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