Driving an ugly, rusty and unproven car across the country on a maiden voyage can rattle the nerves of the most experienced builder. This is especially true when you are literally installing the transmissionat 11:00 pm the night before you depart on a 1500+ mile journey. The scramble to get the car back together was the result of a clutch malfunction during the car’s second two-mile test drive. With a total of four miles under our belts, we would leave in seven hours, and had no idea what, if anything, would fail on our maiden voyage.
We loaded our survival gear the next morning as we let our “little wonder” warm-up on a chilly October morning. Better to bring more than less, figuring that we had the possibility of seeing just about anything Mother Nature could throw at us in the next 5 days. As it turns out we got to see more than we bargained for…
Day One: Hamilton, OH to Chattanooga, TN
Pilot Gary Buckles takes the wheel for the first shift and ends up behind the wheel the entire day. Weather conditions were perfect: sunny with a high in the 60’s. Things were shaping up as we pushed our way south on I-75. Joining us in the caravan were the Brookville Roadster Gang, Posies, and California Roadster. (The Dynamat boys, as it turned out, were further behind in their build than we were and would ultimately have to throw-in-the-towel and trailer their unfinished car to Vegas.)
The only concerning observation of the Rat on the first day of the tour was the fact that the gas gage was not functioning properly. This mandated frequent “safety” stops for additional go-go juice since we lacked the foresight to pack a gas can in our “Emergency Kit.” The fact of the matter was that our Emergency Kit consisted of Duct Tape, spare spark plugs, a few misc. wrenches, a few quarts of oil, a spare fan belt, a fire extinguisher, a flashlight and a couple of Snickers Bars. Yes Sir, we were well prepared!
Since the other attendees on the tour expected us to break down before we reached Cincinnati, we were filled with confidence as we arrived in Chattanooga without incident. Actually the 1937 original speedometer began making a high pitched “squeel” noise shortly before exploding and breaking the needle into little tiny pieces. Who needs a speedometer anyway?
Day Two: Chattanooga, TN to Memphis, TN
What could possibly go wrong on this short leg of the DDT? Seriously, how hard can it be to complete this trip? The morning was crisp, cold and overcast. Corky Coker was leading the pack through the gently winding and rolling back roads of Chattanooga in the general direction of Memphis, and we were keeping up with the group at the rear. We had been relegated to the back of the pack since most participants figured something was certainly about to fall off our car and damage one of the more expensive cars on the tour. We also had a few complaints that our car’s exhaust smell was a bit “offensive” for other tour members – so we went to the back.
Gary had now earned his wings as our primary pilot and again did most of the driving. That was fine by me as the skies were looking like rain and I needed to dig out some rain gear fast! Shortly after placing the equivalent of a trash bag over my head as a make shift poncho, the skies opened up and we were subjected to the first real test of the cars weatherproofing. We may as well have been on a motorcycle as water was coming from everywhere. The good news was that the car was fine and we had no issues completing day two, or so we believed.
Day Three: Memphis, TN to Little Rock, AR
The morning was not looking so good. Rain continued to pour down and dampen the Rat as well as our spirits. Motivation was scarce as we stared out the door at heavy rain and felt the bone chilling cold. We remained optimistic that we would break free of the rain and see some sunshine. I took the wheel hoping that driving would distract me from the damp cold.
However, the sun would not shine on this day. Literally nor figuratively as the Rat decided it could go no further. The car lost power, began to misfire and finally quit running. Was this the proverbial end-of-the-road? The rain was heavy. It was like standing in a dense fog. Visibility was low, maximizing the level of danger for a hot rod and its occupants parked on the side of a heavily traveled I-40. As a blow to my ego, this was my first shift behind the wheel. My last time behind the wheel resulted in the clutch failure the night before we left. I was jinxed. Note to self: Let Gary do the driving.
I want to thank whoever is responsible for inventing the glass “sight bowl” on the flathead engine’s fuel pump. This is a true piece of brilliance! It was the first thing that caught my eye – mostly because of the color of the liquid. Something was not right. The bowl was full of water. I could not believe that the car had run as long as it had.
After about 15 minutes of repeatedly emptying the bowl, we decided that this problem was beyond a simple road-side repair. We limped along the side of the road until the car quit, emptied the bowl of water and continued on our way until the car would no longer run. Repeat the process and drive until it quit again. We finally reached an exit where we were able to locate a diesel repair facility with an open mechanics pit. The shop was gracious enough to let us use the pit to drain the water out of our gas tank. Builders note: Make sure the gas tank vent cannot collect water while driving!
In about an hour we were back on the road and had renewed our confidence in the Rat’s ability to make it all the way to Vegas. We met the group later that night at the designated hotel. The good news of the day was that we actually witnessed a quick view of the setting sun. Would tomorrow bring dryer conditions?
Evening of Day Three: Little Rock, AR
After taking a hot shower in an attempt to restore normal body temperature, I proceeded down to the lobby to enjoy a cold adult beverage and some war stories with other tour members. (Did I forget to mention that my well-traveled co-pilot always travels with a well stocked cooler?) While discussing the day’s events with the Honest Charlie folks, Honest Mike began hunting around in the Rat’s engine compartment. He emerged a few seconds later with a profound discovery. In the rush to complete the engine tuning and transmission repair prior to the start of the DDT, we had apparently messed-up the firing order on our trusty flathead. We had two wires crossed and had driven the car for three solid days! What a great engine. It can evidently run on 90% water and it apparently doesn’t need spark to propel itself down the road!
A test drive following replacement of the spark plugs and correction of the firing order proved that the car had much more power than we originally thought (amazing!) and that the exhaust cleared up after blowing all the unburned fuel out the tailpipes. It was a happy ending to an otherwise chaotic day.
Day Four: Little Rock, AR to Oklahoma City
More rain, rain rain…. But it could not dampen the tour, nor the fun we were having now that the “bugs” have been worked out of the Rat. Gary is once again behind the wheel. He is getting some great experience in the rain. With no windshield wipers, we apply Rain X every morning just to see the road. Today marked our last dump of water in the sight bowl on the Rat’s fuel pump. We have had to dump it at every fuel stop just to keep it running. Hopefully it will be clear sailing from here.
Day five: Oklahoma City, OK to Amarillo, TX
What is that funny light in the sky? For the first time on the tour, we get to see the sun shine. It sure makes a difference in attitude as everyone on the tour seemed happier. After a morning stop for fuel, Gary and I dropped the top on the Phaeton Rat and enjoyed open air cruising for the first time. There were lots of great people and sites to see along the way. The Rat was coming into its own, as it cruised all day without any problem. Today’s sites included the National Route 66 Museum, Lunch in Shamrock, TX, a stop in Groom, TX for a photo op and finished in Amarillo, TX at the Concy Road Body Shop – what an unbelievable collection of cars! No rust on any of them! This was a Midwest Car Guy’s Dream. Wake me up later….
Day Six: Are we there yet? Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque, NM
Short driving distance today and more good weather to boot – this would be a great day. After a quick doughnut in an Art Deco Building, we hurried to Two Brother’s Steel, an open air welding shop where the crew treated us to home-made fajitas and some really cool local cars. The Rat is doing great – absolutely no problems. Confidence is at an all time high. We pulled into Old Albuquerque in time to enjoy the town and prepare for a great Mexican Dinner. Gary and I ate with Joe Abbin of Roadrunner Engineering who has published a book titled “Blown Flathead, How to Build a Supercharged Flathead Ford for the Street. Great people, lots of laughs. Fell asleep dreaming of putting a blower on the Rat.
Day Seven: Albuquerque, NM to Flagstaff, AZ
For two born-and-raised Midwestern boys, this is some of the coolest scenery we have has the privilege to enjoy. Gary was happy to drive, so I got to enjoy the sights. This was another beautiful day and to top it off we had a short drive to Flagstaff. The only trouble with the car today was no fault of the car. Gary and I forgot to replace the gas cap – we left it on the bumper and drove off. So, we went shopping on the Brookville Roadster truck. We then had to spend some time making it look old. It was and still is the shiniest part on the whole car. (I am still seeking a rusty one to replace it)
Flagstaff is one great town. If you go, make sure to visit The Zoo. We had more fun there than anywhere else – so much fun that we do not remember it all. Thanks to the Hotel Courtesy Shuttle Driver for keeping us safe. Where did we leave the car?
Day Eight: Flagstaff, AZ to Las Vegas, NV
You just got to love the weather in the desert in Late October. The car is doing great and we are on our way to Hoover dam. Since we were so close to our destination, we decided to “stretch the legs” on the Rat. The car is amazingly smooth, but I cannot tell you how fast we were going. If you remember, the speedometer exploded on day one. We had to slow down to pass the security check point before crossing the dam. As we proceeded into the valley, the pace was slow and there were lots of cars. The engine started to get real hot. We decided it was in our best interest to stop for a while, enjoy the view and let the car cool down.
I have been to the dam three previous times in my life. It is a marvel of engineering. However, it saddened me to see how low the water level was in the reservoir. (If you don’t think that the world has a water crisis, you better start taking it seriously.)
Gary and I had a water crisis of our own. The car had gotten hot for the first time on the trip and the overflow tube deposited a lot of our coolant on the ground. We were going to have to be careful driving into Vegas.
The traffic was so bad we could only creep along at a snail’s pace. The car was getting hotter and there was no place to pull off the road. We had to press on. We opened the heater valves and tried to cool the engine as best we could. No effect. Things were looking bleak as we were just starting to pick up the pace on the four lanes into Vegas. No stopping now….
As we approach the strip, congestion builds again, engine begins to get super hot.. all eyes are on the temperature gages. As luck would have it, we sail through the last traffic light (possibly red) before reaching our hotel. As we cross the curb with steam emerging from the hood, we officially declare our trip as an overwhelming success.
Upon returning to Dayton, Ohio tired and weary from our ravels, Vegas night life and a busy SEMA show, we sat down to determine what the Rat should receive as a reward for delivering its passengers safely to Sin City. First on the list was to repair the pulley on the generator. The pulley had unknowingly split causing the belt to slip on the water pumps. This was the cause of our little overheating issue as we made the final push into Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam. The second item on the list was to pressurize the cooling system and add a catch tank for the coolant. This will enable the system to “level” itself as the engine changes temperature. The third item will be to add some weatherproofing. Side curtains will be installed along with some rubber weather-strip to keep things dry and somewhat warm in inclement weather. Fourth on the list was to install gauges that actually work. What a concept. Finally, we need to change the stance of the car. We simply ran out of time before the tour, but we always wanted to lower the rear of the car to eliminate the cartoon-like rake.
After accomplishing the list of changes, we headed to the Detroit Autorama (Basement) and took home the Best Traditional Rod Award and Trophy.
Looking forward to the DDT ’08!
Speaking of ’08, the ride of choice has yet to be determined. The Rat is always a good candidate given its proven reliability and its recent mechanical enhancements. However, there is this 1955 Ford Truck not too far from the office that may have some serious potential. After all, we have four months to build it!
See Dayton Wire Wheels Street Rod web site for more informationion
