Today, unlike yesterday, was completely uneventful…which is a good thing.  We skipped the driver’s meeting again today as our hotel was on a street under construction and getting to the meeting would have been much more hassle than it was worth.  My dad reconnected with an old friend he hasn’t talked to in years driving solo in his 67 Nova Wagon, so we added one more to our crew.  A motley one at that with a 78 Pacer, 03 Mustang Mach 1, and 67 Nova Wagon.

We jumped on the turnpike and headed for Tecumseh, MI and the ididit headquarters.  Ididit was nice enough to host a lunch for us Power Tour participants, and upon our arrival there was close to a thousand local cars that showed up.  Among those was a small AMC group!  Two 70 AMX’s, a 70 and 72 Javelin, a Marlin, and a kickin’ 78 Matador…the most AMC’s we’d seen all tour!

From Tecumseh, we headed to Detroit.  Through the gorgeous Irish Hills, past Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and into town.  As we pulled in, the sheer number of cars was staggering.  If you couldn’t find a car you liked there, you’re not a car person.  Truly spectacular.  Walking around we saw some truly gnarly stuff.  A slammed 67 Rambler American (my favorite), a 37 Plymouth with a blown Hemi that the builder fit under the stock hood, another Dart Wagon, and a beautiful custom open wheel roadster.

[View with PicLens]

12►

The guy mentioned on the phone that they were super busy, but we called at a quarter to 8 and he said that if we got there ASAP, he could squeak us in. Our 3 month-old Kumho’s were ecstatic! When we arrived, they wasted no time and threw the Pacer on a lift and went to town with lasers and computers and as true professionals knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They also even gave us tips on how to keep the suspension from slipping again, which is the first shop to do that. I implore you if you’re in the Racine, WI area or find yourself in Racine, WI and need alignment work done, go to Klamm’s. They had us on the road by nine, too late for the driver’s meeting out of Racine, but still far earlier than we expected.

With the Pacer driving straighter than she ever has, we set out on the freeway towards South Bend, IN to see if we might be able to make up some time. Right outside downtown Chicago, we passed the official Power Tour Lead car. Make up time? We were leading the thing!

We got through Chicago, and pulled off for fuel for both the car and our stomachs. Afterward, my Dad decided to hop in with our running mate Mike in his 2003 Mustang Mach 1, leaving me alone in the Pacer. With a full tank of gas, windows down, and AC/DC cranked on the freshly installed sound system I motored through Indiana waving at bystanders and causing a ruckus as I did it. I bet I looked like an idiot, but I sure had fun.

Arriving at the fair grounds in South Bend, IN it was super humid and there were looming dark clouds in the sky. As I pulled in, I was escorted towards the front as the other V-8 Pacer (really) saved a spot for me so we could have two fully restored V8 Pacers next to each other.

We walked around the fairgrounds and I snapped pictures of my usual unusual stuff: Studebaker Lark with a blown big block, chopped and sectioned 53 Buick, Triumph TR8 with a small block Chevy…I’m sure you’re starting to get used to my style. Yea, there’s a couple pictures of El Camino’s, Olds, Chevy II, or Chevelle Wagons, and maybe a sprinking of highboys, but I know when to admire nice cars when I see them.

After the fairgrounds, we headed to the hotel where in and of itself it becomes a car show. People outside cleaning off their cars, benchracing, or doing burn-outs in the parking lot…it’s all part of the Tour, and I love it. It’s really a week of eating premium fuel, breathing carburetor exhaust, and living cars…my heaven.

[View with PicLens]

12►

We set out single file after the driver’s meeting and it was a parade as we left.  Police blocked off intersections for us and locals parked and waved as we drove by.  Our first stop was at NASCAR’s number 17 Matt Kenseth’s fan showroom just outside of Madison.  Here’s a little view of the traffic:

We set out single file after the driver’s meeting and it was a parade as we left.  Police blocked off intersections for us and locals parked and waved as we drove by.  Our first stop was at NASCAR’s number 17 Matt Kenseth’s fan showroom just outside of Madison.  Here’s a little view of the traffic:

We passed through a little town called Cambridge, WI in which we really felt like celebrities.  People lined the streets hootin’ and hollerin’, all jazzed up the tour.  Shenanigans ensued when by standers through water on the street and “convinced” drivers to “light ‘em up”.  The police put a swift end to that as we got a stern talking to from one of Cambridge’s finest (thank god he let us off with a warning).  The best part was that we didn’t even do a burn out, the Pacer’s just so friggen loud the 5-O just assumed we were up to no good.

The optional stop of the day was in Union Grove at Great Lakes Dragway.  We HAD to run the Pacer to see what she’d pull…however the biggest issue was the it had rained earlier and while they dried the track, nobody could really get their cars to hook up.  My dad’s best time today was a 14 flat, but the tires spun through 3rd, so if he could have gotten any traction it would have been much better.  With a bit more tweaking, mid to low 13’s should be easy.  We look forward to Bristol where more drag strip fun should be plentiful.  I’ll have a video up of today’s 14 run tomorrow.

Due to the popularity of the drag strip, we really got held up and didn’t make it into Racine until 4:30 or so.  By that point, things were so huge that I didn’t stand a prayer of seeing everything.  I walked around a bit, but our stomachs were growling and we had some serious bench racing to do over some steaks.  Ryan, I’m hoping you got some good stuff today, because I had too much fun at the dragstrip to get enough shots of stuff.

Now, here’s where the Power Tour gets fun.  When we parked the car in Racine, we saw that the front camber on the wheels of the Pacer was way off.  We’ve been battling this ever since we lowered the car, and it looks like we’re going to have to do something about it if we want to save the brand new Kumho’s up front.  Unfortunately, we’ll have to skip the driver’s meeting tomorrow to find a suspension shop, but it shouldn’t slow us down too much.

[View with PicLens]

12►

We stayed in Rockford last night and made the quick drive up to Madison this morning.  The drive was smooth and easy, and we found the Pacer cruises best around 85.  Autobahn much?  Unfortunately not.  We arrived in Madison, and soon started to see muscle cars and hot rods and followed the pack to Alliant Energy Center where we registered and started checking out the power shenanigans.

The best part about the Power Tour is that people show up to drive rain or shine.  They’re predicting rain for the next few days, but it hasn’t really hampered things at all.  Tomorrow morning there should be some drag racing on the way to Racine, but it might get rained out.  Finger’s crossed the rain holds off until after we can get the Pacer down the ¼ mile a couple times.  Might even get to run the OTHER Pacer that showed up too!

[View with PicLens]

The best part about the tour is that it’s not just a week of a bunch of car shows, it’s about people that love their machines…fanatical if you will.  I’m going to be sure to have my laptop and camera in toe, so wherever my little MacBook can grab WiFi, I’ll update our twitter with happenings and every night I’ll post a Fanatics top ten to the site when I get back to rest at the hotel.  Not to mention, we’ll get some formal ¼ mile times out of the Pacer and depending on how she’s feeling after that, I might try for some autocross action.  It’s going to be a blast and I’m going to bring you all along for the ride.

Check back this Saturday as I set out on the 2009 Power Tour and watch our twitter for updates.