Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

they sell those dual outlets at walmart. I had one in the MG, and now it's going into the Rambler.

I Survived Hell on Wheels, Car Weeeak, Route Sucky Suck, etc.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Went to Meijer yesterday.  Got some blue devil sealant for just about anything that could go wrong, and fix a flat for tires too, just in case.

Building my ice chest air cooler tomorrow.  Need to take a trip to change the oil, and a reasonably long road trip to just highway test this barn find beauty!

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

The clock is ticking here.  I picked which hooptie to take on the rally, and it's up on stands right now, ready for the head to come off.  The rings and honing may be tomorrow's project.

I'm debating whether or not to replace the valve stem seals--I can either get a set shipped in by Thursday, holding it up for days, or go to the O'Reilly price gougers to get the same set for $17 more by Tuesday morning and have it ready for a test run on Wednesday. I could still do them with the head back on the block but can't find my air fitting to hold them in place; that would also mean I could see if I really need to do the valve seals or not.

After that, I'm debating which way to go with vinyl graphics.  I'll put my art school grad kiddo to work on those.  big_smile

Are we meeting up somewhere on Thursday evening?  I'm not doing the bus tour, but if anyone is congregating somewhere that evening (the hotel, or another place near the hotel), I could drive over for a bit.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

I've never done the bus tour, worth it? Either way after that, I'm pretty confident I'm.gonna park a lawn chair by my car in the hotel parking lot and see what kind of cars roll through

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

We live in the area so the less I see of Detroit, the better. big_smile  Visitors, though, may get something out of the bus tour. I'm not sure where it travels, or how long it runs. I think a prior RBR used the same bus tour--maybe someone who took the tour can let us know what it included.

I'd say about a half dozen cars congregated at the La Quinta prior to the Rocky Mountain Breakdown, but I didn't get a chance to hang out since I had some work issues to deal with. Since Dearborn is 35-ish minutes away, it's no big deal to swing by for an hour or two. I just have to make sure I go to the right hotel, as there are two Holiday Inn Express hotels in Dearborn (one on Michigan Ave., the other on Mercury Dr.).

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

The Thursday evening pre-rally meetup is at the Detroit Bus Company yard, on Linsdale Rd off of Livernois.  You can stop by and hang out before the buses leave for the tour, which I believe pulls out at 6:00 and comes back around 8:00.  If you don't want to do the tour, you could find something else to do until the buses come back and then hang out again, as I'm sure Andy isn't going to kick anybody out too quickly after the buses get back.  I think it took most of an hour after we got back last  year before everyone left, and I was one of the last to leave as I had to lead one of the fire trucks to the Hotel in Plymouth. 

Here's how the bus tour went last year: We started out going to the abandoned AMC/Chrysler facility on Plymouth Rd, where we did some stupid human things like hitting random rocks with golf clubs and throwing old tires, and some REALLY stupid human things like climbing down into an elevator shaft and digging out an old Cozy Coupe which is now the inspiration for one of the Rally entries this year.  Then we went down to the GM Renn Center with signs we had made back at the DBC yard and proceeded to stage a facetious protest calling for GM to bring the Saturn brand back, which was complete with local news coverage.  Said news station pulled the story, but not before we captured it and posted it in the Lemons Rally discussion group for all to see and Enjoy.  That protest WAS the inspiration for my original Rally entry ('95 Saturn SC2), but it needs engine work and so I'll be bringing my Baja on this one.

Last stop on the tour was the Dorais Playground, near the Stellantis truck plant, which houses an old velodrome that Andy apparently owns and he told us about the things he's done and the things he wants to do with the property.  It was interesting enough, but when it was time to leave to head back to the DBC yard, everyone was ready to go.  Nothing was really said about the stuff we were driving past, save for a passing mention of the main Ford plant and a couple of other things.  Mostly we were just listening to local stories.  I imagine this year's tour is just going to be as wacky, and I'm still deciding whether or not I'm even going to go.  Since I haven't seen anything about buying tickets in advance, it's entirely possible that the tour is included in the rally cost (which would be nice), so if that's the case, I'll hop on the bus.

After the buses get back, I might follow the crowd to the hotel, but after seeing the room prices, I might either find a cheaper hotel or sleep in my car.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Hotel prices are insane just about everywhere, so I can relate. Even restaurant food has jumped way up.  Might be two boxes of granola bars, Smart Water (not that it ever works--I'm still stupid) and Diet Pepsi as my go-to diet. 

We have a couple of less expensive places in my area that are off of I-94 (Little Mack exit), but nothing I'd recommend staying at.  (AKA: bedbugs.)  Dearborn does have a few other hotels, including the pink hotel off of I-94, but they're likely just as expensive.  Downriver (down I-75--Taylor, Southgate, Woodhaven, etc.) might have a few places but don't expect anything fancy.  Warren has some hotels also, along Van Dyke Ave., which is within spitting distance of the GM Tech Center. There's not really a direct freeway route to downtown from there, though--you'd have to head east to I-94, since I-75 is under construction and I have no clue as to what ramps are open/closed, as it changes regularly. Van Dyke itself goes downtown, but don't recommend it unless you want to get shot at or carjacked.  Well, OK...shot at.  Who's going to carjack a Lemons car?

That might be a plan--meet at the bus yard, and head to the hotel afterward.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Someone recommended an app called "hotel tonight", which I downloaded and used for RFM this past December.  Supposedly, it lists local hotels with rooms available that night, but I'm not so sure their information is accurate.  It did get me a sweet upgrade in Hagerstown, as I ordered and paid for the lowest level room at a hotel about ten minutes from the nightly meetup, and got upgraded to a 1-bedroom suite because she had no standard rooms left.  As far as Metro area rooms go, I REALLY liked the room a the new Holiday Inn Express we stayed at in Plymouth last year.  Enough so that I might call them and see if they have a room and drive back out there Thursday night.

Like I said, I'll probably be one of the last to leave the DBC yard after the bus tour (if I even go), since I've got nowhere else to be.  I stayed until the bitter end of the pre-RFM meetup, when Jeff said "It's too fuckin' windy, let's get the hell outta here".  I ended up at the hotel right next to the recommended pre-rally hotel for about $25 less for the night.  That was a pretty nice room, too.  For Scranton, PA, at least.  I'm thinking of grabbing a small tent during my trip out to Michigan, since there's a cool lakefront park about 15 minutes outside of Toledo that I might stay at Tuesday night.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Nice!! I got lucky and had enough hotel points from work travel to get a couple of nights free, so I'm just staying at the recommended hotels and "dollar cost averaging" my trip! Lol

Sucks that I can't stay for the post rally hang out session Sunday.  I have to finish the rally, and then fry to Nashville from Buffalo on Sunday.  Hopefully no one steals my car from the airport parking lot while I'm gone! Lmfao!

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

puttcharlie wrote:

  As far as Metro area rooms go, I REALLY liked the room a the new Holiday Inn Express we stayed at in Plymouth last year.  Enough so that I might call them and see if they have a room and drive back out there Thursday night.

We have one of those near us, nearly brand new as well (opened 2020 or 2021)...but the ratings are not good! I can't figure out why a perfectly good, new hotel should have such low ratings, but some of the reviews point at smoking in rooms or room cleanliness.  Holiday Inn Express & Suites Detroit North - Roseville. 

I did get cheaper rooms for RBR--the recommended hotels were way too expensive, but I can't really blame the organizers for suggesting those since they're looking for convenience for rally participants.  I don't mind driving towards any end-of-day gatherings, so being 10-20 minutes outside of the area is fine with me.  I thought I may have listed them above--one was a new Red Roof near Dayton, and the other a Comfort Inn outside of Pittsburgh.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Since I'm staying at my sister's place Saturday night, and it's about 20 minutes away from the Saturday meetup, my plan is to get into Pittsburgh as early as possible.  That means a LOT of my Saturday checkpoints will be photographed in the dark, but so be it.  I'll grab a seat nap somewhere along the way.  That means I just need accommodations for the night before and the night after the rally.  Since time won't be a factor either time, they should be easy enough to figure out.

questforlemons wrote:

Sucks that I can't stay for the post rally hang out session Sunday.  I have to finish the rally, and then fry to Nashville from Buffalo on Sunday.  Hopefully no one steals my car from the airport parking lot while I'm gone! Lmfao!

Oh, man, sorry to hear your timing is so tight.  But I wish you safe travels.  My only focus post-rally is going to be finding a hella good buffalo wing.  I have a 6-hour drive home and a day and a half to do it.  Plenty of time.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

puttcharlie wrote:

Oh, man, sorry to hear your timing is so tight.  But I wish you safe travels.  My only focus post-rally is going to be finding a hella good buffalo wing.  I have a 6-hour drive home and a day and a half to do it.  Plenty of time.

Yeah, been planning to do the rally for some time, then they added this last minute trip and flights from buffalo to Nashville are rather limited! Lol

38 (edited by The Hooptie Garage 2022-07-06 11:18 AM)

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

I'm staying overnight closer to Niagara Falls, and will stick around there to grab a few photos (and possibly rent a barrel for an "excursion" over the falls big_smile ) before heading home Monday.  About 6½ hour drive for me.  Debating if I should get home ASAP, or just stick around and try to time the travel to avoid rush hour on the way home (both through Cleveland and Detroit).

I'm also at a critical point--the engine work turned out to be more extensive than I thought.  So I have nine days until the rally, or two days to decide if I should pay the entrance fee.  (Sure I could take the daily driver again, but there's not as much fun in doing that.)  Tomorrow's going to be a push to see how far I get, rain or shine. 

Vinyl graphics are in the vector editor, and I'll be cutting some of them onto vinyl provided the engine thing works out in my favor.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

The Hooptie Garage wrote:

I'm staying overnight closer to Niagara Falls, and will stick around there to grab a few photos (and possibly rent a barrel for an "excursion" over the falls big_smile ) before heading home Monday.  About 6½ hour drive for me.  Debating if I should get home ASAP, or just stick around and try to time the travel to avoid rush hour on the way home (both through Cleveland and Detroit).

I'm also at a critical point--the engine work turned out to be more extensive than I thought.  So I have nine days until the rally, or two days to decide if I should pay the entrance fee.  (Sure I could take the daily driver again, but there's not as much fun in doing that.)  Tomorrow's going to be a push to see how far I get, rain or shine. 

Vinyl graphics are in the vector editor, and I'll be cutting some of them onto vinyl provided the engine thing works out in my favor.

Oh man!  Good Luck!!!  Fingers crossed for ya!

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

I'm also at a critical point--the engine work turned out to be more extensive than I thought.  So I have nine days until the rally, or two days to decide if I should pay the entrance fee.  (Sure I could take the daily driver again, but there's not as much fun in doing that.)  Tomorrow's going to be a push to see how far I get, rain or shine.

Yeah, I came to the same realization regarding my Saturn a few weeks ago, and immediately decided that the Baja is doing this one. But i'm already entered, so I'd even bring MY CR-V if I had to.  Would it win lots of points?  No.  Would I care?  Also no.  I'm just coming to have fun and see some sights at this point.  Of course, that would leave my girlfriend entirely without anything to drive, since both my cars are manual trans (which she's not good at), and we're unwisely lending our Odyssey to that one friend who's constantly in need and is borrowing our car because she messed up her own car that she can't even afford to put gas into half the time and she's probably going to (further) damage our van while she has it... I'm ranting.  I'll stop.

My girlfriend has told me she'll re-create the banner I've got across the top of the Baja's windshield so I can re-do it and get it better centered.  But if she doesn't, I'll just leave the original one there.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

My ancient CR-V (one of the first in the US) was my ultimate project/rally car, but it would have taken too long to do a revival on it.  It is, however, the perfect canvas for customization since the clearcoat is gone and there's plenty of rust (some of which I need to patch). Ultimately, though, I just want it gone, even if I flat tow it and abandon it somewhere. I need the driveway space, and our lot isn't all that big.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Incidentally:

OPTIONAL, PRE-RALLY MEETUP FOR OVERACHIEVERS ON THURSDAY, JULY 14: A Detroit Bus Company Tour! Doors open at 6 pm, tour at 7 pm with a stop where you can get dinner (additional expense). Price and tickets link coming very soon!

With the tour at 7pm, and dinner thrown in, it looks like the bus won't be back until later in the evening, so chances for non-bus tour hoopties to meet afterwards is kind of limited.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

This is updated now:

OPTIONAL, PRE-RALLY MEETUP FOR OVERACHIEVERS ON THURSDAY, JULY 14: If you get into town early, you can join us on a tour of Detroit. Doors open at 5938 Linsdale in Detroit @ 6 pm, tour at 7 pm with a stop where you can get dinner (an additional expense). Andy and Shane at DBC have created this three-hour tour (“AUTO HISTORY IDIOT ADVENTURE TWO: More Factory, More Idioter”) just for us! There is only one bus this time, so spots are limited. Tickets are $44 and the tour will be followed by a bonfire at DBC HQ. Will we protest Saturn? Will we hit old lag bolts with a 4-iron? Who can say?! Get in on it to find out first-hand, tickets are here.

https://thedetroitbus.com/product/stop- … ou-goober/

Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

Yeah, I saw my mistake when I went back and read the rally details.  So the buses will be back between 9 and 10, I guess.  I'll probably grab a room somewhere before i head up to the meetup so I don't have to worry about it afterwards.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

I don't remember the times for the bus tour being posted a week or so ago. But don't count on my faulty memory either. big_smile 

Today is the deadline to enter, but the official @lemonsrally account on Instagram is saying Sunday...? 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwvpMspgAJ/

Guess I'll register now, but I still don't know if I'll have Earl Burner going in time (got rained out today, so tomorrow may be a marathon session in the driveway).  Plan C means I take a daily driver again...as I'm not going to waste an entry fee.

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

The Hooptie Garage wrote:

My ancient CR-V (one of the first in the US) was my ultimate project/rally car, but it would have taken too long to do a revival on it.  It is, however, the perfect canvas for customization since the clearcoat is gone and there's plenty of rust (some of which I need to patch). Ultimately, though, I just want it gone, even if I flat tow it and abandon it somewhere. I need the driveway space, and our lot isn't all that big.

If you have the title it's worth a few bucks to take straight to the scrap iron recycler.  Is there an omnisoirce nearby? Probably get about $0.06 a pound. Better than abandoning it.

If you still have the cats, the radiator, the starter and alternator, you can split a lot of that up and scrap it all seperately for more $$.

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

therood wrote:

This is updated now:

OPTIONAL, PRE-RALLY MEETUP FOR OVERACHIEVERS ON THURSDAY, JULY 14: If you get into town early, you can join us on a tour of Detroit. Doors open at 5938 Linsdale in Detroit @ 6 pm, tour at 7 pm with a stop where you can get dinner (an additional expense). Andy and Shane at DBC have created this three-hour tour (“AUTO HISTORY IDIOT ADVENTURE TWO: More Factory, More Idioter”) just for us! There is only one bus this time, so spots are limited. Tickets are $44 and the tour will be followed by a bonfire at DBC HQ. Will we protest Saturn? Will we hit old lag bolts with a 4-iron? Who can say?! Get in on it to find out first-hand, tickets are here.

https://thedetroitbus.com/product/stop- … ou-goober/

Sounds like a good time, and since I'm going solo, a decent opportunity to converse with humans! Lol

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

questforlemons wrote:

If you have the title it's worth a few bucks to take straight to the scrap iron recycler.

I might list it somewhere cheap or as a near-freebie, even here in the Lemons forum, as someone could probably turn it into a rally rig fairly easily.  It still has some life left in it, but would need some creative patching here and there.  If I had a "tree row" to park it near, I'd hang onto it, but we're in a 1940 bungalow with the narrow driveway and only two spots in front of the one-car garage (which is storage), so we're really tight on space. 

therood wrote:

Tickets are $44 and the tour will be followed by a bonfire at DBC HQ.

A fire in Detroit isn't exactly uncommon. But a legal one? That's a novel idea! 

--Rudy

Driver of soul-sucking appliances in the Rust Belt.
Instagramz: @thehooptiegarage

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

If I had my own Car Dolly I'd take a trip to Detroit and take it off your hands!  B20's aren't too hard to work on, and swap fairly easy.  Good Start to an overall Lemons car if it's cheap enough!  wink

I'm so stoked. A really good friend of mine saw my "Warning Shot" to everyone on facebook and instagram that they are going to see an influx of seemingly random selfies.  Asked what I was doing and decided to join in on the fun!  I now have a Co-Pilot.  Anyone know how I go about making it Lemons official? Do I just send him an invite to join the team from the event spot on my account?

Re: Unofficial Rust Belt Ramble Chat

questforlemons wrote:

If I had my own Car Dolly I'd take a trip to Detroit and take it off your hands!  B20's aren't too hard to work on, and swap fairly easy.  Good Start to an overall Lemons car if it's cheap enough!  wink

I'm so stoked. A really good friend of mine saw my "Warning Shot" to everyone on facebook and instagram that they are going to see an influx of seemingly random selfies.  Asked what I was doing and decided to join in on the fun!  I now have a Co-Pilot.  Anyone know how I go about making it Lemons official? Do I just send him an invite to join the team from the event spot on my account?

Reg is closed and I emailed you, but you can add people on Friday. We just need them to fill out a late-reg form so we have their emergency contact info.

ALSO: There are only about 10 spots left on the DBC Tour, so get yours before they're gone.

Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com