Event Coverage HAMB Drags 2015, The saga of a soggy Forty Ford

First off let me tell you that this story is for your entertainment, and I am sure many of you have had similar situations and probably worse. As I sat at home Sunday evening thinking back on the soggy events of Saturday at the roundabout by Ryno’s place I knew you guys had to hear this.

The week before the HAMB Drags was a flurry of activity both getting the Forty ready for the trip and at work. Work dealt with a new computer and a new Quickbooks that was a disaster. I had ordered the Blackwall radials for the Forty 2 weeks earlier so I could get them on and make sure everything was up to snuff. Well they showed up the Monday before. Tthe Friday before I had discovered a rear spring shackle that was about to give up the ghost. So the day I had planned on doing an undercarriage inspection was devoted to rebuilding the rear spring shackle. So I did a hasty inspection and adjustment of the brakes and waited for Friday morning to arrive so I could pick up Scott and head for Springfield and then Joplin.

I get to Scotts at 6:30 and the brakes seem like they are hanging up, but I blow it off and we head for the Mickey D’s by the interstate. We walk in to place our order . This guy working there starts in with the usual line of questions, Him: Is that a Chevy. Me: no it’s a Ford. Him: Why does it have Mercury Hub caps? I hate Mercury”s they’re Junk , the always brake down! I just smiled and went out to my car, listening to Scott Chuckle as we got in the car to back up and it would hardly do that because a brake was hanging up so bad. So back to Scotts house to adjust the brakes…again! So by 8:30 we are on the road which means we won’t get to Springfield until 2:30 or 3. I discover that about 50 -60 one of the new front tires is about a ½ ounce out of balance but no big deal I can deal with that, but the intermittent miss is bugging me.

So we make it Springfield and to Joplin and of course the Cars are way cool and I sold a couple 75th anniversary t shirts. Meanwhile I’m watching the forecast to see what the rain is going to do. I was planning on vending . So off to bed

Saturday morning I’m looking at the radar on my phone and thinking this could be a whopper and I wonder if they’ll get the races in. So we decide to check out and head to Ryno’s and then to the track . We get to the Round about on 171 and it is really pouring rain, I go to down shift and something doesn’t feel wright and the car dies…. I fire it up , barely and its stuck in 3rd gear with the Columbia engaged in overdrive ! Of course it won’t hardly move, its missing and traffic is piling up behind me and I’m in the center lane. Well it starts to roll a little and I nurse it enough to get the Columbia to disengage and coast it in to the strip mall parking lot. I have tools but I only have the factory bumper jack, and its is still pouring rain! I decide to try and us the factory bumper jack to get it far enough in the air to pull it out of 3rd and put it in 1st. the idea being I can take my time and nurse it to Ryno’s and hopefully I can use his shop and a good jack to do the repair, did I mention that it was raining?

Of course the car is on a bind and I can’t get it to release out of 3rd. Scotts in the car with his foot on the clutch and I have the E brake set but I’m nervous about being under the car with that jack. Keep in mind the rain isn’t lifting a bit, I slide out from under the car, it was easy because I was soaked, and Scott gets out and no sooner that he says it, the car rolls back, the Jack flops into the fog light breaking it and wedging it so that I cannot get it out from under the car. So now how do I get to Ryno’s and get help? Luckily my brother David was still at the motel and I called him and he came to the rescue! So we are on our way to Ryno’s to get tools! We get to Ryno’s and he is very gracious and lends me a floor jack and stand . I’m sorry I can’t remember the Guy ‘s name with the red flamed S10 but he lets us put the jack in the back of his truck and goes with us to help, my brother had just picked up a bunch of Forty ford parts and didn’t have room to put the jack in the back of his truck. We get there and get the car jacked up, out of 3rd and into 1st and we are off, by the way it’s still pouring! My brother says, watch when we get to Ryno’s it will stop raining. So nursing the Forty along and we get to the railroad trestle before you get to Rynos and there is a river flowing under it. Of course my distributor gets wet and the car dies. So brother

David pulls up and I get a tow strap out and we start towing. We get right about a block from Ryno’s house and some how I decide to run over the tow strap and break it , I thought the way things were going I probably just tore the front bumper off! So we hop out, in the pouring rain and push the car into Ryno’s shop. Shortly there after it stopped raining. So Ryno jumps in and comes up with grommet and a couple washers we can use as a bushing and we have the car down and backed out of the shop. I decide to put the jack back in the tool tray only to discover that it is full to the brim with water. Well so much for my dry southwest rust free Forty! So I borrowed a drill and made a drain hole. Hope you guys enjoy the read, it’s a lot easier to laugh about it now. Thanks to my brother David, Scott , Ryno and the guy with the flamed S10!

 

Damn Chris! You shoulda been driving something with the distributor up top where it belongs!
Glad you got it sorted out...wish I could have been there.

 

Thanks Rocky, that was agood car!

 

You the man Chris, good read.

 

That was me in the Flamed S10. I knew there was a reason I didn't drive my Roadster. Glad I could help. My name is Dean Garlitz by the way.

 

Back when I was a poor college student, I'd use a curb instead of a bumper jack when I needed to get under the car for something. Drive two wheels up on to it. It's not a lot of room, but the car can't fall off of it.

 

Thanks Dean, I'm sorry that I'm slow at remembering names. And thanks again for the help. It's fun to get caught up with old friends at the HAMB drags!

 

Chris, that didnt sound like much fun at all. We didnt even make Ryno's We left for the Gas station to get beer and Ice when the Deluge hit we went from gas station to gas station riding the storm out under the canopies until it finally quit then we headed for MOKAN. look at the bright side you could have been this guy we seen on the way.

 

you know that is what makes this hobby so great,guys like your brother ,ryno dean and allthe other helping each other out

 

Thanks for sharing the story Chris! That is a trip I am sure you will always remember. Great to have friends and family that will jump in and help out when needed.

 

...wow,...after all that, things can only get better,...this'll be a story you cherish for ever.
tanks for posting and good luck.

 

Good thing David put that seat under the camper shell. Sorry I missed all the fun.

 

Thanks Mike, I had visions of that driving through the river that was flowing under the trestle!

,

 

You said it!!!

 

You're right it will be one to remember.

 

Im glad you guys are enjoying, that s what I wanted, after all it certainly could have been worse.

 

Great story. Lots of help from friends and strangers. Thanks for posting.

 

Well I am certainly sorry for you problems. Transmission problems seem to be the problems of the year for the HAMB Drags. We broke ours 3 times and the last time killed it so it was flat tow from Nevada to Kingston.

Anyway glad you got it sorted out. transmissions aside I think we all had fun, gawd knows I did.

 

Great story it's good that you can laugh about it now.
By the way what was the cardboard for?

 

Well believe it or not, the thought was I wouldnt be laying in a complete river while trying to get it out of 3rd and be total soaked.... oh well

 

Ryno rules!!!!

 

Thet weren't no cardboard it were a creeper.

 

No situation is so dire that it won't make a great story! Glad it worked out, aint old cars FUN!

 

I have a new title for a book! TALES OF THE TRIP! If I collect all the stories from Hot Rodders from around the country I could have a Best Seller on my hands! Make a good coffee table cross that, a good work bench read! Joe

 

Yes sir!

 

Damn the luck. Good attitude, though! How'd it get back home?

 

Think of it as the fog light taking one for the team and saving your paint!

 

You wouldn't be talkin about this rain would ya?

 

Just found your story while searching for something else. Thanks for sharing it!