The first NMCA race of 2020 is in Bradenton, FL, which is south of Tampa. Since the Stacker trailer is brand new, the thrash was on to finish outfitting it for racing. My coach is 3′ longer than the last one, so the trailer was ordered to be 2′ shorter. That requires optimal space usage in trailer. Below are photos of the finished product.
With the Stacker finished, it was time to load up.
Since the Screamin’ Woody has a new and untested motor, I put the Texas Thug – which had the bugs worked out, on the Lift. I’ll rent the track Wednesday to test the Wagon, but if it doesn’t cut it – then I’ll run the Thug. It was an incredibly tight fit getting both cars and the golf cart into the trailer – requiring many steps. I’ll chop the top of the golf cart 4″ when I get back. That will eliminate one of the steps.
Petty Tribute 1960 Plymouth
I took the Petty Tribute car on it’s first drive after preparing the front tires and getting tires mounted.
As you would expect, there were a few bugs. The clutch lever had to be modified, the shifter adapter needed to be modified, the collectors needed their gaskets changed, as did the headers. The pipes scrape on turns, so I called Laura at Espo Springs and Things to order a pair of new 5-leaf springs with a 1″ height increase and some other rear hardware. The radio antenna sux – so I ordered a windshield antenna. It should be ready for me to enter into the car show at the Atlanta race.
I also have an aluminum 24′ trailer from the 90’s that I’ve been refreshing. I put a front straps hangers, a tire spinner holder in the rear, and some shelving to hold plastic jars of nuts bolts and other hardware. I’ll finish up when I get back from Bradenton.
My son and I own Bloomin’ Blinds of The Woodlands, through our company Daldavco, LLC. Its been a record month in sales, plus we had Dock Side Magazine out for a feature they will run in their March issue. We also have a double size booth at the Montgomery County Home & Garden Show this coming weekend – so a lot of time has been spent preparing for that.
I bought a Gear Vendors overdrive unit for Ginger, my daily driver 1978 Magnum. Got that installed and ordered a new yet shorter Victory Driveshaft. Took it for a 50 mile drive and I’m real happy. Before installing the overdrive, my tire (275/65-15) and gear (3.55:1) combination had me turning 3100 RPMs at 70 and if I cruised at 85 my temperature would shoot up to 220 degrees quickly. My Trans team would also rise to 225-230 degrees. Now I’m at 170 degrees at 85mph and maybe 2100 RPM. At 70 I’m at about 1900 RPM. The Trans oil temp never got above 140 degrees in the 50 mile drive documented below.
OldHippie.com
As many of you know, we typically live at the lake Thursday evening until Monday morning, and then commute (100 miles each way) to our home next to my shop in Beasley. I have 4 containers and a 12×16′ shed full of cars parts, 30+ vehicles, and an attic full of furnishings from the last two homes we’ve sold. The goal is to down-size my life, buy some land close to my lake house, build a shop there to stop commuting, and later build a home to rock on the front porch on. I’m not going to build anywhere near the number of buildings I currently have — and need to dramatically downsize my life by selling what I don’t need and won’t use.
I had an eBay store and all was going well, until they wanted me to charge sales tax and file with every county I collected it from. That’s just not practical. So I’ve created a Craig’s List Style (only even easier to use) classified ad web site, and started to list my stuff. In a purely selfish move, I’ve made it available to anyone in the United States to use COMPLETELY FREE AND WITHOUT ANY CATCH. The reason I’m paying for this for everyone to use is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The more ads listed on the site, the more visitors (potential Buyers) are bought to the site. I’ll pay for you to help me sell quicker.
So this is you official invitation to register at https://www.oldhippie.com securely and free, and like me, to clean out your attic, shed, garage backyard, storage locker… and convert stuff you don’t need into cash.
When you register, you are immediately emailed a confirmation link to verify that you’re not a robot spammer. Clicking that link makes you ready to post ads. The knuckleheads at GOOGLE are putting that email in your Spam folder if you use Gmail. The email is sent immediately. If you don’t see it in your Inbox, you’ll most likely find it in your Spam folder.
Spring Cleaning
So I moved four of my bikes so I can move my Street Rod to the garage I keep my ready to drive cars. However, my Shop Rat has not been starting and running every Friday like I asked, so the battery won’t take a charge. New one is on the way.
I have black rolling carts for various jobs. Electrical work, power Tools, sanding and grinding, small detail work… They tend to get disorganized quickly – with crap thrown on them and stuff not put back where it belongs. I straightened out the electrical cart.
I also have red rolling carts that has just about anything from used parts, to mail, to garbage thrown on. I consolidated it to one by throwing out garbage, photo and listing for sale usable parts I won’t need, and putting away stuff I will need.
My 1979 Magnum GT has its drivetrain pulled, and the bumpers pulled. It will get prepped for new paint under the hood and door jams (to match new paint on the body) and the bumpers blaster and powder donated flood black.
Finally, I reorganized where we store new and used hardware and supplies I use at the shop.
So that’s it for the February. I’m about to head to the lake to do some puter work, accounting, and setting up at the Home & Garden Show. This Sunday morning we’ll come back, hop in the motorhome, and get to the NASA rest area in Mississippi to find a spot for the night. Monday morning we’ll finish the trip Bradenton.
Oops
I almost forget. About two weeks ago our family grew by two.
Meet Ole Black Bettie and Billy Sue. Bettie & Billy are sister Black American Labs with a good lineage. Yes that means we currently have 5 dogs, and will be bringing them all to the track.
Buster, Smiff & Wessin are not impressed.
