HEAD GASKET BLUES

 We went to the Valley Classic Car Show on July 25.  Shortly after that, I notice white smoke coming up of exhaust that was more than normal condensation.  It was consistent as I started the car every day.  I Googled it and it didn't sound good. It was sounding like a head gasket issue.  Russ Rist suggested I do a "bubble test".  I remember doing this with Bill Ferrell.  You take off the radiator cap and let the car warm up and watch for bubbles.  No bubbles.  The white smoke turned into liquid spraying out the exhaust and leaving puddles that did not dry up.

I thought of Kris Koehler who said he could help us with our window and electrical repairs.  He stopped over and looked things over.  He tasted the liquid coming out of the exhaust and said definitely coolant.  It's nothing he wanted to tackle.  He did offer to trailer the car somewhere if needed.

Gary Pullen had directed me to a guy in Prairie City with the Dodge Garage. I was hoping not to take it out of town.

I put out a post on Facebook.

I finally texted Gary Sanger and explained what was going on and if he could recommend anyone.  He gave me 2 names and said don't them I referred you to the other...they used to work together and growl a little when they reference "the other guy".  I texted both referrals explaining the work needed and the specific engine involved.  One replied "yes" he could do the work and Josh Russell texted back to give him a call and he'd figure out a time to take a look at it.

Gary Sanger said he was glad we went Josh's direction.

I called Josh and had a good conversation.  Said he could swing by and take a look.  He mentioned the first engine he every worked on in high school was a 241 Dodge Red Ram.

Josh Russell and family. Julie, Alyssa and Rayna.

Move the photo below up 

HELLO MARY LOU!

 This blog is dedicated to our "new" 1955 Dodge Coronet Lancer.  We have been waiting 35 years for this moment.  A true car guy from Newton (Gordon "Gordy" Jones) owned this car.  Unfortunately he died from Covid and his son Justin made the decision to sell the car.  A big thanks to Randy Jones of Nothing But Customs for getting it ready.  We took possession on 8/5/22 and got the title on 8/12/22.

We are still learning the history of the car.  We know before Gordy owned it, Bob and Lonnie Clark of Mitchellville had the car. Bob is the one that built her the way we see her and Gordy added the Hemi.

"Mary Lou" is the name we gave the car...named for Cindy's aunt Mary Lou Cass.  She would have loved the car and we know she's smiling down on us now.

Posts will appear in chronological order...that's just how blogs are set up.  I can "label" (categorize) posts by a name or topic and that is how I see the blog being used.  See the menu (File Cabinet) on the right.  You can click on a category that way and see the related posts.  If you get to the bottom of a category, look to see if it says "Older Posts" and you can continue until there are no more posts in that category.  Then on to something else if you want and you can also click at the top of the page to go "home".

(Photo by Diane McKillip)

BLUE RIBBON EATERY CAR & BIKE NIGHT - LAST OF SEASON AND RETURN OF MARY LOU

 After being off the road for 45 days, we took part in the final Car & Bike Night.  We left around 6:15 as it started to get dark and they were still rolling in getting ready for a scene out of a small town on Saturday night.  Unfortunately, someone gave away our spot in front of the restaurant so had to move down the line.  Fun to see people we hadn't seen in a long time.  Great shot below from Freddie Krenk as we were cruising out.

Billy Ferrell

VALLEY CLASSIC 11TH ANNIVERSARY CAR SHOW - 2026

 The big one.  We heard around 600 vehicles.  We got spotlighted twice by the Valley Classic Car Show Facebook page after the show.

The day started out misting.  People were wiping down their vehicles.  I forgot my driving towels but had a new microfiber ready to go.  The sun never came out during the show, but it was hot and humid as advertised.  There were people there we didn't see and only found out later seeing photos.  It was that big.

1966 Toro

What a survivor!

1980 Benz.  Talked to this owner for a while.  Imported from Germany.  Had since 1984.

Dean was a winner.

1935 Ford