Worden18 Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 We also saw plenty of abandoned homes. Here's one of them that was right on the highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Once we made it back to Decorah we went for a short walk. This is the Porter House, which was built in 1867 and is now a museum. I want to go back and tour it as the house is filled with the Porter's personal items as they left them decades ago. They were not the original owners. Edited June 30, 2017 by Worden18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 Back to the Meadowbrook for a bit after our walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 Pooches getting a drink before we went in to Mabe's for pizza. Highly recommend this place! The waiter said they have 400-600 carryouts per day! The place was packed when we were in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Meadowbrook resting in the garage when we got home. Ran flawlessly, no problems whatsoever. When we stopped in Lansing at the BP station for fuel, a gentleman in his 70s (I would guess) asked me, "Is it a 49?" I told him it was a 51. He said he owned a 49 Dodge with Fluid Drive back in 1963. He said some guy sold it to him for $15! He said it was $15 or it was going to the junkyard. I guess they were cars that nobody wanted too badly at the time, so they were cheap if you went that route. There was nothing wrong with the car. The guy told me he now owns a 55 Pontiac, a 55 Buick, and a 57 Chevy. He admitted they keep him busy. I forgot to ask him why he didn't have any of those 3 cars out on such an awesome day. Maybe he's waiting for the weekend He stepped over to my side of the pumps and checked out the interior and everything. He bid me a good day and then we were off. Still averaging 17mpg. We drove 167 miles today. We passed over the 2,000 mile mark (somewhere in IA) on the engine rebuild. Edited June 30, 2017 by Worden18 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) If you're into clocks there's a pretty interesting museum a little southwest of Decorah. I don't remember the name of the town at the moment. It displays the hand carved clocks that a couple of brothers built. Apparently it was their hobby... But it's an interesting little museum. I'll see if I can find more info about it for you. HA!!! Google is a wonderful thing... It's the Bily Clocks Museum in Spillville, IA. http://bilyclocks.org/ Edited June 30, 2017 by Merle Coggins 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike36 Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 1 hour ago, Merle Coggins said: If you're into clocks there's a pretty interesting museum a little southwest of Decorah. I don't remember the name of the town at the moment. It displays the hand carved clocks that a couple of brothers built. Apparently it was their hobby... But it's an interesting little museum. I'll see if I can find more info about it for you. HA!!! Google is a wonderful thing... It's the Bily Clicks Museum in Spillville, IA. http://bilyclocks.org/ This is a fantastic little museum. In 1929 Henry Ford offered the Bily (bee-lee) brothers one million dollars for one of their clocks. They turned him down. Upon their death, the brothers donated the clocks to the town of Spillville with the stipulation all clocks had to be kept together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Did a little maintenance on the Meadowbrook today. Changed the oil and filter, and while I was under there I snugged up the oil pan bolts (they needed it again; and yes I did it very gently), tightened the bowl on the fuel pump (was seeping a bit), tightened all the clamps on the fuel line, and wiped off a bunch of excess oil that looked like it came from around a couple of pan bolts. I also zip-tied up a few hanging wires under the dash. After that we took an evening ride on some of the local roads. One of them (from Rushford to Mabel, MN) we hadn't been on in quite some time. I had forgotten how long and curvy it was; perfect for our drive. We put on 63 miles and stayed ahead of this storm until about 6 or 7 miles from home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Storm still behind us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Along the roadside sits this late 50s GMC near what looked to me like an abandoned quarry. It is in sorry shape with the windows broken out and animal feces all over the interior. The engine was still in it along with an old battery. I wonder when the last time it was used? Decades likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 (edited) Put away wet If you look closely at the hood you can see the lines from side to side from how it was painted at the factory. Its very easy to catch in the right sunlight. I'm thinking it was an actual person that painted the hood in those days and not a robot? Edited July 1, 2017 by Worden18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ194950 Posted July 1, 2017 Report Share Posted July 1, 2017 I'm totally sure they were painted by humans with a spray gun in hand at the mopar factory build lines in 1951 My high school shop class took a road trip of several hours to tour the Ford factory in the S.F. Ca. bay area in 1968. We had a tour of a Mustang build line where in the body paint area the painter had a row on spray guns on each side of the line in the spray area. As each car approached he looked at a list of builds and what color to spray. He would grab the right color spray gun needed and cleared it out, adjusted as needed then jumped to the other side and did the same with the same color gun there and then started spraying most of the top panels and side of that car then jumped to the other side and finished the job. Boy that guy was fast and tired at the end of his shift! Paint looked great after coming out of the oven! DJ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 Another beautiful day for cruising here in SE MN. We didn't waste the opportunity. I first stopped in Houston, MN for gas. A guy was filling his truck and asked me what year my car was. I told him all about it (I can never resist), letting him know the engine is rebuilt, etc. He said he has a 68 Charger he's working on, and is almost done with it. It was originally a 318 car and now a 440. I told him that I hoped to see him driving it around. He said count on it. I also told him I don't believe in trailer queens and that our plan was to drive our car as much as possible. He wholeheartedly agreed and said that's what he plans to do with his car. We then drove to the Golden Horn in Utica, MN for lunch. Best damn taco salad out there Then we drove to Winona MN to the small lake (where they allow dogs) and took a 2 mile walk. After that we drove north on Hwy 61 to Wabasha, MN, crossed the bridge there over to Wisconsin and stopped at Nelson's Creamery for ice cream. We drove down the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi through Alma, Cochrane, and Fountain City. Lots of bikers waving at me (at the car), two different people gave me thumbs up, and one lady waved her arm wildly out her car window to make sure we saw her LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 At Lake Winona. Can you spot the Meadowbrook? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 Another shot at the Lake.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) Lots of people were looking at my car as we drove in to the Creamery parking lot for ice cream. After we parked one guy said "Nice ride" as he walked by. I'm always happy that people are glad to see the car and notice it. Edited July 2, 2017 by Worden18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 Here's some hood and fender patina for you guys I had tied the dogs to the front bumper so they could lay in the cool grass while we were inside getting ice cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 There were 30-40 people in line at all times for ice cream. The Creamery also has a huge selection of cheeses, wines, and other goodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 (edited) We put on 170 miles today (July 1). Car ran excellent. I mostly drove 55-60mph to keep up with traffic. Here's a short vid of us traveling down the Interstate (I-90). I knew the sound would be weird. It sounds like the car is at idle or in some kind of low rpm overdrive. Some of it is the wind I suppose. Maybe some of what you hear is the mechanical lifters clacking a bit LOL. No matter, enjoy the short vid Edited July 2, 2017 by Worden18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted July 2, 2017 Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 Sounds fine to me,a little lifter noise is preferable to having them to tight. 17 mpg is pretty typical, you might squeek out 20 if you do a long road trip at 55/60. Good to see you and the family are out and about and using it as it was designed to be used. Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 Today we met some friends at a park in Rushford, about 15 miles from home. We hadn't seen them since last October so it was a good reunion. After visiting the park and letting the kids play, we stopped at the "Creamery" for pizza and ice cream...although I couldn't resist the taco salad so I had that I tied the dogs to the bumper and they laid in the shaded grass under a tree while we were inside. They had fun watching the traffic go by. I never saw them so content as when I went out there by the car to check on them At the park there was a family of 4 that I saw from a distance checking out the Meadowbrook close up. So I walked over there and showed them the original keys (that's always my ice-breaker) and started up the conversation. They asked about the car and of course I told them the whole story. Turns out the wife is a Dean at Winona State University, where my car's original owner (Ray Sebo) was a professor all those years ago. We chatted for probably 15 minutes. After we said goodbye to our friends we decided on a short trip to another town since the evening was so beautiful. The Meadowbrook is running smoother than ever. It was a great day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 Here's my hood emblem. I know there is supposed to be a lot of red within it, somehow mine doesn't have any. Must be sun faded? That's the only reason I can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted July 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2017 Finally back home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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