Event Coverage ROAD TRIP! - Oklahoma to St. Louis Hot Rod Hundred

Well, I just got back a couple weeks ago now from heading up to St. Louis for the first-annual Hot Rod Hundred and am pumped both about the event itself and the road trip that I took with my four kids from Oklahoma there and back. And, since I know I always enjoy reading the “Road Trip” threads and the fact that I took lots of pics, I figured I would share some of our fun here with you all.



First, a little background on the car…It is a 56 Ford Fairlane that clocked a little over 88,000 original miles after getting back to Oklahoma from St. Louis. It was quite a find in itself and the story of how I ended up with it is here although all the pics are gone http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/new-ride-survivor-1956-ford-fairlane.551669/ Ironically, I picked it up from the previous owner in St. Louis. Anyway, I have had it for almost four years now and really haven’t done much with it other than buff it, lower it, go through the brakes, and drive it until this spring. Back in May of this year, I finally had all the parts rounded up to get rid of the troublesome original 4-barrel carburetor and put my 3x2 setup on. So, I tore it down and got it all back together trying to get it done so I could drive it on the Oklahoma City HRH that was in June. I got it running the day before the event about noon or so and figured I would take it for a test drive.



It made it to the gas station fine, made it to the car wash fine, and made it back to the house fine. Considering I was fixing to load up my wife and four kids the next morning and drive 300 miles or so, I decided I would also like to take it around the mile section to make sure it was going to be reliable. It made it 2-1/2 miles before it started running bad and barely made it the other 1-1/2 miles back to the house. After some quick troubleshooting and no time left, I ended up not taking it on the run…

So, fast forward to about a month ago when I got serious about wanting to get it going again to head up to St. Louis. We had a crazy summer with the four kids, working on a house for my father-in-law, etc. and I hadn’t had a chance to mess with the car again until that point. So, I started by pulling the carburetors apart where I found issues with a power valve and power valve plugs leaking because they were for late model Holleys instead of 94’s as well as some other minor issues. I had them apart a few times after much research here on 94’s (which I am very thankful for by the way!). Anyway, after getting the carburetors where I thought they should be working right, I still couldn’t get it to start. It would hit intermittently like it was flooded or something, but wouldn’t ever actually start. I started to question whether I was also chasing an ignition issue. I had swapped the distributor to a rebuilt later-model y-block distributor and had made the assumption that it was good. So, after checking the coil (which tested higher resistance than it should have been), I swapped it out. Still wouldn’t start. So, I pulled the distributor to check it out and everything looked good as far as connections, point gap, etc. When I had recently changed out the plugs, I noticed that the plug wires weren’t in great condition either, so I swapped them out (which is by the way some of the hardest and greasiest wires I have ever changed). By this time, I had a pretty much completely new ignition system and it still wouldn’t start and run. At the point that I was about to give up and not make it again, I pulled the distributor one more time. This time, I pulled the condenser off and swapped it out with a new one I had. After I put it back in, I had good spark and it finally started up again! I am still not sure if it was a bad condenser or bad connection at the points, and not sure I really care since it is now fixed!

So, it was exactly one week before the St. Louis HRH, so I was pumped. I drove it to church which is about an 80 mile round trip for a mini “reliability run” the next day both to convince me that it would be somewhat reliability as well as convince the kids. My oldest boy had experienced it not being very reliable a couple times and wasn't ready to have to push again... It did great, so I figured I was good to go! Having four kids can drive a mother nuts, so I decided that my vacation could also be a vacation for her if all four kids went with me. She was happy to let them all go to say the least…

I started to make travel plans and also started looking at the weather. Our next hurdle appeared to be lots of rain both in Oklahoma and Missouri for the weekend. I decided to go ahead and head that way Thursday afternoon after the kids got out of school and drive as far as we could to beat some of the predicted rain. So, we packed about all you can pack in the trunk of a 56 Ford and loaded up.



We hit the road and decided to just take I-44 the whole way instead of taking the more popular Route 66 that I had originally planned on for a couple reasons. One, I wanted to make better time. And, two, my car was trying to load up sometimes in traffic since I hadn’t spent enough time getting the carburetors tuned in quite right yet. We then saw lots of this at least while the weather was still nice.



Here are a couple shots of the crew. A very rare shot of the driver since he doesn't show up in many pictures...



And, three of the four kids for now. I didn't get all four in a picture until later since he was playing photographer...



We made pretty good time heading toward Tulsa other than the first time it loaded up and died after the first toll booth…Thankfully, it started right back up and we didn’t hold up traffic too long…We ended up driving without finding rain until Vinita, OK and then it never stopped. We saw lots of miles that looked like this after Vinita.



By Springfield, MO I was tired of driving in the rain with no wipers and the kids were ready to stop and go for a swim. So, we found a room and stayed for the night. While at the hotel, I ended up backing the idle mixture screws out a half turn on the center carburetor and it seemed to be less likely to load up after that.

Kids making lots of noise at the hotel after being cooped up in a car with no radio, DVD player, etc.



Friday morning after a good breakfast at the Hampton Inn in Springfield, we hit the road again. One thing that I learned is that if I park my car uphill a little while it is raining all night, the rear seat gets soaked! So, even though the kids are smiling in this pic, they were not real happy to have to sit on a wet seat for the ride to St. Louis. And, here is kid number 4 looking "Happy, Happy, Happy"...



It rained on us all the way to our next hotel, but we made it to St. Louis fine.



We arrived about 1:30 or so and figured the kids could go for another swim…right up until we found out that the pool was closed for maintenance. So, instead of watching the kids swim, I got a short nap in prior to meeting up with some of the other Crossmembers for dinner and last minute preparations for the run on Saturday. We had a great dinner with Chris (Roothawg), Clay (cvstl), Bret (bchrismer) and David Hay from Iowa before going over to Clay’s house for dessert and bag stuffing.

A Friday night pic from Clay's house.



More later...ran out of time at lunch today.

 

LUNCH! You don't need a lunch! Not nearly as bad as I want you to finish the story!

 

I spend a lot of time 'waiting' on the Hamb

 

Keep posting, this sounds like it's going to be a good one. I've done some long road trips with Two kids and am not sure I'd have been up to four in one car at one time.
That's a slick little Ford you have there too.

 

Sounds like a great start!

 

Funny, my youngest had the same type of non-reliable experience, and it took me making the round-trip from StL to OKC for her to get back in the passenger seat.....

 

Sweet ride Jeff,
Ya told me part of the story over here one day. But the detail and all the pics make it come to life!
Ready to Chapter 2..........................

 

Bet the kids will remember.NiceFord too.

 

Ok, sorry to keep everyone waiting. Life just stays busy it seems.

Another pic of what kept my four kids and Clay’s kids busy while we visited and prepared for the next morning. This was the first time our kids had ever met and you would have thought they had known each other their entire lives.



We made it back to the hotel about 11:30 or so and were able to get some sleep in before an early Saturday morning. There is another thread with pics of the event itself here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/oct-11-2014-hot-rod-hundred-reliability-run-st-louis.939147/ , so I will try not to post duplicate pics.

Here are couple pics early when we were all gathering up in the parking lot.




We started at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation and I never actually made it inside. However, Clay’s wife took the kids in so they could use the facilities and I ended up with one pic at least.



And, we are off!



And, a couple from the road.





First stop was at V8 Speed Shop in Red Bud, IL. Here are a couple pics that I don’t think have been shared yet.





Ok, so short side story...I have been trying to buy this 54 Ford for my son that the city I work in owns for about 3 years now. They decided to have an auction to get rid of it and some other stuff the day of this event. So, my wonderful wife offered to go bid on if for me. I got a call while we were on this first stop that the bidding was fixing to start. A few minutes later, I talk to my wife and find out that it went WAY higher than I was wanting to give. So, we didn't end up with it.



But, as a consolation prize I ended up being the winning bidder on this truck. Not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but it went for less than scrap price so I now have a truck for the kids to play like they are driving in.


Back to the trip...Another road shot along the way showing the leaves changing colors.



And, a couple shots from the final stop at Vance Vineyards and Winery in Fredericktown, MO that haven’t already been shared.





To be continued again...

 

After a great lunch and some great fellowship, folks started heading out and we figured we would head out as well.
Since the car was doing so well, I knew I should probably head another hour or so east and go see some relatives that I hadn’t seen in several years while I was so close. Both of my folks are from southern Illinois and I haven’t made it up there to visit anyone since my grandparents passed away a few years back. So, we left the Vance Vineyard and Winery and headed toward Mt. Vernon, IL to go see a couple aunts. I called one of them on the way over to let them know we were coming. I just adopted my girls back in 2011 and none of my family in Illinois had ever met them.

On the road again.



We had a great evening visiting with friends and relatives and went to church the next morning where most of my family still goes so we could see some others. It is actually even the church where my folks were married so is one of those places you show up and people who you have no idea who they are come up to you and tell you how they are related. Anyway, one of the pastors saw us pull in the parking lot and made comment that we would probably win for “coolest car” in the parking lot. I told him we might be up for long-distance award as well.

A pic at my aunt and uncles house in Dix, IL.



After church and lunch, I then took kids by the cemetery to show them where my grandparents were buried. My grandfather was very influential in my life in giving me the attitude and knowledge to fix anything mechanical. He was a WWII navy veteran and was very typical of that generation in that he did everything for himself. As much as anything, both my dad and me grew up with the confidence that there wasn’t anything that we couldn’t fix if we just tried.

A pic from the cemetery.


And, a pic that I just remembered I had of my grandmother standing by a 55 Ford that my grandparents had. I wish this was the one I ended up with, but will just have to be content with another family’s heirloom. Before my brother and I came along, our family never really kept vehicles for any extended periods (I say this as we have just sold off two cars in the last couple years that have been in our family for several years – one for 35 and the other for 24…)



After leaving the cemetery, we had to stop at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Mt. Vernon to fix our one and only problem of the trip – a burned-out brake-light bulb (I think I would call this a success overall!) We were then ready to head back toward home and made it to Joplin before I was again tired of driving in the rain. This time, I ended up talking the guy at the front desk of the hotel into letting me park by the front door under the covered area so the kids wouldn’t have to sit on a wet seat for the rest of the trip home.

And, I have way too many pics like these from having a small gas tank and too many carburetors...


Other than lots of stops along the way for gas, we had a pretty uneventful trip home.

Just a few more pics along the way home...








We did decide to jump off of I-44 in Oklahoma to run down Route 66 for a few miles (mostly because it was close to the house.) Here are a couple pics of the landmarks in Arcadia as we passed by in the rain. We didn’t stop since we just live about 5 miles away and can see them on much better days…

The famous Round Barn in Arcadia, OK.



And Pops just down the road.



So, the car, me and all four kids made it back in one piece! And, after gaining some trust in the car, I have put another 350 miles on it since we got back. Anyway, hopefully I didn’t bore everyone to death with the story. Looking forward to the next road trip now!

 

Naw, not boring at all...road trip stories are the best kind...thanx for posting...

R-

 

Great post Jeff.

 

Thanks, I enjoyed that.
Good to hear the car went well, but I'd be fixin that leaky rear window.

 

X 2 Neat story , cool kids !!!

 

Cool story and great pics

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Good report I like these kind of road trip stories.

 

Pretty sweet trip,sounds like a lot of fun!!



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Thanks for all the comments guys! One thing I failed to mention was all the great folks we met on the trip. The group that we had show up for the event were awesome. I made lots of new friends and was able to catch up with some old ones as well. And, I especially can't thank Clay and his wife enough for their hospitality.

 

As far as hospitality, goes, that was all my wonderful wife. My hospitality skills are seriously lacking....

Cool to see the trip in pics, and thanks for inspiring one of my kids, to at least think about coming along on the next adventure.

 

Thankyou so much for posting with the photo's, I really appreciated when members post road trips with photo's of your country as it gives me an idea of the vast size of America. I Goggled Earth the map of your trip and realized that the road follows along the old Route 66 highway which is in the top 5 on my wish list to do. I couldn't get over the time changes between coast to coast either. I look forward to coming across to LA and purchasing a car in the 30's to 50's era and just cruising from coast to coast, border to border to take in everything that America offers. I would tend to agree with Jeff too, time to get that rear screen resealed, but apart from that,you certainly have one cool car. On the carby set up, do you not have a progressive linkage set up so that you only run on the centre carb until you get up in the revs ? Mind you, I noticed the car appeared happy to cruise at 70mph with not much trouble so I suppose to do that for some distance, the fuel will get sucked up smartly.
Congratulations on the truck too. An idea for you to think about is purchase a damaged Toyota pickup / truck and use the frame and mechanics with the chevy cab etc to make a Father / Son project to build.

 

Glad you enjoyed the post. I do plan on fixing my window leak fairly soon. It is one more thing on the list to do. I really didn't know it was an issue before the trip since it doesn't get left out in the rain very often. And, yes it has progressive linkage although I probably don't have it set up to get the best mileage yet. And, funny you should mention the father son project. While my wife was bidding on the truck, a guy told her he had another truck like it that was torn apart that he would sell CHEAP. After getting back home, I went to check it out and ended up with it as well. My son even pulled it up on the trailer himself and now claims it. It is a half ton short bed. Between the two, I should have most of what I need to build him one.

Hope you get a chance to check out our country soon!

 

I truly enjoyed your trip, Thank You for taking the time to share it with us.
God Bless,
Glenn

 

First.....great car...class indeed !
Second.....great story as well as pictures...very well done.
And lastly, I love posts like this....guys like you are the real backbone of hot rods and classic cars....not afraid to drive them.... especially on trips like this. Nothing better than seeing the road in a rig like yours ...
Cheers Man...

 

Thanks again for all the comments!

And, one more update...here is the other truck that my son ended up with because of the auction on that day. It is in pieces, but is complete other than a box for the bed. Good thing this son likes puzzles...

 

Enjoyed the trip with you! Next time you come thru Tulsa let me know. Be nice to see that little FORD up close. And having had yblocks for about 45 years I would be glad to throw in an assist if needed.
I want to mosey my way to Arcadia some time. Lived in Tulsa all my life an only driven past it to some where else!
Road trips are the best!
Nice car, Nice family, nice story.

 

Hey Jeff, that young man must be, what 10 to 12 years old ? You two are going to really enjoy this time working together on that truck building memories forever and you realize that you have another young man growing up too and goodness knows either one or both of those young ladies just may get the same disease as we have and want to swing spanners on old vehicles. Man, what a life that would be, happy building a close knit family with the love of dirt under the finger nails...

 

Great thread! Family road trips in an old car... Nothin' better.


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Yep, he is fixing to turn 10 next month. And, my other boy that is 10 already has a 59 2-door Biscayne...The girls haven't shown much interest yet, but there is still time.

 

Great post Jeff.

 

Great write up Jeff, glad the trip went well.