What I did last Saturday

[greg g]

I took a trip to the Jersey shore Sat for the innaugural Race of Gentleman. This event was a car show for pre war hot rods and tank shifted motorcycles. The show also featured match races on the beach. Apparently the jersey shore was used for automotive testing and competition before folks discovered Daytona Beach. So this event was a hark back to the good ol days of early automotive and motorcycle aadventures. I met member Moose there and we spent the day kicking tires swapping lies and pushing his car to the hard part of the beach.

Here is a shot of him laying a whoopin on a ford at least till he ran through a wayward wave and wetted out his distributor. Moose's car is a Model A body powered by a hot rod Plymouth motor.

Lots of other pics, links and coverage on the Hamb

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=717724&page=53

[JerseyHarold]

What town was this in?

[Mark D]

Some great shots of Moose__ in action on youtube and facebook as well. Next year I am going to try and get down to this.

[1940plymouth]

Thanks for sharing Greg

Did Moose drive his car down from Mass?

[greg g]

Yes Moose drove down with a couple of buddies. The event was in Loch Arbor and Allenhurst just north of Asbury Park. (no Bruce Springsteen sighting though)

[moose]

The day dawned, humid and grey, with storm clouds threatening. Undaunted, 3 hot rodders from suburban Beantown rolled out of the Good General's compound with high hopes of hot rodding glory. The General led the troops to battle, with the formidable missile, the Silver City Special in tow and his lovely bride Becky at his side. Slick Willy and Moose (with passenger Beck, a hot rod road trip virgin) followed behind, roadster and tudor guns at the ready. The march started off in good step, machines clicking along as they should. A quick stop in Rhode Island hinted at possible driveshaft troubles for Moose, but could not foretell the extent to which that would later play out.

An innocent stop for fuel and a quick lunch would prove problematic for the Slick One. Full tank and belly, he pressed the start button only to hear the sickening whine of an uncooperative bendix. The General, The Virgin, and The Moose got him started again with a running push, and the hot rodders were off again. The crew stopped once more for fuel in NY somewhere, some God-forsaken reverse earthquake of conspicuous consumption off of 287, and the General had to take a different way back to the highway because of maneuverability issues with the van and trailer. It was the last he would see of Slick, Moose, and the Virgin for what seemed a lifetime.

You see, Moose had himself a little tense moment when his copper fuel line cracked and began spewing fuel all over his exhaust manifold. Undaunted, the Slick One scrambled for a quick fix at a local garage, and the pair of jitneys were on the march once again. The whole army was once again reunited on the foggy beach and revelry ensued in celebration of the army of jalopies that had successfully made it into the company of Gentlemen.

Saturday morning’s sun rose bright and cheery over the slumbering General and his Fair Lady nestled tight in the camper van in front of Mel’s place. Eyes were rubbed, hair was combed, fresh boxers put on, and the General and his queen went off in search of coffee. Steaming hot java in hand, the pair made their way to the beach in hopes of finding a cooperative black roadster eager to run. Eager wasn’t quite the word to describe the Special’s state, but perseverance and so much help from many friendly faces (Heir Carlson, Andy the Mad Man, Crazy Uncle Harry (fresh off his own incredible defeat in battle soon discussed here) the Queen herself, Moose and many others) got it running well enough to make a pass on the beach. At which point the choke got stuck closed after going over a bump in the sand, and the car never made it out of first gear and eventually flooded out in front of thousands, just to get towed back to the starting line by a fella with a HUGE moustache in a skidsteer.

After a peaceful evening winding down with pizza, beer, and some VH1 one hit wonders, the crew went their separate ways for a good night’s sleep. The beautiful, cool morning soon turned treacherous when Moose’s driveshaft finally decided to give up the ghost on the side of the NJ Turnpike. Quickly towed to a side street in Elizabeth, Moose and the Virgin, and the General and his Fair Lady said their goodbyes to Slick as he ventured off on his own to fight the good fight northward. Many hours and several frustrating phone calls later, Moose discovered that after the 100 mile free tow from AAA, it would cost him $750 to get towed home the rest of the way. This would never do, of course, so the General and his Fair Lady set of northward themselves, with great haste, to unload the Silver City at home and double back for Moose and the Virgin. A good plan in itself until fate and fatigue would rise up for battle. Arriving at home, the General pulled the train into the station, sinking it deep in the mud and rendering it immovable. In an effort to lighten the load to free the train, he decided to unload the Special from the trailer. However, starting the car while in gear caused it to lurch forward, running over the General and launching itself off the front of the trailer down to the earth below. To the rescue once again, Crazy Uncle Harry appeared with hi lift jack in hand and a couple nerve-wracking hours later the Special was once again on dry (read: wet and muddy) land. Chains and 4x4 technology freed the train, and it once again left the station to rescue Moose and the Virgin from the clutches of the enemy in East Lyme.

Lunatic drunks attacked the troops with threats of plastic hot rod model destruction, but the Good Ones knocked back the enemy and escaped in the dark for home. Moose and the Virgin safe in the arms of their loved ones, and the #107 car back in its barn, the General and his Fair Lady finally settled into their beds just before dawn snuck back up from under the earth.

An epic (mis)adventure not likely to ever be repeated was had by all. And it’s doubtful to this bystander that anyone involved would actually change a thing if they had the chance.

[moose]

Now I'll go into a little detail. Yes I drove down there. No I didn't quite make it back(short by about 246 miles!)

The gas leak was more like a spray, we were smelling gas for a little bit then took an exit. On the 270 degree turn ramp, the rear actually drifted a bit and now I attribute that to gas on the tire! Crazy. We had to do a quick fix because Bill's roadster was overheating and he couldn't shut it off because the starter had quit on him. He found a parts store, got tubing and clamps, and we were on our way.

We got there fine after that, met up with some good people, had a great time, and raced. A little bit of racing. I only ran that one time. It was incredible. I got stuck on the return trip, and got discouraged. Greg tried to convince me to go more. I should have. I should have flattened my tires and gone for it. Greg you should have kicked me in the butt and made me get back out there and prove something. I'm sorry I let all you mopar guys down, and didn't beat some fords.

All the jockeying I did trying to get out (1st-rev-1st-rev...) didn't help my problem for the return trip. The morning after the race, it had vibration right away. I got under it and saw that I had a lot of play in the rear joint. We got about 40 miles before it got bad enough that I could keep going. I didn't want to tear up the pinion bearing too, so we did the towing debacle that Mark(General) documented so well.

I will do it again.

[Mark D]

Great write-up Moose! Congrats on the valiant effort! I think we should have a local celebration session soon so I can hear the story in person.

And next year I'll add to the mopar cheering section in person.

[40P10touring sedan]

...Lunatic drunks attacked the troops with threats of plastic hot rod model destruction.

Huh?...you got broke down and someone decided to build models?..what kind of models....40 plymouth 4dr sedans in resin?

[moose]

Huh?...you got broke down and someone decided to build models?..what kind of models....40 plymouth 4dr sedans in resin?

Little details were left out and/or embellished to make it a readable and enjoyable story. Mark(General Gow) has a knack for writing, it seems.

I could only afford to get the free 100 miles and pay for another 20. We found a suitable spot at a gas station in Old Saybrook, CT. Just so happened to be across the street from a bar. Bek and I ended up with almost 5 hours to kill, so that seemed to work out. While we were there, I noticed a particularly intoxicated guy. He apparently followed us out to load the car on the General's trailer. He had a running commentary/conversation with himself about a 32 Phaeton model. He started off wanting to sell it to us for $20. By the end he wanted to give it away, then he finally just left...

Mark, I'm up for a BS session soon. Lets set something up. I'll let you see all the sand I collected. It's still on the car!

[40P10touring sedan]

Ah, got it.

Hey Moose, how bout some shots of the winner...even if dirty. I think I can speak for all here in that we love to see a good flathead, especailly a great one!...what do ya say?....