In a small town in the Midwest we had the pleasure of meeting Bob, a collector of fine machinery on a larger scale. He is also a very nice guy and spent a good chunk of his day to show his collection. Thank you again Bob, it was a blast!

Years and years ago when it had never been done I always hoped that someone would restore a Hemi Dart in as delivered condition. It is still a major trip to see one of these in primer although I highly appreciate the cars with back in the day paintjobs.













Sometimes the world feels so small. This gorgeous SS454 was sold by Reedman as was my 1967 Dodge D200 Custom Camper Special crew longbed.











That was just a storage building...let's see the main collection!

There was a even a few cars from the GM collection that were auctioned recently including a narrow-bodied Vette and other interesting one-offs.

Usually you need a baseball bat or a broken transmission to make Jim stop but amazingly enough he did without all that now. I thought I saw something interesting, actually too interesting to be true in a store window. We went around the block to see what used to be the local Ford Dealer, The McClure Motor Company;

http://genealogytrails.com/kan/butler/eightymcclure-john.html







Today the place houses "Hot Rods and Bail Bonds" and to say that the inventory is interesting is an understatement. Unfortunately there was no one on the premises so we just had to look through the windows. The building seemed to have a full basement with a car ramp so who knows what can be found downstairs;

It was getting late and we were supposed to pick up my 1973 Chrysler New Yorker just south of Kansas City.



Lance, the guy selling the car, is a super nice guy and had no worries in waiting a few months to complete the transaction. He even installed a few new parts for me. Also a big thanks to BulletBob who took his time to check out the car for me. I didn't doubt Lance but it is always good to hear another opinion especially when you are on the other side of the world. Lance had a few interesting Imperials and a Town & Country that I enjoyed looking at;







I had never seen hail damage up close and all I can say is wow. I knew that the dents can be pretty big but I never realized how badly beaten even the sides can be. The windshield has already been replaced...



Thanks again man, the car looks mighty sharp with the "new" shoes!



Class of 73;





After a well slept night (?) we were ready to continue towards Indy where we'd leave the NY and the Demon to wait for the Mopar Nationals the coming weekend.



No, it's not "that" Lynch Road;









Almost on the way we picked up Jim's ramp truck. Luckily the diesel shop seemed to be a stand-up business that had fixed what the dealer had messed up, for a very reasonable amount too.



Just use something to keep that headliner from sagging. OK...

Back in Chicago I thought I'd take the opportunity to check out the Volo Museum complex;

Loading up some necessary items in the trailer and we are off to the Mopar Nationals!



Stopped by MrNorm to help him out as well;



And at Bosak to pick up a Charger for the Nats;









All set! Now the New Yorker and the Demon from Indy;



The Finer Details shop was very busy...and so was Jim, didn't have the chance to get photos of some beautiful completed cars in the back lol;









All seemed to go fairly well except for the fact that after sitting a few days the New Yorker wasn't running right...and the gas tank (new) leaked a lot at the filler tube. But things went downhill from there. I was cursing the fact that there seemed to be a traffic jam on the Interstate in Indy but it in a few seconds I realized that it might be worse. It was a one truck and trailer traffic jam in front of me and we stood behind a hill in the middle lane during rush hour. Definitely not too safe. This sight in your rear view mirror isn't usually good but the Indiana Highway Patrol took us very professionally to a safer spot on the shoulder.



We got the truck and trailer towed away from the freeway for a sum I usually buy cars on. Luckily the New Yorker ran well enough that we could head toward the Nats and make a backup plan, I wonder what this complex was originally? Looks very Albert Kahn - like;




Jim got to loan a truck from Ken and we were headed straight back to Indy. Not too much time if we want to deliver the Charger and MrNorms stuff in the morning;



No worries, it all worked out;









I like what they did to the new Charger but I am still more of a truck person. That crew dually is an amazing vehicle;

That is one rare air cleaner....no, I mean the one to the left...

I really liked this car;

It's not just a coupe, it's a Super Coupe!































This car was one of the absolute Nats highlights for me. It is just perfect on so many levels

One more Mopar Nats behind and before heading to Detroit it was wrenching time at Granberg Chrysler-Plymouth. After arriving to the Hampton Inn the NY had quit running altogether. Armed with a couple of swap meet Thermoquads, new plugs and plug wires, cap and rotor we hoped to get the car to run enough to get to Detroit. At this point I sure wished that I would have taken my rebuilt 73 440 TQ with me from Finland but considering the hassles with flying today and the fragile part I chose not to take it...
We got the car to run although not all that well. The leaking filler neck was repaired temporarily by turning the damaged filler neck seal.

There were a couple of cars trailered as well due to some minor issues;



This is one sharp looking ride;









Jim's truck was lacking power and the NY barely ran so we decided to caravan together as long as possible just in case. So, instead of me heading straight to Detroit we headed towards the beautiful eastern Ohio Amish country where Jim was supposed to pick up a truck bed for a customer. This sight made me somewhat look for Lt Dan though











Dundee Automotive in Dundee, OH is a pick-up truck parts specialist;











Ford Woodhaven Stamping Plant;



Yup, that is the Motor City;



The Russell Trade Center, former Murray Auto Body which also manufactured airplane wings for the B17 Flying Fortresses. It was here that the 2014 Corvette was unveiled.

http://www.russellindustrialcenter.com/



The heavy Michigan multi-axle trucks always impress a man in the trade;



With some creative driving I got safely to my friend Kurt in Detroit. He lives only a couple of miles from Woodward so I could easily walk there before getting the TQ rebuilt. Luckily I had another good friend who has raced TQ:s back in the day and I had already found a rebuild kit. The weather had been a bit unstable for awhile which took sometimes a toll on the activities on Woodward. But it will just get better every day from here...



This particular evening was really quiet but I did see this street freak at Sam's Shell. Ahh, the 70:s...;