I wanted to keep my Build-Up thread for build and repair postings. So.... here's my road trip thread. It's exciting to have already gone on a road trip with the coupe. This time last year, I could only dream about taking the coupe down the highway, high-tailing it out of Lincoln. I hope to go on many more, maybe road trip with those Omaha boys someday. Dunno if I'm cool enough, though... yet. SO, Power Tour 2008 was the first chance for my dad and I to hop into the coupe and take off to Ames, Iowa, after their stop in Lincoln. We had both put in a 15-hour work day, the day before, so moods could have been iffy. Instead, I woke up without an alarm and was standing in my kitchen looking at the wall when my dad arrived at my house early Wednesday morning. My mom came too. She was designated as the "assist vehicle" in her freshly waxed T-Bird, in case the coupe had any troubles on it's first journey out of Nebraska. We headed down 27th Street and met a lot of the Power Tour cars on Cornhusker as they were leaving the fairgrounds. We stayed on Cornhusker, which becomes Hwy 6 and goes thru Waverly, Ashland and Gretna. Before Ashland, there were a few long delays with progress down to one-lane traffic. It was really quite eery to begin with, because for a long period there were no cars coming from the other direction. But, car guys being the social creatures they are, got out, walked around, looked at cars and gabbed until it was time to move forward again. A ways into Iowa, we happened upon a truck that looked familiar. Then on out, we followed Joe and his pal Andy. So the 203 miles to Ames should have taken four or so hours. With all the construction delays and flood detours, it took us seven hours. Seven hours. We arrived at the fairgrounds in Ames after 5, just in time to watch all the vendors pack-up and leave for the next town. We did catch a little of the agility tests: And saw some cars: Since my dad and I had been talking about the Anglia he built when he was in school, this one was of particular interest. Small little buggars! This one had 13 or 15 miles on it. Can you say "trailer queen"? Gorgeous though. Bummed amount missing out on the show and dog tired from two very loooong days, we headed back to the hotel. But you know car guys. The hotel parking lots were mini car shows. This roadster belonged to a really nice couple. Tammy and Joe from Knoxville, Iowa, talked to us for quite a bit. They had actually been parked behind us on Hwy 6 during the construction delays:
Thanks Boys, but this story ain't over yet. Wednesday night in Ames, it rained. Hard. It woke me up once, and I looked outside to check on the coupe. Before I fell back to sleep, I wondered if I was going to be sitting in a wet seat the next morning. Turns out the seat wasn't completely soaked. But the body pan had a good deal of water sitting in some spots. And the coffee cans to which we attached tubes from the cowl vent and rear window were both over filled. As I was sopping out the water with an already drenched towel, thanking myself for being smart enough to empty the glovebox and take my blanket with me, my dad mumbled something to me. He said "It's broken." And I asked, "What's broken?" "The coupe." "The what?" I was fully awake, but for some reason, it didn't register with me. It can't be broken. We're in Iowa. He turned it over so I could hear the knock. WHA? He had gotten downstairs early, and while waiting for my mom and me, he went to start the coupe. It turned over and emitted a loud noise. He tried starting it once more to understand what may have happened and heard a loud knock. He knew what had happened and that our road trip was done. Water had gotten into the open valve, thru the air cleaner and carburetor. That water was trapped as the engine was turning over, and wasn't going to compress. With no where to go, it bent the rod. Standing there in the parking lot, having heard the knock, we could only guess how bad it was. The "Assist Vehicle" came in handy and my dad and I booked it home. Iowa was beautiful. It was under water, but it was lovely. On the way back, we talked about how in the world you could tell there was water in your engine. And you can't really. He said that racers (with manual trannys) get into the habit of putting their car into gear and pushing it backwards before they start it. This lets the water, or in most cases, excess fuel escape thru the exhaust ports. The only way to be super sure in an automatic is to take all the spark plugs out, put 'er in neutral and turn it over. The water will exit thru the spark plug holes.
So Friday night was our first chance to tear into the engine, to verify that water was the culprit. Ugh. It was. The rod was bent: And my favorite photo: Turns out, the piston became a little egg-shaped too, so it's a goner. The head seemed to be okay, so now my dad is tracking down a replacement rod and piston. Luckily, it's only a 350 small block, standard bore Chevy. Hopefully, we'll have the parts Wednesday night and have the engine running soon after. What really sucks is that it's not even a cool story. Water. I could have been doing something cool or stupid, or BOTH! Next time, maybe.
WOW, that really sucks. You do realize how lucky you are to have a Dad that knows exactly what is going on inside your engine? Up and running in a few days, very cool. We need more road trip stories around here. Thanks for posting. I can't remember if you said you were going to GG DesMoines or not?
Love road trips, although I can sympathise with the engine problems... Chin up, great to see you guys up and driving that sweet car... Cheers, Drewfus
Great story, Jess! (even though your car ended up "broken") Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. It was great to chat with you, your mom, and dad for a bit in Lincoln. You have no idea how bad I wanted to go with you guys to Ames on Wednesday! What's this about you not being cool enough to take a trip with the Omaha crew? Are you crazy? Hopefully you can go on a roadtrip with us soon! I'm sure you guys will have your car back on the road in no time at all, so keep us posted! Here's a photo I took of your car from last Tuesday in Lincoln, at Speedway: Malcolm
Thanks guys. And thanks Malcolm for the nice photo. I saw Joe and Andy taking photos of us following him down the highway. I'll see if I can get one from him to post. Yes, it would have been awesome to have you go with us to catch up. But everything was kind of lucky in a way. The construction and detour delays helped us avoid the pouring rain in Ames on Wednesday morning, the rod bent at the hotel so my mom was able to stay there and read while my dad and I left to fetch the trailer, you couldn't go with us because of work - even when the plan was to be home before noon on Thursday (we ended up getting to the farm after 9 pm on Thursday) and we were in Iowa just before the waters really started to rise.
Seeing the positive in the situation instead of the negative is a great way to lead your life Jess. With that kinda attitude you'll have hundreds of thousands of fun miles in hot rods the rest of your life.
Thanks for the adventure story. Too bad about your car but that is how we learn. Just remember, always keep a garbage bag under the seat for 'iffy' nights or long stops! Hopefully I'll see you and your coupe in person sometime this summer!
Jess, I feel your pain. I have a sbc bent connecting rod hanging in my garage and like you, I wasn't doing anything fun or stupid. It has become a conversation piece though! You and your Dad have done a fantastic job and I can't wait to see it in person. Kathy
Dude?? You must have missed the thread where Jess and her Dad built the car with pictures of her in the thread.
We've started putting the engine back together. Here's a link back to my build-up thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2900924#post2900924
Excellent story. Hang in there "kiddo".You and your Dad will be back on the road in no time. By the way, you're story telling abilities are superb..........Mike
Nice welcome to "hot Rod Reality". At least you got it out of the way right from the "get go". Now you'll be able to cruise the rest of the summer worry free (right). The car looks great and from reading about the build you and your dad did your in for many miles and many smiles. If you get to meet Denise I'l be surprised if you ever park the car for more than a gas stop. Frank