I pulled in front of Dale's house a little after 1pm on Wednesday afternoon, feeling as if I'd used up every bit of the respite from fatigue a three hour nap on the seat of the 1 Ton in a Texas rest area had afforded me. Dale had installed a new whistle in his ditch, and added a driveway at the end of his property which would allow much easier access to long rigs, in theory anyway. I quickly discovered that he hadn't bothered with grading out the new white crushed rocks covering the whistle. When the trailer tires came off the humped up rocks, my dove tail trailer used the end C channel like a grader's blade to drag the top 5 inches of rock into the yard with us. The rocks, in turn, destroyed all the tail and clearance light wire that usually sits undisturbed within that same C channel.
The second thing I noticed upon entering the yard was the large, mature shade tree at the end of his property. This tree has provided the work area and base of operations for my Hell Week adventures for the past five years. Apparently the ravages of Oklahoma wind had bested the tree sometime in the last twelve months, and the top of the tree was lying in the spot I usually park in.
I climbed out of the truck and slowly stretched out my legs and back, then ambled towards the shop. Boone, Dale and James were inside, working on the Duster.
After a little small talk, I asked where I could park the Valiant to start on the rear suspension. They agreed I could pull it onto the pad in front of the shop.
"What do you need to do to it?" Boone asked.
"Jim Sam told me the rear was an eighth out the last time he aligned the car three years ago, so I need to get that straight before I take it back to him for another alignment. Since James is here, he can cut the safety tabs off the ladder bar, then weld them back on when we have it done."
"He's building a pan protector for me first", Boone explained. "We put a big aluminum pan on this thing, and I need something to come down off the k-member and keep it from getting crushed by road debris."
"So", I laughed, "an armadillo killer, of sorts?"
All three of them chuckled at the name. Armadillos had entered into Drag Week lore a few years earlier, when Gary Putnam's Pro-Charged Fox body ran over one on the day 1 drive. The resulting damage hampered his effort for the remainder of the trip, and good armadillo jokes have been prevalent in DW bench racing ever since.

I unloaded the Valiant off the trailer and with Boone and Dale's guidance, drove it through the maze of cars until I could line it up with the pad in front of the shop. I grabbed my jack, and a pair of Dale's stands, and raised the rear of the car.
Every part of my body hurt, I really just wanted to go in the shop, sit in a chair and trade stories with the guys while they worked on their stuff, but time was at a premium and if my junk was going to be ready, I was going to have to be a little selfish. When I pulled the rear tires off, I immediately noticed that the sticky weights had been ripped off the inside of the passenger's side tire. I say "ripped off" because there was a scratch mark across the wheel just before and after the area where the weights had been dislodged.
"Well that explains the vibration I had on my last pass", I explained to James.
"What would've knocked those weights off? You taped them, I'm sure", he responded.
"Yeah, the gray duct tape and weights are still on the other wheel", I explained as I peered into the wheel well and let out a low whistle.
"Did you find the problem?" Boone bent down close behind me.
"Yeah, that bolt probably took out the weights when it decided to abandon it's post!"
His gaze followed my finger, and he shook his head, "the upper ladder bar mount on the rear is missing the bolt! Didn't it feel any different?"
"Yeah, it sure did". I paused to recollect, "it shuddered hard on the last leave, and didn't even attempt to pull the wheels, then it pulled harder to the center line than it ever has on the drive home, but I thought it was all in the front."

I pulled the driver's side ladder bar out of the car completely, and James cut off the safety tabs. Then we extended the front heim out an eighth, re-assembled it, and James welded the tabs back in the proper place.

"Can you put the tires back on so we can move it out of the way long enough to get the Duster out of the shop, and the Gremlin in?" Boone was standing over me asking the question, and was clearly surprised by my negative reaction.
"We discussed this before I even parked here! I explained quite clearly that I had a long list of stuff to do to the car!"
I stormed off towards my rig, with him following close behind.
"Look, plans change, everything is in flux right now. If we don't get that Gremlin in there now, Dale is just going to keep working on the Duster, and forget about taking the Gremlin. That can't happen, he busts his butt on everyone else's projects, and he deserves to take his car. The Duster is a long shot at best, but the Gremlin will go together easy, so we need to get him on it right now."
"I looked the Duster over as soon as I arrived", I gave him my best and honest opinion, "There's too much left, it isn't going to make it!"
"I agree", he shook his head, "but Dale won't give up. The Duster needs to go to the muffler shop tomorrow, so that's why it's coming out. Until it returns with new exhaust, Dale needs to be on the Gremlin, nonstop!"
"OK, ok, I get it. Is that why Michelle and Will have been here cleaning on the Gremlin for the last hour and a half?"
"Yeah", Boone smiled, "Had to call in reinforcements, and they know that the Gremlin has to go together tonight!"

We moved the Valiant, pushed the Duster out and Will, Michelle and Boone began guiding the Gremlin into the shop. Dale motioned me over towards the Duster, to help him cover the engine with a moving blanket.
"What do you think?" He asked in a low tone, motioning towards the Duster as he eyed the other three to make sure we wouldn't be heard.
"It's too far away, we'll have to kill ourselves to finish this car!"
"Then that's what we have to do! Little Billy has the week off from school, and he intends to ride shotgun with Boone!" His face was barely able to control the emotion boiling under his dark glare, "This car will go, I don't care about the Gremlin, the Charger, or any of your stuff, this is priority one!"
"OK, fine", I slapped him on the back, and bluffed with the best smile I could muster, "We'll make it happen!"
He walked into the shop and closed the roll-up door behind him.
I turned towards the Valiant, thinking to myself "this is an abbreviated week, but this is going to be a very crazy seventy-two hours ahead of us!"