HRPT Day 10 - Home!

Today is Father's Day and the last day of the Power Tour trip.  We did nothing but drive all day from Lousiana back home.  We made good time but it was still such a long drive.  We pulled into the drive with 2,884 miles on the trip odometer and had reached the goal of 10 states in 10 days.

HRPT Day 9 - Skip Barber & West Monroe

Today was largely a day to put down miles and get back home.  The worst part of it was a pain in my right knee.  It slowly got worse and worse over the trip.  I'd put some pain killing lotion on it most mornings but the long days like today were the worst.  I think it is a combination of the strange angle of my leg and the throttle return spring being a little stiff.  

We broke up today's trip by taking a very small detour to Skip Barber Racing Museum and the nearby Buckees.  Skip Barber was far more than I expected with three or four floors of motorcycles.  They were also racing cars on the track outside that you could see from an observation bridge.  We enjoyed our time there before hitting the road to put down more miles.

One thing which stuck me driving back was how horrible the roads were the entire way back.  There were tremendous pot holes on the roads that you just could not escape.  We stopped seeing classic cars pulled over but now modern cars pulled over with tire damage no doubt from the roads.  It is rather ridiculous that we spend so much as a country helping others when we don't even have adequate roadways.  

We stopped for the evening in West Monroe, LA.  Its not the best town or the best hotel but it worked.  We ultimately ate a few steaks at Logan's steakhouse, drove past Duck Commander, and made it to the hotel right before it began to storm heavily.  Luckily, we checked the following morning and there wasn't any water in the floorboard.  It seems what we had found there in the days prior was all from the AC box leaking due to the drain hose or condensation.

Our mileage at the end of the day was 2,540.

HRPT Day 8 - Bristol

We started the day off as normal and jumped into the car excited to make it to Bristol and be long haulers.  I did the normal morning check of the car and jumped in to start it to find the battery was dead.  I thought this could end up happening as the battery was old and this would tax it but I was tired of buying everything just in case.

I pushed the car back into a spot where the front of the car was accessible.  There were others there around getting ready to leave.  I had my jumper cables and found someone in a suburban who was willing to jump start the car.  Once it was running, I had my son look for an Auto Zone along the route.  We were getting an early start so most were not open.  We found one 30 minutes away with the right battery in stock.  

We pulled up out front of the AutoZone and swapped the battery without too much trouble.  With the battery swapped, it started with ease.  We filled up the car with gas and got right back on the route.  We had been starting the route 30 minutes before the established time daily and lost that lead due to the battery problems.  This made me worried as I continued to hear about Hot Rod running out of long hauler plaques each year.  This made me a little stressed but soon it vanished.

This day had the best route of the entire trip.  We went through the mountains in North Carolina (Blowing Rock and Boone) and tree lined roads that turned and weaved.  The temperatures were awesome (low 70's) for the entire morning drive.  There was a large three car wreck along the way which we passed just after it occurred.  That wreck ultimately held up most of the traffic behind us for quite some time. 

We made it to Bristol which was a shockingly small track on the inside.  It was, however, the easiest to get into and park the car.  We seemed to make it there before so many other people.  We parked the car with 1,749 miles and quickly headed for our long hauler plaques.    

There wasn't much fanfare when we got our plaques.  We luckily each received one as we both had credentials stamped for each day.  I was worried they would run out which we learned later on Facebook ultimately did happen a few hours later.  With plaques in hand, we found someone to take our picture, we then took the plaques to the car, and then walked the parking lot looking at all the cars.  There was an autocross track to run but we didn't as we needed the car to last the 15 hour trip back home.

From the Bristol Speedway, we went to Sonic for a quick burger.  We then drove fully into Bristol, Virginia reaching our 8th and 9th states for the trip.  We then headed back south to Ooltewah, TN for the night.  It was strange as we drove away and slowly started seeing fewer and fewer HRPT stickers on cars.  We continued to see them sporadically this last day but it slowed to almost nothing afterwards.  Whe we arrived at the hotel, we were at 1.979 miles.

HRPT Day 7 - zMax Raceway

Today's venue was zMax Raceway which was only about 1.5 hours from Monroe.  We started the day off early regardless.  If we were going to guess the route wrong, today was the day as there were many thigns to do in the area.  We went to Hendrick Motorsports Museum and also the Mustang Museum.  We had a few BBQ sandwiches and then started off for the venue.

Getting into the venue today was worse than the day before.  The temperature was incredibly hot and we were backed up all through the three lanes into the speedway and out onto the roads.  We had been counting cars we saw broke down on the side of the road and today we doubled that count to 24.  Most of those which were broken down seemed to be overheating.

We waited in line for what seemed to be forever and suddenly, they started letting people cut in front of us from the road we were initially lined up on.  I learned later that the city forces them to do something if cars on the road start to back up through stop lights.  Aaron and I were not too happy about them cutting in but later learned we were on a Vice Grip Garage video as Derek was one of those that cut in right behind us.  

It took a total of 1.5 hours just to make it off the road and to a parking spot.

We quickly got our tour credentials punched again.  Each day we stopped by the Painless Wiring booth as we were told that at some point they would start to give away extra long haul stickers for the windshields and I wanted an extra.  Today was our lucky day and they gave both Aaron and I one since we both had long haul credentials.  

While we were there, a black Dodge Dakota was about to make a run down the race track and blew up on the line.  I learned later that he blew the transmission on the starting line.  The truck then caught on fire from all the flammable transmission fluid.

We drove a short distance away to our hotel and were at 1,570 miles when we stopped.  We ate at a Juicy Crab just down the road from the hotel.  There were a few cars in this hotel parking lot so we walked around that evening looking at them some.  We then called it an evening.  

HRPT Day 6 - Rockingham Speedway

We followed the established path to Rockingham which was mostly small county roads.  Traffic was not too bad until the last 1.7 miles into the speedway where it was completely stopped in both directions.  How we moved so incredibly slowly is a mystery as it took 45 minutes to drive the 1.7 miles.  Several cars were beginning to overheat while others were heading to the trees on the side of the road for a restroom break.

I didn't want to risk overheating by running the AC the entire time we were in the long line.  After a while, I just started running it as the new Spal fan setup was running strong.  It was near 2 o'clock when we arrived and the engine temp never went over 180 degrees.

There were many cars parked on the infield but we seemed to get there later than most despite starting the route 30 minutes before the established time.  I suspect those who arrived before us must have drove some the night before or just drive an alternate route.  As we pulled in and parked, we rolled over 1,456 miles.

As with the day before, the first thing we did was get our credentials stamped.  We walked around to find the same vendors and items on display.  Aaron and I got something to eat at one of the vendor stations and were about ready to leave.  As we debated leaving, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich pulled up in an older red Duster covered in GoPro cameras.  As they arrived, camera men showed up and started recording as it seemed they were recording part of a Roadkill Garage episode.  We stood around watching and then David started handing out stickers and signing autographs.  Luckily, Aaron was third in line and had his Power Tour hat signed.  It was the highlight of the day.

Once the HRPT destinations are announced, you must quickly make reservations before hotels are fully booked.  Rockingham was hard as there were no nearby hotels so we decided to stay in Monroe.  It was on the most likely route to the next venue but I was wrong.  We drove a little after the days event to Monroe and had several classics around us and at the hotel with us.  We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings that evening and had another relaxing night at the hotel.

HRPT Day 5 - South Carolina State Fairgrounds

 Today, we drove from Atlanta to the South Carolina State Fairgrounds.  While some choose to meet up at the speedway and drive the whole route, we met up with the group just a few miles along the route.  This was one of the better routes of Power Tour.  We drove through many small towns with an older fee due to the historic homes along the route.  I was surprised to see as many people as we did sitting along the side of the road to wave as we drove by.

Each time we stopped for gas it was somewhat like a car show.  If there were no cars there when you arrived, there would certainly be classic cars all around when you left.  The whole trip was fairly uneventful with the only issue being the car not wanting to start at the gas stations when hot.  I'd floor it to get it to start but that would cause one of the belts to squeal.  I guess if that is the worst of the problems we are doing good.

The last part of this route was on the highway and we were with a big group driving pretty quickly.  We broke from the group and stopped at a Sonic to eat lunch and get gas.  Even when you break off the route to eat, you still encounter others on the tour.  There were about eight others at the Sonic with everyone choosing to eat under the little awning out front rather than in their car.  

When we hit the road to finish the route, we ended up beside a similar colored 1968 Mustang coupe.  It was neat to drive along with another Mustang and did for a while.  We took the established route into the fairgrounds and he split off.  We ultimately did end up seeing and driving alongside them again a few days later.  

The fairgrounds wasn't much of a destination compared to Altanta Motor Speedway.  We parked in a grassy area and immediately went to get our tour credentials stamped.  We walked around some but the vendor booths were all the same and it was incredibly hot.  We spent more time walking the grass parking lot looking at unique cars.  We were there about 1.5 hours and then decided to head to the hotel.

The hotel was in Columbia in the downtown area.  We parked in a parking garage around a few other classics.  Since it was a downtown area, we were able to just walk to a nearby place for dinner.  We then ended up just relaxing in the room for the evening.

HRPT Day 4 - Atlanta

This morning started with a quick 20 minute drive from our hotel in Locust Grove over to Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Today was a nice change of pace as it was the starting celebration which didn't require much driving.  As strange as it sounds, my right knee appreciates it as there must be a tendon that is stress from the way I sit and push the gas pedal for the 950 miles we drove the past two days.

The event opened at 9 AM but we showed up at 8:45 to beat some of the crowd.  There were probably already 200 cars lined up to enter.  We were put into lines of about 20 cars and just parked until a little after 9 AM.  This gave us some time to walk around and look at some of the cars.  I was also able to take a picture of the car in front of the speedway.  

Aaron took a video of us once we started moving.  We entered the speedway in a long line through a tunnel and parked in the infield.  I decided to pop the hood while I parked as the parking area is as much a car show as it is a parking lot.  

The speedway had vendors, an autocross, dragstrip, and a dyno.  It reminded me of a larger Goodguys type event.  Aaron and I walked through everything, took a few pictures of cars, picked up some giveaway items, took a picture with Alex Taylor, and then walked the parking lot for a while looking at cars.  We ended up leaving for the day around 1 o'clock.  As with the day prior, the chances of rain where high but it never rained.  It was just overcast and cool all day.

After the show, we decided to drive by the Summit to just walk around since we had some time.  Strangely, we pulled up and Derek from Vice Grip Garage was in the lot getting his cars ready to go into the show.  I stopped by said hi and shook his hand.  There were three other cars in various states of repair in the parking lot including one from a YouTube channel that was replacing a transmission.  Before leaving, I took a picture of the Mustang with the Vice Grip Garage vehicles in the background.

We ate a quick lunch at Zaxby's and then at Lovin' Oven pizza shop for dinner.  The pizza place was great and was in the historic district area.  There was tons of parking and we ended up parked in the city park right behind the pizza place.  I was expecting everywhere to be overrun with people but it was easy to get in and out.  

We finished the day with 992 miles for this trip and a fill up from last night of just 3.214 gallons.  I'll calculate it again farther into the trip but it seems we are getting 17.9 MPG will the A/C running.  That is mostly highway miles running around 70 MPH.  Tomorrow we start the first true driving day of the Power Tour.

HRPT Day 3 - Mobile to Atlanta

I checked the car out this morning and everything was in perfect shape.  The engine oil is still exactly and the full line.  The same is true of the clutch master and the power steering.  I added a little water to the radiator overflow this morning but not because it was empty but was just a little lower than when we left two days ago.  I've not checked the brake fluid mostly because it is a pain to remove all the allen head screws which hold the top in place.

We left around 8:10 in the morning. We took a small detour to Atmore, Florida.  We simply drove through but wanted to add a fourth state to our list of those we have driven through on the trip so far.  

We stopped a little before Montgomery as it seems a lot of the water in the floorboard is A/C condensation.   It also seems that it is leaking from the vent tube that should run through the little rubber tube to outside the car.  I kept the original hose but the exhaust was too hot to try to install it.  Instead, I reached up from the inside and put a zip tie tightly around the rubber host to seal it off better.  This isn't the best solution but I'm just wanting something that improves things.

We made it over three hours without the tires dragging on the rear fenders.  We stopped at Bucee's to fill up with gas and then hit several areas of construction.  They did not do much to fix the transitions from graded road surface to bridge road surface.  This was a bad situation for the rear suspension that was weighted down by the load of supplies and tools.  We drug the tires probably six different times.  I checked the tires later and found the driver side as a much larger gash in it than before.

There was a slight chance of morning showers and then a 75% chance on thunderstorms at 1 o'clock.  The chance of thunderstorms then dropped to 50% for the rest of the day.  As we drove, we kept driving through areas which seemed to just recently get rain.  This continued up until when we reached the Atlanta Motor Speedway as it had just rained on all the cars there.  Surprisingly, we made it the whole day with just a short sprinkle which is great news.  At this point, I'm still going to tell myself the water in the floorboard is all due to the A/C running for hours with a leaky drain tube.

Picking up our Long Haul credentials at the speedway was super easy.  We went ahead and picked up a few shirts and stickers since a vendor truck was setup.  We looked at a few cars and then headed to the hotel.  Once there, I decided to remove the 1" lowering blocks to provide some extra suspension movement.  It would not normally be needed but I've loaded down the trunk fairly well.  That took about an hour and surprisingly, the car looks normal due to all the weight.

The credentials consist of a small round sticker that goes on the windshield, a tag to hang from your rear mirror, a windshield sticker, schedule pamplet, small metal plaque, license plate, and two long haul name neck tags.  The neck tags are hole punched at each venue.  If you make it to all of the venues, you get a long haul plaque.  We are participant 1653.

After dinner at Steak and Shake, we stopped by O'Reilly and picked up a Dorman 85810 headlight plug.  I took my crimps and bag of spare wiring into the hotel room and made a headlight extension for the driver side since that one was removed when the Redline relay setup was installed.  This allows me to return to having two working headlights so we can drive safely at night.  Once that was done, Aaron and I walked the parking lot of the hotel looking at cars and then hooked up the driver headlight with my makeshift headlight extension plug.  It works so I'll call that a win and fix it permanently when I get back home.

I've been tracking mileage and gas usage.  Today, we got 10.856 gallons at 10:25 and had 5871 miles.  I then filled up at 7:36 this evening with 12.675 gallons and had 6098 miles.  By my math this is 17.909 MPG.

HRPT Day 2 - Lake Charles to Mobile

We left Lake Charles at 8:30 this morning with plans to stop in Biloxi for BBQ.  The four hour drive passed without any troubles.  The air conditioner is working great and we had it on the entire trip.  We would sometimes reach 195 in slow traffic but otherwise cruised at 180 degrees.  

The passenger side rear tire would make contact with the fender lip in years past when hitting a large bump.  It has not occurred in any of my test driving but has now started happening on the driver side rear.  I suppose the axle shifted to the driver side or is actually centered as I never clearanced the driver side.  It isn't bad and I could pull the lowering blocks if I wanted and get another inch of clearance.  I'll see how things progress before doing anything to it.  At this point, it has happened five times over about 560 miles.

We at BBQ on the back porch of Fat Bottom BBQ overlooking the beach.  It was really good BBQ and a good reward for four solid hours of driving.  I've been driving with Croc's on which made it quite easy to get into the water to my knees for a few minutes.  I then took a picture of the car at a pull off near Beau Rivage.

After eating lunch, we had a one hour drive to the hotel just north of Mobile in Saraland.  Within an hour of arriving, there were really bad thunderstorms and rain.  After the rain, I checked and the passenger side floorboard was socked.  It seemed to be dripping off the AC box but strangely it was the carpet more than the floormat.  I'm not sure what all contributes to it but think the windshield must still be leaking but I can't imagine how.  My cowl cover was in place so it should not be leaking anywhere through that vent behind the hood.

As part of this trip, we are going to work to hit ten states in ten days.  We are three states in so far... Louisiana, Mississippi, and now Alabama.  Tomorrow, we add Florida and Georgia to the list.  We finished the day at 6103 miles.

HRPT Day 1 - Headed to Louisiana

My son and I started our HRPT trip by heading to Lake Charles, Louisiana after work today.  We ended up leaving at about 5:20 with a starting odometer reading of 5506.  We drove roughly an hour and a half before stopping to eat at Five Guys.  The entire time we were under 195 degrees but mostly right at 180 degrees with the A/C on.  The new T-5 is working well and the lower RPM in 5th makes it a little quieter at highway speeds.

We had our first issue with the headlights not working in Beaumont.  I tested the fuses, headlight switch (have a spare), and high beam switch.  I ultimately found it was a problem with the Redline Lumtronix relay setup I purchased to run the headlights off relays to provide straight battery power failed.  I could hear the relays click when turning on the headlights but the high and low beams would not work.  The kit did not require that I cut anything so I was able to find one of the stock sockets and connected it and finished the last hour of the drive with just the one headlight.  

We stopped here to get the headlight repaired.  No one was around and it had some nice lights so I just pulled up between two of the parking blocks as near the front doors, and the light, as possible.

I left the kick panel, sill plate, headlight trim rings, and headlight wiring apart and just finished the drive.  I put to all back together the following morning at the hotel.  I can't connect the driver side headlight as I removed the pigtail that connects from the stock crossmember wiring to the headlight when I installed the kit.  I can make something but don't expect to drive more at night.  I might do that one evening in the hotel.

While stopped, we filled up with gas (9.285) gallons and then finished off the drive.  The car ran find but the roads were horrible from Beaumont on to Lake Charles.  They are all under construction and at points I-10 went down to just one lane.  That wasted some time but we made it to the hotel at about 10:30.  Our final milage for the day was 5738.

Picture from the following morning when leaving the hotel in Lake Charles.

HRPT Pre-Departure Checklist

Pre-Departure Checklist

Check Fluid Levels

- Confirm Oil Exactly at Full Line - Done 

- Check Power Steering Level - Done 

- Check Clutch Reservoir Fluid - Check & Mount

- Check Brake Fluid Levels - Done 

- Check Coolant Level - Done 

- Top Off Gasoline - Done 

Check Lug Nut Torque - Done 80 Ft/Lbs.

Check Tire Air Pressure - Done 32 PSI

Review Tools

- 1/4" Socket Set, Extensions, & Ratchet - Packed

- 3/8" Socket Set, Extensions, & Ratchet - Packed

- Torque Wrench & 1/4" to 3/8" Adapter - Packed  

- Open End and Brake Line Wrench Sets - Packed

- 12 Point Sockets for Intake Bolts - Packed

- Allen Wrench Set for Valve Covers & Master Cylinder - Packed

- Screw Drivers (Phillips & Flat Head) - Packed

- Brake Bleeding Supplies - Packed

- Plyers, Cutters, & Vice Grips - Packed

- Cresent Wrench - Packed

- Crimpers, Strippers, & Crimps - Packed

- Test Light & Multimeter - Packed

- Timing Light - Packed

- Flashlight & Headlamp - Packed

- Jack & Stand - Packed

- Jumper Cables - Packed

- Air Pressure Gauge - Packed

Review Supplies

- Full Extra Gas Can in Trunk - Packed

- Extra Headlight Switch - Packed

- Spare Spark Plugs & Wires - Packed

- Extra Fuel Filter, Hose, & Clamps

- Box of Carb Tuning Parts - Packed

- Glass Cleaner and Towels - Packed

- Work & Rubber Gloves - Packed

- Extra Oil & Filter - Packed

- Extra Brake Fluid - Packed

- Extra Trans Fluid - Packed

- JB Weld & Duct Tape - Packed

- Water Wetter - Packed

- Fuses & Extra Wiring - Packed

- Gallon of Water for Radiator - Packed

- Wood Chock for Wheels - Packed

- Clutch Bleeding Syringe - Packed

- Ear Plugs - Packed

- Ground Pad - Packed

- Zip Ties - Packed

- Extra Belts - AC and PS Only

- Tape Measure and Painters Tape to align windshield decal - Packed

HRPT Pre Departure Thoughts

The Mustang is about as ready as it can possibly be for a trip of this magnitude.  I've worked quite a bit longer and harder than I expected for many weeks to get to this point.  It's had many points of being exceptionally frustrating that have left me feeling that this isn't all worth the effort.  I'm so spent right now, fixing a break down on the side of the road would push me over the edge.  

I've found that I don't really enjoy the process of working on the car as I once did.  I enjoyed taking something old and restoring it to work like new.  I've done much if not all of that with the exception of paint.  What I do more now is evolve things I've already restored and replaced.  When parts that aren't that old fail or fail to do the job, it isn't that enjoyable to replace them again.  At that point, it is less of a restoration and more just work and I already have plenty of work I can be doing.

I've contemplated selling the Mustang for a while now as I don't drive it near as I should.  However, it seems such a shame to sell it after all the hard work and not really getting to enjoy driving it as I thought I would when the restoration is done.  That is part of the reason for the trip.  My son is now 21 and will be moving out and my daughter is not far behind.  When they move out, no one will want to drive around in it with me and the opportunity to do such a trip with someone is largely gone.

I've wanted to do Hot Rod Power Tour for years but the only year it was close was when my mom was dying of cancer so it was not possible.  Rather than wait for it to come back here again, I decided that I need to make this happen if I want it to happen.  Even one year more and it might not be possible.  That prompted me to do all the work I have done.

I'm still rather hesitant to make the trip.  It's a ton of miles.  I don't want us to be miserable due to heat or break down on the side of the road with no life lines.  However, I'd much rather be able to say I restored the car and we drove it across 10 states in 10 days as part of the HRPT so I'm doing it.  I hope it is a great trip that we will remember years from now.

HRPT Prep 30 - More Cooling Capability

When driving back from Houston last week, I was stopped at few lights and found my temperature quickly go to 210 degrees.  I had the A/C on moments before with the temperature at 195 and turned it off as I approached the first light.  Between waiting at two lights, I quickly went to 210 which has me concerned about my cooling capability.  I expect we will often be stuck in traffic much worse than I experienced in Houston.

I'm slowly running out of options with the cooling system.  I have a big block style aluminum Champion radiator but it is only two core due to the thickness and space available.  I now have an aluminum Flow Kooler water pump that is a high volume unit.  I've been running a 10" Spal fan in front of the condenser and a 16" Flex-A-lite with an aluminum shroud which covers the entire back of the radiator.  I use a 180 degree thermostat with the fans all set to come on at 180 degrees.  I have a good overflow tank and are using WaterWetter.  It's all essentially new.

My Flex-A-lite fan is rated at 2,500 CFM but is about all I can fit in the 16" size due to space constraints with the water pump.  After reviewing options, I found a Spal dual 11" fan setup with shroud that will flow 2,720 CFM (Part # 910102052).  The surface area covered by two 11" fans is about 5% below what I have with a single 16" but I have a little more coverage on the sides under the radiator inlet and on the side of the condenser.  These flow a little better so I expect it is a decent trade off.

I trust Spal fans over Flex-A-lite and I think this is about the pinnacle of what can fit in regard to fans.  I hope they pull strongly and work far better.  I'll only know by installing them.  Unfortunately, this changes the setup I've been testing but I think it is worth the risk.

...

The Spal fan setup arrived on Wednesday and I started removing the old fan setup that night.  On Thursday, I started working on a plan to mount the new Spal fan setup.  Unfortunately, it comes without any mounting materials and the section which touches the radiator is not flat.  The sides protrude 5/8" beyond the entire top and bottom lip of the shroud.  This can be seen in the following picture.

I struggled to find a good way to mount it and have a good seal against the radiator.  The only mounting provisions are bolt holes straight through the shroud which in no way line up with the sides of the radiator and wouldn't with almost any car that I could see the shroud fitting.  The best option I found was to take the path of no return which involved cutting the existing shroud and mating the two together.  I left enough shroud on the top and bottom so that those edges would seal together. I then cut the shroud perfectly so the longer sides would slide down into the shroud.  It's a bit hard to describe and I wasn't the best at taking pictures of this project.

I wired up the driver side fan using the existing wiring for the old fan.  I then added a new relay near the battery to control the second fan just to make the install quick.  One relay might be able to run both but I want to have plenty of extra power so I don't blow fuses or have any other trouble on the trip.

These are the best pictures I have since I did not take any during the installation process.