(Words and photos by Mike Brooks) – 2019 marked the 25th anniversary of the Hot Rod Power Tour. Last year I was finally able to check that off my bucket list with my C10 pickup. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I vowed to be back in 2019. My truck had different plans. At the end of the summer last year, I scorched a few rod bearings in the Cadillac 500 that resided in the C10.

By Thanksgiving, I was the owner of a new 514” Caddy mill that would take its place. Once the snow melted in my neck of the woods, I dove in and spent the last few months prepping the truck for Power Tour. After several challenges, obstacles, headaches, and heartaches, I finally had the truck ready to go the day before I was to head to Concord, NC for the kickoff of the event. I took the truck for a 40 mile test drive and it was flawless! That is, until I pulled back in my driveway at 8:00 pm. Whatever is supposed to hold the starter gear back failed, and when I pulled in my uphill driveway the gear fell backwards into the flexplate ring gear and destroyed a good chunk of it. Drats!! By 1:00am, I had the trans out along with the damaged flexplate. Upon installing the flexplate from my old engine, we discovered that flexplate had a small crack developing. Double Drats! I planned on leaving in just a few hours. I was out of parts and out of time.