"Bonneville or Bust"
Part 1
Forward
Chris and I have pushed hard, draining every resource of time, energy and extra cash to make our Bonneville "Speed Week" deadline and venture out on the trip of a lifetime. For the last two years We worked for this trip....working up to the very end, refusing to give up even in the face failure or setbacks.
Had it not been for our devoted friends and families who gave so much to make sure that we reached our dream....we never would have made it.
It is to all of you and our fallen heros (my Grandpa Thor and Chris's Dad Bill)
that this trip is dedicated.
The trip begins:
As Chris and I had planned, Wednesday was our "hit the road" date, but of course (as any good road trip has) we hit a few snags in final adjustments and staging making for a late Tuesday night. We already knew that both cars were going cold with NO road time....but hitting the road with less then 4 hours of sleep was just not safe....so we all chose to head out Thursday early.
3:30 am Thursday morning came all too early, but there was no shortage of excitement from all parties going. My best friend Dan was riding shotgun with Chris in the "Special", Andy Bolig (C5 rider here and tech editor for Auto Enthusiast Mag) was riding with me and watching out for us on the road as well as running the much needed "trouble truck" was Troy..our awesome machinist friend who put in many tireless hours making much needed parts to get us on the road.
We still had a few more small adjustments to make...but it was now or never, so we got to work with final prep...
With all of the finishing touches complete...
...we hit the road and made great time in the great Columbia River Gorge. Both car ran out famously...notably the "Special" who gave me a run for my money and looked great doing it..
Then, tragedy struck
Just 52 miles out of Portland, Chris put his foot into the throttle a bit and with a "BANG!" the "Special" just quit. Chris coasted to the shoulder and I pulled in behind. We pulled off the hood and hogshead cover to find that when the starter was hit, the flywheel and tranny was spinning....but the front end of the motor was not.
Fearing the worst, we dropped the pan to take a look...and our fear was realized, we had a nicely broken crankshaft.
And with that....the "Special's" journey was over
I began to have a second thought or two about continuing, but Chris urged me to press on...that I "couldn't quit now"...
So I got back on the highway, poured the coal to the roadster's strong new motor and pressed on into the gorge for Hood River, Cascade Locks and The Dalles.
...until running into a little snag....
Apparently the Arlington Co. Oregon Sheriff was none to happy with the roadster being licensed as a regular passenger vehicle and having none of the required lighting for safe night driving...in the middle of the day. He told me that the car was not safe and should be on a trailer, to which I replied "she doesn't like trailers...she is a driver and I built her that way". I also told him that when I licensed the car (nearly 6 years ago) I had asked the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles if I would have a problem with that...To which their reply was "no, the car is exempt".
According to the Sheriff....it was not and he proceeded to read my the Oregon State Vehicle Code Book page by page....wasting nearly an hour of valuable road time. After issuing me a $160 dollar ticket, he told me to head back to the nearest town and get it on a trailer....Like hell I will.
I ran back to The Dalles (100 miles in the wrong direction) waited in the DMV for nearly 3 hours (the DMV employees were VERY helpful) before hitting the road again with the roadster licensed as an "Antique Auto" and a temp permit in my window..
We hauled ass for Pendleton, trying to make it to Ontario before nightfall, but we came up short and had to end Day 1 in Pendleton for beer, pizza and a good nights rest.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
I'm sure I will step on toes when I say this - but there are some real dumb sheriffs' deputies in Oregon. ANd I think most of them are right here in Lane County.
Great pics, btw!
" I also told him that when I licensed the car (nearly 6 years ago) I had asked the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles if I would have a problem with that...To which their reply was "no, the car is exempt".
Take the ticket to court Clayton. Explain to the Judge that it's not up to 'you' to decide what plates 'they' issue you. They are the 'experts'.
Show him that you have since complied with what the other 'expert' (on the road) told you to do and he will probably dismiss it.
It's worth a try anyway. The 'antique car' plate will keep you out of a lot of future 'snags' with the beat cops anyway.
I have to agree, and will write up a written plea....don't really want to drive back to Arlington if I don't have to.
"Bonneville or Bust"
Part 2
Friday morning at 5:00 am came just as early as Thursday had with a not so subtle wake up call from my childhood friend Daniel.....Should I have expected anything else?
After a hot shower and a decent breakfast, we headed down to the parking lot to clean off the bugs from Day 1 and service the car for the days drive.
As we rolled out of town, we encountered one of the steepest grade of the trip...Cabbage Hill just outside Pendleton.
The T preformed flawlessly, making an average speed of 55 mph + up the grade the whole way..
Once we crested the summit, I opened her up in overdrive and we pushed on for Ontario and the Idaho boarder..
...and she ran out flawless over the next 100 + miles...
We triumphantly roared across the Idaho state line at about lunch time...
Many other travelers slowed down to get our picture as we rolled along..
...but I was about to be hit with another problem.
My original Ford fan pulley (an aluminum hub with two bronze bushings), which was not designed for the high speed abuse and the long mileage began to show signs of kicking the bucket in Ontario, OR with massive amounts of play and wear. I packed it full of grease with the hope of it making to at least Wendover where we could formulate a plan of repair for the trip home...but the hub had other ideas.
20 Miles west of Boise, ID the engine temp was climbing abnormally high, the engine working too hard against the damaged fan hub, so I pulled over in the shade of an underpass to let her cool down and remove the fan belt.
We got back on the road and the motor stayed plenty cool..as long we kept moving...
...Until we hit traffic through Boise. In the stop and go gridlock...the temp rose way to high and I was forced to pull off and wait for the Chris and Jay to run back to the last town and pick up a double axle U-Haul trailer and the parts needed to convert the T to an electric cooling fan. By the time they got to us...it was after 5:00 pm and our chances of making Wendover in the daylight were long gone.
I was forced to make the call (the right one I felt) to load her on the trailer and "U-Haul Ass" for Wendover...
This worked out...because even at 65-70 mph we still got in at 2:00 am
...for a good nights rest before our first day on the salt.
The next morning, most of us slept in 'till 9:00....lord knows we needed it, whilst Troy and Chris had an early start and headed out to the salt on a "do and don't" mission. The rest of us joined them later for our first sight of the salt...and what a GLORIOUS sight it was..
We had FINALLY reached the salt!
We were also lucky enough the meet Andy's friend, fellow photographer and Bonneville regular Jeff Conger who graciously gave us the full "$5.00 tour" which showed us all that we would need to know....things that we would NOT have known with out such a tour.
After our first day, we headed back to the Hotel for dinner and a shower before heading out to the parking lot to commence repairs on the T along with her 500 mile break-in oil change to have her ready for her day on the salt in morning.
After that....she needed a night out, so I let her go "Night Clubbing" at the Nugget
...she was popular!
Part 3 coming soon! ..stay tuned!
Clayton, what hoot! I really like your Pacers jacket and plaque. Where did you get those? You guys are living a dream that many of us weren't able to do. Keep us posted! Dave
Question: what is the brass contraption on the steering wheel of the "Special" ?
All there is on the steering column is a brass mount for the monocle windshield.
Clayton, If Oregon does indeed exempt vehicles of a certain age from meeting the requirements that most people and state authorities would consider "safe", then auto enthusiasts in Oregon are indeed lucky. I know elderly people who have, and drive cars in the daytime, only, but their cars still have lights, regardless of how old the cars are. I know state laws on vehicle requirements and registration vary widely and I wish they didn't I wish everyone played by the same set of rules. I am not condemning your car. It is very nice, but the licensing state law that irks me the most is some states require plates, front and rear, while others require rear only. Where I work, I see so many "instate" vehicles come in with only the rear plate, so when I had to have some paint work done on my pickup, I neglected to replace the front plate. Then a Texas Highway Patrolman pulled me over for it. Then I made a mistake. I asked him if he didn't have anything else to do that Sunday afternoon. He said, "Yes, give you this ticket". I've been tee'd off ever since.
Hmm, I got mixed up on the pictures, it's on Clayton's car. The thing I'm talking about is on the actual steering wheel and is a semi-circle with a couple levers. Starting with the picture of the two cars in the field, it's the 5th picture down where you can see it.
Very, very cool. As one who goes slow, I am enjoying reading about you going fast.
BTW, there are darn few Conger's out there...where is your friend Jeff from? My family's from NY/NJ area, and I now live in FL.
Seth, those are the spark and throttle controls on a 1921 Willy Knight steering column Clayton installed. He switched the model T steering gear in favor of the more stout Willy Knight steering gear.
Thanks Scott! Good to be back!
I also had to fix my spark/throttle levers on the steering column after I broke one...was so upset! The originals for the Willys-Knight were cast aluminum and about 6 months ago I had the roadster in the garage with the top down and was out working on it when the spare that I had hanging on the wall next to car decides to take a nose dive right into the driver's seat...hitting the steering wheel, braking the spark lever clean off!
Fortunately I was able to scrounge up a a really nice looking brass quadrant setup from a good friend for a '13 White GA series. I replaced the whole quadrant assembly and I think it looks way better!
Link to one of the original posts
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/129824.html
"Bonneville or Bust"
Part 3
The next morning...with yet another not so subtle wake up call from Daniel...we awoke at 5:00 am just before sunrise, loaded up the T and headed for the salt...
...and this is what Dan and I captured with our cameras...
After the light came up a bit more, Andy and I wandered off for a bit into the un-driven parts of the salt in search of the perfect location for a photo shoot.
...here is a sample of what he and I captured..
Troy and I collected a bit of salt in little glass jars from my tired treads as a trophy that I had made it..
Then...it was off to the races!
The Matrix Machine Model T powered streamliner..turned out a new record of 214 mph
Stay tuned for Part 4
Great fun, Clayton!
I keep looking to see if I can spot my friends and their cars...grin...I wish I would have joined them for this. I;ve yet to make the trip and they go every year.
How do you get rid of the salt after you have been there?
Daniel,
It was a blast! You really need to make the trip.
Kep,
A very, VERY thorough cleaning! ..inside and out!
The drive home shook most of it off from the under side and the rest washes right off when you get home.
"Bonneville or Bust"
Part 4
Over the next three days on the salt, we all enjoyed the almost overwhelming array of sights...taking nearly 10 GB of photos and video between us.
With that...it was time for us to head home.
We passed the Bonneville Speedway sign for the last time...
..as we headed back to the hotel for dinner and good nights rest. Tomorrows drive would start early.
We started early and made great time....
...with a few stops along the way...
We rolled into Boise, ID at about 5:00 pm and dropped Andy off at his hotel to catch an early morning flight home, then pressed on for Ontario, OR...the half-way point. we made it to Ontario at about 8:00pm. As we pulled into the Motel 6, another car pulled up belong side me with two younger guys who proceeded top chat me up about the car....something I am used to. He then began asking me about the market for Model Ts, who might be interested in buying one and that he had one to sell (fiberglass '27 roadster with a blown 350). He then asked if we were from around here...to which I replied "no, we're from Portland and we are headed back in the morning. They left and we headed around the building to our room.
As we are unloading the truck not 10 minutes later...he shows up again, this time in this glass T of his and starts looking over my car again...in depth. He askes me If I want to sell it..."No, it's not for sale" I reply......He askes me if there is an offer I would take...."Absolutly not, the car is NOT for sale." I reply anoyed.
He then starts pointing out specific parts (the radiator shell, the glass Moto-Meter, etc) saying that "those are so hard to find and are worth tons of money...like $1,800 bucks"...then he just leaves with out another word.
Troy and I emmediatly looked each other thinking exactly the same thing.....He was casing the car and gave us a shopping list of what he plans to steal. We re-grouped and decided to call in help for the Law...not our best friend on this trip. However, the Ontario Police were VERY nice and super helpful. The officer they dispatched to speak with us, Rig Medford was a car nut and gave us some great help....
"if you like, we can just take your T over to the City Hall and park it in with all the Police Cruisers....the lot is monitored 24/7 by camera...They will think twice before messing with it there"
We accepted and ran it over to city hall with a police escort and dropped off the car and headed back for a good night sleep.
We went over and picked up the T first thing and picked up some spare ignition parts (just in case) from the local NAPA, grabbed a bite to eat and hit the road...making good time through Baker City to Pendleton.
On our way out of Pendleton, Chris noticed that one of the headlight fork welds on the passenger side had failed and I was about to loose my headlights! We pulled over and had to remove them for fear of damage..
We pressed on in to the Columbia River Gorge...on the home stretch with our daylight beginning to fail. We were forced to stop at Multnomah Falls to re-install my only good headlight for rest of the trip.
35 miles out, she started running poorly, suffering from a bad high speed miss. We had already switched out coils, checked everything and cleaned plugs when it started developing this problem, but now it was getting worse and with no light or time...all we could do was press on and she refused to quit. Both car and driver were exhausted and when she would start running really bad, I would pat her on the outside of my door and say "come on old girl...just 30 more miles...just get us home safe" and she would pick up and run great for another 15 miles..
She gave me everything she had left and we heroically rolled into the shop at 10:00 pm on the nose. When I shut the engine off for the last time, she looked pretty sad...
We had logged a grand total of 1,732 miles across 4 states. We had done it.
And what a hell of a ride it was!
Left to Right: Troy, Chris, Me, Dan and Andy.
Fin~
...Both T's will roll again in all of her former glory.
Clayton, many thanks for this. That was some 'shakedown' drive :-)
Very impressive.
What a wonderful story!!
As soon as possible, download all your pictures and all of these descriptions onto a Flash Drive and also one or more DVD's, and put them in a bank box. Someday, you'll be so glad you did!
Does that sound like I think you'll have a computer problem? Yeah!
I want to thank you for taking us on your trip with you. I think it was Awsome!!! I also want to tell you that I am very jealous of your beautiful T. The one thing I am still wondering about though. Did you run the measured mile? If so what kind of speed did you achive? Once again Thanks for the Awsome trip. Keep up the great work.
Mark
Clayton, Congrats on everything. You have done well. We are all proud...
The beast has done well in her own right too...
Great story you guys!!! Don't be too hard on the deputies...... they think those sorts of tickets are important, but with drunks and speeders (ones going 100 plus) around, I'd think they'd have better things to do..... Oh well, they'll get older and wiser. Meanwhile, keep on T'ing!!!
Great, great fun! Thanks for making it feel like we were (almost) thee with you...grin..
Thank you all!
It was a heck of a "shakedown" for sure, but for a "cold" build, it did remarkably well!....guys I did something right
...And the Dual 81's ran out PERFECTLY! tons of power!
I am really honored and happy to be able to share this journey with all of you.
Joe, I didn't run here and have her timed officially (didn't want to break her) but she cruised out at 55 - 60 + mph....and still had plenty more.
Epic trip is.. epic ;) I'm impressed by 55+ mph on average up the long Cabbage hill. Do you run std Ford 3.64:1 gearing in the rear axle with the Chicago in direct drive up that hill?
What's the gear ratio in Chicago overdrive?
Did you count the gallons/mileage on the trip?
Now this was a true adventure! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Roger,
I am running stock 3.63:1 rear axle gears and did that hill in direct at 55 mph and accelerating (she had allot more, but I didn't want to push her)
I have the ratios for the Chicago somewhere, but I don't know if they are correct...there was a thread here that listed 3 or 4 different ratio sets, all supposedly correct. These were re-posted several times, so I feel they are right:
The Chicago Mark-E
1st - 1.500:1
2nd - 1:1
3rd - 1:1.556
Final Drive ratio in 1st is 6.23 to 1
Final Drive ratio in 2nd is 3.63 to 1
Final Drive ratio in 3rd is 2.77 to 1
In OD on the highway...she was screaming at 60 - 65 mph...so I am considering adding a Ruckstell with 3:1 or 3.25:1 gearing. This trip REALLY let me understand how that can be a major advantage...giving you that half gear split with the 2-speed. I can remember quite a few times I could have used it and several that I wish I had it.
From what we sough, I got about 200 miles out of a stock 10 gallon Ford tank....so that is about 20 miles/ per gallon..
..and that's with the twin Stromberg 81s!
Michael,
It was a heck of an adventure! Even though I don't think I could make myself climb in the driver's seat right now for another go.....I would do this again in a heart beat....and plan to again some time in the future.
Congratulations Clayton, you did a great thing! What an adventure. It must have been crowded in your car, what with all of us "riding along", at least in our minds.
Thanks Jerry!
Didn't change the world...just had a great adventure with my T and great friends.
Crowded? ...no sir, why do you think I added the rumble seat?
I love the captioned pictorial ! Absolutely breathless adventure. Thanks for making your trip vicariously available to us homebound . . .
George,
Thank you kindly and you are quite welcome! I am happy that I could share it with you all.
A trip of this kind is not something often seen and something I had been working for over the last 2 years. I am thankful that it was relatively smooth and very memorable.
Wow,,,, Your story just about brought tears to my eyes,,,, Im so happy your dream trip came true. Someday mine will also.
Clayton congrats!!!!
Your build and adventure has been the best posts I have ever read here on this forum bar none.
THANK YOU for posting.
So how do you plan to top this adventure? what's next?
Will,
Thank you so kindly! Me too. Chris and I had been talking about a trip like this for years...so if was a real experience making it happen for real.
Mike,
Honestly, that is just too kind of a compliment. I am just honored to have been able to share my Model T adventures with all of you. Not allot of people get the chance to do something like this in their lifetime, or have gusto to actually do it (..trust me, it is daunting)
To quote "The World's Fastest Indian" -
"If you don't go when you want to go, when you do go, you'll find you've gone."
Well, next on the docket, repairs and improvements. The Electric fan will stay, but get a re-dress to look vintage...new top/windshield/side curtains (for better visibility and the vintage A/C )....better breaks (4 wheel hydraulic)..a new hood with better louvers (air flow/cooling) and a Ruckstell 2-speed with 3.25:1 gearing for hill climbing and top end.
As far as my next adventure and how do I top this one? ...well..
..I don't know, but I'll keep the headlights pointed to the horizon..with clear roads ahead of me..
..who knows..maybe trans-continental
Bonneville or Bust:
Vindication...
As a bookend so to speak on this trip, I am vindicated against the Arlington Sheriff's Dept.
Arlington, OR is 3 hours from me and after a trip like that, there was no way in hell I was ever going to make the trip back for any reason. So as a good citizen, I wrote a check for the full amount ($160), but I wasn't going to let this go without a fight.
My darling Julia is a whiz with words...especially strongly worded and scathingly poignant letters, so I turned her loose crafting just such a letter to be included with my check. After receiving a brief letter from the judge asking for copies of the new registration, I sent him 3 or 4 documents..including a copy of the temp registration (which I received and had dated the the same day just 3 hours after the ticket was issued and the current antique auto reg form.
Yesterday, I received a replay from the Gilliam Co. Court stating "In light of the documentation you have presented, the Court has dismissed the charges and has returned your check".
My $160 was also folded up with the letter, voided.
..Vindication
Also captured some great stills of the "Special" in action just before the crank breakage..
Here are also the links to the "Special" on the road and my T on the salt..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kEbBByG3RA&list=UU9bYBMbtsLMaNxiYbhYccqQ&index=1&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zGz2RtAxUo&list=UU9bYBMbtsLMaNxiYbhYccqQ&index=2&feature=plcp
And I have started laying out a plan to correct my T's new carburetor icing issue that has emerged since we got home..
Clayton, what a ride. Next trip come on up to Minnesota and pick me up. I'll pay for half the fuel and the dancing girls. You'll have to supply the grub. I thoroughly enjoyed the photos of the sky over the salt. It's been a dream of mine to be at Bonneville during Speed Week since I saw my first Hot Rod magazine back in the 50's. I guess the only thing that stops me is me. All I have to do is stop spending so much money on Model T's and save some for a trip. I like your design for your heated air cleaners. I even know where one of those air cleaners is resting. We took it off our '38 flathead years ago and it became a decoration in our shop. Now my ex-wife own the air cleaner and the shop and there's no way she'd give it up. Mike
What a great ride, just awesome.
The picture of the racer 845 was Joel Young from AZ who this year reached 220mph but only one way. The two run average was about 214mph, not bad for a model T block. I wrote an article in the Vintage Ford about the car a couple of years ago.
Again what an adventure....
Way to go Clayton! As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! I hope the Sheriff's Dept. educated the Deputy.
Did you recieve my PM about the retainer for the Chicago Trans? Dave
Thanks for including us on your trip.
I think there is a little bug for the SALT in all of us.....
Mike,
I know what you mean. I have wanted to make this trip for a long time and to make it happen, we put everything we had into it.
Tony,
Joel was very nice to talk to and his 214 avg speed was not to shabby either!
David,
I couldn't agree more. We were not going to let this go without a fight and I'm glad that we won.
I don't think I got your PM...can you resend? My apologies of course.
Scott,
Maybe I can capitalize on that and get a T tour to Bonneville going....