MATS 2011 Video and Photos from Dans 68

[Dans 68]

...as I promised Steve I would post these this weekend, so I had better get started. Here are the videos first. Every one of the video's has a story, and I'll probably add additional commentary to these posts when I have the time. But it probably best to just get them up first. I have a lot more photos and videos than I have posted here, with the photos being a lot higher quality than shown here. If you want a higher resolution image let me know.

This first video is along highway 58 heading towards Barstow. Lots of rain and traffic, especially on Hwy 99, which is why we missed our hook up with the tour out of Barstow. Next time we will just cruise down highway 5 and forgo the scenery. It was kind of peaceful watching the wipers and listening to the tunes.    http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100026, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHtcwMj9TpI

This next video is driving along Hwy 15 and following one of our caravan's treasures. That 'Bird was found in a garage in the Bay Area and is slowly being restored. http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100034, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WfN_Yo80eE

Here I'm taking a ride in the Hotchkis equipped '69 Charger. It did not have the full treatment, and I believe it was finished only a few weeks before it was driven to MATS. From San Diego. the owner said that it was a nice ride, except for the very hard racing seats he had installed. My ride was great.   http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100041, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkrFTxFfYc4

This video is of my ride in a Hotchkis equipped Challenger. It was the quickest through the salom and did feel like it was on rails.    And there was a bit of drifting in the last turn.    http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100053, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxNsLBceaDk

Troy took a few rides in the cars, and I recorded his excursions. First in the Hotchkis equipped RoadRunner http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100055, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYx9HrciM2w,  and then on the Challenger  http://gallery.me.com/danhelms/100059, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn2Mza-aZR0

The first 4 photos are of the trip along Hwy 15 out of Barstow into Vegas. Beautiful high desert, tending towards dusk and boundless visibility. Drive time to Vegas is around 9 hours...this will be revelant later.

Dan

EDIT - added You Tube versions of the above video's.

[Dans 68]

Here are a few photos from Friday of

1. Our leader Troy and firefighter3931 (Ron), next to VegasMike's '68 (which he was racing in a few minutes).
2. A view of the venue
3. & 4. Traffic from Nellis AFB

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few photos of

1. My car
2. A sweet Roadrunner
3. & 4. Vegasmike's car on the strip

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few photos of some entrants.

Dan

[Dans 68]

...and a few more entrants. 

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few more entrants, a vendor's wares (I succumbed and purchased a set  ) and a flyby directly overhead. All day long jets were overhead. Too cool....

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few more entrants, and a few of the drags. Racing seemed to be continuous, with the exception of a few cars spilling their guts all over the track and the occasional rain squall. Music to my ears.

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are some more of the drags, and one of my lonely, dirty car at the end of the day. It didn't see a washcloth the entire trip - you can see my finger swipe on her bumper...I didn't feel like taking a hose to her at Vegasmike's house when there was cold beer readily available....  

Dan

[Dans 68]

These next ones are of a rat-rod hauler. It was interesting, to say the least.

Dan

[Dans 68]

These next 4 photos are of Vegasmike's 2nd run on the track.

Dan

[Dans 68]

An aerial view of the show, Saturday. You can clearly see the cold front heading our way.

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are some more of the entrants.

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few more of the races. There were lots of photographers at track level so I apologize for all the tushes in the way. 

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few of our members (but not all, of course, as I really didn't want to be a pest with the camera - and hence the disturbingly lack of photographic evidence at Vegasmike's parties Friday and Saturday nights.  ).

1. Wade (69coronetGLwannabe) and Ron discussing motors, no doubt.
2. Wade's ride. He brought it from Mesa, Arizona.
3. One of our favorite members, Lisa, and her husband.
4. A meeting of some of our moderators - Ron, Troy, and Neil (Chryco Psycho). It was good to meet them, along with Steve P. (vegasmike's cousin) of whom I have no photographic evidence that he was even here. 

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few from the Cannery taken Saturday night. If I had gotten there earlier I could have many more photos...but I just had to have those damn chicken wings first.  

Dan

[Bob T]

Great pics Dan, looks like a top weekend and cool roadtrip  


edit.

Ah, apart from the tyres gig 

[Dans 68]

Here are a few shots from Sunday. The '69 Charger, the RoadRunner and Challenger were the cars I rode in at the Hotchkis course. They were a blast riding shotgun in, and I imagine they would be even more fun to drive.

Dan

[Dans 68]

Here are a few for Chris (a registry check) and a few more flyovers. And it was now time to go.... 

Dan

[Dans 68]

Now, the trip home was where the real fun began. About an hour out of Vegas I started getting a hell of a shimmy through the wheel. Troy (who was riding shotgun back to the Bay Area with me) theorized it was a tire coming apart. So we stopped in the middle of nowhere to take a look. A quick look revealed nothing so I started pulling hubcaps off to see it some lug nuts were loose. Then Troy noticed that the left rear tire was coming apart. "Delaminating", to be precise. After a few "damn's" and "you've have got to be kidding me's", I pulled the spare and jack out. Only to find that the factory jack was not exactly up to spec, as in the base and jack did not want to mate up. Different profiles.    I'll have to share that tidbit with the previous owner....

So after a quick call to AAA (yeah, right) a truck was dispatched out to us. It took about an hour. Ponch drove right by and honked a hello. Maybe he didn't stop because a CHP had pulled over by to check on our situation.  So, the AAA truck finally showed up and the tires were switched. We were back on the road! For a little while. To be continued....

Dan

[Dans 68]

...so we had just pulled into the town of Boron, Ca, to fuel up. A gas station, a Burger King and a few stores were the highlights. I mentioned to Troy that it seemed the "ride" was a bit uneven pulling into the gas station, and through the drive-through, but we both attributed it to a hot spare tire probably getting a little out of round. Boy were we wrong....

A few minutes out of Boron that same damn shimmy came back. We had to pull off the freeway onto a frontage road to check on the car. What we found was the the right rear tire was now also coming apart. You can see this in the third photo at the left side. At 5:45 pm on a Sunday evening. In the middle of nowhere (as far as service). There is nothing that is going to be open. We were in a giant pickle jar....

We pulled over the freeway and parked in front of a little-used building, but apparently along a thoroughfare as a lot of people stopped by to ask if we needed help. Well, yes, we do. One old timer and friend were out on a beer run, and admittedly already two-sheets to the wind, but offered to see if the town auto wrecker had a wheel/tire to sell. That did not pan out. Other people stopped by to commiserate and take pictures. I finally got ahold of a reasonable mobile tire service and had him bring out a new tire to mount on my car. Please don't ask what this cost. This service took an hour and a half to do. Oh, and one of the lugnuts was left off as the mobile tire service guy discovered a bit of resistance when trying to re-install it...it had a metal burr on the threads. So four nuts would have to do. I rolled into my driveway about 2:15 am, 14 and a half hours after I left Las Vegas. The sad part is that I would do this all again in a heartbeat. With new back tires. But I don't think my passenger would want a repeat.  
                                                                                                                                                                       
Dan

[hemi68charger]

Dang Dan...
What an "Adverture" on the way back. Those are the things I fear most of all happening when I have my Lil' one Julie with me. No way.. Hence the trailer when I'm going on a long trip. Maybe two spares are the key, just in case when I drive... 

Seems you eventually made it home ok? Glad you had Troy with you for support..

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Great story & pics/vids

The Hotchkis Charger is our own member V21HemiCharger
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,79624.0.html

I loved that Coronet 500 'vert :drool:
What were the temps there?   looks like it must have been freezing with Neil wearing a sweatshirt and a leather jacket! 

Glad to hear you made it home safely & thank goodness for AAA!    

[Roger 68 charger]

   Great Pics

What was VagasMike ETs

[tan top]

   awesome lot of pictures   , thanks for posting       looks like a great time      aww man  thats shame tire probs  , lucky though it did not blow out !


can't see videos  though    , think i'll try down loading a video converter thingy later 

[RIDELIKEHELL]

Thx so much for this thread! Great pics and story....

Marc

[Troy]

Great story & pics/vids

The Hotchkis Charger is our own member V21HemiCharger
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,79624.0.html

I loved that Coronet 500 'vert :drool:
What were the temps there?   looks like it must have been freezing with Neil wearing a sweatshirt and a leather jacket! 

Glad to hear you made it home safely & thank goodness for AAA!    

Neil had on three sweatshirts! I didn't take that many warm clothes with me - it's Vegas and I'm from Ohio! I was not expecting snow and hurricane force winds when it was 87 and sunny at home. Luckily, I had my one-of-a-kind DodgeCharger.com hoodie...

Once again, meeting members from the site made for a great experience.

Watching the fighter planes heading in and out for maneuvers almost made up for the crappy weather. Almost. Seeing the Thunderbirds practicing aerobatics on Sunday was a real treat.

Riding in the Hotchkis cars was one of the highlights of the weekend. The woman driving the Challenger most of the time is a national champion and really threw that car around. I'll have to Google for more information.

The look on Dan's face was priceless when he realized the jack and base weren't going to match but I wasn't quick enough to snap a pic. Not that it matters now but we were on a pretty good downhill slope and I wasn't thrilled at the idea of using a factory jack on the back of the car. For future reference... carry a scissor jack or small bottle jack and leave the factory jack where it looks pretty. It probably wouldn't hurt to have two spares either - especially when traveling long distances in the desert late on a Sunday.

Troy

[ChgrSteve67]

Thanks for the pics and video Dan.

Thats what you get for going without me to MATS.
I always carry a floor jack on long road trips and a good spare tire.
I have never trusted the one legged jacks.

For the price of replacing that one tire you probably could have replaced all 4.

Hey at least you not a MATS virgin anymore.

Spring fling was last weekend in LA.
I would like to go to it next year.
What do you say?

-Steve

[vegasmike]

i'm in for spring fling next year,let me know steve

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

PS----Dan, thanks for the Registry recon....much appreciated
Kori Alexander from Show & Go Restorations does killer work!!

[ChgrSteve67]

i'm in for spring fling next year,let me know steve

[bull]

Wow, cool adventure. At least now you've got some stories to tell. How old were those BFG T/As? Probably ok for the occasional quick trips around town but too much sustained heat must have done them in. Looks like a lot of fun. Cold, but fun.

[Dans 68]

...How old were those BFG T/As?...

A bit over 5 years.

PS----Dan, thanks for the Registry recon....much appreciated

You are welcome!

...I always carry a floor jack on long road trips and a good spare tire....

I will now and I did. It was the second tire change that really did me in.

...For the price of replacing that one tire you probably could have replaced all 4...

Close, you are very close....

...Spring fling was last weekend in LA.
I would like to go to it next year.
What do you say?...

Sounds like a road trip!

...The look on Dan's face was priceless when he realized the jack and base weren't going to match but I wasn't quick enough to snap a pic....

That was pretty much the only thing that went my way on the trip home.  

 Great Pics

What was VegasMikes ET's?....

I don't know. I do know that Steve P. was giving him a bit of grief over it.  

...I loved that Coronet 500 'vert.... :drool:  

Me also. That would be the 'vert to have....

Dan

[tan top]

 awesome lot of pictures  , thanks for posting     looks like a great time      aww man  thats shame tire probs  , lucky though it did not blow out !


can't see videos  though    , think i'll try down loading a video converter thingy later  

 been trying to down load the correct quick time 7.2 still no work  , also video converter still can,t see videos  

would love to see more  pictures of your Adventure Dan  , also the videos  , could you put them on youtube perhaps or something so i can see them    

[Dans 68]

I'll get them up on You Tube later today tomorrow.  

Dan

[billssuperbird]

 

[tan top]

I'll get them up on You Tube later today. 

Dan

  thanks Dan  , appreciated       

[Troy]

An update from my above post... the woman driving the Hotchkis Challenger was Mary Pozzi (11-time National Autocross Champion). Here's a link to her own car:
http://www.hotchkis.net/slideshows/index.php?ID=15

And some driving tips:
http://www.ridetech.com/info/2009/04/mary-pozzi-autocross-tips/

Troy

[69bronzeT5]

Kind of weird that those BFG's would come apart when they look like they have plenty of tread left Great pictures Dan, thanks for sharing! Wish I could of made it this year.

[jb666]

Absolutely amazing pictures.. Almost felt like I was there!! Thanks for sharing!! 

[TUFCAT]

Dan, great pictures and video...great idea! Thanks for taking me along in your Charger

Guys like you make this website so great!  

[firefighter3931]

  Great Pics

What was VagasMike ETs

Hey Roger, the car ran pretty good given the conditions. Mike managed to locate an old set of "well used" slicks and had them mounted on steelies. Unfortunately the car was all over the track and getting squirrely at speed so he shut it down at the top end around 200ft short of the stripe. Still managed a 12.20 but only at 100 mph due to the instability. He ran a new best 60ft and 1/8th mile so with some good tires (Stiff sidewall drag radials) there's an 11 sec ET in there. At sea level ; well into the 11's 


Dan, thanks for posting the pics !  Good meeting you and some of the other west coast members. 

Sorry to hear about your tire adventures. Fortunately no damage to the car 



Ron

[472 R/T SE]

  Great Pics

What was VagasMike ETs

Whatever they were, I imagine that new blue Super Bee SRT8 gave him all he wanted.

That guy is local, him & another LXer put their cars in the back of a big rig.  Some outfit sponsored them for the MATS & let them use their hauler.  The blue car is shooting for 10's this summer.  There was a new red Charger there too that's a low 11 car.

[Paul G]

I had a BFG TA do that very same thing to me a few years ago. They were only a few years old when it came apart. Sad thing is I have used BFG's again. Good to hear you caught it early. Could have been catastrophic for the fender to say the least.

Great pics! 

[Dans 68]

I added the You Tube links for the videos in my initial post. Here are a few more of vegasmike's staging and running.

Dan

[tan top]

   thanks Dan  for putting them on youtube so i can see them    appreciated 

!   liked the Hw 58   clip !   

driving course clips were awesome 

[Roger 68 charger]

  Great Pics

What was VagasMike ETs

Hey Roger, the car ran pretty good given the conditions. Mike managed to locate an old set of "well used" slicks and had them mounted on steelies. Unfortunately the car was all over the track and getting squirrely at speed so he shut it down at the top end around 200ft short of the stripe. Still managed a 12.20 but only at 100 mph due to the instability. He ran a new best 60ft and 1/8th mile so with some good tires (Stiff sidewall drag radials) there's an 11 sec ET in there. At sea level ; well into the 11's 


Dan, thanks for posting the pics !  Good meeting you and some of the other west coast members. 

Sorry to hear about your tire adventures. Fortunately no damage to the car 



Ron

Thanks Ron
I really like Vegasmike's car ,it reminds me of my build
I was looking back at some old threads and they said he was running a automatice but his plate has 4-speed?

[Dans 68]

Two different beasts; the stick car is mine. But "Thank You" for confusing Mike's car with mine. His is a beauty.   

Dan

[Roger 68 charger]

Two different beasts; the stick car is mine.

Dan

Yep---Looking back at the pics ,I sure missed that one
Nice car Dan!!
Sure glad that tire didnt come apart--could of been bad news

[472 R/T SE]

So Dan, did you end up with 2 different size tires on the rear?

[Dans 68]

So Dan, did you end up with 2 different size tires on the rear?

Yep. At the time all I wanted was another wheel and tire that could get us home.

Dan

[TexasStroker]

Nice shots!  Sorry to hear about your trip home, but at least it was memorable...I figured we were the only ones who encountered issues and had to tack on almost 505 travel time to the return trek 

I had a 225/50R15 come apart up front...my 295s are getting really low on tread...not a great time to have it happen that far from home.  Glad no damage was done to the car tho.

[67Charger440]

Hey guys, it's Dan with the '67 Charger that tagged along on the way out...

When did you end up heading back?  I left after I was eliminated in footbrake late Sunday afternoon.  Sorry to hear about the misadventures, but these ARE the things the good stories are born from...

[Dans 68]

Dan,

Welcome to the site! It was a pleasure to have met you in Barstow. I saw you run a few times over the weekend.  Troy and I left around noon on Sunday...those 15+ hours of travel time just won't drive themselves. 

Dan

[FlatbackFanatic]

Great pics!! Sorry to hear about your tire problems. But, it looks like everyone had a great time.

[TruckDriver]

Great pics!! Sorry to hear about your tire problems. But, it looks like everyone had a great time.

Awsome thread! Least it was tires that was the only problem and not something worse.   

[GunMetal]

Hey Dan-67charger440, good to hear from you, So what were your times? How was the track? Etc. We tried to find you but missed. Oh well next year.

[67Charger440]

The car was running in the 11.3 - 11.4's, and I made it to the money in footbrake.  I lost when I did because I was dialing soft and letting off to cause the faster car to break out, but I spun off the line and the subsequent letting off gave me a loss by .002.  Oh well.  Got a little check in the mail today.   

[bakerhillpins]

A few minutes out of Boron that same damn shimmy came back. We had to pull off the freeway onto a frontage road to check on the car. What we found was the the right rear tire was now also coming apart. You can see this in the third photo at the left side. At 5:45 pm on a Sunday evening. In the middle of nowhere (as far as service). There is nothing that is going to be open. We were in a giant pickle jar....                                                     

2 yrs ago I lost 3 Nokian snow tires to de-lamination. Yes, 3 of the same tires on the same car all at once. The 4th was probably not far behind. Well over 50% tread left. They started to come apart on the 10hr leg of the family vacation.

Great photos!  Wish I could have been there. 

[Paul G]

I just checked the Moparty website, they have the 2011 car show winners posted now. In the B-Body restified class my 72 took 1st. 

[Dans 68]

Congratulations!   

Dan

[Brock Samson]

niiice! 

[GunMetal]

Congrats! Made it worth the extra effort of getting that tank in and "charging" out of town was'nt it? Went to a good guy too.