On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

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Steve Jelf
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On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 05, 2022 12:31 am

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be software that will download photos from my camera to this laptop, so I can't show you any pictures until I ind a way around that.

I left home at 7:10 AM Saturday. The 1915 runabout ran great across the first southeast Kansas counties. With the recently installed Holley G I was able to high gear a hill that I previously had to low pedal. But that running great had a serious break when I spent over two hours in the Coffeyville Walmart parking lot reassembling and reinstalling the muffler. That was the second time I've had that problem, and it will be the last. When I get home the muffler will get welded.

In the final Kansas county the magneto went intermittent and I ran on battery the rest of the day. The battery charger bulb is a good indicator of mag function. Sometimes the bulb was bright, sometimes it would flicker, and sometimes it would go dark for a few seconds. Fortunately the bulb indicated charging most of the time. The problem was not caused by a loose wire or a poor connection in the ignition switch. I haven't checked the post for fuzz yet.

I lost more time when I hit Missouri, where the Joplin-Carthage metroplex always presents a bog-down. As usual there were plenty of traffic lights perfectly timed to Make You Stop every block or two. Add the missed sign (was it really there?) that added some unnecessary miles, and when I got through Carthage headed east I was even behinder than I was before.

As I approached the little town of Avilla the car started acting like it was running out of gas. I pulled into a parking lot just as the car finally died. No amount of adjusting and cranking would revive it, so I took off the G and installed the spare NH I had n the trunk. With that the car roared to life. In fact it roared too much. It wouldn't slow down to an idle. More about that later. In our next exciting episode I'll tell you what was the matter and how it was fixed.

Evening was coming on and it was past my usual dinner time. There were also barricades in the highway and a big ROAD CLOSED sign. Across from the parking lot where I stopped was an old style tavern, with a bar and a grill, and dining tables, and the Cards and Cubbies on a big screen TV. I ordered a burger and fries, and while I waited for my food one of the local guys told me how to detour around the several bridges under construction. He even drew a little map.

It's been many years since I had a real hamburger with the works (no cheese — I wasn't raised that way), and it sure was good. I bedded down n Avilla's little park to rest for the exciting adventures tomorrow would bring.

To be continued...
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Burger in Spokane » Mon Sep 05, 2022 1:11 am

I sure do enjoy your travel posts, Steve. Thanks for taking the time to
share them.
More people are doing it today than ever before !

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by HalSched » Mon Sep 05, 2022 1:44 am

DITTO what Brent said above!


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:08 am

Enjoy the journey!
As I know you always do.


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by TheSaintDiscJockey » Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:24 am

Wow!

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 05, 2022 11:29 pm

Day 2, Sunday

Last night's directions were pretty good, and I made it around the various bridge construction projects (at least three) without getting lost. Compared to Joplin, getting through Springfield on old 66 is a piece of cake. Straight in from the west, two or three miles north, and straight out to the east. The engine still wouldn't throttle down to an idle, racing whenever it was out of gear. As I was leaving Springfield the car faltered, sputtered, and died, coasting to the side of the road. This seemed like the old out-of-gas routine, and I was about to get a can off the running board when I noticed a growing wet spot under the car. Somehow the carburetor drain had worked open and the fuel was going to the ground, not the engine. I closed the valve tight, started the car, and drove on.

I think it was about 1:30 when I arrived at George's in Lake Ozark. He had Martynn Vowell on the speaker phone, and we chatted for awhile, then Mart signed off and George and I went to work on my NH carb. It turned out to an easy fix. Apparently when I assembled that carb several years ago I grabbed the throttle disk with some pliers that made a little burr on the edge which was now keeping the throttle from closing all the way. A little work with a small file soon remedied that. I put the carb back on the car, started the engine, and throttled it down to a nice, slow idle. Problem solved. I visited a little more with George and his sis, then headed up the road to Jefferson City.

There I met up with Facebook friend Garrett. He rode with me downtown, and we took pictures of my runabout in front of the capitol. Pictures taken, we headed back to the Culver's where Garrett had parked his car. All the way downtown and back the car ran rough and struggled up the hills. I should have known immediately the most likely cause, but somehow this time my previous experiences deserted me. We chowed down and blathered at Culver's. I had always assumed it was coffee shop type of restaurant like a Norm's or a Denny's, but it turns out that the place is just another fast food joint. Anyway, after our visit Garrett led me to the Walmart by a route I hadn't known about before. There we parted ways and I turned my attention to my malfunctioning ride. I opened the hood and found the problem in about two seconds. The #4 spark plug wire was loose and the car had been running on three cylinders. With the latest Model T malfunction solved, I turned my attention to the internet and posted the first On the Road installment above.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Scott C. » Tue Sep 06, 2022 12:39 am

It sounds like you are having a great time!! Keep us posted on your adventure.

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by George House » Tue Sep 06, 2022 7:47 am

Yes; reading your adventures has been better than ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. Thanks Steve !!!and well wishes to you 🙏
I don’t know why I turned out this way. My parents were decent people 🤪

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by 1925 Touring » Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:00 am

Thank you for going into such detail with your adventures. It makes me feel like I am there. (I wish I was) :D
The future of our hobby does not depend as much on youth, but on the future of internal combustion.
The past is only simple because hindsight is 20/20.

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:57 pm

This laptop I've had less than two weeks is crapping out on me. I can work only on the top 60% of the screen.The bottom 40% is a flashing unresponsive scramble. I also can't download photos from my camera to this computer. I'll post narrative now, and add the photos when I get home to my elderly iMac.

Day Three, Monday, September 5

I set out from Jeff City following the familiar Missouri 94 east along the north flood plane of the Missouri River. Around Portland the road leaves the flat for several miles of wooded hill country, with lots of short but steep ups and downs and a lot of twisting curves, then returns to the flat of the flood plain. This time, because I had filled up at Marshfield instead of farther along the route, I had to resort to a running board can along this stretch. East of Rhineland I catch Missouri 19 north through more hills to New Florence, where I refill the running board can and fill the tank. A few miles on at Montgomery City I catch Missouri 161, which takes me northeast through pleasant rolling hills with alternating farm fields and woods.

At Bowling Green I skipped my previous route east on the very busy US 54 in favor of a back road to the old town of Louisiana.

I was just informed by the manager here that this McDonalds will be closing in a few minutes and I need to scram. I forgot that I'm in the eastern time zone now.

To be continued...
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Scott C. » Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:51 am

It sounds like you might be in Indiana by tomorrow night.


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by TheSaintDiscJockey » Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:40 am

Keep posting, Steve. Great reading!


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by DHort » Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:55 am

See you soon Pardner!

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 07, 2022 9:15 pm

This computer continues to get worse. Now the whole screen is breaking up. I'm afraid this may be my last post for awhile.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by TXGOAT2 » Wed Sep 07, 2022 9:18 pm

Is there any chance the computer battery is not getting charged?

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:35 pm

When I said the whole screen was breaking up I didn't realize it was literally true. I took the laptop to the Apple store in Ann Arbor and found that the problem was a small crack in the screen. So with the computer unusable I was offline for the duration. I had to take notes and pictures for posting later. It's later now, so here we go.

Day 1: Saturday, September 3


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On Bronco Road, Chautauqua County

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That's a lot of hay. Labette County.

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On old US 66 north of Baxter Springs.


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Show me. The traditional crossing-into-Missouri photo.

IMG_9670 copy.JPG
An ominous omen. I didn't realize before I started out how bad this tire was.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by TXGOAT2 » Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:43 pm

I find that the rear tires on my car wear much more rapidly than the front ones.

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Sun Sep 18, 2022 1:23 pm

Day 2: Sunday, September 4

IMG_9672.JPG
I'm on old US 66 northeast of Springfield. To the left is I-44, with lots of cars and big trucks all moving fast. Old 66 has a lower speed limit, no big trucks moving fast, and not many cars. It's a great Model T road.


IMG_9690 copy.JPG
In front of the Missouri state capitol in Jefferson City. It would have been a better picture without the modern car, but that woman sat in her car the whole time Garrett and I were there, over half an hour. A part of trying to take good pictures in public is waiting for people to wander out of the way. I finally gave up waiting and settled for this. Maybe I'll reshoot on another trip.


IMG_9693.JPG
Camping in Jeff City with Vitamin C and peanuts. I used to carry a folding chair strapped on top of the trunk. Unstrapping and restrapping it whenever I wanted to get anything out got really old, so I bought the little camp chair which easily fits inside.

To be continued...
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Sun Sep 18, 2022 5:45 pm

Looks like you are living the good life my friend!

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by BrianE63 » Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:32 pm

What modern car?
It's a bit crude but I feel better.
Jelf Capitol What New Car.jpg

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 19, 2022 12:46 am

Well done, Brian. Very nice.

Day 3: Monday, September 5

From Bowling Green I took a new way to the old town of Louisiana on the Mississippi. Always before I've taken the main highway, US 54. This time I found a good back road, MO NN. I had gone just a few miles on it when another EVENT happened.


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A loud bang and the sound of rim on road told me that I had gambled and lost on that right rear tire.

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It looked worn at home but was in worse shape than I thought. Frtunately I had both a front and a rear spare with good tubes in them tied to the side of the car. The front spare is an elderly Firestone NON SKID I hope I'll never have to use. It has lots of tread but I expect that ancient rubber would wear quickly. The rear spare was a Vietnamese Riverside never used before, with the little nubs still on it. It and the other tires on the car look good enough that I expect them to survive the trip. Before the car makes anther trip it will have new Blockleys all around.


IMG_9697 copy.JPG
IMG_9699 copy.JPG
I'm happy to report that the HF tire pump worked very well and I didn't have to resort to the hand pump. With the tire changed I drove on into Louisiana with its beautiful old 19th century store fronts, took some pictures, and crossed the Father of Waters into Illinois.

IMG_9700.JPG
The familiar drive through Pittsfield, Detroit, Winchester, and Jacksonville and on into Springfield was uneventful. There I proceeded to my previous stopping place, a corner of Lowe's parking lot.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 19, 2022 2:18 am

IMG_9701 copy.JPG
The drawbridge across the Illinois River has always been down when I crossed.

Before I started this trip, forum member Art Ebeling had kindly offered any assistance I might need in the Springfield area. So I called him and asked if he might have a used 30 x 3½ tire I could carry as a spare. He did. One was on a rim and one was on a wheel. We struggled at trying to dismount them, and failed. Both were so stiff and had been in place so long that neither would budge. So Art left the rim and the wheel with me so I could get professional help on the morrow.


Day 4: Tuesday, September 6
IMG_9707 copy.JPG
With the neighbors in Springfield.

In the morning I took the rim and wheel to a nearby tire shop. While the tire experts dismounted the two tires, I did maintenance on the car, which had just started running on three cylinders again. The cause was not hard to find. The #1 spark plug was the culprit. It was coming apart, with the insulator flopping loose in the base. So I replaced the failed Edison 14 with a Wards Riverside 5, and the car was good to go. By then the tires were dismounted. I picked the better (or least bad) one for my spare, left the other with the wheel and the rim for Art to pick up, and hit the road.


IMG_9708.JPG
In front of the Illinois state Capitol in Springfield.

Old US 36 from Springfield to Decatur is parallel to I-72. All the big trucks and most of the other traffic are on the interstate, leaving the former US highway a good Model T road.


IMG_9711 copy.JPG
Some people, maybe most, would consider this drive across eastern Illinois a bore, with long, straight stretches of US 36 through mile after mile of farm fields. It is one of my favorite parts of the trip. I enjoy the vast fields of corn and soybeans with the occasional neat farmstead, and even more occasional small town of a few hundred people. Last year this drive was under a brilliant blue sky dotted with little puffy white clouds. This year the clouds were big cumulo-nimbus formations, some of them spectacular in the afternoon sun.


IMG_9713 copy.JPG
East of Decatur I passed through Tuscola, Camargo, Newman, Hume, and Chrissman, crossing into Indiana about five in the afternoon. I thought I might need to stop for the evening at Turkey Run, but when I got there Crawfordsville was only an hour away with plenty of time to make it before sundown. At Crawfordsville I dined on my usual evening fare when traveling — a bag of "classic salad" with ranch dressing, a couple of Roma tomatoes, a cucumber, jalapeño cheese, dry roasted peanuts, and four fig bars for dessert. I've found that since I started doing this instead of eating in a restaurant every night I don't gain weight when traveling. In fact, I often come home weighing a couple of pounds less than when I left. One of my favorite quotes is by Pearl Bailey: "I've been rich, and I've been poor, and believe me, Honey, rich is better." My version is I've been fat and I've been thin, and believe me, Pal, thin is better. So, well fed, I bedded down in a secluded spot by a bean field and enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by TheSaintDiscJockey » Mon Sep 19, 2022 5:16 am

Steve, thanks so much for the time and effort devoted to this wonderful travel log. This is so cool!

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 19, 2022 2:47 pm

Day 5: Wednesday, September 7

IMG_9719 copy.JPG
The day dawned foggy, and I drove with my tail lights on until the fog dissipated about nine. The drive was uneventful until somewhere west of Sheridan I heard a pop and the engine died. Suspecting a stuck float valve, I tapped the carburetor with a wrench, turned on the ignition, and pulled the crank. The car started right up and ran fine. Of course this is often a temporary fix and not a real solution, but the car cruised right along with no trouble for another couple of hours. North of Marion it popped and died again, and again I whacked the NH carb with a wrench and it was fine the rest of the day, and indeed for most of the trip until eventually I fixed the G and put it back on the car. I'll tell that story later.

IMG_9721 copy.JPG
Sugar Plain Friends Church, near Thorntown.


Fort Wayne is not only a large town. It's also an old town, with many streets running at odd angles, and having different names in different places. Even after having been through the place at least twice before in both directions, I managed to make a couple of wrong turns. Fortunately I knew immediately that I had gone astray and was able to correct my course without a major waste of time.


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By now I was running more than a day late and didn't have time to dawdle, so at Auburn I took a picture in front of the ACD Building but didn't go inside this time.

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In Angola I did stop long enough to take a picture of the downtown traffic circle with a big Civil War monument in the center.

From Angola the road north is an easy cruise, and I was soon in Michigan, where I spent the night at Coldwater.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Sep 19, 2022 10:38 pm

Day 6: Thursday, September 8

Much of US 12 going east from Coldwater is very good, with an even surface and wide shoulders. It's east of Saline that the surface worsens into one of those notorious Michigan bad roads. This time I missed some of that with a side trip to the Apple store in Ann Arbor. There my suspicion was confirmed, that my laptop is toast, at least for the rest of this trip. The cause is a tiny crack in the screen, rendering it unusable.

Multiple construction detours in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti wasted some time, but I arrived at The Henry Ford in Dearborn nearly an hour ahead of the 4:00 PM check-in time.


IMG_9728 copy.JPG
I visited with the other early arrivals, checked in, and cruised around the streets of Greenfield Village.The only other traffic was the village's Model A bus and a few of the village 1914 touring cars.

IMG_9729.JPG
After my customary dinner off the running board at Walmart, I drove the few miles west to Wayne. Jason and Vanessa Kuczinski are kind to old people and let me bed down at their place.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Scott C. » Tue Sep 20, 2022 1:50 am

Steve, you drove right through my territory, and I missed you. Crawfordsville is only about 10 miles from my house. Did you take in any covered bridges down around Rockville?

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:48 am

I waved at you as I drove by, Scott. :)

I was intent on getting home with the least amount of driving on dubious tires, so no covered bridge side trips this time. I plan to attend an antique camping event in Indiana next September, with my own little covered bridge tour on the way south after OCF.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 20, 2022 11:06 am

Day 7: Friday, September 9

I always plan to arrive in Detroit a day early to allow time for a visit to the Piquette Avenue Ford plant where the Model T originated. Ford used the building from 1904 to 1910 when they outgrew it.


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This time when I arrived the Early Ford registry folks had their Alphabet Cars — Models, A, B, C, etc. — gathered in front of the building for a photo shoot.

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Brent Mize, Davd Hjortnaes, and Ed Baudoux arrived ahead of me.

The Piquette Plant Museum is expanding, reclaiming the ground floor that was leased by a tenant for many years. A bunch of us got to see some of the ground floor, not yet open for visitors, which is still undergoing research and restoration. The museum proper, on the second and third floors, is a must-see for anybody who appreciates early history of the Automobile age.


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You can pose for a photo in a real Model T.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 20, 2022 11:08 am

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Quadricycle replica project.


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Dave visits with a visitor. In the background, Dean Yoder is with a group checking out one of the displays.


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An important third floor display is a reconstruction of the secret room where Henry Ford and his team designed the Model T.


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 20, 2022 11:10 am

As I was about to leave, another visitor volunteered to take my picture in front of the building.

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Dave's car and mine at THF.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:45 am

Day 8: Saturday, September 10

As always, it was a joy to drive my 1915 about the streets of Greenfield Village along with scores of other 1932 and earlier cars, to walk around and see the cars on display, and visit with friends. There are hundreds of cars, but of course they aren't all driven at once. With State Street closed for construction, this year's driving opportunity was a little less than normal.



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Until I saw the two locomotives together this morning I didn't realize how much bigger the Detroit & LIma is than the Edison.


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Jeron's touring carries on the tradition of the Silver Streak and other decorated flivvers.


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The other side.


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Snappy dressers.

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River is always ready for a Model T ride.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:50 am

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"Let's go, Dad."



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Dan Shields built an impressive body for his 1925 speedster.



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#28 drew some attention.



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Resting in the shade.



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1922 center door sedan, Carlson family, Niwot, Colorado.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:51 am

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Fine forum fellows.


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Model B — one of the rarest of Fords.


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A thing of beauty.


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Paul tells Marty about the B.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:52 am

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Ed gets a ride in Rob's Model K. Dave approves. That big six zips right along.


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Forum folks.


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River rides again.


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A Saturday night tradition is cruising with the lights on.


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A speedy blur.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 12:52 am

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This old timer has its lights working, but it's remarkable how many of the cars don't have working headlights, even some of the expensive luxury cars.



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El Tuerto leads the way.



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No light problem with this speedster.



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A great ragtime band, with dancers.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by DHort » Wed Sep 21, 2022 1:33 am

Lots of great photos Steve. Always good to see you there.


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Wed Sep 21, 2022 3:15 am

Wonderful stuff! Thank you to all that posted photos and reports.

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:50 am

Day 9: Sunday, September 11

Day two of the OCF is more of the same enjoyment, driving about the village in ancient traffic, visiting and riding with friends, and walking about to see the cars on display.



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T.W. Scott brought this beautiful and rare 1915 couplet from Baldwin, Maryland.


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This nice Model A Tudor with matching trailer was across Maple Lane from the coupelet.


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Derrick toots the Stewart horn for Riley and Emily as the Pang men head out for another cruise.


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It's always a pleasure visiting with the Pangs.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:51 am

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The Canadian assembly team did two demonstrations a day, putting together a running chassis in a few minutes.

The forecast was for an onset of moisture from the west, so hoping to get through it before nightfall I left the village at 3:30, stopped at HF to buy a test light for my tool box and at a market for groceries, and was headed west out of town at 4:00. The intermittent rain was never heavy, a couple of construction delays were brief, and I arrived in Coldwater about a quarter of eight. Despite the heavy cloud cover the forecast was for an 85% or more chance of no rain and I slept out as usual and stayed dry.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:10 am

Day 10: Monday, September 12

The day began heavily overcast. After breakfast I took the car to the Walmart auto shop for air in the right front tire, which was afflicted with a chronic slow leak that required daily installation of more air. It was more convenient to get air at Walmart than to take time digging the pump out of the packed car.



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Warming up in the morning.


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Sometimes starting is easier with a wheel off the ground.


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Proceeding south through Indiana the operative word was rain. It started as a light sprinkle north of Angola and increased and decreased all the way down the state, with a real steady soaking rain around Marion and alternating light rain or heavy overcast with no rain. My only stops were for gas and to take more pictures of the Civil War monument at Angola, and a couple of times to fill my drink bottle.


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:11 am

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With steady driving and few stops I covered the 310 miles from Coldwater MI to Tuscola IL before sundown.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:21 pm

Day 11: Tuesday, September 13


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Following my shadow out of Tuscola, 7:10 AM.

The day dawned clear, with few clouds all the way across Illinois. The car ran great, and I fully enjoyed one of my favorite parts of the trip, the flat eastern part of Illinois that some would consider boring. As an experiment I set the throttle at 37 mph and left it alone. Most of the time my speed stayed at 37, 38, and 39 mph, occasionally slowing to 36 or even 35 on an upgrade and briefly up to 40 or 41 mph going down. I crossed two counties without touching the throttle and the experiment wasn't interrupted until I had to stop for a construction interruption.


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In Springfield I paused long enough to take a picture of the Old Capitol (1840-1876) where Abraham Lincoln served in the legislature.


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Crossing the Illinois River again.


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The record of never finding the bridge up remains unbroken.


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Back on the Missouri side of the Mississippi.

The drive across the rest of Illinois was easy, and crossing into Missouri at Louisiana I followed my newly discovered road, MO NN to Bowling Green then down the familiar MO 161 to Montgomery City.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:22 pm

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It was during my customary fuel stop in New Florence that the trouble began. I found the Bedford tire on my right front wheel had gone from bald to bald with cord showing for over half its circumference. Experience told me I should change tires and not gamble on the old Bedford. I removed it and installed my front spare, a Firestone NON SKID probably even more ancient than the Bedford, but with lots of tread.


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What worried me was that when it was inflated it showed cracking all around the mostly intact tread.

Not far from New Florence the car started having the intermittent hesitation that often indicates ignition troubles. I made it through the hills, up the Missouri valley to US 54, and into Jefferson City as evening fell.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:26 am

Day 12: Wednesday, September 14

For a few days my phone had been discharging quickly, with a 100% charge in the morning becoming 0 by evening. So this morning I went to the local Verizon store in search of a battery. It turned out that Verizon will sell you a phone, but not a battery for it. Fortunately there was a battery store nearby and I was able to get the right battery.

Meanwhile, that ancient checked tire haunted me. I figured it would survive on pavement, but the rocky Kansas back roads might eat it up. So I phoned Lucas Classic Tire in Long Beach and ordered a new 30 x 3 Wards Riverside to be shipped to George in Osage Beach.

As I drove from Jeff City to Osage Beach the car continued its apparent running-on-three-cylinders trouble. I would try changing a plug and drive on with no improvement, stop and change another plug with the same non-improvement, and repeat. Finally, on the chance that the problem could possibly and illogically be with the NH carburetor and not the ignition after all, I got out the Holley G that had quit on Day 1 to see what was the matter with it.



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When I removed the bowl two little brass nuts fell out. The carb had quit working when the float came unfastened from the hinge. All I had to do was reattach the float securely and it was good to go. With a different carburetor the car ran no better or no worse. I struggled up the hills and cruised on the downgrades all the way to George's and settled in to wait for my new tire to arrive from California.

George's sister Molly cooked us some excellent burgers in the yard and we devoured them on the front porch. Apparently I was more tired than I realized, because I was ready to crash at 8:30.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 1:37 pm

Day 13: Thursday, September 15

Yes, I was tired. After an unusual twelve hours of sack time I arose and went to work on the car. I doubted that it would solve the problem, but I removed the New Day timer, which really didn't look too bad, and put on another that looked a little better. My doubts were right. When I started up the car it ran no better. But then I noticed something. I had removed the hood for the timer work, and now with a clear view of the engine I saw sparks! I'm always very careful about routing spark plug wires, but in this case the #1 wire was contacting a head bolt, the insulation had burned off the wire, and even some of the paint was burned off the bolt head and some of the engine around it.


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I wrapped the wire in Gorilla Tape, made sure it was nowhere near the engine, and started the car. Much better. It wasn't perfect, but at least it ran on four cylinders for the time being. George and I went into town and I picked up a set of new Autolite plugs and some stranded 10 gauge copper wire. Not a perfect match for plug wires but what was available by the foot. I wasn't about to spend $25+ for a universal set to get just the one wire I wanted. The good running didn't last long, and we ran intermittently on three cylinders back to George's, where we were pleased to find that the new Riverside from Long Beach had been delivered. We dined on tasty tostadas, watched Gunsmoke and Wagon Train, and turned in.


Day 14: Friday, September 16



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Looking for a dropped machine screw, never found of course.

Preparations for the run home: I removed the old NON SKID and returned it to its spare position on the side of the car, and installed the new tire. George soldered terminals on a piece of that new wire and installed it in place of the damaged plug wire.


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Nubs!


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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 1:38 pm

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We greased and oiled all the cups and oilers, and I took the car for a test run. It fired on all four and took the hill to the main road in high gear. I was pleased. I finished repacking the trunk and I was ready to go. I set out at 1:00 PM, and as soon as I hit the main road the car was running on three cylinders again. I was not pleased. I stopped and administered the screwdriver test. It suggested trouble in #1, so I replaced that Wards plug with one of the new Autolites. OK, back on four cylinders I drove on. A few miles farther on, I was struggling up the hills on three cylinders again. I didn't bother with testing again. I just removed the remaining Wards plug and the two Edisons and installed the remaining new Autolites. The car ran normally on four cylinders the rest of the day and after.

I proceeded south and west through Lebanon, Marshfield, and Strafford, stopped to fill the tank in Springfield, and continued west on old 66. West of Halltown the highway is still closed for bridge construction in two places. I surprised myself by remembering both detours, and arrived in Avilla a little after sundown. I parked in the same spot where I camped on the way east two weeks ago, dined off the running board as usual, and sat at the bar in Bernie's to write my notes.



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Approaching the second detour east of Avilla as the sun sets.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by varmint » Fri Sep 23, 2022 3:09 pm

Steve - enjoyed the story so far.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Jerry VanOoteghem » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:04 pm

Steve,

I truly enjoy reading of your travels & travails. I'm right with you every step of the way... in my mind anyway. Thanks! :)

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by perry kete » Fri Sep 23, 2022 6:30 pm

Like the others I too enjoy riding with you, thanks for sharing your adventures.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:42 pm

OK, let's finish up this magnum opus.

Day 15: Saturday, September 17

Rising early, I breakfasted on my customary crackers and a banana and headed west out of Avilla a little before sunup.



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Following my shadow again, east of Carthage.


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Bridge on old 66 north of Baxter Springs.


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How's this for great signage? The big sign directs you onto the bridge. The signs at the bridge say, "ONE WAY —DO NOT ENTER". :D


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On Star Road, Cherokee County.
Kansas is the Sunflower State, and September is the Sunflower Month.



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For almost two miles, US 166 is the only road crossing the Neosho River into Chetopa. Construction here has kept it from being a high speed affair for over a year. I had to wait here last year too.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:43 pm

Untitled 9-17.jpg
On Bronco Road, eastern Chautauqua County.


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The last 19th century building left standing in Elgin, a cattle town from the days of the herd drives from Texas. The south town boundary was the border of Indian Territory. The decades have erased most of the old Mopac roadbed, but a couple of street crossings are still visible in town. C. M. Scott, first editor of the Arkansas City Daily Traveler, reported on the fate of a horse thief caught near Elgin:

He found a rope, and picked it up, and walked with it away.
It chanced that to the other end, a horse was hitched, they say.
They found a rope and tied it up onto a swinging limb.
It happened that the other end was somehow hitched to him.



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At 4:05 PM I rolled into the driveway at home. Shorty expressed her approval of my return.



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I didn't gather much of a bug collection this year.

As usual, I have some things to do to the car before I travel in it again. But I'm already looking forward to the next trip.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by George N Lake Ozark » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:06 am

As always Steve you are always welcome here. It was good to see you and glad we could help you along the way.

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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Duey_C » Sun Sep 25, 2022 1:56 am

Excellent.
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Re: On the Road Again 2022: OCF or Bust

Post by Atomic Amish » Wed Sep 28, 2022 11:30 am

I borrowed the sunflower pic to use as my desktop at work. ;)

Great story!
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