A little bit Country – Off to Nashville (and Plan D)

This posting is in two parts. the first part was provided by Bruce and chronicles their part of the ride to Nashville today.  The second part the chronicle of our efforts to get our Model A home AND our trip to meet the group in Nashville.

Part 1:
We started the day with a nice breakfast at the Hampton Inn in Memphis where have spent the last two evenings. We said a sad goodbye to Doug and Nan and left promptly at 8:30 a.m. bound for Nashville Tennessee.

VIDEO:  All Alone  

The morning began rather overcast.  After clearing Memphis we headed east on route 64 east and stopped for gas at a suburban station. Route 64 is excellent with two lanes in both directions passing through small towns and big cotton fields. While travelling a trucker called in on channel 35 to say hello to us and wish us safe travels!  By the way Lou' s CB radio is working much better with the addition of an outside antenna.

We stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Waynesboro TN.  The food and service was excellent. Soon we were on the road again and turning onto the Natchez Trace Parkway headed to Nashville.  The parkway is for cars only and it was a very easy and scenic drive. We stopped at the burial place and monument for Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) and kept moving northwest through some beautiful country under a cloudless sky.

Exiting the parkway we drove through the deep suburbs of Nashville past many impressive horse farms and very large homes.

We arrived at our hotel at 515pm.

Part 2:

PLAN D

And the second part of the story today is that the Linden’s arrived in Nashville at 5:00pm today.  Yes that is correct.

How can this be since we were supposed to be staying in Memphis until Monday to make arrangements to get a truck and car trailer and tow the Model A back home.  Well…we got a call from our friends Jack & Jo and they had an idea they wanted to share PLAN D with us.  Their idea was to bring the Model A over to a friend of Jo’s who lived in the Memphis area and store the car at her house.  We could then rent a car and join up with Lou & Rose and Bruce & Trish for part, or all, of the return trip back home.  Once back home Jack would bring his car trailer to me and we would use my truck and travel to Memphis to retrieve the Model A.  “Road Trips!” that would be a bombing run kind of trip down and back with no frills. Major Fun.  After going thorough many options to get the Model A back, home PLAN D was a welcome solution.

Well we couldn’t act fast enough to make this happen.  I got a rental car, drove the Model A to Marty’s house (Jo’s friend), which was only 3 miles from the hotel and we were on the highway to Nashville just after noontime.

We had an objective to get to the hotel where the group was staying before them so we could greet them as they arrived.  We did make a couple of detours, a stop at Casey Jones Train Museum and we wanted to drive part of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The museum was a short stop to take a few pictures and the NTP was a very nice ride at 45 mph through what I will call relaxing scenery.

We did arrive at the hotel before the group and were waiting for them as they arrived.  They were very surprised to see us. 

Tomorrow we will tour the Nashville area.  Mileage today was about 230 miles

My dad worked for the railroad so Casey Jones was a popular
character for me growing up.

Nice engine to explore

Casey Jones Home

How's this to catch your attention

I envied the others being able to drive this in the Model A

We were able to surprise them when they arrived at the hotel

Memphis Blues - Finish the Job

When we left off yesterday, we had finished adjusting the rods and called it a day.  This morning Bruce, Lou and I we to the hardware store to pick up a few items to finish putting on the oil pan.  The That process was made more of a challenge by having to lay on the ground, but in spite of that we got the oil pump and pan reinstalled.  The ladies came out while we were cleaning up and then it was time to hit the starter to check our work.
The engine started right and sounded fine, no noticeable rod noise.  OK, job done, time to clean up. We decided to take a drive to Graceland and to Beale St. to explore those areas and we exited the parking lot and as the engine warmed up if I really concentrated I could still hear a very light noise.  I called to the guys and told them I was going back to hotel to save from doing any additional damage.
With that, it was obvious that I would not be able to complete the trip with the Model A.
As Nan & I contemplated our next move, the rest did go to Graceland and Beale Street and had a good time at both.
They returned and we all sat around the pool area and discussed my options which basically came down to renting a truck and trailer to return home.
Dinner tonight was at Frank Grisanti's Italian Restaurant and it was very good food and service.  But it was also bittersweet as the rest of the group would be continuing on as we remained in Memphis to make preparations get the Model A home.

Bruce will continue to provide information on the trip so the blog will continue, so please continue to follow along.
I do have more pictures to post later

Sightseeing on Beale Street

Off to Elvis Land - Memphis, TN

The weather was just a bit chilly this morning but the big difference was all the morning dew on the Model A’s.  We haven’t noticed this much humidity in the air for a long time.  We chatted with a few hotel guests as we cleaned the bugs off the windshield and then pulled out of the parking lot with a final destination toady of Memphis, TN.

Our planned route was to follow RT 64 across Arkansas.  This road paralleled I-40 so most of the traffic was on that road which meant it should be an easier drive for us.  The first order of business was to stop for gas, but no corn free gas was available, oh well no big deal.  I was leading and tried to keep the speed between 45-50 mph since that is where my overdrive seemed to give me the least trouble.  Not much to do but just follow the road but we did start to notice as we drove further east the landscape was changing to more flat farm land, which was different from rolling hills the western part of the state.  These farm were rice and cotton, with many also having cattle grazing in the front yard.  The drive was pleasant and everything was going smoothly.

Our lunch stop was at Sub-Way, which are good places to stop since the menu so consistent.  Off again, and more driving lead to another gas stop.  As we left the gas station I heard a distinct noise in the engine that I knew was not good. I did some driving tests and sure enough the noise was engine related and I finally got on the CB and told the guys that I had to pull over.  We did some more testing to determine what was happening and shorting out #2 cylinder stopped the noise.  I have had engine with this noise in the past and it was a connecting rod.

The best decided was not to go any further and have the Model A towed to our hotel in Memphis where we could drop the oil pan and check the rods.  I had the guys travel on and go to the hotel while Nan & I would wait for the tow truck.  While waiting for the tow truck, three huge combines stopped in front of the Model A to let a long line of traffic that had built up behind them go by.  These units were on their way to harvest another cotton field, as I mentioned cotton is a major crop around here.

The other continued on to the hotel and crossed the mighty Mississippi River and made their way through all the highway traffic to the Hampton Inn.  They made it and got checked in and waited for us.

The tow truck arrived and loaded the Model A and we all headed off to meet the guys at the hotel.  Once the Model A was dropped off we got the tools out and dropped the oil pan.  We did a check of rod #2 and it was a little loose.  Rods 1 and 4 also were about the same.  The rod bearing looked perfect, so peeled off one layer of shim on one side of each rod and reassemble the rod cap.  This worked and the rods tightened up nicely. 

It was now dark and we decided to call it a day and finish reassembling the engine in the morning.

I can’t thank Lou and Bruce enough for helping get this done.
We traveled about 170 Miles before we had to stop, the others traveled about 230 miles today.

Answering question before getting started

These harvesters dwarfed the Model A in the background

Crossing the Mississippi in the Model A

It is a big river

The bridge crossing over the river

The Pyramid at the Bass Pro Shop 

Assessing the engine noise

Getting on the tow truck

On the tow truck

Getting delivered to the hotel

Let the repair begin

\

Last Train to Clarksville

Today was planned to be a driving day to get us into Arkansas and half way to Memphis, TN.  The day started with cool temperatures and light wind, a nice change from the awful winds we encountered a few days ago.  Our first stop before we hit the highway was to gas up with more “real” gas.  To save some time we got on I40 through the city and actually stayed on the interstate for 60 miles before exiting back on a secondary highway.  The traffic was heavy but something we could manage, the problems were exit only lanes that squeezed traffic and construction.  Once off the highway the roads were a lot more friendly to our Model A’s.  After traveling for a while we noticed a distinct change in the topography, from flat farm land to lots of hills and more trees, very similar to back home in MA.

A bio break in a small town gave us the opportunity to talk to a local guy who happened to drive in with his 1954 F-500 flatbed truck.  It was an original rust free truck and his dilemma was whether to leave it original or fix it up.  He had replaced the original flathead V8 with a newer 6 cylinder but that was the only change.  It was a great looking truck the way it was, but I think he will fix it up.

Next stop was in Eufaula for lunch and gas.  We had seen Braum’s all over the place but it is only an Oklahoma chain so we had to try it before we crossed in AR.  It was good, but the thick shakes were excellent.  More gas and off we went.  Well almost, the Bendix on Lou’s starter died again, so it required a push to get it started.

We were cruising along and I had to call for the guys to stop as my overdrive was acting up again and I wanted to check the oil, which I added very little.   The problem was still intermittent the rest of the day but did not slow us down.

Crossing the state line into Arkansas, the roads around Fort Smith were pretty busy and it seemed to take a long time to finally get out of the congestion.  Once on the open road again, RT 64 was a pleasant driver to Clarksville, AR and the Holiday Inn Express where we got checked in.  It was now time for Lou and me to do some maintenance.  Lou and his son Larry worked on the starter and I drained the old oil out of the overdrive and refilled it with fresh oil.  Bruce assisted both of us. We also noticed that we were collecting some pretty good size bugs on our radiators, this could be an interesting contest.

Today was a driving day with 272 miles driven.

Not much in the way of scenery today

This 1954 F-500 was rust free

The owner (left) replaced the V8 with a late model 6 cyl

Lunch at Braum's 

Oops another push needed

Repair clinic at the Holiday Inn

Bruce, Larry and Lou taking care of the starter
You will have to ask Larry about the ants

The missing culprit

Doug's Bug

Bruce;s Bug

Lou's Bug

Yee-Haw: Cowboy Crazy in Ok City

This was going to be a different day as the group decided to spend two nights in Ok City because of the tour plans we had for today.  We knew that we would have a full day of sightseeing so it would be better to spend two nights here.

We enjoyed our breakfast and discussed our plans for the day, and waited for the morning traffic to die down.  Our first stop would be the Oklahoma Land Run Monument.  This is an amazing collection of sculptures depicting the Oklahoma Territory land run that took place in April of 1889.  Over 50,000 people took part in this epic event to secure a claim on more than 2 Million acres of land.  We, on the other hand, drove our Model A’s to the sight over somewhat bumpy roads and parked without any incidents. The first thing you notice is the enormous size of the display which is at 1.5 times scale.  The detail on the sculptures is amazing and it is so realistic.  We had a great time walking the entire display and taking pictures.  We also learned some settlers snuck in a couple of days sooner to claim the choicest land, and hence the term sooners.  It was a great visit.

Next on the agenda was the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum.  We parked the Model A’s and got in line for tickets and were very surprised, and happy, to hear the museum was free today, thanks to the Oklahoma Ford Dealers,  thanks Ford Dealers.  The Hall of Fame and museum is very large and we probably would not be able to see it all.  We were told that the old west town was going to close at 2PM, so we visited that section first.  We are glad we did as it was great.  Next was the history of the development of the west, the history of the rodeo and hall of fame members and Movie and TV western stars.  One display covered Ben Johnson, who was the only person to win both an Academy Award and Cowboy Championship.  He was the real deal.  The John Wayne display was also very large and very good. The display of his custom made pistols, rifles and knives was amazing.  There were so many areas that I can't cover all the details, other than what a wonderful museum.

It was getting late and even though we still had not covered half of the museum he needed to get back to the hotel to do some maintenance on the Model A’s, basically changing the oil.  We stopped at Walmart to get our supplies and changed the oil back at the hotel.  After I changed my oil I went down the road to the car wash to get rid lots of road dust and tree sap.  Boy what a difference.  I should also mention that I added oil to my Overdrive, which was down a little. One thing that we have been buying is real gas, no corn, what a difference.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the day events.  

We only drove 48 miles today.

Lou and Larry at the Canon that started the land ruc

Bruce & Trish

Thanks Ford Dealers

Marble Mountain Lion 

Trish and I in this restored Stage Coach

Outlaw Bruce

a selfie in the rodeo arena

3 desperadoes

Many dioramas were in the museum

These murals were 12' tall

The last Ride (Remington)

The Model A's in front of the museum

Time for maintenance

changing oil