MY RUN TO OCALA, FLORIDA

Some background on this run. I’m a member of the Early Ford V8 site on Fordbarn.com. Fordbarn was going to have a get together in Ocala, Florida on Saturday, October 21, 2006. This would be at Don Garlits Museums. This is a long run…. 1850 miles each way according to the road Atlas. I had called and talked with Shelly and Pete Kaptain in Lake City, FL. She’s the web-mistress of Fordbarn. I told them I was planning to attend. And I‘d be leaving Tuesday, October 10 since I had a couple of stops to make along the way.

I went over my ’34 Ford roadster to make sure it would be ready for the long run… checking things like generator bearings, brushes, and bushings. Cleaned the K&N air cleaners, changed the oil and greased it, checked the tire pressure, and other things along that line. Made sure I had my blanket that snapped to the heater since I was sure I’d be in cold weather. Checked the tools and parts to make sure I had everything. I finished getting it ready for everything except for going through the vacuum wiper and changing the main jets for sea level in the Strombergs. I would do these Monday and leave first thing Tuesday morning.

I had been watching the weather forecasts closely. The local weather “guessers” forecast dry weather until mid-day Wednesday and then we’d begin getting rain and/or snow. Not a problem… I was leaving Tuesday and would be ahead of it. Yeah…… right! Like that ever happened when you’re in a roadster!

Monday morning was nothing but gray skies along with low temperatures. Didn’t look good… since there was a light drizzle when it was supposed to be sunny. Our esteemed weather guessers said the front had surprised them by arriving two days early… and we’d have drizzle turning to rain later in the morning…. Which would most likely change to a rain-snow mix in the afternoon! NOT what I wanted to hear. It was expected to settle in for several days. The weather channel said the southeast would remain dry and seasonally warm. Now that’s more like it..... All I had to do was to get south and ahead of the front and I’d be warm and d ry. Our front wouldn’t get southeast until days later.

Okay. It was 8:30 AM.. Denver time. I changed plans and decided to leave as soon as possible to be ahead of the front. My wife helped me pack and put everything inside plastic garbage bags to keep things dry…. should I get into rain. The rumble seat was soon full of bags etc. I always take a spare winter coat along with various other cold weather clothing. For the road I wore lined boots, a “T” shirt, a thick sweatshirt, and a fleece lined shirt (which was worn for most of the trip as it turned out!). With the winter weight Roadster jacket on I closely resembled the Michelin ma n… and felt like it too! I have a tonneau which snaps on the roadster passenger compartment each night to keep the inside dry and out of the weather. The driver’s side of the tonneau unzips and can be removed to cut down on the wind. The original roadster top sure doesn’t keep it dry…. it had long ago lost all hint of waterproofing and would get soaked through within minutes. My roadster doesn’t have side curtains. The top was down (as usual). I was finally ready to get under way. It was now 8:50 AM as I got in the roadster and did the safety belt thing. I opened the big garage door… the outdoors looked like imminent rain… or worse!!! I hit the 6V starter button and the flathead mill spun over a few times and caught. I sat for a few minutes letting the hopped up mill clean it’s throat of morning thickness…. And let the straight weight oil circulate. It soon settled down to its normal mild lope. It sure sounded good… like it was ready for another road adventure.

I bid the wife goodbye and pulled out of the garage. As usual, she was waiting for me to leave so she could put her Honda in the garage. I turned out of the driveway and headed towards the interstate. I was soon heading east on I-70. The light drizzle soon changed to a heavy drizzle in less than two miles… not a good sign at all. I turned the heater on… like it would do much in an open roadster. People pointed as I went by. Guess they thought I was some kind of nut! It was cold even with the heater running full bore. Barely east of Denver the drizzle changed to a steady rain. Rain always makes it so much fun….always a lot of fun in an open roadster! I didn’t bother turning on the wiper since it did very little good with the rain on the inside as much as it was on the outside. I could see fine as long as I wasn’t getting splash back or tire mist off the passing cars and trucks. It wasn’t long before the big white flakes began hitting the windshield. Not coming down hard, but hard enough I turned on the vacuum wiper since the stuff was sticking to the windshield. The temperature quickly dropped….. like I needed the snow and more cold. A half hou r late r I finally drove out of the snow. It was now reduced to rain… a lot of it. Then the lousy vacuum wiper decided it had had enough fun and quit!! I stuck my nose against the windshield and pressed on…. very cold and very wet….. and getting more of each! It wasn’t long before I stopped to put up the top… not that it would do a lot of good., but it might help some. The old Baron LaBonney top had long ago lost all signs of what little waterproofing it ever had! And with no side curtains… well it sure wouldn’t help much. But I was about to freeze by this time, so anything resembling any type of heat would be welcome . The rain poured through the gap made by the top bow and the windshield. And between the windshield and the dash. Lots of fun wiping the water off the dash and me very two or three minutes! If I had been smart, I’d made a “U” turn and went back home… but I’m not smart.

South of Limon, CO, I stopped to attach a blanket around my heater. This is my final cold defense. When I was putting the heater in a few years ago, I positioned three male snaps around the top and right side of the heater. My old wool Navy blanket received the same arrangement of female snaps. I snap the blanket around the heater housing and route the blanket over to my side of the car. I put it around my legs and thighs…. trying to keep from letting any of the hot heater air from escaping. This routes all the heater heat around me on my side of the car. Boy did it feel good on my icy legs!!! The heat even managed to get up inside my heavy roadster jacket. Nice…. now if I could just figure a way to warm up my face and neck! Oh well……….

All day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was in the cold and rain… 8 to 10 hours each and every day! The wiper stopped working completely Tuesday morning. Not that I needed it… I could see pretty good through the rain hitting the windshield. I gave up even trying to get it to work. It was sure miserable. I was soaked all day… every day! At night I hung up my things to dry in the motel… while I tried to empty the motel hot water tank! Every placed I stopped for hot coffee, and I made a lot of stops, the people inside all thought I was nuts… which I surely had to be. I stopped along the way to visit a couple of friends for a few days… it did feel good to get warm and dry.

Thursday I broke a Bendix drive bolt in the starter. Whenever I get down in elevation, I have to start it on 12V since 6V will barely turn over the 286 inch flathead with 9.5:1 compression. I have a both a 6V and a 12V battery. The 12V is hard on Bendix springs and drives. It happened when I had stopped for breakfast. Came out to hear the familiar whir of trouble. I don’t carry a jack so got to lie on the wet pavement and pull the starter. Not easy since it’s so low. Got it out and found the Bendix drive had cracked in length wise.< SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I had a spare one and put it in. I had only brought used one drive with me, but I did have two spare springs. Finally finished it and started it up. Boy was I dirty and soaked. I went back into the café and ordered a hot cup of coffee while I used their restroom to wash off the grease from my hands and change shirts. Thank goodness I carry hand cleaner. I was soon on the road again… but getting an hour and a half delay.

It was mid-afternoon Wednesday of the following week before I finally saw the sun and some warm temperatures… and NO RAIN! I was just inside Georgia by this time. The sun and warm temperatures really felt good. I peeled off my jacket and fleece lined shirt for the first time. The roadster looked like a pigpen from all the rain and slop it had been through. It was late enough I found a motel and unloaded the roadster. Then took it to a coin operated car wash and gave it a much needed bath. It was over an hour before it looked presentable. Hit the sack early that night. Tomorrow I’d get into FL.

Next morning I left the top down and drove south toward FL. I pulled over when I was about a hundred miles out and called Shelly/ Pete on my cell phone. Told them I’d be there in a couple of hours and would call when I got there. They told me what exit to take. I asked Pete to get me a new Bendix drive since I had used my last one. It was late Thursday morning when I took the exit to Lake City. I found a Shell filling station at the exit and called them to come and get me since I didn’t have the vaguest idea where they lived.... or where I was. I never did figure either one o ut! Far too many side farm roads for this old geezer. They soon pulled up. Offered to have Shelly ride with me, but she declined and Pete road with me while I followed Shelly to a local beanery. We had a nice lunch and then I followed to their house. Very nice diggin’s and Pete has a fantastic garage… about 6 cars long and two deep!!! Must be nice!

They insisted I stay with them. That afternoon I changed oil in the roadster. I used Pete’s hoist… and managed to splash the really hot oil all over me!!! I jumped so much I pulled a rib loose! Thank goodness for Percodan! So much for that “T” shirt from the LA Roadster show..... it was the first time I’d worn it! Shelly tried and tried to get the oil stain out, but ended up with a nightshirt for her troubles. That afternoon we took some pictures of them driving the roadster. Shelly seemed to like my old heap a tad. After dinner that night we sat and talked and talked. A couple of super people.

Friday I left them and drove to Ocala to a motel I had made reservations with. Nice weather… pretty hot! Not that I was complaining. Shelly drove their truck down and Pete took his freshly completed model “A” coupe with a Chevy in it. Pretty neat car, but he didn’t have time to work out all the bugs of a new build.

The Fordbarn bash came off without a hitch. Met some really great people I’d chatted with on the Fordbarn site. Saw some super cars… and all flathead powered as expected. Pete did himself proud on the burgers. Shelly and Pete were very kind to me the entire time I was there. I almost forgot..... they set new temperature readings for Saturday and Sunday….96+ degrees!!! Feast or famine maybe? It felt good to these old bones.

Sunday Shelly, Pete, and I went to Melbourne FL for a Florida Roadster Club show. We left before dawn and we drove the 255 miles each way with the three of us in the roadster because Pete was having cooling troubles with his Chevy powered chopped Model A coupe. Was pretty chummy in the roadster with the three of us. Shelly got nervous a few times when I shifted the ’39 transmission into high gear (grin!). It was a good show. Ran into a FL roadster member I’d met when I went up the west coast a few years back. Had a nice visit with him. T hen we got on the road back to Ocala during the mid-afternoon. Shelly drove most of the way… Pete wanted to be in the rumbleseat… and promptly fell asleep! Shelly soon mastered the Columbia overdrive.

I spent Monday with Pete and Shelly watching it rain and be cold… again. Decided to head for home Tuesday AM. Naturally a cold front had arrived and it was, and would be, rainy and cold!

I headed out at dawn on Tuesday…. In the cold and rain. I stopped late in the day in La Grange, GA for the night. Next morning the frost was really heavy on the roadster. Luckily there was a kind woman who let me use her scraper. I headed to Moody, AL to attend a funeral of one of my best friends in high school. At least it didn’t rain that day , but it made up for it the next two days. Near Joplin, MO it was raining so hard I couldn’t see the road. Had to drive nearly 100 miles at 35-40 mph before finding any type of a motel! I called it quits for the day…… it was only 12:30PM! Soaking wet and cold. The next morning I left in the perpetual rain and cold. The rain finally stopped in Kansas The sun and heat felt really good to these old bones.

But the bad weather wasn’t over. Started seeing snow lying alongside the road at Hugo, CO. And the temperature soon began dropping… and dropping.... and dropping!. The roadside snow was soon in 4 FOOT drifts along both road shoulders. It was near Byers when the snow drifts disappeared. But the temperature got even colder… the coldest of the entire trip.

I pulled into my warm garage around 1:00 PM Sunday, October 29. The old garage sure looked good and felt good. Other than the Bendix drive and the wiper not working, I hadn’t had any trouble.

Total miles was right at 5700 miles. Not a long trip, but it sure was a cold, wet one.. Average gas mileage was 21.4 mpg. Used three quarts of oil, but it was getting close to needing one more. Since then I’ve built an electric wiper that can replace the stock vacuum in ten minutes or so. I carry it all the time.

All in all, it was a good run… except for the persistent rain and cold. I met some really great people……. but then I’ve learned the majority of hot rodders are great people.

Paul Garrigan.