Just Begining the Adventure.

                                                                  

Two friends decide to prepare a car to compete in a vintage rally from Peking, (Beijing) China to Paris, France.  Sounds straightforward enough, right?  After all, one of them has flown vintage aircraft and driven vintage motorcycles great distances in air and bike rally events around the world and the other has driven extensively in South & Central Asia as well as Africa and Latin America.  When first discussed in late 2016 they had nearly two and a-half years to prepare for the June 2019 event.  Should be simple huh?  In a word  .... not so much.

  

     Lee Harman (R) and Bill Ward, co-conspirators

                                          

First, one must decide on the appropriate car.  Lee and Bill discussed everything from Citroen 2CVs to ‘Fangio’ Chevys and sturdy Volvos.  Model ‘A’ Fords won out due to a combination of relative simplicity, parts availability, strength and (it has to be admitted) their style. So the search was on, nationwide, for the appropriate Model ‘A’.  Many were considered but most were either show pieces of museum quality or else they were in need of urgent care to be considered even minimally road worthy.  With help from members of the Model ‘A’ Club of America and local Model ‘A’ enthusiasts in several states an appropriate candidate was located in Arizona in January 2017.

Among the many variants of Model ‘A’ the two body styles most seriously considered were the Phaeton and Victoria.  The Victoria, with its closed body style and stout construction eventually won the toss. 

1931 Ford Model ‘A’ Victoria, Miss Vicky

   

Their chosen mount, Miss Vicky, while not show quality, was mechanically sound and a sturdy platform for the long distance rally modifications which would be needed. 

Modifications needed is where the fun begins.  There is as much advice about how to prepare a Model ’A’ for a long distance event, much of it over unpaved or gravel roads, as there are Model ‘A’s and rally enthusiasts.  The rally rules generally limit modification to component parts or technology available at the time of the vehicle’s construction.  As an example, no ABS or disk brakes would be allowed on a ’31 Ford.  But certain upgrades for basic reliability and safety are allowed, even required, such as conversion to a 12 volt system and added fuel capacity to give entrants a 300 mile range, up from the stock 140 mile range.

Lee and Bill were both novices to the mysteries of pre-war Fords and so had to wade through the many earnest and often contradictory opinions and advice given by Model ‘A’ buffs and others with vintage rally experience. 

     (A sort of disclaimer would be appropriate here; in each case and after consideration of all advice given, decisions of the types of modifications and rally preparation undertaken have been the result of decisions made by Lee Harman and Bill Ward.  May the fates have mercy on their souls.)

Given all the good advice from so many, Lee and Bill defaulted to the “Keep it Simple” rule in most cases.  There were some notable exceptions to this general rule which will be addressed later.  An example of how the “Keep it Simple” rule applied is illustrated in their decision to go with original type lever action shocks.  (Caution:  Geeky car stuff ahead.)  Lever action shocks date from 1925 and have largely been abandoned for automotive use except in heavy, tracked military vehicles.  There were many who insisted modern telescoping hydraulic shocks should be retrofitted to the car.  In one case this advice came from a gentleman with two Paris to Peking Rally events under his belt driving a Model ‘A’.  However, in both of these events the modern shock mounts failed, requiring emergency repairs in route.  Another Model ‘A’ driver experienced the same problem during the 2013 Paris to Peking rally.  Those who cautioned against modern shocks cited the flexibility engineered into Mr. Ford’s original chassis and the 80+ year longevity of so many Model ‘A’s still on the road in stock form.  This car’s suspension was engineered to traverse dirt and unimproved roads and the basic design has proven itself.  And so, Lee and Bill have opted to rebuild or replace the original shocks and carry spare lever shock parts and shock oil to address and maintenance needed en-route.      

Lever action shock

Once Lee had purchased Miss Vicky the car was housed in Bill’s garage in AZ from mid-January 2017 to early May. 

Stable mates, January to May 2017

  

Bill initially got a chance to bond with the car and, with the help of local Model ‘A’ club members, learn some basic maintenance requirements of the Model ‘A’.  He also replaced a wonky wheel and had the replacement and a couple of spare wheels powder coated to match (mostly) the other wheels on the car.  In late February, Lee flew in from Washington State and the co-conspirators installed an air conditioning system designed for Model ‘A’s.   It turned out to be a very nice piece of kit that Lee (fearless) and Bill (skeptical) mounted it up with no issues.   

 

Air conditioning compressor on 

an 86 year old car 

Lee accomplishing wiring magic

while installing the AirCon.

                   

Then, for the better part of the first three weeks in March 2017, Miss Vicky was on a lift in the backyard of one of the Arizona Model ‘A’ club members.  Club member John Cook instructed and Bill got greasy in removing the original mechanical brake system and converting everything to a hydraulic system.  There was nothing Bill did that he did not have to do twice … and sometimes three times, while converting the brakes to a hydraulic system.  Worse, they never worked to satisfaction until a full year later when Rick Gilmour in Washington State rerouted hydraulic lines, repositioned some retaining pins, re-arced the shoes and made everything finally work in concert.

In late March 2017, brakes or no (weak) brakes, Lee and Bill decided a 200 mile plus road test was in order.  Followed by the long suffering wives in a Jeep, the old Ford was on the road to Tucson for an overnighter.  As has always been the case, Miss Vicky ran flawlessly and the air conditioning was frosty.  Still optimistic about the recent brake job, Lee crawled under the car in Tucson to adjust the brakes hoping the shoes were bedding in and stopping would soon be less exciting. 

After the March trip to Tucson, the divine Ms. Vicky was allowed to rest until May 8^th.  On that date Lee and Bill pointed the old girl east from San Tan Valley, AZ and headed for Royse City Texas, more than 1000 miles away.  Destination, Ron Kelly’s RK Designs. 

The route was planned to avoid interstates as much as possible.  The first leg of the trip was into copper mining country East of Phoenix.  The best speed achieved was 43 miles an hour climbing through the Pinal Mountains.   Once on the plateau of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Eastern AZ, a mostly steady 55 was held through New Mexico into El Paso and then two thirds of the way across Texas to Ron Kelly’s shop.  One thousand sixty miles in two days of steady driving.  The old engine (with the air conditioning working) ran so well our partners were beginning to wonder why we were about to swap it out. 

    Entering New Mexico

43MPH through the mountains. 

Stay to the right!  

When we arrived at Ron Kelly’s shop (modleaperformance.com) it was late in the afternoon on 9 May.  Because we had not checked into a hotel yet Ron threw us the keys to a Chevy Tahoe and we agreed to meet the next morning to begin the engine transplant.  The next morning we met Ron and his two go-to guys, Nate and Tex, who had already begun prepping the car for the engine swap.

The new 80 HP Ron Kelly

engine goes here.

The original engine was sound

and will be rebuilt for someone

else to enjoy. 

                     Lee and Bill agreed that, except for photo-ops, they would stay out of the way while Ron Kelly’s experienced crew got on with the work at hand.

How Lee and Bill helped.

   How they really helped.

         
         
                                        

As with any project of this scale some minor challenges had to be overcome.  Bill and Lee made parts runs for fan belts, wiring harnesses and other miscellaneous bits while Ron and his crew pressed ahead with the installation.  In four days the engine swap was complete, a new muffler and wiring harness installed and the radiator had been thoroughly cleaned and flushed.  To mark the occasion they all had a celebratory lunch at a nearby authentic Texas Bar-B-Q place. 

     
     
 A Ron Kelly special ...                                                      … installed.

Not enough can be said about the friendliness, flexibility and hospitality of Ron Kelly and his crew.  They were patient with the many questions asked of them about the engine swap and about Model As in general.  The information shared has already contributed to the expected success of the Miss Vicky Peking to Paris effort.

On Sunday May 14th, with engine break-in instructions fresh in their minds, Lee and Bill started north keeping to secondary and farm roads.  Oklahoma City was the first layover with the new engine and everything was working great except the air conditioning.   One of Lee’s brothers-in-law who live in the OK City metro area recommended a place to look at the air conditioning and we were away and frosty by mid-day on May 15^th.  The next two days traveling through Kansas and just the corners of Nebraska and Colorado were pretty much uneventful except the engine break-in schedule had been met and the full potential of Ron Kelly’s engine could now be enjoyed.  Hills?  We don’t care about no stinking hills.  Miss Vicky happily cruised at 60 MPH and would pull hills like they weren’t there.  

 

                                  A Mile-A-Minute … no problem. 

Entering Nebraska.  ‘I've a feeling we're         

not in Kansas anymore.'  

       

                   

                       

So, since all systems were go and just to keep things exciting, Lee and Bill caught killer colds in sequence.  And then there was Wyoming …. 

Lander, WY and the Wind River Wyoming area is great country and Lander was a planned stop.  What was not planned was a mid-May snow storm vs. a single vacuum operated windshield wiper.  After the planned overnight in Lander, Lee and Bill attempted to leave town but after about five miles it was clear the snow buildup on the windshield was going to be too much.          

However, the single wiper could not keep up.

Snow wasn’t that bad, maybe an inch or two.

A second warm and comfortable night in Lander was actually welcomed.  A visit to the Museum of the American West, a good meal and an early night was just what the doctor ordered, for Lee.    

A second night in Lander, WY.  

Spring Time in Wyoming.

                                                  

The 2^nd morning in Lander dawned clear and cold.  The road ahead all the way to Twin Falls Idaho by way of Jackson Wyoming was clear and wide open.  Lee was mostly over his cold and feeling much better and Bill simply wanted to die.  Vicky continued to soldier on with absolutely no issues other than not getting to operating temperature.  But, there is an app for that.

A low tech solution to a low temp problem. 

Togwotee Pass Wyoming, Elev. 9584 ft.

 

              

Miss Vicky was unstoppable.  Even Togwotee Pass on Hwy 26 was no challenge.  The car went over this 9584 foot elevation pass like it was fuel injected and turbocharged.  It’s not.

What turned out to be the last night of the trip from San Tan Valley, AZ by way of Royse City, Texas to Camano Island, Washington was spent in Twin Falls, Idaho.  By this time, Miss Vicky had proven herself with 2794 miles of trouble free motoring with both an old stock engine, a mild Ron Kelly Special, over deserts, through snow and over mountains.  Other than the vacuum operated windshield wipers, soon to be replaced with electric, the only real challenge had been the health of the operators.  On Sunday, the 21^st of May, Lee Harman got behind the wheel and drove this 86 year old car 678 miles from Twin Falls, ID to Camano Island, WA by way of Olympia, WA.  Bill was dropped off in Olympia, becoming his wife’s problem to nurse back to health.

Overall, the installation of the new engine and repositioning the car from Arizona to Washington State resulted in a trip of 3472 miles in all kinds of weather and all manner of road conditions.  What a great little car.

Miss Vicky’s primary mission is to educate people of the effort to End Polio Now   Transporting Lee and Bill from Peking, China to Paris, France is not going to be Miss Vicky’s only mission.  In fact, the primary mission is to bring Rotary Club’s International effort to eradicate polio to the attention of all who see or hear about this little Ford’s 10,000 mile, two content trek.

Today polio in endemic in only three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.  The challenge however is that this virus, which cripples and kills mostly children, is only a plane ride away and there is no cure.  There is however a safe and effective vaccine which every child in the world should still be getting until the last case of polio is three years behind us.  Only then will we know polio is actually eradicated.   Please consider joining this effort.   Information on how anyone can help eliminate this disease forever can be found in this link.   https://finishpolio.com/ 

           Eradicating Polio is a worldwide effort.

So, what’s next?   At this point, May 2017, the car has proven itself in all manner of driving conditions and been driven better than 3500 miles in just over four months since being purchased.  Some Model A hobbyists don’t drive their cars that far in a decade.  The engine is strong.  What else needs to be done?  Plenty.  As the Carpenters would have told you, ‘We’ve only Just Begun’.

2019 Peking to Paris route

By the summer of 2017, the car was ready for sunny Sunday drives in the country or Fourth of July Parades but not really for a grueling 10,000 mile rally which includes thousands of miles in Mongolia and Kazakhstan over unimproved and non-existent track through the Gobi Desert and over mountain ranges.   In fact, those who have gone before tell us over and over, “Suspension, suspension, suspension”.  That is what’s next.   

Once the car was back in Washington some of the less glamorous but vitally important work began to be addressed.  A new higher compression engine is plainly glamorous; a new axle is just plain heavy. 

The first upgrade made in WA was the addition of a trailer hitch so a trailer full of information can be displayed in support of Miss Vicky's primary mission of making people aware of the fight to end polio.  For the actual Peking to Paris Rally trailers are not allowed because all tools, spares and baggage must be carried in or on the car.

How hard could installing a hitch be?   

It works !!  Lights and everything.  Arlington,

Washington’s  4^th of July Parade.

                                                                           

In early July, 2017, Vicky also got gussied up with decals for the Paris to Peking event.  Lee and Bill, not artists, had to hold their mouths just so in order apply the decals correctly.

Careful, Careful, CAREFUL !!

 Henry would have been proud ! 

                                 

Here she is in all her finery ….                                                 …. and showing her colors for the 4th.  

Much more to come as the adventure continues ................................   

We are going to jump ahead here a bit to begin reporting on timely events in preparation for the Peking to Paris Rally.  We will get back and address the many upgrades made by Rick Gilmour, Mark Norgard and Bob Ketchum between July 2017 and May 2018.  Without their assistance and expertise this story would already be over.

In May 2018, Co-Conspiritor Bill and his co-pilot (and VERY tolerant wife), Cass, did a mini-test of some 425 miles without major issues from Camano Island, WA to Lake Chelan and back over the Cascade Mountains.  A few minor tweaks and we’re now ready for the real shakedown cruise out to Toronto by way of Pike's Peak (and back) on Wednesday June 13th.  

Should be a grand trip and a good test of all systems before the Peking-to-Paris rally this time next year.

Fingers crossed and more to follow.

June 12, 2018.  On the eve of departing for the Rotary International Meeting in Toronto, Ontario. in our ’31 Model A “Miss Vicky,”  The round trip will cover around 5600+ miles.

SHAKEDOWN CRUISE June 13 to July 3 2018

Day 0.  Camano Island.  Lee and Judy Haman hosted Bucky Tart; Virginia Collins as well as Bill & Cassandra Ward for a bon voyage dinner the evening prior to departing for Toronto, ON.  The Vicky was primed and ready to go, each day's routes were planned out and hotels scheduled.

Beauty and the beast.

The blue tape around the window in the photo above is the accepted solution among Model A folks for preventing rain from coming into the car through the tilt out windshield.  It works.

Day 1, June 13.  Camano Island, WA to Orofino, ID.  428 miles.

Car running fine, though tools hit the running boards twice for sticking throttle linkage (soggy insulation at the accelerator pedal eventually resulting in a 2000-2200 idle speed).  Fixed with removing the insulation, lubing all and adding a stronger return spring.

Vicky quit twice during fuel transfer from the aux tank.  We unwittingly ran the tank dry, pumping air into the gas lines.  Takes about 12 minutes to pump 8 gallons of gas from the 16 gallon rear tank.   The car doesn’t run well on air.  Go figure  

Biggest problem was the Sparton(TM) 'ahooga' horn quit.  A fuse was replaced and the problem was addressed.  Can’t drive a '31 Ford without the 'ahooga' horn.  It's a rule.
   

The car was happy between 60-65 mph on the flats even while towing the beast.  RPMs were normally running around 2400 rpm; although we were into low range 2nd gear for the Steven’s Pass climb to 4030 feet.  2nd gear, high range is adequate most of the time on the climbs.

The new steering which had been quite stiff loosening up.  We re-greased front end kingpins and shackles.

Beautiful route in the Palouse past Lyon Bridge and Starbuck Valley.  Too busy driving to get any decent pictures.  Magnificent vast fields of bright yellow; ladies think its “mace” what ever that is.

Ron Kelley’s engine runs very strong but gas mileage pulling the trailer sign and Bill’s heavy foot was as low as 11 and high of 12.5 mpg.  May need to carry extra gas for P2P.  We’ll see.

AC on low is terrific.  The Monet(TM)  rally trip computer is bang on and XM radio for Fox/NPR is working perfectly.  Bill even agreed the intercom was worth the effort (easy to tune each other out when enough is enough!).  

A fairly busy work area here and you can't see the GPS or the intercom box.

Day 2, June 14.  Orofino ID to Idaho Falls.  457 Miles      

Miss Vicky performed better than her driver's in most cases.  Beautiful morning ride along Clear Water river in ID.  One pass in the Bitterroot Mts at 7000+ had us crossing briefly into MT, then south and back into Idaho.

Beautiful country

Filling front tank from back tank is a snap unless one forgets the pump is on and then over fills the front tank.  The strong smell of gas running off the front of the car serves to remind the drivers.  Duh !!              

Day 3, June 15.  Idaho Falls to Steamboat Springs CO.  449 Miles

The Ford doing very well.  

Changing carburetor jets is a lost art in this electronic age.

As we started to climb into the Rockies we checked the #3 plug.  It looked good and was chalky tan color, no soot.  At 7000 feet we decided to practice our carburetor jet changing skills to address the thinner air and increasingly rich gas mixture.  Replaced one of the two 47’s carb jets for a 46.    The idle dropped as expected so we adjusted the linkage to compensate.  Very low on power/torque for starting out but the car runs fine when under way.  

At a gas stop, or lunch we cut the support team loose of our wives and Bucky with Virginia to head out at highway speeds vs. 50-60 mph in the Vicky going through the mountains.

They arrived about two hours before us and got to pick out the best dinner spot.

Somewhere ….

…..West of Laramie …...

We were held up traveling in Wyoming for (literally) a cattle drive.  Lee was driving and man, did he want the bovines to experience the '31 Fords horn…. Bill advised against, fearing herd retribution if not from the cows, the Cowboys.

As we bested the head of the heard, the lead rangler gave us the ‘honk the horn’ double pumped fist sign.

Thus accomplished, we didn’t hang around to watch the mayhem.  You’d think Wyoming cows would be savvy to the honking of a ’31 Vic.

We are making a list improvements to be made prior to shipping the car for the P2P.  Most are really minor.  The AC is TOPS.  The intercom is TOPS.

When Bill exceeds his limits, Lee simple turns down the gain on the intercom and…peace issues.  Bill is pretty happy, so it is clear he’s figured out his volume control as well.  Top of the list upgrades to be made is an Aux Tank Pump On red, flashing light.  Twice we’ve decided to transfer 10 minutes of rear aux fuel to the front tank. Then we get to arguing (discussing) politics i.e. the virtues of Rush Limbaugh (Lee) vs. NPR (Bill).   About 30 minutes into the discussion, we are alerted to the vagaries of gas  transfer, when we casually notice gas literally pouring out of the front tank gas tank.  Over the windshield.  Down the gunnels, heading to the exhaust.  Lee suggested calmly to Bill that we ought to cut off the transfer pump before the car self-immolated.  The whole affair ruined at least one leg of our fuel transfer and MPG calculations.  (Still running about 11-12.5 mpg, towing the trailer.)

This is where we found our first dirt road.

We also found our first dirt road.  Bill insisted that his Google Map deal and Garmin GPS were absolutely correct and it was inconceivable GPS instruction would not result in us having to leave the pavement.  Inconceivable!  Lee had the triple A map that suggest about 30 miles of “no pavement.”  Lee was correct but it was a spectacular route with a dandy canyon and better cattle guard crossings than the paved roads before or after.  Pretty darn lonely country, however, with no cell service.  The selfie, included, in Lee stretching the limits on the gravel before Bill said something like “slow down, you goofball.”  No harm, no foul but dragging the trailer wasn’t all bad when used as a boat anchor a time or two. Four point restraints lent a fair amount of security.

Inconceivable!

All in all, it was a great ride to Steamboat Springs.  Lots of interest in the PolioPlus program (and hopefully some donations!).  At 10,000 miles on the P2P next year, all we need is one person per mile at 10 bucks a contribution to make our $1,000,000.00 goal.  Mr. Bill Gates will triple that so each dollar is actually, three.

Bill and Lee have remarked more than once how fortunate we were to stumble upon this car and a group of fellow inveterate gear heads to resurrect our mount.  If you are reading this, thanks.   

Day 4, June 16.  Steamboat Springs CO to Cascade CO.  199 Miles

We left Steamboat Springs a little after 1000 looking forward to a relatively short drive to Cascade CO.  We finally arrived at about 1730.

No, it was not the Vic's fault that a 199 mile drive took nearly 7 1/2 hours.

First there was the Mustang car gathering in Steamboat Springs.  200+ cars at least.  Traffic was detoured through side streets to get out of town.

Then there were the several mountain passes.  Rabbit Ears Pass at 9426 ft, Hoosier Pass at 11541 ft and Wilkerson Pass at 9502 ft.  On one of these passes, I forget which, the switchbacks on the road were so tight and so steep it required quick transitions between first gear high range and second gear low range to maintain momentum.  Lee was driving and has a better relationship with Miss Vickie than I do and he made the switchback climb look easy.

Also, we were turned away from using highway 9 at Dillon CO where 9 runs along the Dillion Reservoir Dam.  Apparently our trailer appeared menacing in some way and an armed gentleman made us take a detour around the reservoir.  This alternate route (Summit Highway) added time and another climb.

We stopped in at the only place we could find along the route, a Wall Mart in Woodland Park, CO to grease the old girl and change her oil.  (No off color jokes, please) It also gave us an opportunity to check all systems.  A body to frame bolt was found to need some attention and a loose ground wire were identified.  The Wall Mart folks were attentive and patient as we walked them through the process of servicing all 28 (Or is it 32?) grease fittings.

Finally, a GPS error (or operator error) had us doing circles on route 24 about 7 miles NE of our days final destination.

Did I say finally?  Well there was one other event that ate up a considerable bit of time.  It was addressed using gravity, several 8 to 10 pound rocks and some sweat.  So that the privacy of all parties involved may be preserved this event has not been documented with photography of any kind.  

And that is how a 4 hour trip becomes a 7.5 hour Odyssey.

Day 5, June 17, The run up Pikes Peak 

The Pike’s Peak run was a success with a few interesting caveats… to follow.

The day started, however, an honest Two/Zip… Bill up two, me zero in the Great Aux Tank Transfer escapade.  It’s an easy error to make.  If you’d been there, you’d understand. Switch to Aux tank, switch on the pump and announce “aux tank pump ON; 10 minutes.”  Simple.  By the numbers. Military. Then you forget to turn off the aux tank pump, which is happily providing fuel to the carb and back-filling the Model A main tank with its fuel gauge rising from wherever, to “full.”  Once the main tank (located directly in front of the windshield) is thoroughly filled… it keeps filling.  Before long, gas is noticed (usually by the driver who is NOT in charge of the aux pump) freely flowing from under the cap and down both sides of the Vicky.  Sooner or later, the error is noticed and the pump turned off with a few “ah heck” expletives. Today was relatively no different.  I win the morning coin toss to determine the day’s first leg driver, this day, up Pike’s Peak.  Waiting for our compatriot Bucky to arrive (from a dog-friendly motel) 

OZ, the team support dog.

because of a dead battery… another story… I get anxious to start and decide to scrub the bugs off Vicky and warm her up.  I’ve already done the morning maintenance chores while Bill luxuriously sleeps in.  I note, from the driver’s seat, that we’re down a quarter tank or so. I decide to do a 5 minute transfer from the aux tank.  

You know what is coming.  The Vicky’s well warmed.  I shut ‘er down and return to Fox New Sunday in our room.  A bit later Bill knocks on our door with a proverbial shit-eating grin on his face, announcing that his wife, Cass, noted from their room “I smell gas from the Vicky.”  Used to that issue, Bill says “Yeah, that's normal.” then peaked out to notice a veritable fountain of gas pouring out of the front tank, down the sides, into the cab, gallons (well, probably not that much), dripping onto the tarmac, rapidly turning to mush.  Step in it and you’d probably sink up to your ankle.  Aux tank “off,” score now even at Two/Two… an extra demerit point re: lost gallons. End of story.  The ladies have decided to create a plastic sign with a choke-chain warning collar for the navigator to wear as the aux tank is switched on.

The run up Pike’s Peak was a real treat and Miss Vicky could do the journey “no sweat” were it NOT for the Sunday Father’s Day drivers also making the ascent.  The previous day’s journey taught us to leave the trailer at the motel.  We had no idea of the grade (steep, steep) or the route: paved with NO guard rails for the steepest parts and pretty much straight down for a few thousand feet if you missed a turn.  Cannot possibly imagine the annual Pike’s Peak Hill Climb event that starts next week with gents cresting the summit in the 10 minute range (record is 9 minutes by a French dude, last year).  We made the 12 miles in 30 or so minutes. Anyway, all was well until we approached the first of a long line of fellow Pikester’s negotiating the first of a bunch of very tight hairpins, some past 270-300 degrees. Fall short of the power curve and we’re done because Miss Vicky would stall.  Made it through 3 or 4 such turns but lost it, stalled, dead in the water at about turn 5 because of a traffic jam at the turn.  Nuts.  Me holding position with brake, car idling nicely but destined to head seriously downhill when attempting to start up again.  Flagged Bucky with our wives past followed by about 10 other cars. Bill held the hand brake, I brake/throttled the car to max and slowly released the clutch, keeping the revs to near max.  Slowly, I mean slowly, we crept ahead working the clutch to stay in the power band. It was not a happy moment. Bill and I were pretty well puckered.

Above tree line, at over 11,000 feet.

Fortunately, Bill and I love the smell of clutch plates doing their thing and for the rest of the ascent, only had to stop once more, before deciding to pass a string of cars opting for a parking lot at the 13,100 foot level. You had to opt for a special sticker indicating “Summit Ascent” to 14,114. No guard rails, into the clouds, fairly intimidating.  Of course, we opted for such a pass.  For some reason each of the string of cars turning right into the “Wuss” parking short of the summit lot found it necessary to talk to the flagger at the turn, no doubt congratulating themselves on achieving 13,100 feet. Thus said, they nonetheless held things to a standstill of about 10 cars, all on the steep upgrade.  Realizing this was a serious threat to our successful summit, Bill suggested an alternate route and we kept going, sounding the Sparton and passing the lot on the right shoulder up to the flagger. Sensing our determination, if not distress, we nosed through a hole in the line and proceeded to the summit.  

We made it!  The summit of Pikes Peak, 14,115 feet and 38°.

The new four-row radiator did its magic with temps never higher than 180.  The Ron Kelly Engine never faltered as long as we kept the revs up.  First gear, high range was typical with a few steep turns requiring first gear low. 

Heading back down taking it easy with the brakes.

The brakes of all cars on the descent were checked and the Vicky's breaks passed the check at a mere 275 degrees F. We heard numbers from the fast mover types of temps above 500; they were then asked politely to pull over and wait for their brakes to cool a bit.

Mountain Goats & Traffic

Off the mountain and feeling pretty good about the whole thing

The Vicky’s clutch is a different matter.  Well broken in, at the very least; workable but probably replaceable before P2P. Rick will decide.

Lee (driver) and Bill (white knuckle passenger) were

feeling pretty good too.

After the successful Pikes Peak jaunt drivers and their patient wives along with Bucky, Virginia and Team Support Dog, OZ, drove into Colorado Springs for an early supper and, yes, an adult beverage or two. 

Day 6 June 18, Cascade CO to Junction City, KS.  472 Miles.

This morning we said good-bye to Bucky, Virginia and OZ as they headed North West to other destinations.   

We are now out of the mountainous west and heading east across the plains.  Our confidence in the Vic is pretty well established.  It seems more likely we will let her down rather than the other way round.  To give the drivers a break and save a bit of time we decide to drop our avoidance of the interstate and take I-70 east to our next overnight. 

The new electric wipers worked overtime.

There is big rain intermixed with major cloud bursts along the route.   This caused our alternator pulley to slip and gave us a couple of scares thinking we had a major electrical problem until we made the correlation between the cloudbursts and the on-again off-again drop in amps. 

Day 7 June 19, Junction City, KS to La Plata, MO.  294 Miles. 

This was a relatively uneventful day of travel and again we took the fastest route.  The only deviation was to turn North and West off the most direct route to avoid going through Kansas City.  When we arrived in La Plata, MO we checked into the Depot Inn ( https://www.depotinn.com/ )  which is highly recommended.

Meeting us at the Depot inn were Mark and Jane Petzel, friends to Lee and Judy since Navy days.  Bill and Cass also remembered them from a previous eight state road trip adventure.

We were all soon picked up by Dr. Lloyd and Kathy Cleaver who drove us to Kirksville Missouri for a private tour of the medical museum in the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine at A.T. Still University.

Pioneer home of Andrew Taylor Still, Doctor, Inventor, Legislator,

Abolitionist and founder of two universities. 

First in the Nation, in fact, first ever.

Lee was interviewed about Miss Vicky

 

The museum had an Iron Lung from the bad old days.  It makes the 'End Polio Now' effort come to life when you think that young people might again have to spend their lives in one of these if Polio isn't eradicated world wide.

After our tour of the museum Dr. Cleaver very generously treated us all to a great dinner at the Thousand Hills Lodge on the shores of Forest Lake just West of Kirksville. 

This was a great day and informative day after a series of 450 mile days and mostly catch-as-catch-can meals. 

Day 8 June 20, LA Plata MO to Kendallville IN.  462 Miles.

Another long day of driving.  Weather cooperated and no particular excitement.  TORONTO TOMMOROW !!

Day 9 June 21, Kendallville IN to Toronto, ON.  398 Miles.

Perfect weather and reasonable traffic the entire route.  The border crossing was uneventful and even arriving in Toronto, 3 million in the city and another 3 million in the metro area, was mostly uneventful.  

O Canada!

With glowing hearts we see thee rise

Bill happened to be behind the wheel when arriving in the Toronto Metro area.  It was early rush hour and the appropriate exits were found through superior navigation and a bit of luck.  Well mostly ... our support vehicle, and wives, missed an exit and headed off toward Ottawa.  Once downtown in the Toronto Entertainment/Convention District we encountered the one-way streets common to city centers.  Since we were hauling a trailer and street parking was VERY limited, Bill simply double parked in the middle of the block like any savvy city dweller might.  Lee jumped out and conducted a quick recon to find where we could park.  Lee was back in minutes and before the RCMP arrived.  Two minutes later and we were off the street and steps away from the lobby to the Life Suites Lofts.  Our support vehicle, and wives, arrived shortly thereafter.

Life Suites Loft - CN Tower.

20 John St, Toronto, ON. 

Lodgings for the next week were in an apartment building directly across from the convention center.  It was an Air-B&B type situation on the 12th floor.  Tight quarters but all cooperated and we got along just fine.  Cass summed it up well saying that by the end of the week, living that close together and sharing one bathroom, we were no longer friends, we were family.

That evening we all relaxed with the knowledge that we would have a full week without the pressure of pushing an 87 year old car an average of more than 350 miles per day as we had for the past 9 days.  Even better, Bill found a food truck right outside the Metro Toronto Convention Center run by a Greek gentleman and his daughter that had killer soft serve ice cream.  Many visits would be made there.

Days 10 to 15, June 22 through 27.  Rotary International Convention and Toronto.

On the first morning in Toronto Bill went down stairs at about 0630 and walked across the street to the 'Second Cup' coffee shop for coffee and fresh croissants.  That's a nice benefit of city living, the proximity to coffee shops, delis and shopping just around the corner.  That being said, Toronto is a great and welcoming city with clean streets, good restaurants, lots to do and friendly people; and yet city living is not for everyone and a week here reinforced that for Bill.

The Convention.

One the Convention Floor

Miss Vicky was given pride of place with a location on the convention floor in the, 'House of Friendship' and was real hit in Toronto.  People have fully embraced the car and for the days she was on the convention floor a good number of the 25,000 convention goers admired her each day. I think she really enjoyed the attention. A fair number of people could hardly believe us when they were told we motored in from Seattle…via Pike’s Peak, no less.  Also impressed that we’ll be driving back when the convention is over.

Anybody sitting inside the Vicky can’t leave till they blow the 'Ooog-aha!' horn.  Draws a heck of a crowd. It was tempting not to fire her up so folks could appreciate the exhaust's puckity-puckity sound.

Lots of invites were received for showing at various Rotary functions before Peking to Paris next year. 

Much as we hate interstates, we’re revising our return trip plans to allow extra time at the Ford Museum in Detroit, then some time at Medora and its Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Expecting Camano on July 3rd, in time to clean Miss Vicky up for the Arlington Fourth of July Parade.

Day 16, June 28, 254 Miles to Dearborn, MI Great reunion of Miss Vicky with the Ford Museum in Dearborn.  Very, very impressive and inclusive of American Industry and Innovation.  Missed the Village and will have to return, preferably with the grandkids when they’re a bit older.  Could easily spend a week here.

Vicky running strong but after four days at the Rotary Convention, the AC quit as we head home and the hottest part of our trip.  High nineties today.  Fairly comfortable with the front windscreen open.

Did some fancy talking to the museum assistant, assistant manager at the front ticket desk, who referred me to security for the prime parking space right in front.  Security referred me back to the Junior Manager.  With both “agreeing” if the other would, we had the best spot on the very filled parking lot.  Lots of Vicky interest.

After the Museum we did another 117 miles arriving at Battle Creek for the night.  So a total this day of 371 miles.  Most of it at 60-65 mph and about 10 mpg.  Still had three gallons of gas, so we’ve achieved our 400 km requirement with 27 total gallons aboard.

2200 miles on the oil but still looks fine.  Greased the front end at the convention, a two-dude affair but we got it done.  Oil change tomorrow and will get the AC compressor issue looked at to see why it isn’t clicking on.

Great dinner downtown and interesting conversation with local folks about the legacy of the Kellogg brothers.  Lets say opinions vary.

The AirCon still a mystery.  All fuses and simple fixes have been trouble-shot by Bill and me.

Day 17, Friday June 29th, 462 miles to Black River Falls, WI

Spoke with Ken Davies, the Model A AC Guru by texts/email and he predicts one of a couple of relays are out and hence, the compressor won’t compress.  How hot was it? Almost burned my leg pressing up against the emergency brake handle.  Picked up the handheld thermometer plugged into the ac evaporator and it read, no kidding, 120 in the lower cab.  Hot, man.  I mean hot.   

Found and removed what I hope is the errant relay but shops were closed here in central Wisconsin.  Will hopefully find one tomorrow.

How hot was it?  Enough to boil and vapor lock gas from the front tank.  Thank goodness for cool fuel from the aux, which saved the day.  Will find some shielding heat tape tomorrow and give that a try. 

Vicky got new oil and grease today at our friendly Walmart, where they issue safety glasses and let you into the pits to inspect and point out the zirks.  

Sad to say that it was even too hot for the Quail we’ve been following for almost 4432 miles. Broke its mounts and flew off in interstate 94 traffic.  She was a good little bird and we’ll miss her.  Photo last in the chain.

Wish us good relay karma for tomorrow,

Day 18, June 30th, 524 miles to Jamestown ND.

A long push today in order to remain on schedule to arrive in Medora, ND and see the musical review honoring Teddy Roosevelt, a hero to this author. 

A personal note here:  The sure cure from all the handwringing news out of Washington and other "Centers of Influence" is a road trip across working America.  LaPlata, MO; Cascade, CO; Orofino, ID; Idaho Falls, Id; Steamboat springs, CO; Stockton, KS; Kendallville, IN; Detroit, MI; Battle Creek, MI; Black River Falls, WI; Jamestown, ND; Medora, ND.  Gas stations, dinners, restaurants, stores, car parts places, oil change joints and motels.  In all cases people are polite, optimistic, helpful and apparently have more common sense than any of our representatives in Government.

Day 19, July 1st, 294 Miles to Medora ND

Well, the Vicky continues to soldier on.  Not a hiccup.  Couple of mysteries, like, where does coolant at about a half gallon per 500 mile day go?  No overheating.  No puddles, no steam. Overflow reservoir empty or 1/3 full.

Moving along at 60 to 65 mph.  Mileage still at the 10-12 mpg.  Oil: about half a quart/500 miles. Checking the plugs and looking under the car, it looks like it’s blow by from the oil filler breather tube.  

Just, "Peterbuilt".  Well if you can't take a joke ….

Beautiful North Dakota scenery today.  Made an 18 wheeler unhappy by pulling out in front of him in a single lane construction zone area, literally, miles long.  My fault, since I didn’t see him till I was committed, slowly,  entering the lane.  Lots of braking on his part then following me on my bumper at about 3-6 feet for as long as it took him to cool off.  Interesting to look in the rearview mirror and see nothing but “Peterbuilt." 

 

Just like TR saw it.  Great country.

Deep  fried steak on a pitchfork.

Our destination this day is Medora ND and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Both highly recommended.prior to tonight’s Medora show and dinner have been real treats.  “Steak Fondue” if you can believe that.  Really good.  Amazing outdoor show that is worth getting off the beaten path to see.

Lee and Judy enjoying the show

Better, easily, than Andrew Lloyd Webber …

Day 20, July 2nd, 582 miles to Missoula, MT

Our longest push.  Now working to get home in time for the Arlington Rotary 4th of July Parade & Duck Dash  

Bucking strong headwinds and some steep grades.  From 1000 up to 5610 feet with average of 4000 or so.  
At one point we think we have plenty of gas to make the next 30 miles but a mis-calculation has run out of gas just a bit short.

Half mile short, having run 305 miles (497 km) we ground to a halt.  Wondering why we were driving so slowly, our ladies passed us by with a quick wave.  Since we really did think we’d make it to fuel (and didn’t want to give ourselves away)… we decided to soldier on hoping to avoid embarrassing ourselves.

Sheepishly, we made the call, the ladies found a gas can and gas to save the day.  Lots of guffaws all around.  

Did we run out of gas or just stop to read the historic marker ….?

Anyway, we now know the car will go 100 km further than the required 400 kilometers for P2P.  Safe and sound in Missoula, we’ve got one more 530 mile/11 hour day to Camano.  Quite a trip at just short of 6000 miles

No mishaps and just one “failure to proceed” do to human error and gas.  The Sparton Horn and AC the only casualties we weren’t able to resolve.  The Vicky has real ‘heart’ and is a very strong performer.

Day 21, July 3rd, 569 miles to Camano Is, WA.

Another long day and Miss Vicky is game for anything we ask her to do.  In fact, this little car has motored more miles than most owners of Model As put on their cars in years of ownership and...while pulling a trailer.

Day 22, July 4 2018.  Arlington July 4th Parade.

Fresh off a 6000 mile trip and looking great.

November 19 to 23

In November Lee and Bill met in England to attend the ERA drivers conference.  One flew in from AZ and the other from WA.  The meeting was held at the British Motor Heritage Museum.  Typical English weather but both having a Northwest connection the drippy climate was not an issue.  It helped that they had rooms at a great Pub in a perfect English village.  Life is hard.

Armistice day decorations were still up.

Two days of briefings on routes, safety and rules

There were attendees from all over the world and some of the folks brought their cars.  Some hefty competition.

MARCH 26  Bon Voage Party



March 27  Shipping from Vancouver Canada

This VW belongs to the Brothers Beresford also entered in the P2p 

Safe travels little car.

April Something

This is the container ship which carried Miss Vicky to China.

 May 26 Update:  HOW WILL MISS VICKY DO IT!? 

How was Miss Vicky prepared for the Trek of a LIFETIME?

Some of the following will be a bit of summary of information already published, but at this stage in the development and testing of the car it bears repeating.  

First was the new “endurance” motor from RK designs in Fate, Texas. It makes 70 horsepower as compared to the original 40. It features a modern downdraft carburetor, modern crankshaft bearings, four-row radiator for maximum cooling and slightly increased compression and new wear and heat resistant valves. A new clutch had been installed before the Toronto run and after a Mitchell transmission was installed with synchronized gears housed in the original transmission case and backed by a two-speed gear splitter (also by Mitchell), giving us 6 forward gears. For safety and as allowed by the rally regulations the brakes were converted from mechanical to hydraulic brakes. 
We installed a 16 gallon auxiliary fuel tank and the associated electric fuel pumps and filters. A large marine filter is last in line that allows us to see and remove any water that enters the system. In all, we carry 27 gallons of fuel that will take us (exactly) 305 miles before dry. We’re told to prepare for 240 miles between fuel stops so our total, plus an emergency 2 gallon red plastic can should suffice. Every part requiring a grease fitting had been disassembled, inspected, and replaced if needed. The differential and rear axles have been renewed.  
The lever-action shock absorbers, front and rear, look original but are all new and machined from billet aluminum. 
As required by the rally organizers, mud flaps and industrial strength tow hooks have been placed on all for corners of the car. A new steering box replaced the original. A new wiring harness was installed and the typical “rats nest” of below-dash wiring cleaned up with a new fuse box. Two multi-recepticle electric outlets were placed below the seats to keep the electronic things charged. A heater was installed…as was an air conditioner specifically designed for Model A-s.

For navigating, a Garman GPS was dash mounted as was an additional rally clock, a Monit trip meter, which accurately monitors distance and time by using GPS and if that fails, a front mounted wheel sensor.  Additionally, for safety, a satellite phone and GPS tracker are required by the rally organizers and will be carried on board.

So that is how the car is prepared how about driver/navigators?

Bill (sort of) and Lee are working to get into better physical shape, since each day will be fairly intense with driving and navigational challenges. Once we complete each day’s drive we’ll be in and under the car doing maintenance. From our many adventures in the Morgans, we know that each day, everything needs to be “touched.” Usually this is by washing the car at the end of each day’s run…which physically
says you’ve looked for loosened bits and pieces caused by that day’s journey. Since we won’t be washing Miss Vicky in the middle of the Gobi, we’ll have to find what needs fixing while we tend to daily lubrication of some 31 greasing points. A requirement for the rally is a large plastic drop cloth to place under the car each night to protect the environment from whatever decides to drip (!) from the car.

Packing for the Miss Vicky trip was like putting 10 pounds of S--- in a 5 pound bag.

As to what we’re taking along, that list starts with multiple spare parts. If we have whatever might give us trouble (belts, water pump, filters, spare bulbs, alternator, etc.). We carry two spare tires and an extra inner tube. The tires are 10-ply heavy duty truck tires with a moderately aggressive tread design. Safety gear includes hazard triangles, tow robe, come-a-long, first aid kit, fire extinguishers, escape hammers and seat belt cutters. Tools include the usual mix. We’ve fitted a quick drain system to the oil pan so that oil changes can be quick and easy. We’ll be carrying a change of oil and grease gun but have staged further oil and grease at four pre-determined “rest” days incorporated into the itinerary. In all we had 8 individual boxes of gear packed in the car, all inventoried, which will need to clear customs in China.

Our own gear includes sleeping bags, tents, clothing and hygiene stuff.  To save weight and space our personal items have been minimized to what one might carry in a back pack on a long wilderness camping trip. 

May 27 1040 hrs.  Late Update

Heading for the airport in two hours.  United flight to Peking departs @ 1700.  The next post will be from China.  The message below was a late addition to the car and is posted at both front and rear gas tanks.  We were told that the wrong fuel was used in past P2P runs which pretty much ruined a persons day.

Please, gasoline only.  No Diesel!  Thank you.


May 29. PLEASE NOTE:. ANY PICTURS I TAKE ARE GOING TO BR AT THE VERY END OF THIS BLOG BECAUSE I AM WORKING OFF A PHONE AND CANT MOVE THEM AROUND.  I WILL HAVE CAPTIONS ON THEM TO RELATE BACK TO DATED POSTINGS 
Arrived Beijing yesterday evening.  Hot and humid this AM.  Already met three other P2P teams.  A Volvo, Mercedes and a 912 Porsche.  Will try to figure how to add pics using my phone.  If it works, there will be s picture at the bottom of the view out the hotel window.  We pick up car in s couple of days.  We spent much of the day trying to find counterfeit watches.  We found Rolex and Breitling knock offs but couldn't come to an agreement on the price.  Otherwise it was like any other day in a huge City, lots of noise and not very interesting.  We have arranged for a private tour of the forbidden City tommorow.  Met more drivers today to include the other Model A driver.   He is an Aussie and this is his third P2P. 

May 30

Saw Tienimen square and the forbidden City today.  Lots of interesting history and cultural things were provided us by our tour guide.  Lots of walking and many of the buildings began to look the same.  Like a chuch tour in Italy (no offense) they begin to all look the alike.   Lee and Bill both commented to each other that they were both beyond done being tourists and we're ready to get on with the Rally.  Then .... they missed the first rally event which was attending the safety briefing given by the Beijing Licensing folks.  Lots of reasons why but no excuse, but also no problem.  The Rally organizers forged signatures on the attendance roster for those of us not attendence.  Tommorow, finally, we pick up our car and make final preparations for Sunday's departure from the Great Wall.  

May 31

Finally getting the car and doing P2P stuff today.  We were in the first group to get our cars from the warehouse.  After a 40 minute bus ride we hopped off the bus and clamied our car.  I won the coin toss so I chose to navigate and let Lee drive.  We had about 24 miles to cover to get back to the hotel and got lost after about 8 miles.  As mentioned I was navigating so .....
Bejing has about 22 million folks and five ring roads, we saw all of them before we found our way back to the hotel.
The car started immediately and ran perfectly.  So that's good.  The evening was taken up with a very nice social hour which was two hours long followed by a banquet.

June 1

We spent the day unpacking and repacking the car to carry us and all our junk.  We think we have it down.  Final briefing this evening and we drive to the starting point on the Great Wall tomorrow morning early.
Recognitions and Thanks ……………………….

……………….

              

Both the Model A and the long distance rally community are made up of generous and patient individuals who are willing to give you the benefit of their hard won experience.  Lee and Bill have independently sought out those with experience preparing vehicles, or driving in, long distance rally events.  With not much effort they have located and spoken with at least six people who have participated in one or more Peking to Paris events.  Three of them have campaigned Model A's.  In addition to the folks briefly mentioned in Texas and Arizona, there have been shop owners and mechanics in California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Washington State and British Columbia who continue to contribute to this effort.  Many have turned wrenches on Miss Vickie and all have most generously given advice and knowledge.   An incomplete list of those who have helped Bill and Lee along the way is listed below.  The list is incomplete because in some cases a Model A club member or other enthusiast has dropped in on a work session, lent a hand or has shared some knowledge and introductions are never made.  However, their contribution is no less valued. 

CHIEF MECHANIC:  Rick Gilmour, Camano Island, WA Structural Re-design:  Mark Norgard, Camano Island, WA Endurance Engine:  Ron Kelley, Nate and Tex, RK Designs, Wiring harness; Fate, TX Air Conditioning:  Ken Davis, Model A Modifications; Colleyville, TX Interior Mods:  Bob Ketchum, Ketchum-If-You-Can; Arlington, WA Intercom: Clarity Aloft: Courtesy of Rotary Club of Maple Grove, MN PolioPlus Promotion: David Cook, Origin Marketing; Mukilteo, WA Radiator Cores, Wheels, Brakes and other parts and advice Sam Guthrie: Arizona Model A’s; Chandler, Arizona All the good folks at the Model A Restorer’s Club of Arizona with a special mention to Ernie Vitucci, John Cook and both Sam Guthries.

Wheel Powder Coating, Bob Thompson, Southwest Sandblasting & Painting Chandler, AZ

Hydraulic Brake Conversion kit, Clings Aftermarket Products, Inc. Tempe, AZ

Monit Rally Computer, Rallybuild Lakewood CO.

Synchromesh Transmission and Overdrive Unit, Mitchell Overdrive.  Sue Mitchell, Colusa, CA.  (Great people here)

... and, maybe most importantly, Peking to Paris advice from those who have gone before, Gary Anderson (Model A Roadster) Vancouver, BC; Jenny Mah (Model A Phaeton) Vancouver BC; David Cohen (Model A Victoria)… plus Juan's Auto Service, Richmond BC who has prepared multiple Peking to Paris contestants.

For more, visit www.FinishPolio.com.

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View aptionfrom our hotel window

Lee and our tour guide.  30 May 

Inside the imperial City

Pagota in the Emporer's garden.
Shows both Monglian and Han Dynasty
Archetectural influences, but you knew that.