My original idea was to drag the Belvedere back to Oklahoma untouched, and have my brothers help me swap out the transmission, but as Hell Week approached I was very concerned about the workload they had left on their cars, so I changed it up a bit.

I always attempt to be ready to leave for Oklahoma on Friday evening, as soon as I get off work...and it never happens. I typically get loaded up on Saturday, and head out that night or early Sunday morning. With the old 12 valve '93, and the two-car tag trailer, I'm limited to around 62 MPH, so it's usually a 24-26 hour trip and I pull into Dale's yard early Labor Day morning.

I decided to do the trans swap in the comfort of my own carport instead, and avoid the mess at Dale's for a few more days. The CRT 727 with RMVB was yanked, and the old 727 with forward pattern Trans-go TF-3 was installed. This was the same transmission that had cost Rachael and the Belvedere a DNF on day 1 in 2013, so I hoped Dad got it right this time. Rachael was appalled to realize I hadn't swapped out the slightly burnt shifter cable at the same time, but I explained that it wasn't completely ruined. She mumbled something about me going under the car if it failed during the week, but I was too busy wrapping it with black electrical tape to really understand her.

I fielded calls all weekend from the brothers about when I would arrive to help them, and they were really not happy when I didn't roll out of Phoenix until Tuesday morning, the sixth of September.