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Calling all street rodders......the place to be this weekend 3/22/13 - 3/24/13 is Pearl, MS at my club's Pre-'49 Rod Run at the Mississippi Braves parking lot. This will be our 35th year! Last year we had 160 registered and we are hoping for over 300 this year. It's the Dixie Rod Run! There's something for everyone at this event. Lots of cool street rods to look at, plenty of games to enjoy including driving games and kids games, large swap meet, new parts vendors, and more! We don't leave the ladies out as my wife is over the Ladies Tea. Friday night we'll feed the early birds a BBQ supper. Flame throwing contest after the meal. When you register your street rod, you receive Dixie Dollars to be used at the auction Saturday night and as you play games during the day on Saturday, you will get more Dixie Dollars. The ladies will receive Dixie Dollars at the Tea.
Go to www.ms-sra.org for more info.
AL

Interesting thing happened the other day. We had received a letter in the mail from GM that there was a recall on our '09 HHR. It said that there was a problem with the ignition where you may not be able to turn the car off and get the key out. Since my wife drives the car just about every day to work, it is rarely left at home where I can take it in to the shop. So I just set the letter aside.
Then one day she comes home and the thing happened, cannot turn the car off. She had just filled the tank up with gas. So my first thought was to take the battery cables off, but you can drive a car without a battery. So I called up a Donnie, a friend of mine, and he said battery....no that won't work because you can still drive the car without a battery. He told me to look for a fuse for the ignition or fuel pump. I found those and the car turned off. But I still had several things on, so I started taking out fuses until I thought I had everything off. I said until I thought I had everything off. Should of disconnected the battery because the next morning I put the fuses back in and it would not crank.....battery was dead.
So Donnie came over to jump it off. The battery is in the back under the spare tire, but there is a jump spot under the hood which took some doing to make a good connection. Got it cranked and I drove it to my local Chevy place. They had the parts in stock and got it fixed that day.

So the next time I run into a problem like this I am just going to unhook the battery cables to make sure everything is off.

What is weird about this whole thing is the other HHR (2006) we have
has a problem where you cannot get the key out of the ignition. You have to put it back in a gear and then back to park to get the key out. Chevy place said that it is a safety feature. I guess the safety feature they are talking about is like a neutral safety switch to make sure you are in park so the next time the car is cranked, it will be in park.
AL

The street rod club that I am in (Mississippi Street Rod Association www.ms-sra.org) is hosting our pre-'49 event this weekend, March 23-26, 2012. I added it to the calendar. Got folks from OK, TX, AR, IL, TN, LA, MS, AL, & FL coming. It includes a swap meet.
AL

My wife learned how to drive a standard in a 1967 Chevy Pickup that her grandfather had. He gave it to one of his sons that had it for several years, then it went to his other son. Well my wife has been trying to get the truck since then. A little over a week ago, at her grandfather's 85th birthday party, her uncle gave us the truck. It has been sitting for a year. We went to see it and sprayed the carb with some cleaner, jumped it off with my '07 Silverado, put some gas in the tank, checked the oil, and it cranked!
Now we just have to get a good tire because one is flat and will not air up. Found a spare in the bed, put air in it, but it has a leak. Need to add some brake fluid and see if we have brakes. She wants to drive it home.
The interior is rough. We plan on getting it running good and driving it some as we work on it.
AL

With all of the picker tv shows on the tube these days, I got to thinking about what all people collect.
I have started collecting the original steering wheels from the cars I buy and turn into street rods. When I get a garage (right now I am just using the garage on the house), I can place them on a wall in order that I bought them maybe with a before and after picture.
AL

Here are some pictures of a car show that was held in Madison, MS last weekend. The Mississippi Classic Cruisers put this show on every October. It was called: Scarecrow Cruise and Car Show.
AL

My wife and I made it down to Cruisin' The Coast on the Wednesday and Thursday this year.
AL

Anybody ever use the calendar on here?? I will be going down to check out some of the old cars and trucks at Cruisin' The Coast Wednesday-Thursday. It runs all week long on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Been seeing a lot of old ones heading that way.
AL

This year I was hoping to go, but did not make it. I had registered the '48 Chevy Pickup last year thinking that I would have it on the road.
Evansville, IN looked like a very nice city to have this event in and I liked the way the city embraced the event. Wish other towns did the same, but most of them don't know what a street rod looks like.
AL

I have been hearing rumors that soon it will be hard to find tires in the smaller sizes like what I used on my '40 Chevy street rod. I am from the old school where I used 235/70-R15 (rear) and 215/60-R15 (front). Don't like the rubberband tires.
AL

Lawrence "Rounman" Chambless from Brandon, MS passed away July 3rd, 2010. He was inducted into the Mississippi Street Rodder Hall of Fame in 2006. Many folks knew him from all over the US, mainly in the Southeast. He was one of the early street rodders in Mississippi. Here is the write-up in the newspaper:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=lawrence-chambless&pid=152374649
AL

http://www.earhartproductions.com/ is the link to a swap meet this coming weekend in Fort Worth, TX at LaGrave Field. A couple of friends and I are going to it.
AL

My wife told me that she was tired of seeing the truck in our garage where we could not drive it, so she says "Build it!". Yes, ma'm. She had been looking for a motor for the truck to give me for my birthday to be a surprise, but she could not keep it from me and we went and looked at one the other day. The seller could crank it so we heard it run and were sold. Brought it home the same day.
Going to go with a Mustang II frontend from Chassis Engineering and an Explorer rearend.
I got the turbo 350 tranny checked out the other day so it is ready to go in the truck. Going with a floor shifter from Lokar (23" tall).
I have some leather Lexus power seats to go in the truck. So I have been taking apart all of the items I am not going to use. Any help on getting the old seat base out of one of these trucks will be usefull. I unbolted what I could. I was trying to figure out if that base was a structural member to keep the floorboard true.
Pictures coming soon......
AL

Yes, the state law still says that you must get out of your vehicle on the passenger side instead of the driver's side. Soooooo this is the only car that is legal to drive on the road. It's because back in the day all of the parking on city streets was parallel and it was unlawful to get out of your car on the driver's side into open traffic.

How does one get their username changed? Mine, 40chevy, well ...... I sold my '40 Chevy, so I need a new name.
Thanks,
AL

My wife and I are going to Evansville, IN for the Frog Follies in a few weeks. Anyone else going?
AL

A friend of mine just bought a new project. A 30 Model A that he bought from North Dakota. The car had been rodded back in the early days. Check out what the interior looked like.
AL

After writing about our scenic drive up to Springfield, MO and back, I thought I would start a new thread about your favorite events you go to each year and how you get to them. Where the best places to eat are at along the way and what you see along the way.

With the newest changes underway to the NSRA, this may be my last time to drive 11 hours to Louisville, but we go up 65 in Alabama through Nashville and Bowling Green. There is a great place to eat at called Stan's Restaurant along 65 South of Nashville at exit 46 in Columbia, TN. If you like country cookin' like Cracker Barrell, then this is the place for you.

The Bunny Run in Jackson, TN: We like to drive South when leaving there and go through Holley Springs, MS (George Poteet country) and see all of the old homes along the way. This last April, the Dogwoods were blooming all over Jackson, TN and South. Lots of horse farms along the way also. There is a place to eat at in Jackson, TN called the Old Country Store at the Casey Jones Museum that makes Stan's not even be in the contest.

My favorite event happens in November and it is in Crossett, AR. The Klassy Kruzers put on their Fun Run there and it is a great event to go to. The town of Crossett is very small and it is built around the paper mill. If the mill was not there, the town would not be there. There are two motels in the town and the event is at one of them (Lakewood Inn). For the price of registration, you get more back: They feed you twice and you get many chances to get door prizes. Also you are treated fine by the members of the best club in the world.
AL

What are your's?

in Pascagoola. Well I didn't see any squirrels when I went to Pascagoola, MS to the Singing River Rod Run a few weeks ago. But I did see these wild rods (see pictures below). (this is from a Ray Stevens song for those of you wondering)


I have been away from the RRT for a while. What have I been doing? You ask. Back in August of 2007, I met the most wonderful woman at work of all places. We fell in love in December and have been dating ever since. My car club friends are jealous because she likes old cars! One of my friends wants to clone her. She used to drag race in a dragster and in a funny car. She also used to have a '31 Ford 5-window Coupe that someone gave her. Later on she had a jealous boyfriend and had to give the car back!    :cry:  I told her that it would never be that way with me. See the picture below of her old car. I took it at a cruisenight after she gave it back. We have been amazed at how many times we were at the same car show and didn't even know each other then. We went to the same high school, I was a senior when she was a freshman. To top that off, we were in the same car show. But get this, it was inside a mall here in Vicksburg and there were only 35 places inside. She was on one end with the '31 and I was halfway down the mall with my '81 Chevy Stepside Pickup.

I am a member of the 240 club. Let me explain. Back in January, a condition that I was born with and have had happen several times since birth happened. That was a fast heart rate. I went to the emergency room with a heart rate of 240! Normal heart rate is around 70 to 80 range. They tell me that I have an extra circuit that causes a looping heart rate that I was born with. Without that extra circuit, most folks are passed out with a heart rate of 180. So far medicine has been controlling it without having to do surgery.

AL

Going to Crossett, Arkansas this weekend (11/2-4/07) for the Klassy Kruzers Fun Run.

Then going down to Slaughter, LA on Nov. 10th to help raise money for the vol fire dept.

After that, going to Jasper, TX to the Lakes Area Cruisers event on Nov. 16-18, '07.
AL

This past week, I went ahead while the good rates were there and bought a new '07 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab 2wd. Been trying to sell the '40 Chevy Sedan and I am selling my '81 Chevy Stepside Pickup to make room for my next project which will be a '48 Chevy Pickup. Going to pay off what I owe on the HHR and keep it.

As you can see in these pictures, I tried to buy a RED one!
AL

A friend of mine sent me this on Friday:
All you have to do is find a few Die-Hards on sale someplace..

absolutely incredible.....
   
    Somebody sure got lucky!  Look at the index first unless you are
really a car buff.  Too bad about the available light photography .  .

    A True "Car in the Barn" Story
   
   Imagine you're going to live in Portugal.  You buy a lovely
farmhouse set on a decent plot of land.  The place has been empty for 15
years. While exploring your new property you enter the large barn.  The> door is padlocked and welded shut and it's all rusted solid.  So you
grind the padlock and the welding off and  .  .  .

   
  click here:
 http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa70.htm

A friend of mine is building a '32 Ford Roadster. It's a fiberglass one made by Downs off of the Dearborn Deuce.

He is working on a small block Chevy for the car and he called last night and asked if anyone made a chrome oil pan with the dipstick location on either side. All of the ones he finds they are either for the driver's side or the passenger side.

Well, I only spent Saturday out at the event. Came home today. It was very hot out there on Saturday, but there were cool cars to look at!

Well, I let the days slip by and did not make the deadline for mailing in my pre-entry, so it looks like I will save some money and be a spectator this year like I did last year. Some friends of mine will be making the trip up there this year. The dates are June 29-July 1st.
AL

The Mid-America Street Rod Nationals in Springfield, MO is less than two weeks away. May 25th - 27th, 2007.
AL

I had a wild idea the other day! Ok, let me set the story up for ya:
My first vehicle was a truck, a 1981 Chevy Stepside. Learned how to drive in it, took my driver's test in it, it took me to high school and to college and to my first job. I still have the truck today. It needs attention as it is 26 years old. Last year, I bought an antique tag for it. It was repainted the first time in 1992.
In 1992, the truck was in the body shop; they closed the plant where I worked; then my dog died (sounds like a country song?)(play a country song backwards and you get your dog back, job back, and your truck out of the shop).
Well now the clear coat is almost off of the truck and it needs some tlc. (I've been putting too much tlc in my '40 Chevy and not enough in the truck)
Back to my idea: Would it work to get a 1948 Chevy truck cab and front cap and put it in place of the '81 cab and front cap? Don't know the dimensions of a '48 vs a '81.
What problems would I have in trying to tell folks that it's a '48 on a '81 frame with a '81 bed? Motor just would need a little tlc.

Here's what it looked like after '92:
http://www.astreetrodder.com/1981truck.htm
AL

I had the chance several years ago in 2005 to view a private collection of cars in Marshall, TX. Well I have learned today that the whole collection will be auctioned off the weekend of April 20-21, 2007. This is the Gene Ponder collection. Here is where you can see the pictures I took: http://www.astreetrodder.com/gpcollection.htm

RM Auctions will be holding the auction on the Ponder estate: http://www.rmauctions.com/Default.cfm?SaleCode=GP07

What a collection!
AL

Sometimes it's the details that make a car stand out:

Look how the hood sides were made on this first picture and then the paint scheme continues the flow.

I like the way the hood sides were made on this second picture to have a "window" to see the motor.

The third picture is of a friend of mine's '39 Chevy Sedan. He bought a fiberglass hood and then he and a friend drew flames on it and cut it out in the shape of the flames. It gets a lot of attention where ever he goes.
AL

http://www.ms-sra.org/msra/feb1007.htm
http://www.astreetrodder.com/brookhaven.htm

I'll get the Poteet Tour page up soon.
AL

World of Wheel in New Orleans - it appears that since the N/O Saints are apparently going to make the play-offs, The car show has been cancelled.
Jan. 19-21, 2007.

1970-1974 Pontiac Firebirds, where are they? I go to car shows and see ones from the late 60s and late 70s early 80s and I see Camaros from the early 70s, but not too many Firebirds. I have been thinking about famous Firebirds on TV and movies and here's what I came up with so far:

Rockford Files one was in the later 70s

Smokey & the Bandit was too

The one on CHiPs that Ponch rescued from being burned was kinda around the years I am talking about.
AL

Coming to ya live from the Rod Run Reunion in Pensacola, FL. The weather has been perfect here. Here are a few pictures.

The first one is a..., don't help me, I know what kind it is.....well maybe you should just guess.

The second one....I started talking to this guy and found out that he built the '48 that Ken (reborn55) just sold.

The third one is an overall shot from the third floor of this motel.

The fourth one is of a BIG car, a Caddy Limo.
AL

Hey Benny (Dusty),
Have you ever been to the rod run put on by the Lakes Area Cruisers in Jasper, TX? Maybe next year I'll make it down there. Those guys come up to Crossett, Arkansas to the rod run there each year and pass out flyers and it sounds like a good one. I posted the info on the calendar, it is this weekend.
AL

I just saw where there were 150 RRTers online on Friday, Nov. 3rd, '06. I go out of town for the weekend with no online service and everyone shows up here!
AL

Hey Ken (reborn55),
I got my confirmation card in the mail last week from Jackson, TN. I pre-registered at the event last time and am number 172. It's not until April, but I thought I would get a head start this time since I made it up there kinda late on Saturday afternoon last time. Maybe the weather will be nicer on Friday instead of thunderstorms & tornados.

Did you find another street rod?
AL

I had a great time this past weekend in Crossett, Arkansas at this run. Here are some of the standouts that were there.
AL

I went to a car show on Saturday in Madison, MS and there were 215 registered. That Sunbeam Tiger that I had mentioned in another post was parked beside me at this event and I had my camera with me this time. So here are some pictures of it. I will post the rest of the pictures on my site later on and give you the link to them.
AL

http://www.hhrclub.org/news/hhr-news-10-06-2006.php

I remember hearing people talk about the PT Cruiser when it first came out that they had a Panel version on the drawing board. Well in 2007, folks can buy an HHR Panel. Read the link for the story and some pictures.
AL

Been seeing old cars every now and then on the traffic cams on mstraffic.com on the Coast. The Sun Herald (http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/) has had some articles and pictures about the event so far. They say that there are 4,000 registered.
AL

2007 HOT ROD Power Tour Schedule
Saturday, June 2: Cleveland, Ohio
Sunday, June 3: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Monday, June 4: Racine, Wisconsin
Tuesday, June 5: Springfield, Illinois
Wednesday, June 6: Evansville, Indiana
Thursday, June 7: Memphis, Tennessee
Friday, June 8: Little Rock, Arkansas

Finally...after years of two of us at work that own street rods, we both drove them to work on the same day unplanned. I threw my digital camera in that morning before heading to the office.

We had the Mississippi NSRA Appreciation Day in Laurel, MS on Saturday. Had a nice cruise to it. Here is a link to the pictures:
http://www.ms-sra.org/msra/06appday.htm

Then we went to a cruise night that night:
http://www.ms-sra.org/msra/cruisenight.htm

AL

Went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast this weekend. First time since Katrina, took some pictures. Most of the time of things like restaurants we had eaten at or places we had visited.
AL

As promised, here is a link to the pictures I took while at the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY:

http://www.astreetrodder.com/nats06.htm
AL

Leaving in the morning from my house at 5am for the trip.  Going to cruise up there with the windows up and the new a/c on. Several of the regulars that usually go in my group won't be able to go this year. In their place we have a bunch of "rookies" this time.
AL

I went to a cruise night Saturday night and it always happens on a time when I didn't bring my camera with me, an interesting car will be there. This time it was a Sunbeam Tiger with the 260 motor in it. Neat little car.
AL

Have you seen these things up close and in person yet? Go to http://www.zapworld.com/cars/smartCar.asp to see them. I was at a club meeting last night when one of these came by, then came back by and turned in to the restaurant (no it didn't turn into the restaurant, it turned in to the restaurant parking lot). We asked what kind of mileage it got and the fellow said 44. Would of thought it would get better than that. I know that you could put 4 of them parked next to each other and it still would not be as big as my HHR. It has a 61 bhp, 3 cyl rear-mounted turbo engine with a 8.7 gal tank.
8'-2.5" in length
4'-11.5" in width
5' height
weighs 1588 lbs

Someone else asked the guy if that thang had a hemi in it, and he was told not today.

I will upload the pictures to my website soon, but here are a couple to get started. This car show is inside an air-conditioned building so while it's 91 outside, it was cool inside while we looked at some cool cars.
AL

My group will be going up there on the Tuesday of the week. So one month from today, I will be packing the '40. What this means is I have 1 month to get it back on the road.
AL

Last year's pictures: http://www.astreetrodder.com/2005_nsra_nats.htm