MG Sports Cars

The Roadmaster is a 1968 MGB/GT.

I think we now seem to have the line up in place for the Hot Rod Power Tour. As I understand Jim Blackwood will get the car to Detroit and on to Muskegon. Rick Ingram and Pete Mantell will get the car from Muskegon to St. Louis. Bill Young and Bill Davidson will get the car from St. Louis to Stillwater, OK and Rob Ficalora will get the car from Stillwater to Dallas.
Is that correct guys? If it is then I'll get the car registered for the event next month.

What are the dates again Bill?

JB

2012 HOT ROD Power Tour Dates & Cities

Saturday June 2, Detroit, MI - GM Proving Grounds, Milford

Sunday June 3, Muskegon, MI - Downtown Muskegon

Monday June 4, Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall, University of Illinois

Tuesday June 5, Madison, IL - Gateway Motorsports Park

Wednesday June 6, Miami, OK - Buffalo Run Casino

Thursday June 7, Stillwater, OK - Kicker Corporate Complex

Friday June 8, Arlington, TX - Quicktrip Park

Saturday June 9, Arlington, TX Long Haulers Ceremony (Location TBD)

Read more: [www.hotrod.com]

Bill, here's a thought: The kick-off for the power tour is right on the heels of the V8 meet in Palestine. Wouldn't it make sense for one of our Northern members to take it with them up there on the way home? There are several ways this could be done, for instance just as an example, if Judy can drive Ted's car they could drop me off here on the way home and then take both cars home with them and then run it over to the start. Or it could be someone else but the idea is the same.

I'm sure this entire plan is going to morph continuously until Palestine, but it'll help a lot if we can be kinda flexible.

JB

Has anybody considered fuel expense to drive from one event location to another? That BBB can get pretty thirsty.

While you are considering things.....

You can bet that all hotels accommodations anywhere near the stops are expensive & long since booked full.

Interestingly enough Graham, the BBB gets pretty good mileage. I don't think we've seen less than 15mpg since initial shakedown and it's been as high as 20. That's not exactly wonderful mileage for a V8 MGB, but at the very least it makes the fuel costs manageable. Of course it's a little tricky to calculate with the speedo reading 2/3.

What are our chances of finding accommodations with other members at the destinations?

JB

Jim, that would be ideal, but so far I haven't heard from Ted or Judy to see if they are interested. I can't just assign things to folks, need them to volunteer and as you can see a pretty good response but not overwhelming considering all the people who say that they want to have a turn with the car. Graham is right, it won't be a real cheap car to drive, but a lot more expensive to tow if we ever had to. I expect everyone that takes a turn with the car to pay their own fuel costs while they have it, but in certain cases like you driving it down to Palestine and back I would think that the organization should help out a bit with fuel costs just like we did when you guys towed it up to Terry's place and back. I figure that I'll spend at least $300 or more to just take the car from the St. Louis area to Oklahoma with motels and everything, but I'm perfectly willing to do that as I really believe in the project and want a chance to get it on the road myself. I realize that not everyone can afford to budget for such things, I'm lucky to have a source of extra income thanks to a bit of inheritance from my parents that I can spend on the project and have been doing so for the past 4 years. Not a lot at any one time, but a bit here and there as we needed it. With the project almost complete I figure that I can give a little more a couple of times to drive the car and then I won't have that expense in the future and can replentish some of my savings a bit. In the long run I can't think of anything that has cost me so little for so much pleasure. I've met the entire V8 group because of this project and I couldn't replace that experience for any amount of money. A great investment on my part in my view.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2012 08:15AM by Bill Young.

That's a real good point Bill and very true. I was less concerned about the fuel and lodging than I was about the return trip home with no wheels. The more we can avoid that problem the better off we will be.

JB

Looking at that schedule, If I get a ride back to Champaign or drive the car back there it might be a little easier to get home from there, especially if some members were willing to give me a ride part way, like to Indy? I was just thinking that might be a fun way to make the trip home. I suppose I could always get a rental car or hop a bus or something like that but what fun is that? This is all coming up now because schedule wise I may not be able to be in WV while the car is there for that show, which means taking it there the weekend before and bringing it back later. And of course that complicates things in terms of costs and logistics. Once you start looking at making one way trips you have to also start looking at alternate transportation. An airplane isn't reasonable for such a short distance, trains are almost never available at the right time, rental cars run the cost up a good bit and busses tend towards discomfort. So none of the choices are really ideal. In the end it comes down to finding the lesser evil.

We ran across the Power Tour or one of them last year on vacation in Arizona and Nevada. I guess some of them are bigger than others, there were probably 10-15 cars in this one, certainly not more than 20. I wasn't really paying attention to the numbers. They were at Hoover Dam the same time we were and we also ran into them at a gas stop/restaurant. I guess it's a big event at the spots where they overnight but we never saw that part of it. I would think it would be possible for someone to tag along in a sedan for the return trip. I didn't really notice such an escort but that doesn't mean they weren't there. I sort of got the impression from the ones I talked to that they were making the entire trip so the way we are doing it is probably a little unique. But you know what would be really cool? If some of us were able to unofficially escort them on different legs of the trip. If we could do that it would also mean we'd have a passenger's seat or two available on the way back for the drivers of the GT. Not only that, but because they do make stops on the way we could take advantage of those stops to switch drivers. Of course to do that we need to recruit some people to go along, and we have to have it ready to roll right after Palestine. What do you guys think?

JB

Jim, the number of cars on the tour on any one day varies, you can register for the entire tour or do a one day registration for $30 as I understand. That enables you to drive along with the group and join them at that days stop for what ever activities they have planned. From past tours they've had time on drag strips, auto cross, show and shines, and BBQs. They try to keep the dailly driving hours down to the point where they have time for an activity every afternoon. I expect there to be well over a hundred cars on any particular day of this year's tour judging from photos of previous years.
Yes, making a return trip is one of the hassles of such a tour. That's why I enlisted Bill Davidson to join with me. We'll take his GT over to St. Louis and pick up the car, then I'll drive the Roadmaster while he drives his GT to Miami, OK, then we'll swap off for the next day on down to Stillwater, OK. Then we'll turn the car over to Rob and drive back to KC together. It'll cost us gas and $60 in daily registrations, but that's still a lot cheaper than flying or taking a bus to St. Louis, a cab to the nightly host hotel, and then the same back from Stillwater. It's takes teamwork to make something like this work, but then this group has the teamwork thing figured out pretty darn well I think judging from the results shown in the car.

I just checked hotels in Stillwater; there are about a dozen that still have vacancies... But the less expensive ones are already booked.

Bill, are the plans solid enough to register and have folks start booking? I'm thinking better to book now & cancel if we don't end up with enough drivers than wait much longer.

Bill, as far as I'm concerned you can go ahead. I don't know how I'll get home from Muskegon but I think I can get the car there, or at the very least to Detroit. Surely Mike or Richard or Steve Carrick or someone could take the next leg.

JB

Thanks Jim. Rob and all I'd say book now, you can always cancle. I'll be making reservations for Bill and myself this week now that the two stops are definite for us.
Jim, I know what you mean, but so far no response from anyone up in that area. I don't know if they're reading this board since none of them has posted in a while. I think I'll ask Rick to send out a Spurious e-mail asking everyone there to monitor this forum for a while to catch up on the latest information.

Probably a good idea Bill. I am going to send you the xcell spreadsheet with the info on our contributors. Allen Mandeen is the guy who gave us the engine. Also nobody has contacted Terry Schulte yet, or Dale Spooner, or really, any of our big contributors. We really need to do that. If we don't we could end up with a pretty embarrassing situation on our hands if they come up to us later and want to know why. I know they could be reading this but we also know not everybody does. Anyway I should be able to send you that spreadsheet tomorrow.

Jim

The Roadmaster is now registered as a Long Haul participant. Had to book it under my name as they required other address informaton on the registering party as well as e-mail address so Jim when you pick up your registration packet in Detroit you'll just have to say you're me. We'll get a goodie bag for the driver and one passenger, so get them both, someone might like an extra one.
Room reservations are made for our stops as well. Rob is right, they are filling up fast, especially in the smaller towns like Miami, Ok which is already full in town, closest hotel still available is in Joplin, about 15 miles away.

Here is the current projected itinerary, those involved may change it around as they see fit but it will give some idea of where the car will be, and where some of you might get a chance to see it:

Friday the 20th, it goes to Milton, W.Va. This is one of the few times it will be trailered. Not because it needs to be, certainly I'd much rather drive it, especially now that the exhaust leaks are fixed, but because I need to pick up Monte-BOOM's blown up TR-7 for a Lexus 1UZ engine swap for the return trip.

Between the 20th and the winter gathering it will be in the Milton to Charleston area as Dan drives it and shows it off to the folks around there. Then, depending on their schedules, Dan, Carl, and Steve DeGroat will bring the car back to Florence for the winter gathering the last weekend of February where it will be for the weekend.

At the conclusion of the gathering, Carl and Steve will take the car, likely leaving it with Carl in Johnson City, where it will stay until Steve returns to get it and take it to Lugoff, SC. We have some contributors in the general area that they may be able to get the car to, including John Ayers in Johnson City, Kelley Combs in Marion, NC and Jack Austin, and there might be some possibility of the car finding it's way back up to Danville during that time.

Then some time prior to the Blount county LBC meet arrangements will be made with Dan Masters and Jim Watson to get the car to Townsend, where it will remain until the run to Palestine, TX.

Dan B, my older son Dave and I will be coming through +1 on the way and can pick up the car to take it to the BritishV8 meet, but by that time you guys will be fighting over who gets to drive the GT so I'll drive whatever car needs a driver.

After the meet we will return to Florence, same arrangement on driving, and then the car will go on up to the peninsela. Mike Moor has offered to help with that but we will have to work out the details duing the gathering. Dave VanWyck (who built the exhaust system) is originally from Muskegon and his cousin John is on the Muskegon committee for the Power Tour. I think it would be very good form on our part to let him drive the first leg of the tour, and he is VERY excited about that possibility. He also will be at the gathering so plans can be made then. From this point on Bill is in charge of the schedule so whatever he says goes. I will assist where needed, I think we've got a general idea of what we'll be doing with it after the tour, and it's probably a good idea to try to keep the schedule as flexible as we can for about as long as seems reasonable. We intend that every person who contributed to the car at the very least get to drive it, and I think we've had a good start in doing just that.

Jim

What a great start to the year. Thanks Jim and all for filling up these winter and spring months with a great schedule. Looks like we're pretty well lined up until the end of the Power Tour, from then on we don't have anything specific scheduled yet, but we're working on it. If anyone is interested then let me know when and where and we'll try to work it all out.

I'm booked at the Residence Inn for Stillwater.