Sugar Valley Rally

If you happen to be near Scotts Bluff, Nebraska the weekend of June 4-6, come on by and see us. We'll be easy to spot, just look for all the old cars!!!

The Old Gulf Station Part II

Here are some more pictures of the Gulf Station renovation.

B&O used to stack oil cans 4-3-2-1 in the window, so as a nod to them, I found some repro cans on eBay and stacked them in the window. Mr. Owens was pretty pleased...

New roof and supports. I think they took off about 5 layers of roofing before they hit the base- yikes!!!

I gutted the "store room" where the HVAC and compressor were kept.

We moved the electrical box and HVAC and totally removed wall you see just on the left of this photo above. Note the Texaco sign. . . yes, I moved out of the Gulf station. Mustn't mix brands...

And the results are below - my new office. I moved my home office to the station (so I can search eBay in peace....) Just kidding.

The Old Gulf Station

So I'm migrating stuff from my website to this blog. One of the first items is the bit on the old Gulf station....

For those of you who are interested, here is some information on the Gulf station we bought in 2005. The earliest documentation shows that Gulf Oil Corporation bought land on the corner of Locust and McKinney in 1923. As shown below, the original building was 20 by 14 feet:

Gas stations evolved from the 1920's to 1930's from being "filling" stations to being "service" stations. Accordingly, in April 1939 the station was updated by Gulf Oil Corp with bathrooms and service bays. This allowed the station operator to generate revenue in ways other than simply selling gas, oil, etc. Here is a picture of the station taken in the 1940's:

By the 1950's, oil company began standardizing stations in the "modern" style. In August 1955, Gulf Oil updated this station, covering the exterior with porcelain enamel tiles. The porcelain remains today:

In October 1971, the station was sold to long-time operators Barringer & Owens (B&O). B&O ran the gas station from the 1950's to the late 1980's. Today the station remains in its 1950's configuration. It is used as private storage. Actually, I tell people that its my "tree house." When you're 10 years old, you have a tree house in which to hang out. . . .but when you're 46, you get an old gas station! Maybe someday the station will be a bar or restaurant, but for now, it holds my junk....

Ruffneck Rally Day 3 + Epilogue

Sunday, April 25 - Day 3

More rookie mistakes. We got lost again. I missed more shifts. It rained. A huge buzzard tried to land on the car. You name it, it happened. Our final position for the rally was 21st out of 29th....Uugghhh! So why am I not that upset? Because we know EXACTLY what we did wrong. But rather than bloviate, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Here's the car. We're at a rest stop on Sunday. I just finished filling the gas tank up and Joe is "meetin' wid da govna" if you know what I mean. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge....

Corky and Greg's pickup had some issues, so this is what they drove for the weekend. Cool, eh?!?! They finished just fine.

I don't know who this nice lady is, but she kept trying to share her ice cream with me....

The video was taken during the rally. I'm staring at the speedo (which is wrapped in plastic because it rained). Notice we're doing 50 mph. . . Git Some!! Yep, the exhaust is a straight pipe - nice and loud.

So our final day looked like this:

Leg #1: 1 sec late

Leg #2: 2 sec late

Leg #3: 1 min 31 sec late

Leg #4: 1 sec late

Leg #5: 1 sec late

So about leg three- we missed a stopsign and the restart after the morning break. We were more than 10 minutes behind and almost made it all up. As we came over a hill, we saw the check point and knew we were sunk. We could see the car ahead of us and knew we needed to be 60 seconds in FRONT of it to make perfect time. The amazing part is we calculated we were 1 min 30 sec off...... which means if you're an optimist, leg three was REALLY a 1 sec late (after you subtract our 1 min 30 sec correction). You can't submit a time delay for bone-headedness, so we sucked up the penalty and ended the day in 24th place. But we know what we did wrong. We know how to correct it. And we're keeping hope alive for the next rally.... TTFN!

Ruffneck Rally Day 2

Saturday, 24 April, Day 2 - The theme of the day was, "Hey, It coulda been worse!" Let's start with the rain. . . Yep. It rained. Murphy's Law states that if the sky is clear to the North, South, and East, the Course Instructions will take you West - STRAIGHT to the dark-and-stormy weather. And so it happened. We got rained on in an open car with no roof or windows. Rooster-tails kicked up from the four tires, rain drops collected on my goggles, and the Course Instructions got wet. BUT, all in all - It coulda been worse! The showers lasted less than 15 minutes and our new rain gear worked as advertised. So not too bad.

Now let's move to getting lost..... Yep we took a few wrong turns today. Twice we had to just stop and wait for a fellow rallyist to pass us so we could figure out how to get back on course. Once on course, you know how far behind you are based on who you're following (we have a list of competitors in order of start). The only thing left to do is to blast down the road until you're back in your proper place. So we did that today.... not once, but twice. But hey, it coulda been worse. We ended up with a 16 sec leg (which will be dropped) and a 5 sec leg. Once again, not too bad.

Finally, the car worked perfect. Every racers' fear is to go home on the trailer, and a few fellow competitors have. So we have that going for us - a car that needs nothing.

Connie from Midland writes, "Hey Sugar - love ur blog!! But exactly which car are ya'll racing this weekend?" Thanks Connie. We are in fact racing the 1928 Ford Model A Speedster you see pictured to the right. I would have actual photos of the rally to share with you, but they will have to wait because I brought the wrong cable to connect my camera to the computer. Sigh....

To recap:

Leg 1: 16 sec late
Leg 2: 2 sec late
Leg 3: 17 sec late
Leg 4: 3 sec late
Leg 5: 1 sec late
Leg 6: 5 sec late
Leg 7: 2 sec early
Leg 8: 5 sec early

We ended 18 out of 29 for the day and are currently 14th overall (This sounds sucky, but remember, this is our shakedown weekend...) TTFN

Ruffneck Rally Day 1

Friday, April 23, Day 1: The excitement began today. It was mostly good news: no rain, good lunch (thanks Ponca City!), and a healthy car. We were the number two car out, so not a lot of waiting around. We blasted through the North Oklahoma countryside and enjoyed the scenery. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of road-kill, so no weird smells. Bonus! The car performed flawlessly. My downshifts won't win any awards, but all in all it was a good first "shakedown" for the new car. Dinner was provided by HGH Museum & First Street Restorations (thanks guys) - the highlight was the kettle baked blackberry cobbler...... aaaahhhhhhhh! In the end, our scores were okay and we finished top ten for the day:
Leg 1: 4 sec late
Leg 2: 6 sec late
Leg 3: 4 sec early
Leg 4: 2 sec late
Total after age factor: 12.72 seconds - good for 9th place out of 29 cars

PS- Our friends JeanAnn and Gary finished with a 5 second day. I'm pretty sure they bribed the judges or something....

VCRA Ruffneck Rally 2010

Thursday, April 22 - Well we made it to Ponca City, Oklahoma. The trip was uneventful, which is the way I like 'em. Today was tech inspection and registeration. It's good to see old friends (like you JeanAnn!). This is the maiden race for our new (to me) car, a 1928 Ford Model A Speedster. I'm confident the car will do alright this weekend, I'm just not sure about the lug-nut behind the wheel. Rallying isn't exactly like riding a bike - you DO get rusty; at least I do. But we'll see. So long as the rain holds off and we aviod any fender-benders, the weekend will be a success. The competition starts tomorrow (Friday). Stay tuned, there's more to come....

Flashforward 2010

Aforementioned green Spitfire (notice the RAF Roundel???!!??); yep - it's a 1970.....

Flashback 1970

I am a pretty lucky guy. I would venture a guess that most people don't recall the moment they fell in love with cars. I do. It was the summer of 1970. I was 7 years old and we were visiting relatives. My cousin Bobby had just purchased a brand-new sports car. It was yellow. I didn't know the make or model, but I knew it was cool. He took my brother and I for a ride and I was hooked. Top down; wind in our hair; sights and sounds like I had never experienced before. That was it. I was officially a car nut.

The reason I'm so lucky is that I not only remember the instant I fell in love, I have a picture! Yep, that's me in the middle in my cousin Bobby's yellow 1970 Triumph Spitfire. (1970 was the only model year the RAF Roundel badge was used on the bonnet!) Although I couldn't have articulated it to you then, Spitfires became my benchmark for cool cars.

Fast-forward 16 years. I'm now 23 and able to buy my first sportscar. What do you suppose I bought? That's right - a red 1973 Triumph Spitfire.

Fast-forward another 23 years. I'm 46 now. Many cars have come and gone (including the little red Spit). I can't say that Spitfires are the fastest cars I've ever owned. I can't say they handle the best. I can say they are still my benchmark - the purest form of sportscar fun. And oh yeah, there is still a little green one parked in my garage. Happy motoring!

1916 Olds

Knock. Knock.

Who's there?

Orange.

Orange who?

Orange you glad Ebay is there for you at 2 AM when you can't sleep and the one, burning question on your mind is, "Gee, I wonder if there are any cool speedsters out there for sale....."

Abracadabra!

Item number 370326145994 - a 1916 Oldsmobile Speedster for a mere $49,900.

If you miss the eBay auction, the number is listed on the pic for the St. Louis Car Museum. Call em up! Make em a deal! Yaaawwwwnnnn. It must be time to get back to bed. G'Night.

1928 Ford Model A Speedster

Here's some pics of the new (to me) car.

The car drives very similar to the other Ford speedster with the V8 that we sold in 2008. But this one has a "stock" 1928 4-banger. I really like that it has lots 'o room. I'm not sure if its Joe or me, but one of us isn't sticking to his New Years resolution and gittin a little wide in the girth - if you know what I mean.... :-)

More later. Tschuss.

Happy 2010

Happy New Year and 2010!!! I'll take this opportunity to plug the Vintage Car Rally Association (VCRA). If you like old cars, check them out at: http://www.vintagecarrally.com/

It's the most fun you can have with an old car.....

How NOT to take your own advice.

Okay, I know this video sucks. . . It's my first attempt at editing, publishing, and producing an internet video. I see the irony. In an earlier blog I suggest the Indy 500 guys "Don't suck" and here I am uploading cr*p on my blog. It sucks. Touche'. Episode #1 is just a few images from the 2009 Hemmings Challenge. Please notice that it begins with a 1916 Buick and by the end you can see the red hood of a 2010 Mustang [see blog below]. I promise Episode #2 will be better....

In the 13+ years I've lived in Texas, I can't remember ever having a white Christmas! Awesome. I don't know who was more excited, me or the kids.... :-)

Hey, it's snowing!!! Christmas eve and we're getting a little of the white stuff here in Texas. Who says miracles don't happen??? It's not sticking to the ground, but hey - I'll take it. Joe, Mom, Dad, JeanAnn . . . Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!!

Man I love eBay.... Check it out: This beast is not for the faint of heart. It's a 1921 LaFrance firetruck chassis, with a 1918 6-cylinder engine, titled as a 1915 vehicle. Wow! Just in time for Christmas. Who wouldn't love to wake up and see this vintage speedster under the tree? I can't imagine what this monster is like to drive. It's a 820 cu in engine good for 105 bhp! By comparison, my Buick is only 224 cu in and about 45 bhp. How absolutely terrifying!!! The Buy It Now price is $149,900, so I'm pretty sure Mrs. Claus won't be getting me this for Christmas - probably just as well. . . For anyone interested, the eBay item number is 200416005235 and you have until Dec 18th 17:07:36 PST to bid. If you buy this car, let me know. I'd love to see it in person. Tom, good luck - my hats off to you, VERY cool car! PS- JeanAnn, I was only kidding.... :-)

So this is pretty cool.... There is a movie being planned that tells the tale of the first Indy 500 from 1911. Production is planned for 2010 with a 2011 release date. The official website is: http://thespectaclebegins.com/ What is REALLY cool is that the action will be live and not animated. There is a plan to build a replica of the 1911 Indy 500 race track (design by Paxton Waters), so it will look as it did a century ago. Even better for old car nuts like me: they're building 40 replicas of the original race cars. Coker Tire in Chattanooga, TN is close to completing the "star" - a replica of THE original race-winning Marmon Wasp! How cool is that? Misters Escue and Pizzo have a daunting task ahead of them. There really aren't very many good racing movies. I'm not a film maker, but a bit of advice that was given to me years ago (and has worked) seems appropriate: Don't Suck!

The continuing saga of a Vintage Rallist... So now that the 2009 season is over, here are a few of the lessons learned: In 2007, Joe and I learned that rallying an old car is fun. Our definition of old was 1969. Ha! All of the veteran racers were helpful, courteous, and nice, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat out of place since their definition of "old" was something prior to 1948. So for 2008, we rallied a 1932 Ford Speedster. We did okay - not great, not horrible; just okay. Well, I reasoned that if a '32 age factor was good then a '16 age factor had to be GREAT! So away went the Ford Speedster and we welcomed the 1916 Buick Speedster. Fast-forward to 2009's lessons learned: 1) There is a reason old cars have an age factor. A 1932 Ford is not as easy to drive as a 1969 Porsche. . . and a 1916 Buick is not as easy to drive as the Ford. In fact it's not easy to drive, at all! It's fun in a kinda "will-we-make-it-to-live-another-day" sorta way. I like driving the car but you really have to keep one step ahead of it. The best description I can give you is this: It's like flying a WWI Sopwith Camel. The wind blow, the chassis shakes, the engine howls, bugs die with a SPLAT on your goggles, and the whole time you're thinking, "Man this is fun! Hope I don't die!" 2) Testing the car in Texas (flat) and then racing it in Missouri (hilly) was a bad idea. The Buick is rear-only drum brakes. The car stops poorly at intersections at the bottom of a hill when you're approaching at 45 mph. The car doesn't stop at ALL if the road is wet or has gravel on it. 3) There is a balance among age, performance, and topography. Taking it all into consideration, I think the next time we'll race the Buick will be next June at the Sugar Valley Rally. Nebraska is flat. And they have a category that limits top speed to something less scary than 50 mph.

In Feb 2006, I started Dixie Racing Blog (www.motorheadhotspots.com) in an attempt to document my "Great Race" project - a 1929 Ford Model A speedster. It was my intention to build a rally car and participate in the Great Race - a two week, cross-country, 4,500+ mile old car rally. My results were mixed. On the minus side: I never got the car built. Life got in the way and between family, work, kids, church, friends, etc., there was just never enough time and/or money. I also missed my 2006 target date. On the plus side: My friend Joe and I did manage to race the 2007 rally in a 1969 Porsche 911T and we placed 2nd in class! My original blog captures the events from Feb 2006 to Dec 2009. In short, it includes: rallying five different cars (1968 Porsche 912, 1969 Porsche 911T, 1932 Ford Model A Speedster, 1916 Buick Speedster, and a 2010 Ford Mustang [why? -don't ask]), making several really good friends, the demise/bankrupcy of Great Race, the Rise of the VCRA, some really good finishes and some not-so-good finishes...

So what's new? I now have a new blog (for simplicity sake). I have a new car (1928 Ford Model A Speedster). I still have the same old friend and navigator (wouldn't trade him for the world!). And we have a new season to look forward to! In case you're interested:

April 23-25, 2010
Spring Fling, Ponca City, OK

June 4-6, 2010
Sugar Valley Rally, Scottsbluff, NE

July 25-30, 2010
VCRA Hemmings Challenge, Bowling Green, KY

Sept 17-19, 2010
Coker Challenge, Chattanooga, TN

See you on the road!