Day 1 - Columbia, SC to Reidsville, NC

Yesterday morning dawned crisp and cloudy. We finished putting the last of the items on the rumble seat area. It was so full, we couldn't close the lid. No worry a couple of bungee cords and we were all set.

We pulled out of the drive at 7 AM. We made our way into Columbia to meet the rest of our group. After a quick stop for gas, three of our group of four A's were ready to roll. I put a few items into the truck , closed the rumble seat lid and we were off to meet the last of our group headed to Reidsville.

The day went well, as we had no problems. Garmin, our handy nav system, took us up the back roads as we drove along.  Lunch was enjoyed by all. Most of us got chili to warm up with. The sun still hadn't made an appearance, so everyone was a bit chilly.

By noon, we had well progressed into NC, skirting Charlotte and driving through Thomasville and High Point. Most of the furniture manufacturing has been moved off shore to the orient, so these beautiful old towns are not so thriving anymore.

We arrived in Reidsville close to 4 and checked into our motel. Soon, we were back in our cars headed for the downtown area. Very little was open And most of the Main Street buildings were empty. Signs of a failing town.

Reidsville is the home of Lucky Strike cigarettes. With the decline in smokers over the years, the factory has seen better days. They still produce cigarettes here, but not at the capacity of the 60's and 70's.   there is another corporation here, Ball. They make metal containers at this plant.

Dinner was enjoyed by all of us at The Celtic Fringe. It is an eclectic Irish pub. The food was great!

John and Twila Cockerill

John and Happy Begg

Cheryl and Danny Austin

Bill and Fay Prince

Then it was back to the motel for- hopefully a good nights sleep. Today, we will make our way to Charlottesville, VA, less than 200 miles up the road.

Floor Boards

While most of us never think about what is under the carpet in our modern cars, this is not so for the Model A owner.  We've always called this subsurface "floor boards," and with good reason!  In the older cars, they had a lot of wood in them.  My little roadster just happens to have very little wood.  There are a couple of pieces in the sides just behind the doors, one in the rumble seat area, and the most important two are where you put your feet - the floor boards!  Well, Model A floor boards are very important in that they not only are the place you put your feet, but they cover the battery, transmission, and the back of the engine.  Every time you need to connect or disconnect the battery or oil the transmission, you have to remove the larger of the two floor boards or a trap door in the floor board.  It just so happened that I noticed that Miz B's floor boards were looking a bit sad and very warped.  The car is supposed to have a 7 layer Birch plywood floor board.  Miz B's were 2 layer particle board.  No wonder why they were warped!  

So it was off to Smith & Jones for a replacement set.  Unfortunately, they only sell left hand drive sets.  No problem!  The larger and flat positioned board is exactly the same as the left hand drive.  The trick was going to be fitting the top, slanted board.  The pedals are on the opposite side of the car, naturally, but they are not configured exactly the same way.  Left hand drive cars have the gas pedal to the right of the brake and clutch, while right hand drive cars have the gas pedal between the clutch and brake!  So, we flipped the board upside down, cut a circular hole for the gas pedal and made one of the slots, for the clutch, a bit wider.  Simple!  I have a few extra small holes, but the floor mat and carpet cover it all.

Little by little, this car is getting put back together the way it should be.  

Most of the packing is complete for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour.  We are trying out a new way of packing clothes with this trip.  I've packed a days worth of clothing per person into a 2 gallon zip lock baggie for each and put them into an easily accessible bin.  That way, we can grab out toiletries and a change of clothes to take into the hotel each night and not have to lug in a big suitcase.  We are going to be staying in a different hotel for 7 of the 8 nights we are on the tour.

Saturday morning, we are meeting the Prince's and the Austin's at the Starbucks in Trenholm Plaza at 8AM.  We will then travel up Percival Road and meet up with the Cockerill's near Clemson Road.  The weather is supposed to cooperate on Saturday and Sunday as we travel up to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Next post will be from the road . . . .

Cook Out for Kids

Yesterday dawned with cloudy skies and drizzly rain.  Didn't look too good for a Model A outing in support of the Epworth Children's Home in Columbia, but we had faith that the weather man was correct with his forecast of the rain stopping by 9:30 and abating until about 3PM.  

Joey and Lauren arrived just a couple minutes past 9 in his 1929 Tudor.  We loaded up the last of the chairs and cooler filled with water and ice.  Soon we were off to pick up Jacob.  We were a convoy of three Model A's.  John in his 1930 Town Sedan, me in Miz B, and Joey in his Tudor.  It was a quick stop to pick up Jacob, and once he was buckled into his car seat, we were off.

We had a small 20 minute shower on the way into town, which quickly dried up, and left us with an uneventful drive.

We arrived at Epworth pretty close to 10AM, parked the cars and wiped them down.  We had lots of help setting up the tents and chairs.  In all we had 15 Model A's in attendance!  Great showing, considering the weather just before our appointed arrival time.  Joey and Lauren got involved with volunteering to help with the event and were quickly put to work directing car parking.  

As in the past, the Epworth Alumni had put together a great day.  There were magicians strolling the Green, balloon artists making fun shapes for the kids, delicious barbecue, and a good band playing requests.  Not the Bluegrass music of the past, but the crowd enjoyed their show.  Jacob got involved playing an instrument with them and dancing to the music.  He, also, found lots of children to play with all day.  

We had lots of interesting questions about the cars and folks seemed to be pretty amazed that we actually drive them and that they are reliable.  We met a lady whose father had been head football, basketball, and baseball coach at USC after being Henry Ford's chauffeur.  Mr. Ford had given him a Model A just prior to him coming to Columbia to take the athletic job with USC.  I asked the lady for her story, hopefully, she will write it up and send it to me.  I think the national club would like to hear the story as well.  His name was Ted Petoskey and he played football, baseball and basketball at UofM during his undergraduate years.

One of the alumni, Len Ross, recorded and emailed the following short video of the cars on the Green in front of the chapel.  Click the following link for a quick look at the cars.  Model A's @ Epworth, 2013.

Epworth was a success from the Model A turnout!  The weather cooperated and just as we were driving away around 2:30, we had a few sprinkles, again.  We think the weather man got it right, after all!  The alumni were very kind and gave each driver a smoked Boston Butt for their support of the event!  Yum, yum!

Just a few last minute things to take care of with Miz B.  I need to go to Smith & Jones and pick up a fan belt - need to have a spare in the trunk, just in case.  We are all looking forward the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour next weekend!

Engine teardown

Well, as you can see from the photos, the engine had to be completely removed to replace the clutch pressure plate.  The car stayed at the mechanic's shop for three days.

Upside down engine

This is where the engine is supposed to go!

View of what is under the floor board

JP Temple explaining to John what is wrong with the old pressure plate

I drove the car to Greenwood for the Old 96 District Model A Club Swap Meet on Saturday and all is well!

I've made some improvements to the curtains - again!  This time, I sewed some pockets on each side, with a flap held down by velcro.  This will give us some added storage space for little things we want to have easy access to, while driving down the road.  I have also repositioned the Garmin for ease of viewing to the upper windshield/wind wing area.

Pocket has divider down middle and is quite deep.  Duplicate on other side of car.

Curtains have full view and tidy appearance.

I've also made some improvements to utilizing the trunk space.  I added a milk crate to hold the 12V deep cycle battery (this is the electricity to charge cell phones, iPod, speaker, and Garmin), the top cover, umbrella, extension cord, and the ever necessary kleenex box!  I also added a recycling box, with it's one lower side for stowage of water, oil, SeaFoam,mini grease gun, paper towels, and fire extinguisher.  I covered the seat platform with an old crib quilt and covered the back of the lid with rip stop nylon.  Behind the lid cover, is a shop coat - for dirty road repairs and a whisk broom.  All making for a much neater appearance and easily accessible necessities!  This will leave the seat platform open for luggage and garment bags.

I also found a small rolling cooler to put on the running board.  This will free up valuable trunk space and make getting a cold drink much easier! 

Well, as you can see it looks like we are pretty well set to make our way down the Blue Ridge Parkway, beginning in Charlottesville, VA and ending in Gatlinburg, TN.  But, first, day after tomorrow, we will be taking the car over to the Epworth Children's Home, in Columbia.  The car club  supports the children's home fundraiser each year by showing our cars on the green in front of the chapel.  Always a nice crowd, great barbecue, and entertaining Bluegrass music.

Greenwood & Greer, SC - Clutch Problems!

Saturday morning, before the sun came up, we were off to Greenwood and breakfast with the Old 96 District Model A Club.  It was a pretty chilly morning, with temps in the upper 30's.  We had the side curtains up and blankets on our laps.  The sun came up on a gorgeous morning as we made our way northwest on US76.  We traveled through Chapin, around Newberry and into the foothills of the mountains of South Carolina.  About the time we were near Chappels, it got considerably colder!  We noticed frost on the roofs.  We had a couple of blankets, but probably needed the third one!  It was in the trunk and unless we stopped, we were going to do without.  Not much further to go, and I was happy I had my gloves in the car.  Mornings like these make me wish I had a heater!

We made it to Greenwood with plenty of time before our reservation of 9AM, but we were in for a very long wait!  Seems that someone had double booked our regular meeting room at the local Shoney's.  Once we were seated, 40 minutes later than expected, we had a great breakfast and relatively short meeting.  News was shared and the upcoming Swap Meet was discussed.

Soon, it was time to part ways.  A few of us decided to travel up to Greer to check out the Saturday morning Flea Market at The Barnyard.  We enjoyed a nice drive with 4 other A's.  We got up to the Flea Market and were met with hoards of folks out looking for their "finds."  We pulled to the very back of the parking area, where it was decided that we didn't want to leave the cars or fight the masses just to go peruse someone else's junk!  So, with us in the lead, Calvin followed us back to the Columbia area via Spartanburg and Union.  A different road from the one we went north on earlier in the day.

The little car is running extremely well.  The engine is definitely ready for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour with MAFCA in a few weeks, but I've noticed that I have a clutch issue!  Seems that I'm having trouble putting the car into 2nd gear, even at a dead stop.  

We decided to take the car to Mark's on Monday for an adjustment on the clutch.  He and his dad, JP, took a look at the clutch, after Mark and I pulled out the carpet, rubber mat and insulation over the inspection plate.  Not good news!  Mark did what adjustment that he could, but it was decided that the pressure plate was bad and needed to be replaced.  Now, to do that job, the engine has to be pulled out - AGAIN!

We buttoned up the car - putting all the floor coverings back into place and drove home.  Mark was going to give us a call when we could bring Miz B back for the clutch work.  It would take 2-3 days, but they had to get the '37 Dodge Brothers car out of the shop, first.  

Stay tuned for the next adventure - hopefully, Miz B will be ready for the trip to Greenwood on the 20th.

Chapin Rotary

Yesterday morning we set off at 6:30.  We were headed for the Rotary Meeting in Chapin, SC.  Chapin  is about 8 miles from home and an easy, early morning ride.  We arrived at Crooked Creek Park a few minutes before 7.  It had been raining lightly on the drive over and coupled with the darkness, it made the trip a little slower than usual.  No windshield wiper and a need for more RainX on the windshield didn't help much either!  

We were warmly greeted by a gentleman setting up the facility for the meeting.  We got busy with the computer projector and making sure our presentation would run smoothly.  Breakfast was pretty good and John reconnected with other SCORE members and Irmo Navy friends.  Amazing, we see friends every where we go these days!  All went well and of course, we were met with the usual questions.  How fast will it go?  Do you ever drive on the interstate?  How many miles to the gallon do they average? etc.........

Afterward it was time to show the group our cars.  It was still raining, so we pulled the cars around and parked under an awning.  After a few more questions and photographs, the Show & Tell came to an end.  

We drove back home in a constant drizzle.  The temperatures had also dropped, but I was quite comfortable in Miz B with her side curtains in place.  We arrived home at 9 and had the entire day ahead of us.  Hard to believe that we had a Model A outing and were back home so early!

Little did we realize, we had been interviewed and photographed for the local Chapin newspaper. Below is the photo.  Hood was open only for the curious, no mechanical problems!

Radiator Leak........Again!!!

We took the A for a quick spin to get her warmed up on Monday afternoon.  Came home to find there was antifreeze on the block, distributor and the firewall.  We also noted a bit of oil seeping around the head gasket.  We had been seeing emulsification in the oil filler tube and were concerned that the head gasket was leaking.  So a call to the mechanic was in order.

This morning we took the car over to the mechanic for a check up.  Seems that the head gasket isn't leaking, but the radiator has a small leak at the top.  Suggestion - get some Barr's Leak for the radiator and give that a go.  Also, it was discovered that the front two head bolts were quite loose and were given a good torque, along with the rest of the head bolts.

We also added a can of Seafoam to the oil to see if we could get the water to evaporate from the oil.  We will drive it a couple of weeks and see where it stands.

So, we were soon back on the road headed for home.  The car is running very well, not using any oil, so really no complaints.  We just want to make sure it is completely ready to hit the mountains in May when we go on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the MAFCA National Tour.

I did a bit more finish work to the side curtains.  They are working very well at keeping the cold wind and rain out of the cockpit as we drive down the road.  Much nicer conditions for winter driving!

North Myrtle Beach

We left home on Friday morning at 7:10.  We had to make our way across Columbia with everybody rushing to get to work.  We made it to Garners Ferry Road about 8:05 and decided to gas up before meeting with the group headed to the beach.  Of course, we were the last to arrive.  We did have the furthest to come and the most amount of traffic to drive through.  

There were 7 A's ready to head out for our first stop of the day.  We were headed for Mullins, SC and Webster Manor.  Webster Manor has a fabulous lunch buffet during the week.  Arriving, we were met by the Barnes and the Tooles.  The Tooles had spent the night at the Inn and graciously showed us around the beautiful old home.

Lunch was delicious, as always!  Soon, we were on our way for our destination - North Myrtle Beach. We arrived around 2:30, checked in and split up into the three houses for the weekend.  We didn't think we would want any supper after such a large lunch, but around 6:30 we decided to head to a local hamburger joint for a light supper - Hamburger Joe's was just the ticket.  Our house group piled into the Barnes modern SUV - Danny crammed himself into the area behind the third row seating for the short ride to the restaurant.  He is such a good sport!  After supper, we watched a movie in our house, Wild Hawgs, it was hilarious!

Saturday morning dawned bright and cold!  Danny and Cheryl cooked us a grand breakfast! Everybody headed in different directions for shopping, hitting golf balls and just having a relaxing day. Cheryl and I headed for the outlets and did our best to help out the local economy.  John and Danny headed for the golf outlets and then went and hit a bucket of balls at the driving range.  We all met back at the house around 4:30.  Supper was at Crab Catchers in Little River.  Great place for inexpensive, delicious fresh seafood!

Sunday morning was very, very cold!  We packed up the cars and left the beach around 9:30.  We were headed for the little town of Scranton, SC and lunch at Schoolhouse Barbecue.  We hadn't gone very far, when John Cockerill began having trouble with his car.  It just wasn't running right.  We finally made it to the restaurant about an hour later than planned.  Lunch was very good.  Of course, the cars were quite the hit with the patronage of the restaurant!  As soon as lunch was over, a tech session ensued on John Cockerill's car.  It seemed that the cutoff switch, which was mounted on the starter had come loose and fallen down, shorting out the battery.  He decided to drive the car as far as he could, trying to make it back to Columbia.  We got just about to Sumter when it just wouldn't keep going.  So, AAA was called for a tow back home.

The rest of us continued on to Columbia, arriving in town about 4.  We all stopped at a gas station, said our goodbyes and split up.

It was a great weekend, celebrating the 2012 MAFCA National Awards Banquet success in Charleston!  It looks as if we have a great central core going forward with the Palmetto A's into 2013!

North Myrtle Beach Adventure

Yesterday, John took an hour to wash and check Miz B's vitals.  We are headed to North Myrtle Beach on Friday morning.  There will be a group of 11 couples going down to celebrate the successful event in Charleston.  One couple has generously arranged for three cottages, all lined up side by side, for us to occupy while down there.  

Our plan is to leave about 8:30 from a spot on the east side of Columbia.  We will then travel to Mullins for a great lunch at Webster Manor.  One couple will already be there waiting for us, they plan to spend tonight at the Manor.  Sounds like fun!  After lunch, we will continue on our way to North Myrtle Beach.

It is supposed to be very cold, by South Carolina standards, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, yet warm up to the low 50's during each of the days.  Definitely a trip with the side curtains up!

Speaking of side curtains - I made a small improvement to them.  I had noticed that where the curtain met the top rail of the door, the curtain was taking on a slight blue tint.  Not a good thing.  I think that the tiny dirt deposits on the curtains was rubbing a bit of the paint and adhering to the curtains.  I sewed a strip of the rip stop fabric across the area in question onto the curtains and that should eliminate the rubbing by the plastic curtain on the paint.  The rip stop fabric is very slick nylon.

Anyway, back to our trip......

Saturday will be a day open for anything.  Perhaps, John and Danny will play a little golf, while some of us go shopping, or to Brookgreen Gardens, or Atalaya at Huntington Beach State Park, or some may even go into Georgetown to the Rice Museum.  A relaxing day at the beach!

Sunday morning, we need to be out of the houses by 10, but our plan is to leave by 9.  Shouldn't be an issue.  Our lunch stop will be in a town named Scranton.  I've never heard of it, but there is supposed to be a great barbecue place for lunch.

I don't anticipate any issues with the car.  She has been running very well.  I took her, on Tuesday night, to a meeting in West Columbia.  The halogen headlights work extremely well.  The back country roads were well lit and the car ran beautifully.

So, tomorrow, North Myrtle Beach here we come!

Meeting in Prosperity

The morning dawned quite cold!  Siri, on my iPhone, told me "Brr, it''s 28 degrees."  Yep, Brr was right!  So, I bundled up and headed out to the garage.  I pulled the wool blanket out of the rumble seat area and climbed in the car.  True to form, she started right up.  I let the car idle for a couple of minutes, then pulled out and headed for the gas station.  John, with our daughter and grandson, were following me in the Town Sedan.  

After fueling up, we headed up US 76 for the little town of Prosperity.  We were meeting the folks from the Old 96 District Model A Club at Dee's Restaurant for breakfast and a meeting.  It was a little bit of a wait before the restaurant had the buffet line ready, so we started the meeting.  It was a good and informative meeting.  There were 8 Model A's in attendance with about 25 folks, some came in modern cars with heaters!

The meeting was relatively short, but we sat around for a while afterward enjoying each other's company until close to 11:30.  Then it was time to bundle up and head for home.

I decided it was time to try out the radio to see if my "rigging" was going to work.  I had the iPod in it''s own bag, with a clear vinyl face and the speaker in another bag.  The two were connected via a 3 foot cord.  I strung the cord up to the top butterfly fastening screw above the windshield and hung the two bags on the windshield pull.  I started up the car and turned on the equipment.  So far, so good!  I pulled out and decided I need a bit more volume.  Once I turned it up, I discovered that the reception was really very good.  Success!  Now I have radio for my long trips.

The side curtains worked very well.  I motored along with the outside temperature well below freezing and the interior never dropped below 52 degrees.  That is a temperature that is quite tolerable.  I think that I will be able to comfortably drive the A during the entire year.

It was a great drive in the A today.  I'm looking forward to the next adventure in Miz B.

New curtains and a Radio!

I had made a set of side curtains prior to our trip to Marquette, Michigan.  I knew we were going to need them, the UP of Michigan is never as warm as South Carolina!  We definitely needed them in the mornings and for the torrential downpours we experienced!  But, they just weren't quite right.  So, it was back to the kitchen table with them, new clear vinyl, and more blue rip stop nylon.  I decided that I needed to obtain the side curtain rods that are used with the purchased side curtains.  Now, I'm sure you are wondering why I don't just go buy a set of the already made side curtains from my local Model A dealer, Smith & Jones.  Easy - this car never had side curtains installed, hence, no fasteners on the body!  So, I had to get creative!

Now, velcro is a wonderful invention.  I have used velcro to attach the side curtains to the steel top rails.  Made a pocket for the curtain to slide on to the door posts and attached velcro to both and the smaller side pieces.  It takes me less than 2 minutes to "zip" myself into the A and enjoy a drive when the temperatures are cold to downright freezing or rainy.  I did discover that I do have a few wind leaks, but a hand towel stuffed above the rails seems to take care of that!  I need to find something a bit more permanent and will be thinking on it.  I'm sure I will come up with something!

For Christmas, my sweet husband gave me a new iPod.  I had been enjoying listening to the music I had downloaded.  About two weeks ago, he asked if I knew that it had a radio in it, too.  Nope!  So, I got busy with the rip stop nylon and made a couple of hanging bags for the iPod and the cordless speaker.  In order to listen to the radio, it needed a speaker or headphones attached via a wire.  It doesn't work over the wifi.  I guess it needs an antenna, hence the wire.  So, I can now listen to the radio!  The iPod is on the driver's side and the speaker is on the passenger side.  My wire is pretty long - about 3 feet.  I am hoping that will get me pretty good reception.  

I am going to take Miz B up to Prosperity on Saturday to meet with the Old 96 District Model A Club.  Not a very long drive, but far enough in pretty cold weather to see if I've solved the wind blowing around inside the car issue and far enough away from Columbia to see if the reception will be adequate to receive a good radio station.

Robertson Screws

Miz B was manufactured in Canada.  Model A's manufactured in Canada in 1931 had Robertson screws.  In 1908, P. L. Robertson began to manufacture a square recess impression in the head of a screw in Milton, Ontario, Canada. At that time, it was a revolutionary change in the fastener industry. The first patent was issued in 1909 and the last patent expired 55 years later in 1964. For his invention, P.L. Robertson screws and screwdrivers carry his name to this day.  When Henry Ford tried out the Robertson screws he found they saved considerable time in car production, but when Robertson refused to license the screws to Ford, he realized that the supply of screws would not be guaranteed and stopped using them.  Robertson’s refusal to license his screws prevented their widespread adoption in the United States, where the more widely licensed Phillips head has gained acceptance. However, an alternative explanation for this preference (that has even been aired on a History Television) is that Americans simply preferred their own invention as opposed to the “foreign” Robertson screw.  Just another way my car is different.

We ordered a set of Robertson screws to replace the slotted and Phillips screws that had been put in the car over the years.  Not only did we discover the slotted and Phillips screws, but we also discovered Hex screws!  I suppose, eventually, we will have the car back to the way it was manufactured.  The Robertson screws most noticeable are the ones in the dash rail and in the instrument panel.  I have to find an unusual Hex driver to remove the screws in the exterior door handles.  They are supposed to be Robertson, as well.  

Another uniquely Canadian part we ordered was a Canadian Data Plate.  This will be riveted to the fire wall.  The original must have been removed when the car was repainted, years ago.  Presently, there is no data plate.

Little by little, she will be correct!  Until that day, I am really enjoying driving the little car.  I go everywhere in her!  It takes me a little longer to get there, sometimes, but I always enjoy the journey!

Aiken

Last Sunday was a great day to take the Model A on a trip.  So, we checked the oil, tires, and radiator to make certain all was in good shape before leaving the garage.  Yep, all was good!  Nice to have a newly rebuilt engine that isn't sucking down oil like they might stop making it!  

We were off to Aiken, SC.  In the late 19th century, Aiken gained fame as a wintering spot for wealthy people from the Northeast. The Aiken Winter Colony was establish by Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and William C. Whitney. Over the years Aiken became a winter home for many famous and notable people including George H. Bostwick, James B. Eustis, Madeleine Astor, William Kissam Vanderbilt, Eugene Grace president of Bethlehem Steel, Allan Pinkerton, W. Averell Harriman and many others.

In the spring of 1931, all attention was riveted on Aiken when Nicholas Longworth, Republican Speaker of the House, came down unexpectedly with pneumonia and died there on April 9, 1931. He had been visiting family friends – all long-time Republicans and fellow poker players – who had a winter home in town. Longworth was married to US President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who rushed to his side from Cincinnati, Ohio, arriving prior to his death.

Knowing South Carolina, as we do, we knew not much was going to be open for lunch on a Sunday.  So, we did our homework on the computer before leaving.  We had decided we would go to Davro's for Sunday brunch.  They had an interesting menu posted on line.

We left about 11 and meandered our way through the rural areas along US 1.  We went through the towns of Lexington, Leesville-Batesburg, Ridge Springs, Monetta and on into Aiken.  Before the interstate system came to South Carolina, US 1 was a very busy highway across the midsection of South Carolina.  Today, it sees very little traffic and is a perfect Model A road.

We arrived in the beautiful downtown area of Aiken about 1 in search for our little restaurant.  It is a quaint little place with plenty of seating on their patio.  The temperature was about 78 degrees without a cloud in the sky.  Very warm, unusually so, for early January!  The service was a bit slow, but the food made up for that.  Delicious!

Soon, we were back in the little car for our trip home.  We made our way across US 1 to Lexington, where we picked up SC 6, crossing the Lake Murray Dam.  We arrived home about 4.  Of course, as always when traveling in the Model A, John got in his after meal nap.  I'll never understand how he can sleep in a Model A - much less a completely open car!

Next weekend, we are off to Sandy Run, SC for a Model A meeting at club members, Vent and Frances Mack's home.

Tour to Greenwood, SC

Yesterday dawned very cold with frost on the grass and rooftops.  I left the house at 6:50, before the sun was up!  I drove by myself, as John had plans to take Daddy to the USC Men's Basketball game.   I needed to gas up before heading to Greenwood, 70 miles to the northwest.  It was good that I had the side curtains in place.  The temperature inside the car was a very cool 42 degrees.  Outside, it was only 27 degrees.  I guess the side curtains really do help to keep the passenger compartment warm!  I was thankful that I had my lap blankets to put across my lap, too.  I stayed pretty warm, with the exception of my finger tips.  Although I had on gloves, the small gap at the top of the curtain, beneath the canvass top, had a very cold, steady wind directed at the steering wheel and my lap.  It would be nice if I could figure out some way to install heat in Miz B.  Her steering wheel is directly beneath the exhaust manifold, the source most folks use to pump heat in during the winter, so that won't work.

The little car performed beautifully!  Not a hiccough the entire trip.  Once the sun came up, about 7:45, the temps inside the car gradually warmed up to about 48 degrees.  Much more tolerable for the fingers!  Over the hilly countryside I rolled at 45 mph.  There weren't very many cars out on the road, being it was early Saturday morning, not many folks headed for work.

I arrived at the Shoney's in Greenwood at 8:50.  Great timing.  When I pulled into the parking lot, there were 4 other Model A's already there.  Three more would join the lineup, most folks had come in their modern cars.  I guess it was too cold to crank the A's or to bear the drive over.  There were about 24 members present for the first meeting of 2013 of the Old 96 District Model A Ford Club.  We enjoyed a hearty breakfast from the buffet, then settled in for a quick, 30 minute meeting.  

I left Greenwood about 10:30, after saying my goodbyes to my upstate friends.  I enjoyed the ride home to the sounds of my iPod.  I chose to listen to folk music going home.  I sure is nice to have the little wireless speaker on the shelf behind me.  I didn't drive quite as fast coming home, keeping the little car at about 40 mph.  I certainly wasn't in any kind of hurry and I wanted to enjoy the beautiful sunny morning as I drove the rural back roads home.

I discovered that I need to make some modifications to the side curtains.  I've already gotten the regular curtain posts for the doors and will use them.  I would like to be able to swing the doors open, having the curtain swing out at the same time.  I just need to figure out how to keep the small drafts from making their way into the passenger compartment.

I now have about 700 miles on the new engine and it is performing beautifully.  John changed the oil after we had put a little over 550 miles on it, so she is ready to roll for another 2,000 miles, or so, before we change it again.

Next trip, outside of Columbia, will be to go to the Mack's place in Sandy Run on the 17th of January.  I'm looking forward to it and seeing all my friends at the Palmetto A's Club meeting and lunch.