Tuba........Trombone..........

the band went silent in mid song...

me thinks the band ran out of gas

"What just happened Joel?" "I'm not sure..." Thinking in the back of my mind, if it's electrical, such as a MSD, we might be screwed. "I think we are out of gas." Joel says. I quickly go through my routine of what I have to do with going from Race to Street trim, and I realize I didn't switch the ball valves on the fuel tanks. "Stay in the car Joel, I'll take care of it.!" I unbuckle my belts, and hop out of the Coupe. Remove the trunk lid, and reach into the packed trunk to get to the ball valves. I knew if Joel got out, he would start removing all the trunks bounty, and it would end up taking way longer than it should. Race valve closed, feel around for the street valve, and got it. Reinstall the trunk lid, and hop back it. "Try it now." Joel ran the fuel pump for a bit, then fired up the old HEMI. Whew... back on the road we went. It wasn't too far to the Casey's gas station, and Joel wheeled the Coupe next to a gas pump. Joel was in a hurry to use the bathroom, and get some coffee, so I took care of filling the tank, and adding the octane booster. As I'm finishing up, Tony pulls up in his 38 Dodge truck, and Mark Fisher pulls up in his class leading Ford. 3 Hot Rod class vehicles in one spot. Joel walks out of the gas station, and tells me, "The lady behind the counter really loves her job." I asked him what that meant, and he just said "You'll see." Umm OK. I grab a bottle of Mountain Dew, a Doughnut, and make my way to the counter. It's easy to see what Joel was talking about. This lady had the biggest perma scowl on her face, that she made Anne Ramsey look like a Super model. I pay for my stuff, and hurry out. I didn't want my hand stuffed into a blender...

When I got back to the gas pumps, Joel, Tony, and Mark were chatting, and discussing just why someone would try and run 8 carbs on a motor, and think it was a good idea? We took the opportunity to get a group shot of the 3. With picture time over, we squeeze back in the Coupe, and get ready to hit the road. Joel hands me his coffee. "What do you want me to do with this?" "Hold it. I can't drive, and hold my coffee." It's a 20oz cup of coffee, and Joel has it filled right to the brim. "If this spills on me, this cup is going out the window..." I'm not joking.

The route to our first check point has some decent 4 lane roads to take, and Joel and Tony take advantage of it, and put the hammer down. Mark, although he has a Gear Vendors in his truck, he hasn't been using it, and has traveled the routes around 55-60mph. We didn't see him much after the gas stop. Our firscheck point was a rest area. Not the coolest check point, but very convenient. This time Tricky Steve, and his wife Cheryl pulled up next to Tony, and Joel. Another Kodak moment. We chatted for a while, and answered questions from other travelers at the rest area, but quickly realized we needed to hit the road, and let other Drag Week cars use the space for their photos. i told Joel we will probably need gas again before the next check point. Tony said he was good to go, and would probably split off, as he informed up that his wife was waiting for him at the hotel near Byron. "Conjugal visit eh Tony?" he just laughed...

We got back on the road, and it was pretty cool having 3 Hot Rod Class cars running down the road, and we were eating up the miles quickly. 75mph was the norm. Not the most exciting thing to write about, but not having problems was a highlight after the last couple days. As we approached the time we would need more gas, I looked at my phone, and found a place just up the road. We cut off the highway, and Tricky Steve, and Cheryl followed us, and Tony split away for his bride. We pulled into the gas station. Tricky Steve on the right, and the Coupe on the left of the pump. "Hey Joel, there is an Arby's next door. We should eat. How about you get gas, and I'll run over and get us something?" "Sounds good, can you get me a Deluxe... " I didn't hear what he said, as I was already walking away. He's going to get what I get him... I run up the hill, cross over the parking lot, and reach the front door, and read the sign "Indoor dining area closed" F%#@, at least put a Moose out front to tell me it's closed... make my way back to the Coupe. "Closed Joel. Drive through only." "Well we will just go through the drive trough then." This should be interesting since Joel can't hear people talking clearly, let alone through a crappy speaker.

"Well we will just go through the drive trough then." This should be interesting since Joel can't hear people talking clearly, let alone through a crappy speaker.


reminds me of a movie where the guy goes through the drive in and is talking to a clown face on the speaker. the speaker is garbled up pretty good, and after a little bit of that he says : "STUPID CLOWN !"

Great pics of the cars!

Man, I like that 38 Dodge truck, makes me regret waiting too long to buy a '37 Plymouth truck a few months ago, still kinda looking.

With food in our stomach's it was time to hit the road, and get to the last stop, and then head to the hotel. The route took us on some country roads. I'm sure when the route is planned, the roads are decent, and zero road construction at the time, BUT this is Drag Week, and there is ALWAYS road construction at some point during the week. Not too long after stopping for gas, we hit a spot that was being resealed, and the construction crews were applying new sealer down, and then I'm sure fresh rocks. We got the sealer. Miles of it... There are a few on Drag Week that have cars extremely detailed, and we just knew it was going to cause more than one to cringe when they had to drive though it. You can NOT deviate from the route. Stuff like this is what really makes your car a "STREET" car. Using it along everyone else, in their boring mundane daily driver. Luckily for Joel the Coupe hasn't been washed since 1952. This wasn't going to affect anything. At last, we saw the end of the construction, and Joel put the hammer down.

When we pulled into the last check point, we knew it was going to be the coolest one of the event. An old gas station along Route 66. It hadn't been used in many years, but the town preserved it, and it's a very cool local attraction. It made for some very cool pictures. We wanted to just hit the road right away, but the locals asked if we wanted to see more, and Joel couldn't pass that up. Inside was like walking back into time. Tons of stuff from when the place was still running in the 50-60's. A wall cabinet caught Joel's eyes, and it has silhouettes of 20-30's era cars on it. One a Duesenburg. We snapped a few pictures of it, and said goodbye to the locals. Once we crawled back into the Coupe, Joel tells me "Great, now I'm going to spend the rest of my life looking for one of the cabinets." I hope he fulfills that dream.

We made our way to the Casey's gas station just down the road from the checkpoint. They only had 87 Octane... "We have enough to keep going." Joel said, so we headed on down the road. We had about 85 miles until the hotel, and the thought of getting a decent meal, and early to bed sounded like a good plan. We found a gas station about 20 miles down the road, and pulled in. Wondering just how much gas we had, and trying to figure out how much we would need to the hotel, and going to the track the next day, I decided to use the gas gauge aka a wood stick. After removing the stick from the tank, I was shocked. The gas hardly even registered on the stick. We had pulled into the station almost on fumes! We thought it was best to only put in half a tank. Joel went in to use the restroom, but I was good. Sure was nice having this day go smooth, after the first 2 days... "Saddle up partner!" Joel says as he walks out of the store.

Not long after hitting the route, I get a message from Clark Lamb. he and his Dad were broke down, and could we give them some help? Sure can. We knew they couldn't be too far from us, as we saw them last at the old gas station. Clark sent me the location, and it was perfect, as they were at the next exit, just one mile away. When we pulled in, Clark had already found his problem. A broken rocker arm. Bill, his Dad was already on the phone with Harlan Sharpe, and having some over nighted to their hotel. Joel used this time to take a nap in the parking lot. "What now Clark?" he was able to remove the push rod, and then used some zip ties to block off the oil hole in the rocker shafts.he quickly installed the valve covers, and then I asked if he could cut the fuel to that cylinder? "Yup!" and he reaches into the engine bay, removes the connector to the injector, and says "Reason # 4583 fuel injection is better than a carb." LOL. Joel and his 8 carbed HEMI never got that memo... Clark fired up the worlds heaviest small block, and it didn't sound too bad. "We'll make it to the hotel." We wished them good luck, and made our way back to the route.

Once we got near our hotel, Joel wanted to hit the parts store, and get the stuff we needed for a hotel parking lot oil change. I didn't like the last drain pan, and since we were not keeping the pan, I figured it would be best to get the cheapest option available. a plastic oil jug, and a funnel. The Coupe sits high enough? Lets try it. After getting what we needed, we drove the last few miles to our hotel. There were already a bunch of Drag Week cars in the parking lot, including Clark's Barracuda. At least they made it here. Tony and his wife were hanging out as well. Joel parked in the far corner of the lot. Far enough away that hopefully no one would notice us changing oil. he got out, and said he was going in to get us checked in. Right... he just wanted to have me do most of the work. When I got out, I tossed the oil jug under the HEMI, and quickly realized it sat lower than I thought. We didn't have a jack other than the bottle jack, and that wasn't going to lift the car enough to get the jug under the HEMI? Joel had bought a new coil at the parts store, and some black paint, so I figured I'd get that painted right away, so when Joel comes back out, he can install it. Where is Joel???? at least 20 minutes have gone by. Is he busy explaining who he is, or should i say isn't? Tony asks if i want a beer? Duh. Yeah I'll take a beer. As the paint on the coil is drying, i figure I can at least swap out the oil filter. Sure enough, the gasket once again sticks to the oil cooler. As I'm installing the new filter, Joel finally walks out, and asks me if I need to use the room anytime soon? "No, why/" Then it hits me, where he's been the last 20 minutes. More Tuba lessons... "Ah jeeze, did you at least turn on the fan?" I ask. "There wasn't one." joel says with a smirk. Great, I'm going to die when I enter the room.

"Joel, we have a problem. The oil jug is too tall for under the car." "Ask around, and see if anyone else has a pan." We asked a few people, and no one had one, so I thought well I might know where I can find a oil pan, but now it could cost me my life. i run up to the room, and hold my breath before going in, grab the waste basket, and rush out the door. As soon as the clicks behind me, I let out a big exhale. Whew made it... i was able to use the bottle jack, and lift the Coupe just enough to wedge the waste basket under the HEMI. I removed the plug, and held it close to the oil pan. For those wonder how much oil can a Hotel wastebasket hold? No where near as much as the oil pan on the HEMI. About 6 quarts, and a big mess. i took the waste basket, and dumped it into the oil jug. It took a couple times to completely empty the oil pan. I actually didn't make to much of a mess. Less than the one in INDY, and nothing will top the spill in 2015.

With the oil changed, it took me a couple cans of brake clean, to get that waste basket clean enough to put back in the room. maybe the oil smell would cover the damage Joel did earlier? By this time, we were getting hungry, and Tony and his wife asked if we wanted to go with them? Sure! We hopped into heathers Jeep, and located a place we could actually sit down and eat. Most places in Illinois were carry out only. it was a decent meal, but better company. Tony, and Heather are very nice people. We had a lot of laughs that night. Some at Joel's expense.

Now there's a good use for a hotel garbage can! Great story Jeff! I am surprised that Joel isn't here tootin his own horn!!

If hes "Tootin" Im guessing its not his Horn.LOL.Note to self"Dont book a room near Joel" LOL

Yeah I should have ordered spare rockers thanks again for stopping. I gotta say thanks to Randy Jr. with Harland Sharp for personally driving the parts to UPS to they could arrive in our hotel lobby at 8:10 the next morning.

Getting the late start at Byron allowed us the pleasure of dealing with lots of traffic in the somewhere in Illinois section of the drive later that day. Two hours for roughly 18 miles.

That is a first time I've seen tyraps used like that, do anything in a pinch, correct

like freiburger says on roadkill : "and that, is your ZIPTIE moment."

This writeup is pure gold!!!

Random question, does pretty much everyone change the oil after each drive?

A lot of guys change their oil often...but then again, there are idiots like me, who drive 2k miles to the event, run the event, then drive home...and still haven't changed the oil...in a car that's about as quick as Joel's, but has been together longer, and is known to not have any internal engine issues that might make you want to change the oil frequently.

When the Trunk Monkey was sticking his hind paws out the window while we went down the road, air quality alerts were being implemented, towns being evacuated, civil defense sirens were sounded... But at least I didn't have to smell them.

Tuoche, he says

Kurt Johnson (who is the winningest Drag Weeker ever) changes his oil every day. I do it 2 or 3 times. Checking the lash, and cutting open the oil filter helps me keep tabs on the motor. With high compression and the dubious air fuel ratio, I figure oil changes are cheap insurance for an expensive engine.
Some guys change it once mid week. And then there is Squirrel...

More pics:

Rocket brand racing fuels has been a faithful sponsor of drag week since the very first year. They had their tent set up (seen behind the coupe) and were selling racing fuel. Each day after racing, I would check the fuel level in the race tank with a dipstick and determine how much it needed to top it off. Then I would walk over to Rocket, borrow their jug, and buy just enough fuel to top off the tank. That way it was ready to race the next morning.