My Hurricane Rita story.

[Danny Gutierrez]

  As you guys know, Hurricane Rita swept through my town late last September.  I had just gotten done installing my new intake and carb a couple of days before the Hurricane hit.  I ended up following my Ex-Wife and Kids in my 69 during the evacuation.  And it was HOT!!!!!  The temperature was in the high 90's and the traffic was bumper to bumper all day long!!!  It took almost 8 hours to get only 50 miles.  The Charger drove O.K. but she really got HOT a few times.  We finally made it to the town of Kinder, Louisiana around 9:00 P.M. and the car was running rough.  Traffic was still a mess and I started to really worry about the car breaking down.  Some local volunteers were directing traffic and one of them walked up to my car to say hello.  He asked me about  the car and where I was from.  When I told him I was following my ex-wife and kids in the Tahoe ahead of me he offered us a place to stay for the night.  Here we are in the middle of chaos and a total stranger offers my family his own home to us.  We graciously accepted and slept comfortably at his house that evening.  The next morning (Friday Sept. 23rd) the traffic had subsided and we got ready to head north.  Lawrence Moncla (the good samaritan) approached me and asked me if I planned to continue driving the Charger north.  I said "Yes" and he laughed.  He then offered to store my car at his funeral home which he owned.  We ended up parking it between his fleet of hearses and we continued on to Northern Louisana.  My ex-wife and children continued north to her parents house in Missouri and I flew out of Little Rock, Arkansas to my parents house in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  During my 2 weeks in New Mexico My Grandmother died.  I was a pallbearer in her funeral.  I'm grateful I got to see her before she passed.  I also spent time with relatives and friends and enjoyed my time back "home".  Finally on October 8th I flew into Houston and my ex-wife and kids picked me up at Hobby airport.  The drive back into Louisiana was surreal.  The storm damage started to show up as we headed into Beaumont, Texas and got worse and worse as we headed east.  Luckily my house and my ex-wife's house escaped major damage.  Many of our friends and neighbors were not so lucky.  The next day I called up Lawrence and asked about the Charger.  He said it was fine and we could pick it up anytime.  Well the Charger is back at home now but she's running rough and smoking.  She smoked a little bit before the Hurricane but I think the motor was hurt during the evacuation.  I was planning a rebuild next year anyways so it's not a major obstacle.  This just gives me an opportunity to put in more goodies!!   Anyways her's some pics of the car and storm damage.  I also included some pics of the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.  Once again I was LUCKY!!!!!  I just want to thank all my family and friends for their support during this difficult time.

  P.S. sorry about the quality of the photos as they are from my phone. 

[bull]

Good story. Were you ever worried the funeral home guy was up to no good, like some blue '68 Charger parts would start showing up on Ebay or something? Or like Ferris Beuller's Day Off where the guys went joyriding in the Ferrari? I'd be pretty nervous leaving my Charger with a guy I don't know very well. But it's good that everything turned out ok and the guy was a real angel. I'm glad everyone is safe and sound and that the hurricane season is finally over. What a mess. Sorry about your grandma though.

[Danny Gutierrez]

Some more pics.

[Ghoste]

Glad to hear everyone is okay.  The Charger must have made for quite a sight in the evac line. 

[Danny Gutierrez]

Good story. Were you ever worried the funeral home guy was up to no good, like some blue '68 Charger parts would start showing up on Ebay or something? Or like Ferris Beuller's Day Off where the guys went joyriding in the Ferrari? I'd be pretty nervous leaving my Charger with a guy I don't know very well. But it's good that everything turned out ok and the guy was a real angel. I'm glad everyone is safe and sound and that the hurricane season is finally over. What a mess. Sorry about your grandma though.

  My cousin in Albuquerque made a joke saying that the guy was gonna be seen driving my Charger and wearing my suits (I also left my suits and ties for work at his house.) around town picking up chicks.  I admit that I was a little hesitant at first but you had to be there.  The guy was SUPER!!!!  Also he was obviously well known around town with his business and volunteer work.  Also, he was friends with many of the local police officers.  I got to meet a bunch of them while he was directing traffic. 

[Ghoste]

Nothing like a crisis to bring out the best in people.

[Danny Gutierrez]

Glad to hear everyone is okay.  The Charger must have made for quite a sight in the evac line. 

  Like an idiot I didn't take any pics.  The stress level was high and people were getting a little wierd.  At one time people started driving on the shoulder and other people would get upset and try to block other cars from taking "cuts".  Shouts and fingers were thrown and you could feel the anger in the air.  But there were times when the traffic would shut down completely and people would let their kids play along the side of the road.  I got to meet alot of nice people from all over the area. 

[Ghoste]

Well, it was hardly the time for taking pics anyway.  Have you had much chance to sort the Charger out since returning?  Sounds like it's running rich huh?

[Danny Gutierrez]

Well, it was hardly the time for taking pics anyway.  Have you had much chance to sort the Charger out since returning?  Sounds like it's running rich huh?

  Since then I have spent hours tuning and she still blows blue smoke.  I've gotten the carb and timing down but the oil burning smoke is VERY apparent.  I think it's just that time for the motor to be rewarded with fresh parts. 

[Ghoste]

Ahh, I didn't realize it was blue smoke.  I just figured carb swap+rough idle+smoke=rich.  I guess you do have some other issues to contend with.

[694spdRT]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother, it is good you got to see her though.

Glad everything worked out for you in the end. It is nice to hear people are still willing to help strangers in need.

[Charger_Fan]

Glad to hear from you again, Danny.
I'm also glad to hear things worked out as well as they did for you & your family. Sorry about your grandma. The timing is sure ironic about that, eh?

Oh & the Charger, carb & intake look great!

[BigBlockSam]

i'm glad you and your family are ok and the charger. Peace

[Ponch ®]

good to hear from you and that everything turned out ok for you. 

[TruckDriver]

It's great to hear from you and that everything worked out for you. Sorry about your grandma too. The timing really is ironic. But least both of you got to see each other again before she left.

[Mefirst]

Good to hear from you Danny G and that you and your family are ok, sad to hear about your granmum passing away..

Take care and dont worry, youll have that blue Charger of yours back on the road again...

/Tom

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Hey Danny glad to hear you and your family made it OK.
My condolences for the loss of  your Grandmother.

[Shakey]

Very good story!

[Johnny SixPack]

Good to hear from you Danny G and that you and your family are ok, sad to hear about your granmum passing away..

Take care and dont worry, youll have that blue Charger of yours back on the road again...

/Tom

Good to have you back, man!

And glad to hear you were able to spend some time with your grandmother.