That '40 is sweet...I've seen it somewhere before. It looks like its new owner is enjoying it! Subscribed......have fun!
The Salt Flats Speed Shop party was a great night - met up with Uncle Max and a few other guys and saw some amazing cars. Best part was what was in the shop - talk about a talented person and so young! The pics tell the story - it was a great night, let me tell you. Oh, BTW, the BBQ was just out of this world! Of course, flatheads were in abound but the most notable was the Ardun headed, aluminum block, and blown version in the shop. The car, engine, everything about it is in perfect unison. As for the shop, there was unreal tin everywhere you looked - heck, the stuff outside in the weather most northern folks would fight over - not to mention the McCulloch (sp) unit being put together ...
. Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you in Perrysburg. I came over to look and you car a couple of times - Love It! Glad your having fun on the trip. Be safe. .
Tom T, I am really enjoying following along on your adventure. Real glad to hear the flattie is doing well. Keep up the great photos.
Tom, I'm loving the coverage on your trip. Our cross country tour in June took us to some of those same places. We also had trouble with the wind pushing us from side to side in the states you mention. Traveling at ~ 70 and hitting those wind gusts blew my wiper arms off twice . If you see Uncle Max again (maybe at the Hotel in Wendover) tell him I said hello. Keep up the coverage with pics as you have time. Wishing I was there with you guys!! John
Tom. Congratulations to all of you guys for making it. I'd like to give a special shout out to our friends Ric and Lynda from Canada who ran with you in their 32 roadster. They live 75 miles northeast of Toronto so they probably drove as far as you and Chuck did to meet up here in Erie. Thanks for the great coverage and keep it coming.
Day 7 - we are on the salt! And the salt is on us, the car, all over and some not in such nice places. No matter - it's of no consequence as I'm here! Trip from Orem was just about 2 hours and Rt 80 is straight shot to Wendover, really. Many may be thinking how my temps are - I have not got over 160 degrees yet with this flattie, even on the salt. Running really cool and I'm thankful for that. work has begun to prep the 3 race cars and one bike for tech and then on to runs. Keith's car passed, one did not, and the bike and 3rd car did not make it to tech today. The car that did not oass tech is getting the engine seen on the back of the pickup @ the Saltflats Speed Shop party - it supposedly puts out 200 HP. Life in the pits is rather grueling at times but we all pitched in to put up the floor and roof coverings, empty the van, trailer and other support vehicles, setup up the food tents, drinks, etc. We all did our share and it all got done. They tell it was a quiet day today but by the weekend the pits will be full and a mile long or more. I've also been hanging out with some really cool folks - all of us are in to cars but each different and in their own way. We've met so many Hamb and Fordbarn folks that we can't keep up. We did go to the party at the Nugget - light crowd but all are pumped for tomorrow. Unfortunately my battery ran out in my camera - I'll post some of tomorrow night's festivities. Here are some pics - the last 2 are of a rdstr p-up built in '47 - really sweet, neat truck ... I am having some trouble with the car but nothing mechanical (other than needing an oil change very badly). The trunk lid is f-glass and the passenger hinge pin bracket broke away from the lid. One screw is still holding it on but not by much. We figure to JB weld the parts together using a c-clamp to hold it together until dry. Then, create a 200 MPH tape hinge across the whole back lid of the lid so we can make it all the way home. Never a dull moment - one of the guys in our group suggested the tape idea and at least I will not have to take things all aprt to repair it. I have a steel trunk lid - I just have not put it on yet.... Pics are loaded
Day 8 RB update 2 out of the 4 race vehicles have passed tech Keiths new car and the 6232 car also passed. The one getting the new engine is still being put together probably will fire it up tomorrow the the cycle needs updates to the point the owner is riding it to Salt Lake City to a dealer who should be able to perform most of the work for him. Hey, we found Elmo Rodge what a bellytanker hes built a thing of beauty. We caught up with him this afternoon and he was just asked to roll it out for a photo shoot. Since he had that and other visitors we tols him we would catch up with him another time. This thing is so very slick that it needs to be seen in person. We did a couple things to the car today. First, the only car parts store in town allowed us to change our oil at his place. Nice guy, pretty knowledgeable, and the roadster is now running on fresh oil. We also fixed the trunk lid hinge by first drilling another hole through the lid and the bracket so as to make a better/stronger setup. Then we cleaned things off and JB Welded them together. It worked out so well that the 200 MPH tape is not needed. I also removed some weather stripping that was pushing on the lid as you closed it so not to strain our repair. I now need to find a car wash with a vacuum theres salt everywhere in my roadster. So much in fact that Im wondering whether I will get it all out! Hey, no problem as I built it to drive, not pamper. It is sticky stuff so everything is sticky but I still love driving on the salt period. The place is starting to fill up and cruise night at the Nugget was jammed. We met some more HAMB and Fordbarn folks and spoke with them - man, it's great actually "knowing" people in places you've never been. So much fun to meet up and shoot the breeze .... I don't think I've seen this many flatheads ever all in one place. Flatheads are almost the "belly button" engines around here (I'm not complaining of course that there are so many - bring 'em on!) Ive got a lot of pics to post but Im still having picture posting problems. Ill keep working on things and get something posted soon . Temps today were up to 92, tomorrow 95, and Sunday somewhat cooler. Wind was not a factor, only until the end of the day really, so lets hope tomorrow proves a good weather day for our first passes. Finally some pics ....
Steve, Rick and Linda are really nice folks and we have enjoyed their company throughout. They, like us, are also on a continuing journey after Bonneville - they are on a long trip in their roadster w/flattie and T5 just like we are. Yep, it can be done ....
Just got caught up on your thread Tom.. Your my hero pal.. If you need a place to crash or any help on the way back let me know.. I'll come get u east of Mississippi!! Call me and let me know when your going to Iron Lords.. Me and the family will meet you there! Be safe pal.. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Tom, met you in Cheyenne. I was driving the black 5 window. Sounds like your having a great time and wish you a safe journey!
Tom, glad you guys made it and are having a good time. So far the quote of the trip is from Day 7 ..."we are on the salt! And the salt is on us..." Keep the reports coming, don't forget to have fun.
Day 9 what a day. We were at the starting line most of the day, watching the RBs as well as others make their runs. Keiths new car went 177 on its first pass, then 187 on its second pass with plenty more under his foot and 12-15 MPH crosswinds. The 8892 car (the one that ran yesterday) didnt fare as well with a run of 156, but I heard the wind really buffeted the car badly. They also passed tech on the third car, the roadster with the big flattie in it and it sounds like a monster! They will make 1-2 experimental passes before the crew get a crack at making a run, then finally Ken wants to make a run. We are an entourage of about 40+ people now its a good time and were all having fun, only multiplied by the runs weve been making . Another exciting thing today was that Chuck bought a hot rod! He presently has 2 cars, mostly stockers. But he fell in love with a 29 Model A chopped 2-door painted the near exact same color as my car. Nicely done, great sheetmetal work, all new engine and trans, ford 8 w/2:79s, pleated white vinyl seat shes a sweet looking ride, that is for sure. He actually bought it from a HAMB member and we spoke at point about the color choice some time ago on the HAMB. A Really nice guy, he lives in Cinncinati, OH, and as we are planning on driving through there anyway on our way home, Chuck may pick it up and well part ways there - he taking his new ride home and Ill go on my own to home. We also saw Fordbarner Elmo Rodge or Wayno as he was making his way over to the start line. He was really excited and had a smile from ear to ear unfortunately, we did not find out how he made out. Its very tough to hear the announcements with all the engines firing up so much at the starting line. I took a boatload of pictures yeah, yeah I know, where are they I will keep trying and if for nothing else, Ill just put them up on a website for all to see. So, between being at the starting line, seeing Wayno, and making the car deal today, it was really a very full day. Looking forward to tomorrows runs . Oh, and BTW this is/was only my 17th day of retirement! And, I have a new nickname given to me by Ken - The Joker - I cannot get the smile off of my face at ANY time during the day, all day long!
Tom,you guys are living the dream! Thank you for taking the time to document and photograph your journey,,stay safe and have fun! HRP
Day 10 - another day on the salt and we're lovin it! Keith's car made another pass and got to 188.5 mph and there's still more power available. He's hoping to bump over 190, a personal best for him. The 8892 car made a pass but there is still something wrong with fuel delivery and had to be shut down once it reached 3rd gear. The flathead roadster ran very well 1-2 but the clutch disk grenaded in 3rd when she had to be shut down once reaching a 220 temp. They will be going to Salt Lake City tomorrow early AM for a replacement, but the engine sounded VERY strong and there is plenty under the pedal sort-to-speak. They did remove the belly pan under the engine to get rid of some of the engine heat and I think they will NOT warm up the car on the starting line but just start, rev it and go once they get the green light for a pass. Wayno is doing just that and his car hasn't gotten much over 165 at the end of a run on the long course. A side note and some history regarding the flathead engine they are using in the roadster - seems it was built at one time way back when by OlRon of the Fordbarn. He's built many a flathead for the roundy round cars up in the northeast and even has a book out called Nostalgia. One thing I failed to mention about yesterday - we did attend the HAMB meet and greet, bought some raffle tickets, and I won the flatcad laser cut key rack - way cool item, really. We unfortunately had to leave early due to Chuck needing to make some arrangements regarding his new hotrod but my hat is off to gman and all who put it together. Thank you for doing your part for the HAMB .... Tonight we attended the Inliners gathering at the KKOA campground. Some nice stuff was for sale and there was a pretty large crown, good food, nice folks. We met Bob who had the great post about his trip to Alaska - great guy, nice ride, and we had a great conversation. We did a lot of driving around the salt today and my engine temps actually went up to 175, the highest it's been on the whole trip. But, it was pretty warm today and we cruise around the pits in second while at idle - pretty easy but it does cause the engine to work a bit harder. Wayno, Elmo Rodge's first pass in his flathead powered bellytank was around 114 yesterday but he had some minor issues that made him shut down once reaching 3rd. Today he ran a 141.6 I believe, a really big improvement. We are hoping to catch him run once before we leave - we just have to coordinate things as he's running on the longer 5-mile 1-2 courses and we've been hanging out on the shorter 3-4 ones. Of our 40+ entourage I believe about 12 folks have left us with more leaving tomorrow and Tuesday. Teams on the salt are also thinning out as tranny, engine, and other various issues knock teams out of the running. Of course it is the end of the weekend too so that also has something to do with it.We've had a great time hanging out together We've been bumping into Uncle Max of Stromberg 97 rebuilding fame all over the place - on the salt, at cruise night at the Nugget, just all over. We've had a great time hanging out together and he is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet. He's heading home tomorrow to get back to work - safe travels to a great guy .... Finally the motorcycle has now passed tech I believe but has not yet made a run. It's a pretty fast stock bike with runs of slightly over 200MPH having been made by others with the same bike. We'll see what happens tomorrow .... Just another day on the salt trying to go fast ....
My boy on richie whalens 3w in perrysburg. Glad to hear yall made it and enjoyed yourselves. My fiance and I are already planning to join in 2015 when my deuce pickup is done Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks for sharing...Man this needs to happen sooner than later for me! I don't have cash to throw around but I think as soon as my son is old enough to remember the trip he and I will have to run out there and live out of the trunk of the car! I've always said I wasn't going to go with out taking a hot rod or going with someone who's racing so we'll see how that pans out! Great thread!
The Jalopy Journal
