Monday at 9 AM I left my shop in Beasley, TX and drove 950 miles to Evansville, IN., arriving at my room at 10 PM. Not much of the route is on Interstates, so I made pretty good time.
I showered and decompressed for a couple of hours before falling a sleep. At 7:30 I met my bestest racing bud, Doug Duell, at his Evansville KIA, where he showed me the major remodeling going on there. We hopped into my truck and headed next door to his Evansville Hyundai dealership, where I got to see the major expansion he did there late last year. He’d been storing my trailer there and shuttled my wagon to the Wrapper when she was ready to do the car. So we hooked up the trailer, headed over to the Wrapper, and loaded up the wagon.
Yes I bought Jim Bailey’s aluminum trailer, after he sold his Drag Pak to Jeff Frees. So I dropped Doug back off at his Kia dealership at 9:45 am, hit the trip meter on my truck, and headed back home. Doug went above and beyond helping on this wrap. Took a little longer to get back with the trailer and construction slowdowns, but I was there before midnight. Since I’d gone to Colorado a couple days earlier, I drove about 5000 miles in a week.
This morning, I unloaded the car into its spot for next six months (while I put it back together), put on jack stands, and dropped the trailer.
I didn’t have the flag that Mark Artis painted on the roof 13 years ago wrapped over.
Also going on in the shop today, was my 64 Imperial Convertible getting a new set of plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points and condenser. The car hadn’t been run in years, but fresh fuel and she purred like a kitten. The valve covers came off, got sanded down, a coat of primer, and a coat of Mopar blue – before going back on with new gaskets. Master cylinder came off as it needed to be replaced anyway, and it made it easier to get to #7 plug.
All four of the wheel cylinders are garbage, so lines were broken loose to drain and new wheel cylinders were be here in the morning. Drums haven’t been pulled yet, so don’t know if I’ll be ordering shoes and getting drums turned yet. Obviously needs an oil change. There’s a Sanden AC 134 retro kit with all of the hoses compressor, bracket, drier, condenser, and other misc parts that are in the Imperial’s very near future.
Last week I disassembled Ole Blue, my Harley I bought new in 1993. I took off the speakers and other stereo equipment I couldn’t hear over my Sampson Dual Fishtail pipes. While apart, I had my daughter (who works three days a week in my shop) detail the sheet metal and chrome; and I ordered a new dash, tank bib, knurled seat bolts, and leg wind deflectors. Hope conditioned the 25 year old leather seat and bags. I got it all but the bags assembled today, before the 97 degree heat and lack of sleep got to me and I had to call it quits.
I’ll finish the bags tomorrow so I can get it Inspected and renew the registration. I put Baby Ape bars on Ole Blue, my Geezerglide, and my Drifter 1500 last year; but as I work on freshening this bike I might go to old school Full Apes like I use to run on my bikes in the 70s.
Hope also detailed my 78 little Red Express, and I photographed and listed it for sale this evening.
Pretty busy day today, and I have a busy day planned for tomorrow – then Friday off to my little cabin on the lake as I haven’t been there in three weeks and have work I need to do there.
