly. The radar showed it should be gone in a couple of hours. I only had 250 miles to drive today so I hung out until 11 AM to leave. The skies were beautiful and clear of rain clouds. The car did get muddy leaving the lot. I80 was more 2 lanes than 4 lanes west of Cheyenne. Lots of construction. Next year the road should be great! I stopped for gas somewhere about 150 miles from Rock Springs and found a car wash next door. A quick wash and the car looked good again. About 40 miles from Rock Springs it rained like I was driving thru a car wash for about 10 miles....10 long miles! I made it here, went to O'Riley's to buy some rainx!! The weather report for Salt Lake does not look good. I am not going to wash the car. It looks like several rain storms all day tomorrow. I am waiting for the Rolling Bones guys to show up. It is 6PM now. They are driving from North Platte NE....a long day for them...probably a wet one too.

August 3rd

I left this morning at 8 for day one of the Bonneville trip. I made it to Lincoln at 4:30, 502 miles. A good drive. No excitment. Cruised 70 to 75. In Lincoln I met with my sister and family for tacos and margaritas ...there were 10 of us....fun night. Its out of here at 7ish for Cheyenne Shor4t story tonight.....but nothing happened to report!!

Catch up

Well I made it to Goodguys Des Moines and on to Columbus Goodguys....had a great time. No time to post...or did you notice. I did do a few facebook postings...thats so quick from the phone. This Sunday...August 3rd I leave for Bonneville in the roadster pickup...for about 2 weeks. I promise i will post more often. I will meet with the Rolling Bones in Rock Springs, WY, go to the Open House at Salt Flats Speed Shop and onto Speedweek in Wendover. It will be a fun time. I will meet up with buddy Barry from CT and friend Jerry from Albuquerque in Wendover. I will be driving to and from the flats by myself. Those of you staying home are goint to miss a fun trip.