2019 Hot Rod Power Tour thread.

[Geeto67]

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hot Rod Power Tour. After Dad's health problems in 2018 I realized I may not get another chance to do the father and son stuff I wanted to do with him, so we booked the rooms and registered for the Tour. Going to be driving the Family 1990 C4 ZR-1 for the long haul (hopefully) down from NY. I am kind of (read: verry) excited for this adventure.

 

Who else is going?

 

Who has done this before?

 

Who has some advice for the trip?

[RS69]

Sounds like fun! I plan to attend a tour in the future.

[10phone2]

thats great you're able to do that with your dad

[99StockGT]

Booking our stuff for the trip this weekend. Excited and more than mildly terrified for this adventure taking 3 cars that aren't even built yet on a 1000+ mile journey what could POSSIBLY go wrong!?

[Buckeye1647545503]

We are long hauling with a decent sized group. You are welcome to roll with us !

[aussiek2000]

I'll already be in TN, so I'm probably going to go to Bristol and drive up to Kentucky speedway, then come home.

[Geeto67]

Sounds like fun! I plan to attend a tour in the future.

 

You should at least try to make the last day since it's at Summit in Norwalk Ohio. the Second to last stop in Ft Wayne, Ind is also a similar distance, but that isn't a track so it might just be a car show.

 

 

 

We are long hauling with a decent sized group. You are welcome to roll with us !

 

Awesome. I have to go to NY to pick up the car and will be heading direct to the first stop from there, but I'd love to roll with you guys from stop to stop. Are you on any of the facebook power tour pages? There is an Ohio one and a Long Haul one.

[cruizin01]

I want to at least try and go to Norwalk for the last day in the C10. I think I would enjoy long hauling with someone if it wasn't my car/truck. Im sure that sounds lame. But at least I think Id want to start that way.

[Rally Pat]

Good idea, my dad passed away when I was 13 and I often think of the things we could have done together if he was still around.

[Geeto67]

I want to at least try and go to Norwalk for the last day in the C10. I think I would enjoy long hauling with someone if it wasn't my car/truck. Im sure that sounds lame. But at least I think Id want to start that way.

 

No I totally get it, and it was something I considered as well. The more unreliable factors you add the greater the chances of failure.

 

I'm doing this in a 29 year old car that hasn't had a long road trip in about 15 years. the only good thing is that this car only has 25,000 miles, has been serviced religiously, and has a reputation of being the "toughest" performance engine GM ever installed in a corvette. The amount of planning and anxiety that comes just for things that can go wrong with the car has not gone unnoticed. One of the things that convinced me to do this and try long haul is that all except 2 stops are 3 hours drive or less from cbus so if something goes pear shaped in the worst way I could always rent a trailer and truck from U-haul and get the car back here without mortgaging the house.

 

Something that I never considered, but every Power Tour veteran has mentioned to me is to expect traffic. There will be traffic getting into the venues (sometimes as much as an hour delay), all the chain restaurants will have long waits, and the single lane back-roads on the official tour route will sometimes become congested due to accidents or breakdowns. To that end, make sure your cooling system is up to snuff, that you explore alternate routes and have a plan for getting to them, and your breakdown kit is packed with up to date items (no 30 year old spare tires).

 

I would have loved to do this by dipping my toe into it - go to a few stops on last years tour, maybe do it in a rental car or a new car first, just to get the lay of the land, but I didn't, I jumped in with both feet because I wanted to do the 25th anniversary tour to make up for wanting to do the first tour and being talked out of it by my parents at 17. Plus, how can you have an adventure if there isn't a little risk.

 

Good idea, my dad passed away when I was 13 and I often think of the things we could have done together if he was still around.

 

yeah, although we spend most Sundays as a family, I didn't spend a lot of time with my parents growing up because they worked long hours. He didn't teach me to work on cars or bikes although we did share some projects much later on. After his health scare last year where he almost died, I figured this is my chance to start doing things with him so that I can say I knew him well at his eulogy when it comes (hopefully far off in the future) and have a lot of positive memories to share.

[Buckeye1647545503]

Awesome. I have to go to NY to pick up the car and will be heading direct to the first stop from there, but I'd love to roll with you guys from stop to stop. Are you on any of the facebook power tour pages? There is an Ohio one and a Long Haul one.

 

I'm on both of those but our group has a planning page too.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/495447294173753/

[Geeto67]

1 week left before I leave for power tour.

 

ZR1 has been fully serviced and is getting new shoes, should be ready by Friday. The stock bose radio has crapped out so doubtful we will have tunes for this tour, might bring a bluetooth speaker and do it that way.

 

I am excited beyond measure.

[Otis Nice]

Have fun, man. Be safe.

[BuckeyeROC]

This is AWESOME Kerry! Those ZR-1's were very cool for the time, and still are. Any pics of it?

[zeitgeist57]

Have a safe and fun trip! Will be cool to hear your report and some pics when it's all over.

[Miller]

I was going to pop-in for the Norwalk Ohio piece but found they aren't doing anything but the show and drag event that day.

[Geeto67]

I was going to pop-in for the Norwalk Ohio piece but found they aren't doing anything but the show and drag event that day.

 

auto-x is at kentucky speedway on june 11th. Its free for all participants.

[cruizin01]

Got my dad to go to Norwalk with me on Friday. He had never driven my C10 so I offered to have him drive up. He was the one that got me into cars and helped me on the first step of the build on it when I was a kid. We aren't overly close anymore but it was nice to be together and talk cars again for a few hours.

 

We arrived right at noon and drove right into spectator parking instead of waiting in the "power tour" line and paying the $45 bucks. Im not one to "show" anyway so it worked out.

 

Loads of cool cars. Lots of stock and/or modern stuff you had to wade through but it was worth it. I ran into Lucky Costa, Rutledge Wood and one of Mike Finnegans guys from his show. Felt sorta star struck because I watch those guys all the time.

 

Just a couple random pics.

 

[cstmg8]

Sounds like a great time. Love the Ute and the vw.

 

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[TimTaylor751647545500]

I follow protouringtexas on IG & FB and he was posting some great pictures & videos of the full 4,000 miles of his trip. Looks like such a great time.