At one point, we had 16 Road Rodz cars in the lot at Pal's. Friday and Saturday of Metro Cruise were exciting watching all the cars driving along 28th street as well as viewing all the cars parked in Rogers Plaza. The Road Rodz occupied 15 reserved spots with an additional 4 cars parking nearby in the open parking area. There are no awards or recognition at this event; just a weekend for car lovers to gather to share their common interest.
On Friday afternoon, before the Metro Cruise activities, I attended a reunion of old street racers and drag racers who used to hang out at Big Boy's restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids. Bob Garvey hosted this annual event and it was great fun seeing some of the guys from the "old days" of cruising the circuit in GR.
On Aug 18th another reunion took place that came together in a strange way. Some of us were chatting on the Martin US131 Dragway Facebook page and I suggested Aug 18th as an open date in the car show action. Once I asked who would be "up for a racer's reunion", the idea caught fire and we all got on the phones to contact former competitors and track workers from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Gary Hunt was a racer of that era who now works as the track announcer at 131 and he put me in touch with track management and helped coordinate the entire day's activities. The idea was originally put out on July 31 and in 17 days we pulled together over 115 former racers and 30+ cars. the cars were a mix of former race cars, current race cars, as well as hot rods and restored vehicles. Everyone had a great time reminiscing about the "old days" and spending the day with old friends. Here's a picture of four of us who raced against each other back in the 70's. We all had 1969 Z28 Camaros back then and all ran in F/S class. From left to right: Dan Bowers, me, John Lambregtse, and Jim Zaskowski.
The track management was so impressed with the event that they have expressed a desire to make this an annual event. Plans are for me to meet with them during the late fall or early winter to provide some input as to how best to offer a reunion show next year.
The weekend of Sep 14-16 was this years 33rd annual NSRA Nationals North in Kalamazoo, Mi. The Kalamazoo Fairgrounds is about a 60 mile drive so the 41 added over 360 miles to the odometer to close out the year.
I had been a bit apprehensive prior to Labor Day when I thought I was hearing an increase in valve/rocker arm noise coming from the 235. I began to worry about the solid lifters on the hydraulic camshaft and that possibly one or more of the camshaft lobes may be wearing causing an increase in valve clearance. I had cancelled a road trip to a show up north on Labor Day weekend to prevent promoting cam failure but it proved to be my imagination! Once I pulled the valve cover and rechecked the clearances, all 12 rocker arms were lashed within .006-.008".
The 41 performed flawlessly for the entire Nats North weekend. This was my first time attending this event and I was amazed by the number of high quality cars on display. Over 2400 pre 1982 vehicles packed the parking areas on Fri and Sat. About 2/3 of that number made it back for Sunday's awards presentations. My gas mileage for the weekend averaged out to 19.4 mpg or about $25 per day; cheaper than a hotel room! The NSRA offers a safety inspection of all cars attending the event with 23 points being the desired approval rating. I knew the 41 would fail one item since I have not installed a parking brake yet. Regardless, I had the inspection done and passed the other 22 points. The 41 now has a 16 point inspection sticker on the windshield. (They only issue 16 or 23 stickers). The leaking rear main seal was the only annoying issue of the entire weekend.
Both the Metro Cruise and the Nats North offered picture taking opportunities by the score. I probably have over 100 photos from each event! With that many pics, it's hard to chose which to post here so I'll just leave that for another time.
I contacted Jerry Hallberg on Monday to review getting the chips in the front end paint fixed during the "off season". He's has the 41 on his schedule and suggested I pay a visit to Sherwin Williams paint store with the 41 so they can check the colors with their computer. This will allow a good match to the existing paint. I paid them a visit yesterday.
The wife and I are off on a short vacation the end of next week. When we return, I'll begin tearing down the 41 for this year's improvements. Plans call for fixing the leaking rear main seal, replacing the windshield, disassembling both doors to fix the vent mechanisms and driver's lock, installing a new ac/heater/defrost system, fixing the chips in the paint, replacing the rear wheels and axles, and adding a little more "bling" to the engine with some customizing of the valve cover and side cover.
Sorry for the long delay between updates but, as they say, "Life got in the way!"
