How about meeting tomorrow AM between 10:30 and 11?? Will that give me enough time if I leave Shawnee about 9 am? I am all set to visit with the guy you told me about at 8AM, then I'll be off to meet you guys.
More to report later - great day, had an epic lunch stop with Ed Van, Bob and the owner of Hug Chevrolet and serious restorer/collector.
Drove at night with dry roads! - my lights are outstanding btw - thanks forum gurus for stressing good grounds - also running 6 volt alternator - working great.
One quick question - I had a low beam bulb burn out - can I get a 6 volt bulb at NAPA?? anybody know? I know I can order one, but would like to pick up a spare while traveling.
Glad everything is going well. The Hug folks are 110% Chevrolet, both old and new.
I am sure the Albuquerque boys can scare up a bulb or two before you get there. Plenty of '31 guys there. Not sure about others along the route before that. You are probably using 1000 bulbs which are higher candlepower than the original 1110s. Don't know of any NAPA stores that carry 6 volt bulbs as they are a very slow mover.
The Filling Station has the 6 volt bulbs. You can probably get them to ship a bulb to one of your upcoming stops and you can pick it up there. Order several so that you will have spare bulbs to carry with you.
First, a HUGE thank you to Bill Barker for "adjusting" the rules to allow me to post.
A little history:
I rent a space in the garage in Massachusetts where Blaine did his prep on the '31 for his epic trip. We chatted several times when I came by to take my car out for a day or two so I got to watch while he was going over the car. It was amazing to see what he accomplished with limited space and resources. I thought that the LED "headlight" he wore was part of his head. He looked quite different in the videos without it (-:
It was during those visits he introduced me to VCCA and told me he would be documenting the trip via VCCA so I've been lurking for quite a while waiting for something to show up.
I've never linked photos so I don't know if this will work, but there are links below to two iPhone snapshots I took in September while the Chev was "in proess".
Blaine,
I've been watching with GREAT interest as you left MA with that 1931 technology in what has turned out to be the dead of winter, even though it isn't technically winter yet.
You left at the right time. 10" of snow Sunday, 6" more expected today and 0 degrees this morning.
It looks like you hooked up with the right people with VCCA. It seems you've joined a big extended family.
To insert a link, you must first click the 2nd button on the header of the posting form, paste the link, then name it on the next form. Good luck--anxious to see the pics!
If you want to look at the images, it is necessary to copy the address, correct the "cm" to ".com" in it and past it into the address window of a page. Bill has altered web and email addresses so they can't be easily captured by programs. Just trying to minimize the crap we get. Makes looking at images a bit more effort but worth it IMHO.
That "garage" is plenty tight. Looks like the prep is paying off in spades.
Blaine just left (1:30 CST) the Edmond area on his way west. We had a great visit and mini-tour. I'll try to get a few spare minutes later today to post a few photos and maybe a video.
When making a post and you also have links, you can hit the "Preview Post" button at the bottom of your text window before making a post. That way you will know if the links or the images will work or not before the actual post is made.
I'll give a short summary of Blaine's stop Monday 12/16 at Hug Chevrolet and attempt to include a couple photos. This is my first attempt at adding an image so it may not work. The link should get you to 2 photos. One is of Blaine with his '31 in front of Frank "Buddy" Hug, Sr's workshop at the Hug Chevrolet dealership in Charleston, AR. The other is of Blaine and Frank admiring Frank's 1915 Royal Mail. It is one of his many fine vintage Chevrolets. Charleston is about 20 miles east of Fort Smith, AR on AR 22 highway. The dealership has been there since 1927 and owned by the Hug family since the mid 30's.
Blaine arrived about 1:30 pm from his overnight stay in eastern Arkansas. Frank Hug, Jack Swartz, Ed Vann and I had lunch with Blaine before a quick tour of the Hug collection. The local newspaper's reporter stopped by to interview Blaine. It was then time for him to move on down the road and into Oklahoma. I led him around the road construction and congestion of Fort Smith and into Indian Territory. Near sundown I turned north to return to Tulsa while Blaine forged ahead to points west. I understand he continued to drive into the darkness for a while with the only casualty being a low beam bulb.
Blaine is a great fellow to meet and truly enjoying his adventure. He has one solid and reliable Chevy that is performing like a champ. He's doing what we all desire to do - seeing the USA in his Chevrolet.
Last edited by Bill Barker; 12/17/1310:35 PM. Reason: fixed links
Well guys, no matter how many ways I've tried, I have been unsuccessful in either adding a link or an image, so, thanks to Brewster, anyone who is interested who wants to see my two iPhone pictures of Blaine's car in September can have a look by clicking on his link.
Here's a short (and shaky--no we were not having another earthquake) video clip. This was taken at Pops, a very popular and recently built tourist stop on Historic Route 66 in Arcadia, OK.
Last edited by Bill Barker; 12/17/1310:38 PM. Reason: link fixed
Just talked to Blaine (6:45 AM CST). He made it to Amarillo, TX last night. He drove well into the night. Had a great drive thru western OK on Highway 152. He's aiming foe Albuquerque and points west today. He'll try to post more when he stops for lunch.
ABQ members: You're on deck. Jay--he'll be calling you soon.
My vocabulary is lacking!!! That's not normal. No fever, though. "One BIG, happy Chevy Chat family, EH!!!!" Inspiring; to say the least? Kudos to Blaine & all the "Family" for making this happen. Just like a Marathon - come to think of it; that's exactly what we have here!!!
'33 MASTER PARTS WANTED ~ ESPECIALLY SHEET METAL! RADIOS & "TRINKETS; TOO.
I am in southern N.H. about 50 miles north of Blain's departure point. Have been shoveling, snow blowing, and roof raking for the last three days. Watching the video's I feel like I'm in the back seat and would much rather be there.