Event Coverage DAILY COVERAGE!! RODFATHER TOUR From NorCal To INDY Goodguys - 17 Days - 5016 MILES!

OK, I guess I'll keep the whole tour to this thread and try to update it every night...

Today was day one and 32 rods met at Goodguys HQ in Pleasanton, CA. We provided donuts and coffee. The group left right on time at 10am and took a bunch of crazy 2-lane highways I'd never been on. We stopped for lunch in Jackson at Mel's Diner then headed up to go around Lake Tahoe, which SUCKED because there was a bunch of construction in Tahoe itself. I guess the drive up and down from Tahoe was pretty visually amazing though. We hit Reno around 5pm I think.

The T-Bird has done pretty well so far. Luckily I installed an electric fuel pump as backup because the mechanical went out. Other than that I lost a Moon cap, but so what.

Tomorrow we head to Wendover to get set for the "official" start of the tour on Friday, so I'm stoked to get a pic of the 'bird on the salt.

There are already some cool familiar names on the tour like Roy Brizio, Sid Chavers, Steve Moal, John Paxson and Rich Guasco.

You can follow along at the website in my signature or get constant pics via Instagram @ killkirk

 

Thanks for the update. I look forward to following this thread for the next 16 days.

 

how about a "who?" and "what?" on this one


thanks for posting your tour

 

Cool - Thanks for keeping us up to date on this tour. looks like your "winning" casino ticket will pay for gas - Ha! try to have fun.

 

Ha ha! It was on the wall next to the bathroom at Mels.

 

Following along..

 

KIRK! - Very cool! ... Thanks for sharing your journey with us here on the H.A.M.B.! ... I dig this shot of your '58 Bird (behind Al Engle's HEMI-powered Deuce Roadster) as you were leaving the Goodguys HQs:

... and FYI ... it's actually John Paxson (not Paxton) ... but he also answers to "Rocket Man" or "Jetcar John":​

ARMOR ALL ROCKET DRAGSTER (circa 1975).
Driver: John 'Rocket Man" Paxson.
Engine: hydrogen peroxide-fueled rocket.
Best Performance 4.80 ET 330 mph​

... John's also a member of the Bonneville 200 MPH club:

The John Paxson / Bill Ward Racing #30 Opel GT
Bonneville Modified Sports record holder:
* AA/MS @ 243.338 MPH in '89
* A/MS @ 231.779 MPH in '92
* B/MS @ 232.183MPH in '95
* C/MS @ 207.748 MPH in '91
* D/MS @ 222.965 MPH in '88​

 

Will be following this closely. We enjoyed our time at Andy's Picnic last month and then the opportunity to have the Rodfather's Roadster for a week to do Hot Rod Week and Pleasanton - what a blast! I really wish I was on this trip though - my friends will have a blast I am sure!

 

Have Fun...Be Safe..Hope to see you in INDY....

 

A road trip and you hit it big on the slots. Can it get any bettr.
Later,
Dick

 

I'm all in on this trip. Don't spend all that casino money on wild women on your trip. Looking forward to seeing everybody at INDY. Everybody be safe.

 

I haven't watched yet. It must be.

 

See you at Pinkee's!

 

Yep ...

@KIRK!'s '58 Bird @ the 0:10 & 0:20 marks
@Hotrodstitcher's Deuce Roadster @ the 0:11 & 0:17 marks
@Butcher Boy's Deuce Roadster (& Paxson's 5w) @ the 0:28 mark​

 

Awesome! Looking forward to the updates!

 

Kirk, do you know approximately when you guys are supposed to get to Speedway on Monday? Arriving to Lincoln Sunday evening or sometime on Monday?

Thanks-
Malcolm

 

I happened to be at the Peppermill for a short vacation and was lucky enough to run in to Andy with a friend of mine who used to go to his shop in Colma Ca. many years ago. I was parked on the same level in the parking garage that was set aside for Andy and the Rodfather tour . Some of the best looking rods I have ever seen. all gone by 11:00 this morning. no trailer queens there
Awesome!

 

had lunch with Meadors, Schaub, and a few more today. the pack was split up. couldn't hang out much. had to work and watch my sick boy. so quick I never took a pic. dumb. have fun boys.

 

DAY TWO.......

So today pretty much sucked. It was just a day of driving to get from Reno to Wendover. My morning started by tracking down a mechanical fuel pump to replace the new-looking yet seemingly intermittent one on the motor. After a ton of calls I tracked one down at the NAPA in Sparks, so I left the room early to go get it.

I got to the car, packed it up and cranked it over. It acted like it was starving, so I flipped on the electric pump. Now it acted like it was flooding, so I popped the hood. Fuck! Every nook of the left half of the intake manifold is filled with gas. I cleared it all out, got it started and headed for NAPA. After I paid for it at the store I had to drive across town to pick it up at their warehouse...weird set up. Once I got it I filled the gas tank and hit highway 80 east toward Wendover.

After about 170 miles the car started starving. I double checked that the electric pump was on...it was. Shit! I pulled overs it completely died. I got out and popped the hood. There was oil all over. That will be problem number two.

Just as I was pulling the air cleaner off the tour leader pulled in behind me. What the fuck?! I had been flying, thinking I was behind everyone. We check and there was no fuel squirting in the carb. How could I be out of gas already? I poured my spare 2 gallons and it fired right up.

Putting the gas can back in the trunk i noticed a trail of oil leading under the car from behind. I followed it to under the main seal where there was a fucking 8" puddle of oil. Great! I check my oil level, which was curiously over full. Nothing to do about it here's, so I hit the road.

Ed followed me to the next gas exit and I got off, filled up, ordered a sandwich and came back to the car to find another big puddle of thin oil. I was too pissed to think straight about it or I'd have figured it out.

Next stop was Wendover and the hotel. I got checked in and headed back out to the parking lot to install the new pump. When I got out there I ran into Ed who said he'd been trying to call me. He said he figured I'd gotten gas in the oil. Oh, shit! So obvious, but I couldn't see it. Good thing there were two brains on the problem.

Not having a filter, drain pan or enough oil I hit a local shop for an oil change. Up on the lift it was clear that the main seal had shit the bed. Oil was everywhere on the bottom of the car. Since the engine will have to come out to change it I'll just be puking oil for the next two weeks and 4000+ miles, leaving my mark everywhere I park.

I got back to the hotel and swapped out the mechanical fuel pump and it started right up. Hopefully this solves the fuel delivery problem, but I won't know until I hit the road tomorrow.

I looked at four parts stores for a pressure regulator and no one had one.

So not a lot of pics today, but here's what I got.









This raven was at the garage where I got my oil changed. They found it shot in the wing. The wing had to be amputated and now he lives there in a cage. Pretty tame for only being there a month.




I win again!


Not where I wanted to be today...

 

Hopefully with fresh oil and no gas mixed you leak will slow down.....man that sucks !

 

man love the drivers view perspctive looking over the birds hood

 

You will laugh about all this one day, just not for a little while.

 

That's what I'm hoping.

True. It's mostly that I just want to hang out and enjoy, not be preoccupied with tHe car.

 

Ok, I hope today is smoother.

 

F**k! That really sucks to hear (gas in the oil deal), but at least you're back on the road.

 

Kirk,

I watched the day 2 Rodfather video clip (3:53-5:00) and you can be seen in the background working on your car while they interviewed one of the participants.

http://rodfathertour.com/daily-video-pre-stage-b-reno-nv-to-wendover-ut/

 

Sorry about the hiccups Kirk. Goes with the territory I guess. It's the law of unintended consequences that always applies to making modifications to our cars.

Don't worry about leaving your mark behind. Might help you find your way home if you get lost and the GPS satellites fall out of the sky...

 

I would rather be working on my car in a Hotel parking lot . Instead of watching on this stupid machine!!!!!! Have Fun.....

 

This will be fun to follow.

 

Hopefully your fuel pump issue is resolved. Sorry to hear your seal took a shit too! Makes for an "interesting" (?) road trip I suppose.