Top 10 most memorable Power Tour experiences

[thedodgeboys]

It its going to be hard to beat last years tour...
#1, being pulled over by David Freiburger to be photographed for Hot Rod Magazine and appearing in the March issue.

#2 Free Pioneer stereo install during the tour.
#3 Meeting great new friends and seeing old ones as well...
#4 the adventures and the places traveled...
#5 Cruising...

[Phil]

1999 PT East and the start to our PT obsession. Figured we'd do two stops and go home. That went out the window the second stop in Carlisle, PA. Just too much fun. We could do the Gaithersburg, MD stop and still get home.....I had to go to work the next day. On the way to Gaithersburg I told Phil I'd go home on a train and he should finish the tour, but he had to call me every night at each venue so I could feel part of the fun.

Getting to see the US over the years, including two trips to CA.

Streets of San Bernardino venue......and a local looking at Phil's yellow Fiero and asking, "How'd you get it here?"

People taking pictures and always getting a kick out of "Leonard" the nitrous mouse motor that always travels up front as a second motor in the Fiero. We don't leave on a trip without him.

Trouble with the exhaust system coming into Amarillo, TX. A local Power Tour guy knew a custom exhaust guy who kindly kept his shop open late and fixed the car.....and didn't want payment. Car guys are the best! We did send him a RI gift basket when we got home.

VA home visits thanks to Linda.

Looking forward each year to seeing people that we've met over the years and spending time with them. Such fun!

Taking pictures of Jeff Koch, Hod Rod editor, taking pictures of the yellow Fiero before the sun came up in Tunica, MS in 2000 for the May 2001 magazine. That was a rush!

The Brat Fests. Thanks, Mikee! I also found that Kringle is delicious!

Stopping at Ted Drewes in St. Louis with a bunch of PT cars on the Rt. 66 year.....actually waited for it to open that day.....and getting my first taste of frozen custard, but not my last.

I know there are more because we've done this for so many years, but I'll stop.

Gwen

[redragtop]

I have one from last year (2011) when we were stopped at the rest area on Friday between Muskegon and Detroit. I can't really say what it is and was only really funny to those of us in the rest stop but still make me laugh thinking about it. Does it still make you guys chuckle also, the lady in the yellow with the diaper?

[6 Grrrs]

Two time Power Tourer here (2002/2007), 1 time Long Hauler (2007) in my 454SS truck. It has a 461ci Big Block with Accel DFI, T56 six speed, and is dead reliable (for the most part). It is a blast to drive and I love taking road trips in it. Pics below.

2002 Tour...

1 - We couldn't do the whole tour 'cause my buddy couldn't get enough time off work for the trip out to Lincoln Nebraska. We decided to meet the tour at Effingham, IL at Mid America. Drove all night and showed up at Mid America about an hour (IIRC think around 7am) before the tour showed up. Truck was dirty, we were tired/exhausted from the 9 hour pretty much straight thru drive (one fuel stop). When we pulled into the completely empty facility, we were greeted by the General Mgr of Mid America (don't remember his name). He treated us like family -- gave us access to their onsite car detail facility/water/cleaners/etc, executive restroom/shower, and if we needed anything to locate him. It was nice to have a clean truck and get a shower and be freshened up before everyone else showed up. This was the start for us and it was great to see how great people are, and have continued to be on the Power Tours.

2 - About 6 hours after # 1, we were on our way to Louisville, KY when my A/C system quit working - lost the freon charge. Turns out some jerkoff (the guy typing this) didn't tighten one of the A/C fittings properly and it had been leaking for a while. I was exhausted still from the drive all night, so I let my buddy drive this leg. I fell asleep in the pass side with the window down (reg cab pickup), and woke up basically deaf from all the wind noise blowing in my ear. I made an appointment for the next morning with the Good Year shop in the same Wal Mart parking lot as the driver's meeting to get the A/C fixed - they wanted $150 to recharge with R12. I said WTF, then turned to my buddy and said 'there aint no way I'm doing the rest of this without A/C, so I'll pay the ridiculous amount'.

About a week before we set out on the tour, I posted a message on the 454SS site that I was doing the P.T. and if anyone would like to meet on the tour. One guy (Dave Bonk) told me he lived in Louisville, and that he would look for me at the driver's meeting. As I was walking to my truck after the meeting, I'm approached by this guy. I tell him I got an appt to get my A/C system fixed. He responds in his southern drawl 'yall crazy to goto that ole Goodyear store - I'll get it fixed fer ya'. Turns out Dave worked for Autozone and had a mechanic friend that wasn't far from where we were and he was an A/C specialist. We bought an R134 conversion kit at Autozone, and went to his buddy's place. Within an hour all was fixed and dude wouldn't take a penny for his time, no matter how much I insisted (he asked for 2 Extrude Hone polo shirts (like we were wearing, since they kind of sponsored our trip - covered fuel - as long as we would do some promotion for them). My passenger worked for Extrude Hone at the time and this was a last minute deal he got for our trip. We sent 2 new shirts as well as baseball caps, stickers, etc.

Dave and I still keep in touch and we have done a Motorcycle trip together a few years ago to Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon. He & his wife are great people and we even crashed at their place for a night on the way home from Little Rock on the 2007 Tour.

3 - When doing the Columbus OH to Pontiac Michigan leg, it was raining the entire trip/day. Since I don't have windshield wipers on my truck at all. I use Rain X exclusively to keep the windshield clear in the rain. At a fuel stop, we were re-applying some more Rain X when an older gentleman in a 427 Cobra asks what were doing. He had never heard of Rain X and was impressed that we didn't have wipers. He wanted it for the INSIDE of his windshield due to the water coming in underneath his windshield. I gave him a bottle and wished him luck. Saw him the next day in Pontiac and he said it worked great.

4 - Steve Mangante (sp?) photographed my flush mount LED 3rd brakelight and modified original center console and they got into Hot Rod for a story on 'tips from Power Tour' or something like that.

5 - Columbus OH hotel parking lot - State Police trooper pulled in behind us when we were registering for our room (under the awning, front of the hotel). We asked him if we could photograph him with blue/red lights on and me behind my truck like he was reading me my rights/cuffing me. He obliged, but asked that these photos never make it to the internet. I made that promise to him. Too bad I don't know where thos pics are now - statue of limitations prolly ran out and I could post them :D

2007 Tour...

6 - I did a major Preventative maint on my truck in the weeks before we left for the 2007 tour. I even did a gear/carrier swap in the rear to 4.56 gears (from 3.73s). I did this because 4 days before we left, I decided to pull the rear diff cover and change the fluid, since it was still original as shipped from Chevrolet in 1990 (shame on me). When I pulled the cover, I found pieces of the posi unit laying in the bottom. I put a new Eaton posi unit in and a set of Yukon gears/new bearings/etc (my father actually did the job and I was the grunt). Since I had the driveshaft out, I decided to get it shortened and rebalanced because it was always tough to pull it out of the truck due to being about 1/2" too long. My local guy took care of it and I got the truck all back together the day before we were to leave. Turns out I had a bad vibration. It was too late to fix, since we wanted to be Long Haulers. We lift home with the vibration Saturday morning.

Monday morning we were at a driveshaft shop in Kalamazoo MI, pulled the driveshaft and had they guy check it out. There was no balance weights and it had about .040" runout and the yoke at the front was spread a little bit, causing the front ujoint to be moving around. $350 later we had a new cromoly driveshaft built and we were back on the road. Still had a slight vibration the rest of the tour, which turned out to be a pinion angle problem.

7 - The leg from Racine WI (specifically from Peoria IL) to Springfield IL we ran with about 8 other vehicles and basically street raced roll raced for about 20-25 miles on side roads, and then when we came into Peoria and got on the highway, we never went under 110mph the entire Highway part of the trip. I topped out at 130mph (according to my GPS), but had a driveline vibration that made it tough to go faster. At one point we were rolling at a sustained 125 mph, a turbo'd Audi blasted past me (he must have been doing 150 or so) and my buddy got it on video as well as a screenshot of my GPS speedo at the time.



8 - Springfiled IL - Shittiest hotel I have ever been in in my entire life, we met a few guys from Detroit area (James & Rusty with a Nitrous'd LSx T/A) that were in the same hotel. Drinking beer, hanging in the lot when we hear some big horsepower monster the next hotel over doing burnouts. We wander over to see what is going on and it a 1st gen Ford Lightning with a blower and open exhaust. There were a few brand new Corvettes drag racing in the lot, some older hotrods having fun too (drifting around the parking lot, drag racing, burnouts, etc). All of a sudden we notice James has disappeared. Shortly thereafter, James comes thru the lot, drifting his T/A around everyone and joining in on the fun. Lots of fun that night.


9 - On our way from Springfield to Effingham (Mid America again) Drag racing afore mentioned Nitrous'd LSx powered T/A and having a fender on him when my T56 gets stuck in 4th gear. Ended up breaking the syncro keys for 3/4 gear. Spoke to the GM Motor Medics about pulling the trans in Memphis if I was able to get the parts. I never had a T56 apart before then and was worried I would need help with it. They had a guy who knew T56s well, so I ordered the parts. When at Memphis, I tracked them with my Laptop and found FedEx had them in Memphis, but never delivered to the track. I decided that I went another few hundred miles without using 4th gear, so I finished the tour with a bum tranny. 2 days after I got home, I pulled the trans, fixed it, and was off on another trip the following weekend.

10 - Last day of the tour, leaving Little Rock AR, approx 25 miles after a fuel stop - about an hour east of Memphis another P.T. attendee in a 3rd gen Corvette pulled up alongside and points at the rear of the truck and it looks like he is signaling the tailgate is open on my truck. I'm in the pass seat and pretty tired from the entire week and we got about 1000 mile trip back to Pittsburgh (from Little Rock). We pull of the road and sure enough the tailgate is down. All our luggage, tools, cameras, Tour schwag, and beer/pop cooler, etc was in the back of the truck - well except the cooler. Thing is when we left the fuel stop, I must have left the tailgate open. We just filled it with more pop and Ice at this last stop. My guess is it was all over Rte 40 somewhere near Jackson TN. The cooler was my buddy's, so after we got back, I located the exact same cooler and replaced it for him. Otherwise I was never going to hear the end of it :D.

Sorry for being long winded. I'm sure there are more that I could list. I've had a great time on the 2 Tours I have done and wqould like to do another one soon with my GTO. Trouble is it isn't as much fun as my truck to drive, since it is mostly stock save for suspension/brake mods. It needs more power and overdrive. In due time...

[Eliteman76]

I would have to say for me...My wife Melanie allowing me to get the GTS painted and ready for Powertour. In the 6 months up to powertour I blew through $6500 in cash piecing the GTS back together from this:

to where I am now:


I can only say...all that I met here on BS...like Bob and others offering to help me when I locked my brakes up coming into springfield in 2010...and a lot of other people trying to offer help to us. I still would love to know who paid for our hotel room in Mobile in 2010, ever so grateful.

2011 was another reminder how awesome people can be, like Matt, bucky and James putting up with my broke ass and letting me crash on the floor of the Holiday Inn in Indy...Alan for letting me crash at the Hot Rod Barn in Martinsville the night before and cleaning up the GTS and buying me dinner...my buddy Pete letting me crash at his place in Muskegon...and on and on...

Scott getting attention from an Indy state trooper, and yelling at me "Not a word about this...my wife will KILL ME" LOL

Some of the back road driving...words don't come close to the happiness I've had...just awesome.
And also hell, getting LOST on those back roads. Following locals we thought were on the tour, but ended up at local BBQ joints.

And, both 2010, and 2011 for getting to met up with people like Fred, and getting inline with the group, looking down, and realize...hmm...4,000 RPM, 4th gear, and 2.75 gears, WTF sorta speed we going? Ah, that would be Fred's speed.

Mel and I are truly sad we are not going this year, but we are looking forward to 2013 and expect to have fun next year and not stress about stuff.

Also...I have to admit...I thing the biggest thing I noticed was headed home...last year and 2010...something about just being around so many people and their machines...and then snapping back to reality and the boring blandness of regular cars. It's like some sort of withdrawal.

Till next year...

[Oldlar]

By oldlar at 2011-06-13

Meeting some famous people.

[BluLightning]

I have one from last year (2011) when we were stopped at the rest area on Friday between Muskegon and Detroit. I can't really say what it is and was only really funny to those of us in the rest stop but still make me laugh thinking about it. Does it still make you guys chuckle also, the lady in the yellow with the diaper?

Haha! Lucky she had an umbrella.

[papasmurf587]

One that's real high on my top ten list is walking out of my retirement fund manager's office with a check in hand for the Power Tour, after he gives me this huge piece of advice on how traveling is such a bad choice for handling the money for my retirement.
I mean REALLY??? He'll never know the feeling, the experience or the people of the Power Tour.

[Buckeye]

Chasing the lead two cars in 09 through the winding back roads to Bristol in my dads 69 torino with manual drum brakes, steering and stock original everything Had a blast ... rite up till a corner or two when I was smacked to reality with the fact I was going entirely to fast close to a cliff in a car not intended to do that. Ass puckering was a understatement (that bench seat got shorter for a second for sure)

Last year pulling in to the hotel, I proceed to find a group of guys I don't know attempting to steal parts off a show car camaro to fix a Chevelle ss and one guy is playing music and Mike and I walk up and Bob says hi want a beer? Ya you guys had me at hello LOL

Being told by Family events that since I left to get food and came back that I could not go around the Indy 500 track and then saying F U and sneaking in a back gate and doing it anyway... even if it was a -3mph

Also Muskegan was pretty fun in general between the burnouts, James making new "friends" at dinner or the look on his face when he found out across the street was a dance club AND it was ladies night .. Or the look on mikes face when he found out he got to drive someones car back to the hotel for him

[BBO Javelin]

On 2005 power tour I broke down in my 65 biscayne somewhere in florida due to a 120mph blast down the interstate that killed a u joint in turn spinning the tail shaft bushing in my 700r4 trans.I tried to make it the rest of the way by putting in a new u joint but the tail shaft bushing kept knocking the seal out and dumping all the trans fluid out on the road.So I'm sitting in the auto zone parking lot pondering my next move when a guy pulls up in an old beat to death chevy service truck.He said whats wrong so I tell him and he says my buddy has a transmission shop to follow him over there so I do pouring trans fluid all over the road.We finally get to his buddys shop in the middle of no where,so I go in and ask if they have a used tailshaft housing for a 700 and he digs around and pulls one out of a pile of stuff and says $10 and I say sold and then ask if he can put it own or borrow a bay and he says sorry there all full and he can't do it,so the service truck guy says you can borrow all my air tools and jack stands so I jack it up get the old tail housing off and get covered in atf but get in changed and back going in about 30 mins.I ask the guy in the service truck how much I owe him for the use of all his tools and compressor and he's like don't worry bout it but toss him a $20 any way and that made his day and I made the rest of the tour and back home.

[ecreasing]

Since I haven't participated yet at such a power tour it's really interesting to read all your experiences and stories about it! On the seb it makes me curious about it and I hope I can participate soon..a dream would come true. I think papasmurf587's story is by far my favorite, because it's also funny

[Dave the Bartender]

Just want to say, In my life's best memories, the Power Tour is near the top. Mostly because of a bunch of you folks that have shared your stories on this thread.

When I return home each year I tell my PT stories over and over again and it seems like my local hot rodders and friends never get tired of hearing them. It's pretty cool having folks living vicariously through MY stories, and most of the time they include a bunch of YOU !
Thanks, Y'all are my power tour top 10 !

Prayin for Victor DTB

[69SS 350 5 Speed]

There are so many memorable moments. At the top of the list is Maureen driving her Camaro around the high banks at Bristol in 2009.

Changing valve springs in a small block Chevy in a parking lot without an air compressor or removing the head on a guys truck that we met 5 minutes before.

Any time we had the chance to work on someones car or sit and have an adult beverage and there sure have been alot of those moments.

[boosted buick]

Long hauled 08 and 11.

1. Meeting a fellow Grand National owner at a stoplight in GA. First words to him were "you are leaking fuel at an alarming rate." Pulled in to help, turns out I knew him from the buick board. He wound up staying with us for the next 3 nights on the tour and pitching in for our rooms (he didn't book in advance). I remember we went to walmart in valdosta, we left him in our room with all our stuff after we'd known him for MAYBE 2-3 hours, while we went 10 miles away. He didnt steal anything that I know of. We met the rest of his group from Iowa, the Turbo Farm West. I got involved with that group, and in less than a year I'vee been to 5 of their get togethers. They are 4 hours away from me.

2. In 2010 being the rescue truck operator. Mom and Dad did 2010 without us, and they were having serious engine trouble with the wagon. They called me at whatever venue was east of st louis: "engine is terminal, we are heading your way, round up a rescue rig and bring us a minivan we are sick of this." Dropped my tools, punched the time clock, and got moving. Met them in the center of MO on I70 at 2 in the morning. Mom cried happy tears. They made it a long ways for running 230 degress at night at 45 mph. Loaded the wagon up, hugged, snapped a pic and came home in time to make most of my workday the next day. They didnt miss a venue. Just remember next time you see a "plan B" sign, that plan b might have been 8-10 hours from them!

3. My first taste of power tour was on the way to little rock in 08, running past the SPAL fan guys on their way in. Caught their CB traffic "I'll settle for the GN, you can have the convertible" LOL.

4. Dad and I idled past Kenny Wayne Shepherd in springfield. He stopped dad to ask about the convertible. I sat there in the passenger seat, with a camera in my hand. Never dawned on me to take a picture. My brother was pissed. Gassing up right next to him and his duster on day 1 was pretty cool too.

5. The guy with the really nice first gen firebird in little rock. Had a peg leg rear end, went through a dip, one rear wheel came off the ground and he was stuck. Had to get pushed out of the dip LOL

6. My first discovery of Jack Daniel's Honey in a bar in downtown Nashville. Found a liquor store, bought a half gallon of it thinking i'd take it home and sip it for a few weeks. I killed it in muskegon (hurt my back leaving indy, missed the muskegon venue entirely, watched it from the hot tub at the shoreline inn, got a little too drunk. If you saw a 20-something white guy dragging one leg around detroit walking sideways, that was me!)

7. Dad's convertible making the internet page on hotrod in 08. And getting to meet frieburger twice in 11.

8. Cruising in downtown nashville in a beater 60's wagon with kansas plates. People at the light next to us had jaws on the ground! They were stunned, and asked if such a beast could make it to nashville from kansas LOL.

9. "fixing" dad's u joint in the convertible in madison WI hotel parking lot. It has a special cv joint in the front that is very difficult to find parts for. All that stop and go in the madison flood traffic jam (6 hours to get 60 miles) killed dad's u joint because of the 4 speed engagement. Also killed dad's leg LOL We tore it apart, stuck the broken needle bearings in between the whole ones and greased the hell out of it. Made it 650 miles home.

10. Police escort out of little rock was kinda neat. We were in the middle and I can't imagine how pissed some of the locals must have been by the time the last cars rolled through.

[fast86-gn]

Best memory is Topeka in 2008, we found the local strip (street crusing) and had a blast for about 3 hrs until local PD came in and shut it down. On a Monday night I think it was? lol

I had three runs in the GN and went home undefeated!