(Editor’s Note: This is one hell of a tale! It takes a special level of testicular fortitude to set off on a 2400 mile round trip journey in your hot rod project. That level gets cranked up when you run into trouble in what amounts to the middle of nowhere. BangShift member efi-diy sent us this awesome travel journal from his hellacious trip to the 2011 Car Craft Summer Nationals. He started in Western Canada and got as far of Montana before things went sideways and his skills, patience, and gearhead brains were put to the test! Read on for the whole story!)

So this tale actually started last year on
the chassis dyno when the built 4L70e transmission tailshaft housing extension
shattered at WOT and 110MPH.

Fast forward to 2011, starting mid-March we
start thrashing on the truck to get ready for the Car Craft Summer Nationals, this
including a full rewire of the truck and conversion to sequential EFI, the
trans was repaired (or so we thought) over the winter with a new case bushing
and tailhousing extension.. The output shaft run out was checked and found to
be 0.002″ – good enough. After testing, the 3-4 clutch started to slip and we
found metal in the pan after 30 miles. Out it came again tear down and fresh
up.

Checked everything else – looked good –
back in. Started the truck and the trans wailed like a banshee…not good. Out again – this time I called in
professional help, and we found a latent failure – all the case lugs were
broken out for the reaction support.

The only thing is now we are 5 days away
from leaving for the Car Craft Nationals in St Paul MN,
a 1200 mile trip one way.

OK no problem, go to the local u pull yard
grab a trans. Strip it, clean the case and transfer all the good parts into the
new case which were blessed by the trans dude. Also took the converter in and had
it inspected and rebuilt. The lock up clutch was burnt.

So all back together, road test put 120
miles on it – drain the oil and inspect – very little metal – I figure OK –
good enough – maybe just some residue from the parts which didn’t get anything more
than a quick wipe(no time).  This is
departure – 2 days.

 Last day before departure I finish 99% of
all the other work pending and call my buddy Trevor who had thrashed on his
ride for 5 months to make the trip. He’s on the dyno getting a base tune on the
’65 Galaxy Wagon 460 EFI truck engine using MAF Mustang EEC IV parts. Zip down
to the dyno – its running well (after 3 weeks of heavy thrash). Good see you at
our meeting point 40 miles east of Calgary.

Next morning we get up at 5am and get
going, call Trev he’s on the road the Focus.. I go what happened – long story
he says – talk about when we meet. OK ..

So 30 min’s later we meet up, the Galaxy
all of sudden dropped 100 HP and ran like poop. Figure the timing chain slipped
or something. Long story short he’s driving the Focus after not having a chase
car to get the Wagon home, insists on taking the Focus. OK what ever.

5 Hours later we arrive at US customs in
Kicking Horse MT. They ask Trevor a bunch of questions like way you taking 2
cars all the way to MN. Answer – we got a 60 year old tempermental truck. OK my
turn Customs dude asks what the hood scoop on the side of the hoods for – I
answer keeps the turbo from cooking the firewall. What the rad in the box for –
I answer keeps the engine cool.. Ok have a nice trip.

So we get to Havre MT on
Hwy 2 east bound and find they only have 91 Octane – so I figure NP it’s a
8.2:1 motor and the turbo’s not making any boost (running at 10″ hg vac.at
cruise). Lets go.

Stop for lunch – we decide to swap vehicles
for a hour or so. I’m leading in the Focus and get on the CB and ask Trev to
pass me in the truck as I’ve never watched it from the back driving. OK he goes
zinging by under boost – sounds real good. 20 min’s later we decide its break
time and Trevor Jumps back into the Focus.

We get going and 30 min’s later (of course
right in the middle of the Indian reservation) I notice things are not well
with the trans – its slipping in 3&4 – crap the 3-4 clutch is not happy. We
stop I pull out the laptop and crank the line pressure up to 90% duty cycle on
the pressure control (200 PSI) and we drive gently east – tell Trevor not to go
over 65 as the front pump getting the snot worked out of it and I’m concerned
about it. At least its not slipping.

So we get through Wolfs Point
and start south – the trans started slipping more.. crap – this time we are in
the middle of the big empty. There is NOTHING around except the road and the
odd steer grazing.  Population density
less then 4 people per square mile!

Ok we decide we’ll go as far as Glendive MT
with at least is on the I94. Except the trucks running low on fuel and we spot
a gas station off in the distance on Circle MT. OK we head there and fill up
(big mistake).  Talk to the pump jockey
Len who actually owned the station – he asking about the truck and where we are
heading … we mention that we got a wounded trans and trying to get to Glendive
which is another 70 odd miles down the road. 
Jump in a drive 100′ – BANG – no gears at all – no line pressure – the
front pump shredded.

Go back to the gas station and ask whats
around to get  a trans fixed. NOTHING for
300 miles.  Len offers to let us his
truck to tow the 51 behind the shop and park it. Mentioned we could also sweep
out a spot and work inside the tire warehouse …

So we head off to the local dinner to
consider options. Plan A get a buddy to drive 6 hours to the border and for us
6 hours with a spare trans – only problem is his vision is not great and 12
hours is real hard on him. Call another buddy – except its his BD and has to be
home – so no go.

Plan B. We find the local library to get
WiFi access and start looking – closest used trans on Carparts or Kijiji is 8
hours away.  OK we figure we’ll stay
overnight and haul the trans out in the morning and drive into Billings to get it fixed. Only one small
detail – there no rooms available for 200 miles….. out in the middle of nowhere
not even a mom&pop motel to be had.. crap.

Onto Plan C – drive into Billings find a room (after being up for 20
hours). Next morning start calling around none of the GM dealers have a
rebuilt. Start calling trans shops – no 2WD trans anywhere in town.  None to be had anywhere in MT period. Not
even a used one.  So finally find AA
Trans who offers to strip a built one and a core to make a 2WD trans – please
come pay first.  Ouch this wasn’t in the
budget… plus we have to go shopping to find all the rest of the stuff including
a drop light as there nothing in Len’s shop except dirt and an old floor jack.

Hit the local farmer supply store

Pick up trans fluid, a extra long extnesion
and then head to the auto parts to get an inline filter for the cooler as we
can’t chance getting metal into the new trans.

Next up Wal Mart and find the “right
T-shirt”

Five hours go by and we decide to stop at
the local watering hole 5 min’s from the trans shop.  30 min’s later we get a call from Dan – trans
is ready 2 hours early YEAH. Get there check the work – ask to install a bell
housing and check the converter fit – just to make sure. Its good – load the
Focus up with the trans and all the rest of the stuff we had to buy. Call the
gas station in Circle tell them we are on the way. They say they are closing at
8 pm. It now 4PM and we have 300 miles to get there. ….

Never thought  a Focus would go that fast… Stop for gas and
ask the local Deputy if the back road would take us to Circle faster than going
though Glendive – yep about 45 min;s quicker – GOOD.

We arrive at Circle at 6:45 and the hired
hand says we have to wait until morning – bosses orders – crap. We nicely ask
if we can at least get the truck inside and up on jack stands. Ok boss says ok
after calling. Have to be out by 8pm.

So sweep out 20 pounds of dirt and as for
the jack stands

This is the only one in the shop – crap now
what. Made in 1939!

Look out back and fine a pile of loose
rims, find 8 that nestle together 

Ok we get the truck up and stable. The old
floor jacks leaking fluid.  Great hope it
hold together to get the trans out/in. Its now 7:50 and the trans is ready to come
out, decide we need 15 min’s to get it on the ground and call it done. Drive 1
hour into Glendive to overnight (got smart and booked a room mid-day).

Next morning we head back – start at 7:30
after waiting for the local dinner to open for breakfast.

Fight with the broken trans to get the
converter free as it won’t side into the pump for 30 min’s – ok finally on the
ground.

POS on the ground, expensive one almost
ready to go in.

We swap needed parts around, run 2 cans of
cooler flush through the lines its time to put the new one up.

Fast forward – time to fill and test the
trans – 1^st attempt – no 4^th add more fluid Ok its
working.

Get the truck down, clean up and a short
trip around the village its good enough.

Almost ready to go….

OK so we are now 18 hours late and have 12
hours of driving to get to St Paul
MN. Off we go. Trans is working ok – driving really easy
lift foot to upshift, as the engine has enough power to shred a near stock
4L60e without thinking about it…

Cruising at the speed limit (75mph) the
exhaust is so loud can’t hear anything.. 
remember that last fuel stop – that 91 octane must have been in the
ground for a long time – and we were dropping in altitude heading east.. By the
time we got to Jamestown
it was obvious the motor was rattling bad. This is after full tank of bad gas.
Stopped and pulled 6* total out. Not rattling any more but the engine damage
was done. Piston slap and rod bearings were complaining. Stop add ¼ bottle of
Lucas oil stab. Kept going.

Arrived in St Paul at 2 AM.  Up at 8 and to the fairgrounds

That cream Camaro was a $100K build. Super
clean – more people stopped and looked the beat up old farm truck with bugs
stuck to the bumper than the shiny car – made the trip worthwhile. Something
about the shiny charge air pipes…

(Editor’s note: The dudes had a kick ass time at the show and the ride home was smooth as buttah!)