Joel

This was my first power tour, one of the things on my bucket list. I’ve had this Olds 442 for 31 years, but hadn’t driven it for the last 23 years. You can check out the story on the car here: http://www.bangshift.com/forum/showt...nation!-UPDATE!
Spent a couple months working on it getting it ready to go. I got way behind schedule, and was working on it till 2:30 am the night before my son and I had to leave Minnesota for Cocoa Beach Florida to become Power Tour Long Haulers.
Here it is all packed and ready to go Wednesday afternoon just before we left:
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I had a 9 inch Ford rear end I was going to set up with 2.75 gears and put in before we left, but ran short of time and decided not to. But the day before we left, I was adjusting the brakes and discovered that the 12 bolt rear end that was in the car had a bad wheel bearing. So I hastily assembled the ford rear end and threw it in the car at the last minute. 100 miles into the trip I discovered gear lube running out the ends of the axles housing. Oops, forgot to put in axle seals. So I had to find some seals at a parts store and install them in the parking lot.
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We had a few electrical wiring problems on the way, but got them fixed (I brought lots of tools and supplies) and we made it to Cocoa Beach just about dark on Friday night:
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We had a really nice view of the beach from our 6th floor room at the Hilton:
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Saturday morning we got the car all cleaned up in the hotel parking lot:
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Then we went to Fish Lips and got registered for Power Tour 2011 and checked out some local scenery:
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There was a huge car show, and I snapped a few pictures of stuff I liked.
’59 chev 409 4 speed 6 carburator convert:
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My boy has a 37 Ford pickup project of his own, so when we saw this nice 37, I had to take his picture with it:
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Hemi Powered Hot Rod:
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Hemi powered Rolls, who would have thunk it?:
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I love GT500 converts! A bucket list item for the future, a Kodak moment today:
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After we got good and hot at the car show, we went back to the hotel and rented surf boards and hit the beach and tried to surf. That was fun, but no pictures.
Sunday we went to the drivers meeting in the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space center, then toured the space shuttle area of the space center:
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From there we drove to Valdosta Georgia. My gas gauge quit working on the way to Florida, and the odometer was no longer accurate with the gear swap, so we had been relying on the GPS to tell us when it was time for fuel. Well, it was turned off while we cruised Cocoa beach and toured the space center, and I under-estimated how much gas we used. Whoops, ran out of gas. I caught a ride to a gas station, paid huge $$ for a gas can, and got a ride back to the car from a local cop.

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I had been hoping to get a picture of the Olds with the ocean in the background, finally got a good opportunity in Georgia:
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Joel

At Georgia motorsports park, I had about 600 reasons not to run the car down the drag strip, like having an impossible to replace conversion u-joint that I frankenstiened together out of pieces to fit the ford rear to the olds driveshaft, tach not working accurately, 100 degree heat boiling the fuel in the carb, 44 year old rubber bushings in the rear suspension, etc. But I did it anyway. The only good thing was my .012 light, and that nothing broke. Ran short of fuel in the carb and layed down at about ½ track, probably due to the heat and vapor lock.
Couldn’t wait to get back to the room and get cooled off and cleaned up, as we had the top down all day in the extreme heat and sun, and were pretty beat up by it. Veiw from the hotel room at Valdosta:
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Monday we cruised to Montgomery Alabama. Saw a little old abandoned motel along the way:
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We didn’t do much at the track in Montgomery because of the heat, only stayed there about an hour or so, then went and checked in to the hotel. Across the street was the Hank William Museum, and I am a huge Hank fan. Too bad it was after hours and closed:
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There was a party and car show in the parking lot that night, and it was a lot of fun:
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This mustang gave up:
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Tuesday we went to Nashville. We saw a few broken Power Tour car along the route each day. There was always plenty of help if it was needed:
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At Nashville there was autocross and a huge car show at LP field. We also went downtown and saw some good lod fashioned country music at Roberts bar and visited Earnest Tubbs record store, where there just happened to be Jack Green, Gene Watson, and Rhonda Vincent, shaking hands and signing autographs.
I also got to shake hands with Elvis!
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Parking lot at the Hotel was looking good, too:
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Wednesday morning we hit the road real early, wanting to get to Indy at a decent time.
On the freeway in Nashville, we got hit by a semi truck! It tried to change lanes into the lane we were in, but I couldn’t move over because there was another semi on the other side of us. We were getting sandwiched in between two semis! I jammed on the brakes hard, and while I was slowing down to escape, we were so close to the tires of the trucks on both sides, I expected to see the sparks flying and crunching metal any second. Just as we were about to clear the back of the offending truck, the rear bumper of the trailer hit the right front corner of the Olds, but not too hard. When it was safe again, I passed the semi and tried to pull him over, but he wouldn’t stop. So I figured I better pull over, call the cops to report a hit and run, and inspect the damage. There was so much debris on the shoulder, I really didn’t want to pull over for fear of puncturing a tire, but figured I had to. To my great surprise, I did not see any damage on the car! So I figured he must have glanced off the side of the bumper. How lucky we were to be alive, and now even with no damage to the car. We said a prayer of thanks and hit the road without calling the cops.
An hour or so later, we saw a sign announcing Abe Lincolns birthplace, and although it was off the route we decided to go for it. It was a nice set up, with a museum and a huge monument building set up around what was once thought to be Honest Abes birth cabin.
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While were taking pictures, I noticed that the right rear tire was going flat. It had a chunck of metal in it, undoubtedly from the shoulder of the road in Nashville. I didn’t bring a spare tire, but I did bring a tire repair kit and a compressor, and was able to fix the tire and continue on to Indy. I also noticed then that the right front wheel lip molding was dented. So that is what the semi trailer had hit. Oh well, it is a lot easier to repair stainless trim than paint.
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Since we were now behind schedule, we decided to stick to the freeway the rest of the way to Indy. It is a good thing we did, and the GPS guided us in on a different route than the Power Tour, because we avoided a 2 hour traffic jam that a lot of guy got snarled up in. At Indy there was a gigantic car show in the infield of the race track. We were pretty hot from a full day of top down driving in the extreme heat wave, so we decided to hit the air conditioned speedway museum to cool off.
There was a bunch of historic indy cars:
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Cam was pretending to text while driving one. Gotta like a kid who can make fun of his own generation!

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Then we got to drive around the track, one lap. That was really cool!
My buddy Terry had joined the Tour in Nashville, but by Indy, the twin electric fans in his big block, 4 speed Chevelle had both burned out. I ran to a parts store and bought a new fan and we fixed it in the hotel Parking lot.
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The hotel at Indy was downtown. Here is a view of the parking lot in the morning:
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Was this “Project X” in the parking lot?
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Joel

Thursday on the way from Indy to Muskegon, we went off the route again to tour the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum. What an awesome place!
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A Duesenberg V-16, developed during WWI for fighter Aircraft. I want one!
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One of my favorite Duesenbergs, a rare long wheelbase, disappearing top, Murphy convertible coupe.
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At Muskegon, the whole town was turned into a giant car show. A GM future-liner was on display:
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We were also entertained by the one way signs, definitely a Kodak moment!
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Well, I’m out of time for now. To be continued……

Bill in NC

That looks like it was a great time! Well done, it looks like you were well prepared. And your son will remember that trip always.

firefrost gold

my wife wants the gm super liner I will take that royal pontiac gto. wow fun trip going to the h/o nats next week just in a DD not a young mobile

redoldsman

Wow, what a trip. That had to be a great bonding trip with you son. He will tell his kids about that one day. No, that is not Project X. Project X is a 2-door sedan and that one is a hardtop. Thanks for sharing with us.

stevengerard

I want to do one of these!!!!!

rocketraider

Never had time to do the Long Haul, best I could do was 200-300 mile stretches a couple years. Knock on wood, the Toronado never broke to where it was undrivable, but it sure didn't like the gas it got in Atlanta one year. The A/C conked out on that one too- roll down the windows and keep gittin' up. At least most of that return trip was at night when it was considerably cooler.

Great job, great pics. Guarantee yer boy is the only kid in his high school to have done something like this. I took a young hotrodder friend with me on the 99 Tour as part of his HS graduation gift and he still talks about that trip. 'Course at the time the boy had never been more than 100 miles from home in his life.

w-30dreamin

Thanks for posting your adventures.

Great pics.

citcapp

Great pictures, looking forward to the rest of the tour pictures. Great father and son trip

cwracer

Went from Cocoa beach through Nashville in an '08 Viper. Great time, great street racing, but a little hot!

66luvr

Great story and pictures!! Thanks.
Project X 57 Chevy is a sedan, post car.

ROBZ442

Hey Joel I met you on Bangshift good to see you here as well. Looks like you had a great time, glad to here there were no major issues on the way. Power Tour is on my bucket list also. I have been to three different stops of three different power tours and the atmosphere is great.

Rob

gearheads78

Power Tour is the most fun a car guy can have with his pants on. I have done 2 long hauls and 3 legs or more of 5 more. My most fun was 2001. I had a street strip 78 Malibu with a very worn out 406 and 9" with 4:10's About week before leaving I was swaping out the 4:10's for 3:50's and test driving around the block. I started hearing a rod knock in the 406

I had been collecting parts for a new 383 since the 406 was a hand me down bracket motor that was in a freinds car for years and even he got it used. There was no telling how many passes it had. I decided I was crazy enough to try to get the 383 in the car for PT. I picked up the fresh machined block at the machine shop Wednesday morning and buy Thursday night at 6pm I took a test drive for 50 miles and changed the oil. The next morning we left and had an smooth 2500 mile round trip. My girlfriend at the time enjoyed it as much I did so I married her

I have not been in a few years because it been so far away. Next year it ends in Dallas so you can bet I will be on at least some of it.

oldsca

Joel you have a knack for telling a story and backing it up with pics. Sounds like you and your son had a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Wayne

dc2x4drvr

I'm planning on doing the entire 2012 Tour

66ninetyeightls

Awesome bonding experience with your son. Im jealous.

66luvr

I watched Hot Rod TV this weekend, they had the '11 power tour covered. In one video clip there was a 67 like yours turning into a parking lot, same color as yours. I figured it was you, so you made the tv show, if only briefly. Congratulations!

rroth01

Joel
It was great to meet you and Cam here in Detroit
Thanks for the kind words on the Instrument Panel Restoration .
It is appreciated.
Your next trip to Detroit ..Stay out of the Woodward Piquette area.
We are all lucky you are still alive.Trust me on that one.
Keep in touch
Ron & Syd

Lee_A

We did the HRPT this year, in our low-11-sec Falcon station wagon. Hope to take the Cutlass convertible on the '13 HRPT.



Lee Atkinson

Aron Nance

Joel: Awesome story, and pictures!!!!!!!! Your son will never forget it! Where does the HRPT start next year, ending in Big D? Might try and get in on some of it in the Silver Bullet, should be "done" (once again) by then. Hope to have the Sanden compressor/modified bracket from Classic Auto Air installed and the whole system WORKING! Also, maybe a 700R4 for mileage, along with front disc conversion and new rear end. That should take care of things. Sorry to step on your thread, but what a neat one! LOVED IT ALL. Gotta' do it.

OLD SKL 69

Wow, sounds like a great trip and one you won't forget soon. Sorry to hear about the damage to your car, but I guess from the sound of it it could have been a lot worse.

I'll have to look into the Power Tour Schedules for the future!