[Tom Veale]

I've attended the Power Tour as a spectator in years past and this year I've signed up for the Long Hauler 5 day event. Here are the dates:

HOT ROD Power Tour 2022 Dates And Locations

• *Day 1: Monday, June 13 - Liberty Park, Memphis, Tennessee.
• Day 2: Tuesday, June 14 - Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee.
• Day 3: Wednesday, June 15 - Hoover Met Complex, Hoover, Alabama.
• Day 4: Thursday, June 16 - Pensacola Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida.
• Day 5: Friday, June 17 - Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia.

Since I'm starting from Wisconsin, it will add about another 1400 miles for the Round Trip. I'll be driving my '33 Ford Soft Top (#007) for the event.

This will be the longest drive I've taken in the '33. No heater, no A/C, no Radio, but I do have White Walls!

Anyone else planning on participating or just attending for one of the days?

Best wishes,
Tom Veale

 

[Michael Everson]

Car still looks great.
Mike

 

[Tom Veale]

Car still looks great.
Mike

Hi Mike,
It still runs great, too. Not bad after 13 years of "tender" driving!!!

 

[Tom Veale]

I've kept the front springs at 9" x 450 Lbs/In and the rears as progressive 12" x 175-350 Lbs/In for track usage for most of the time since assembly in 2009. However, with a 'road trip' of about 2400 miles for the HRPT 2022 I've decided to soften up things a bit. I'm changing the fronts to 9" x 350 Lbs/In and the rears to 12" x 250 Lbs/In for this road trip. Sizes should be fine and there's room to prevent coil binding so all should be 'smooth' along with a kidney saving ride. I should be able to get them installed and see how I like it before the Power Tour and will report back here. It seems to me several others have used the same spring rates as these new ones for pure street applications so feel comfortable giving it a try.
Any comments or experience?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[Tom Veale]

The new springs arrived. I'll get those in soon. I'll need to get all the wheels balanced, change out brake and clutch fluid, wash and wax everything and get an oil/filter change and it should be ready to go.

 

[Tom Veale]

I'm almost ready for the Power Tour now........
View attachment 367835


See you there,
Tom View attachment 367835

 

[Tom Veale]

I got the new springs in today. The straight line ride is less harsh but there's a bit more body roll. For the street I think this will be just right and save a lot of bathroom breaks on this 2400 mile adventure.

I need to put a few miles on it to settle the new springs and double check the ride height. That and head to Road America for lunch time touring on the SVRA weekend coming up to see if the handling has changed much from the stiffer springs.

I'm nearly finished with my "To Do" list for now.

Tom

 

[Tom Veale]

After about 30 miles of driving I checked the ride height again to see if the springs had settled in a bit. They had and I made some small adjustments to the keeper nuts to put heights front and rear where I usually keep them (6 1/4" just ahead of the rear wheel on the frame and 5" under the "chin" below the grille).

I was able to put some higher speed turns under the car on some nearby two lane roads. The car is steering nicely even with a small amount of body roll. The ride is much improved over rail road tracks and other harsh surfaces.

Much less "go-kart" and much more Miata now!

Best wishes,
Tom Veale

 

[SC210Ford]

Awesome!

 

[Tom Veale]

I treated the '33 to a new set of plugs. The same plugs have been in there since the engine was assembled back in 2008. They were Autolite XP 104 plugs and have served the engine well. They were all the same nice tan color and all the gaps were still identical after all these years and about 12,500 miles (much of which were track miles with Northwoods Shelby Club at Road America).

The plugs I chose as replacements are from E3, their E3.54, specifically. Here's the web site: https://www.e3sparkplugs.com/shop/shop_detail/e354_spark_plug/

I have to say that cold start idling is better and it does seem to run a bit smoother all through the RPM range so far.

A big "Thank You" goes out to Mike Everson ( (1) Michael Everson | Factory Five Racing Forum (ffcars.com) ) here. He used some anti-seize compound on the treads of the old Autolite plugs when he installed them way back in '08 and they all backed out without turmoil. I followed his example and dabbed on some anti-seize on the E3 plugs before installing them.

Obviously, since I'd not heard of this newer plug design, some things continue to improve even without my assistance! Anyone else tried these plugs and if so, what's been your experience?

Best wishes,
Tom Veale

 

[Tom Veale]

................After about 30 miles of driving.................

Adding on about another 30 miles and making some final adjustments to the QA-1 Shocks.......

The QA-1 shocks I have are single adjuster, 18 position style. The Fronts were only set one click off of full soft and the rears were just two clicks from full soft. I put the fronts up to 2 clicks and set the rears to 4 clicks for my test ride. The fronts seem just right but the backs were a bit over-done for 2-Lane and 4-Lane driving. I backed the rears off to three clicks and that seems just about right.

I'm almost completed with my "To Do" list now. When I installed the Rod Tops canvas back in 2012 (?) I didn't order their side curtains as I have electric windows for the hard top. In the spirit of the Gods of Thunder and Rain, I ordered a set of the side curtains and they should arrive before my trip. About all I have left to do is take the car out at night and find a nice white building with a level parking lot to re-set the Head Light's aim. Then it's clean and wax the entire car and spray the canvas top with a fresh coat of waterproof spray.

Luckily there have been no surprises along the way to getting the car ready so far.

Best wishes,
Tom Veale

 

[Tom Veale]

Even the family cat wants to go to the HRPT!

Tom

 

[SC210Ford]

You must be so excited.

I’ve heard mixed reviews on the e3 spark plugs.
I would bring the takeout spark plugs with you, you know they work and if you have ignition problems on the road you can put those back in.

I only use autolite or motorcraft spark plugs in my fords.

 

[Tom Veale]

Thanks for the feedback. I plan on taking the XP-104's with me as you mentioned. I hope to have enough miles on it before the adventure to have confidence in them. However, I did note that "Made In China" notation on the box.
Tom