Event Coverage *Mr.ModelT and Powerwagonmaniac's epic journey to Bonneville!*

X2 Heroes!!
You honor your grandpa in the most honorable way, imho, and with a grandpa named Thor you're gonna be safe.

 

I guess Officer Obie's donuts were on back order? He couldn't find the pages with the illustrations and annotations for the proper arm signals for left and right turns then? I always thought (wrong I see) that a single tail light and white light for the tag was all you needed.

Did he take and make the "twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against" you? Gary

For the youngin's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice's_Restaurant

Loving the posts, I'm subscribed for the next, cliff-hanging episode!

 

Looks like you had a good time there!!! Thanks for pics!!

 

Like wise Chris, it was a true pleasure to meet both you and your lady.

I have made so many wonderful friends here on the H.A.M.B. and it was so nice to finally meet a good portion of them face to face on this trip and finally put a face with a screen name

That is kinda what I thought too...that and the fact that if the car was built before those things were standard, the car was exempt.

Apparently not.

He didn't take photos, but he sure wasted my time needlessly and "nit picked" me for no reason. I also fixed it the with 2 hours of the incident.

I will be fighting it.

 

"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...

(The Matrix Machine Model T powered streamliner ...turned 214 mph!)






...we also meet plenty of great H.A.M.B.ers on the salt as well...

(chatting about my Police problems with HotRodPackard)


(also stopped by Tim McMaster's camp to say Hi)


Also ran into Malcolm and his '29 A roadster. Both of our cars were built up specifically for the trip to "Speed Week" and both made the journey cold...

..so I thought it was only fitting that we capture both cars together since we both made it!



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!

Both man and machine had been tested, but had persevered.

Left to right: Troy (InkedForLife), Chris (Powerwagonmaniac), Clayton (MrModelT), Dan and Andy (C5 Rider)

Fin~


...The T will roll again in all of her former glory.

​

​

 

Rulers.

What a trip to take in your T! thanks for the "ride along"

 

Great read Clayton wish I could have been there with you with one of my tees this is my kind of trip congratulations the tee did well you have proved it can be done and is fun doing it .

 

Worthy of an hour episode on the Velocity Channel. Hat's off to you.

 

Fantastic trip and narrative. Well done.

 

Great story! Glad we got to meet you out there.

 

Now you'll know just what to do in the next 11 months! Neat trip, Gary

 

great write up and very entertaining. Thanks for taking us along your journey.

 

Hi Clayton.Outstanding thread.Thanks for the "ride along".Any thing new on the "Special"?
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Awesome!!!!

Love this:

 

..A great upcoming feature in Auto Enthusiast Mag at least Thank you kindly! Just glad I could share my journey with all of you.

Would have been great to have another T tagging along! It was a blast for sure!

Like wise Tim, it was a real pleasure to put a face with a screen name and see your truck in person!

Lol! I don't think I'll be back THAT soon This trip was two years in the making and taxed allot of resources financially, emotionally and time wise. Granted the cars are finished and road tested..I still can't see doing this again within the next 3 years or so.

It won't be the T's or my last trip to the Salt however

So far, nothing major on the "Special". Chris has made a few calls and scored a new crank...a stout "EE" this time for safe measure. We will pull the engine, switch out cranks and get her back on the road in the next little while. Shouldn't be down long.

Yeah, that is the dirtiest that car has ever been and she took a real beating over those 1,732 miles. Everything else passed the test and I know what I need to improve/fix for the future.

 

Great Story! Love your T! Inspires me. Next time you make the trip though Idaho look me up, I would love to see her in person!

 

Thank you kindly! I know I will at some point, just can't forecast when.

Actually, we passed right through Buhl on our way!

 

thanx for the trip...makes me wish I was 30 years younger again

and patting the old girl on the side and asking her for 30 more miles got to me...

 

What a trip -- It was great to meet you guys at Bonneville. Thanks for the ride!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zd58CORczBE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Malcolm

 

I enjoyed meeting you out on the Salt too, Clayton. I was the guy who took lots of notes about your Model T in my little green spiral notebook. I love the way the top profile looks on your car, and also those Big headlites on the 1914 Cadillac frame horns!

 

Thank you kindly! Got to me too. Like a cowboy's faithful horse, she just refused to quit on me...fighting to get me home. It was one of those unique moments that really puts validation to these machines having a personality...or perhaps it was Grandpa making sure I made home.

She was running so bad at one point, I couldn't even put my foot into the throttle at all...just before our last big grade. I said "Come on old girl...only 10 more miles and this is your last hill...we're almost home".

I poured the coal to her and sure enough, she bulldozed up that grade and all the to the shop with out a falter...

Just can't describe or explain it.

It was an absolute pleasure my friend! Was really glad to see your ride make it in one piece as well!

 

Man that roadster is cool

 

Larry , this one made me want to do it in one of my Ts as well but it would be a little further . Indy to Bonneville ?? Maybe if i do this i can pick you up on the way ......

 

Clayton,
One of the guys in our Model T club told me once "you can drive a Model T to the moon if ya got the time"..
Think he was right???

 

Clayton, Chris & Company -
Glad you made it back to Portland in fine shape. Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed meeting everyone and hanging with you for a spell in the casino parking lot. Really enjoyed myself and all the good conversation. Oh, and the fast spin in "Josephine" wasn't too bad either. Just a ton of fun. My plan was to visit again on the salt on Sunday, but I violated one of my own rules - never listen to a voice mail from your boss on a weekend or when you are having fun. Was going to be back in Salt Lake on Monday, but knew I would regret it on Tuesday so I left the festivities early. This is such a great story that is not over yet. Will keep following. Want to see that Special on the road again. Once again, it was a real pleasure. Hope our paths cross again. Clayton, we need to have a few beers and get down and dirty with New York-Paris sometime. All the best.
Bob (aka Rapid Robert)

 

Rode hard and put away wet! That's a great trip, thanks for sharing....and I will never complain that my 32 Roadster is uncomfortable!

 

That's awesome that little old T made it there and back with an all T drivetrain. Proves that old cars belong on the road just as much as any Honda! Bummer the Special didn't get to make it there but hopefully it's only a minor set-back.

Your T is stil one of, if not the best T I've ever seen. Just can't wait to see it in person.

 

Love road trip threads.

 

I would like to think of something cool to say, but really, what do you say? That is so cool you guys, I wish I could say I have done something like that. Talk about living the dream!!!

 

Rob, it was an ABSOLUTE pleasure to finally shake hands, say hello and visit for a while...I just wish we had had a little more time to do so. I have a very similar rule myself. Fortunately, our long travel distance prevented me from acting on such messages and didn't feel bad ignoring them

You are very right, the story doesn't end here...it will only get better. Both the "Special" and my Roadster will roll the highways together once more in the near future, that is for sure.

I would certainly love to hash over the NY-Paris race in depth over a few beers...would be a blast. Count me in for sure!

Also, Thank you SO KINDLY for the gifts you brought for Chris and I. You certainly did not have to, but we both appreciate with the most heart-felt sincerity.

..I can't wait to pick out a spot for "The Old Grey Girl"

Clayton