Saturday, December 31, 2016

Project Update: Bronco Movin'

This isn't really an update, but it was just funny.  We swapped place with the Bronco and the F-250 the other day.  The Bronco came home, and the F-250 went from storage down to a mechanic friend's house where the Bronco was.  The F-250 has a blown head gasket, nearly blown transmission, and needs some minor rust repair and front u joints.  It does also have a parasitic drain in the system which means I really should've unhooked the battery before I let it sit since February.  The battery in the Bronco is a Never Start and has been bad since before I bought it.

The F-250 pre-gasket failure.
I convinced my coworker to help move these around because he likes trucks and has a trailer to move them.  I met him at the storage spot with my Vic.  I pulled my super short jumper cables out of the trunk and went to jump the truck.  While I was cranking it, I saw a pair of better cables on the floor of the truck, so I put mine away when we got done, and loaded the truck onto the trailer.  We drove to the Bronco, and that's when our day started getting interesting.  Not only did I forget to bring gas for the Bronco, I also forgot the tire would be flat.  The trailer has no ramps, and we just 4x4 crawl things on and off.  (That'll be interesting in a later post.)  This means we're now loading a front wheel drive Bronco with next to no gas, an engine that won't rev, a stick, and a flat front tire onto a trailer, and we still need to jump it with the truck and hope we don't kill it and have to try starting either one again.

On our way to swap trucks
The pickup had just enough power left in it to start and back off the trailer.  We then used it's alternator and longer jumper cables to start the Bronco... That took a few tries.  She finally lit off, and I threw the cables and slammed hoods to move the truck out of the way while Lucas expertly loaded the Bronco in one fell flat tire swoop.  I parked the truck in the same spot.  It's a bit of a smoker though, and while we were starting the Bronco, let's just say we didn't need to worry about mosquitoes.  We were all loaded and off for home with the Bronco in tow.

We didn't run it long since the head gaskets are shot, but I guess it doesn't take much!
This picture has a trailer and an '06 F-350 in it.  Trust me.
I was covering a good 60' radius.
It was dark when we got home, and the Bronco was unhappy with us.  We filled the tire, but it wouldn't roll off the trailer.  I wound up pushing the thing down hill which it still didn't want to do, and then the driveshaft caught the trailer (because that's not hooked up).  After that, the running board was dragging on the trailer fender.  It finally came off, but our attempt at bump starting on the way down failed.  I pulled yet another set of cables out of the garage and used my mom's Escape to start it this time.  We got it home, but in about two and a half hours I used three different sets of jumper cables.  I guess we're properly prepared!  Now I just need to actually work on this thing.

Where we parked it when we got home.
Eventually, we cleaned enough garage for it to fit.
The most awesome $40 I've put into this truck yet.  Just wait 'til they're on!

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

#BecauseRoadkill&MCM

I just watched the Roadkill episode with Mighty Car Mods... for the second time... in two days.  If there's one thing I can take away from that video as an absolute truth, it's the fact that those cars are super cool.  I'm just about speechless looking at them, and I'm really good at endless talking.  As is the case with many Roadkill vehicles, I'm jealous and want one for myself.  That, however, presents a small problem.

The hardest question is, "which do you like more?"
The Subarute is legitimately jaw-dropping and inspiring, but I don't want to recreate it.  Why, you ask?  Two reasons come to mind; originality and brand.  I have always wanted something personal, something I've put my stamp on, something that reflects the fact that it's mine.  I don't want a '69 Mustang Mach 1 (yes I do) that's stock (no I don't) and looks like right out of the brochure because it'll be sub-par in the performance category and it'll look like eight others at a car show or cruise night.  I want cars that say, "this is Charlie, and he built me to be perfect for him."  In the spirit of that concept, I wouldn't make my own Subarute (however tempting that may be).  I have been considering what other cool compacts I could do that to though.  I also have never owned a foreign car, and I have a pretty solid rule that I can't afford maintenance on a Subie.  It seems that perhaps a gen 1 Focus ZX5 might be a good candidate, but it could just as easily look stupid, so I think I should play it safe and just do it to a Bronco II or a 2-door Jeep Cherokee XJ... but those aren't anything near what they did.  Guess I'm not doing it.

This is pretty much Subaru perfection
This is basically Comanche perfection because it's an XJ

This brings us to the second sweet ride in the show, the '69 Impala.  They shoved that big block with the Weiand 8-71 blower into a poor, "little" '69 Impala coupe, and it was a riot to watch.  This has revitalized a flame I've had deep down for thirteen years now.  I very much want a '72 or '71 Galaxie or LTD 4-door hardtop in the glorious triple green.  I've missed out on two of these for sale for Charlie money when I should've bought them.  The first one made a huge impression with the perfect killer stance and a set of slotted mags and raised white lettered tires and no exhaust.  I pretty much want that with a slightly tighter suspension and a built drivetrain.  I've been debating what motor, but I'm pretty sure a yacht that big would love a 460 and an overdrive automatic from a late '80s rwd F-350 that'll bolt up to it.  I just want a sweet, old school daily driver that can light the tires and glide effortlessly down the highway.  Other than mileage and availability, I'm not seeing a downside!  At some point in my life, this car will happen.  Someone hold me to that.

This is everything that is right with the world.
I don't know why either.  Something is wrong in my head.
I love Roadkill, and I've seen a good deal of Mighty Car Mods, but together, they seem like a good fit.  I'd love to watch more of both of them, together or separately.  The real stand outs are the cars, in my opinion.  I love the vehicles they built and the fact that they're so over the top with parts hanging out and just random awesomeness.  This is the inspiration sometimes to find a new project and get it on the road and drive it for enjoyment and not as a pretty museum piece.  Concourse show cars have their places, just not in my driveway.  Speaking of which, I feel the need to go rip Aussie-style burnouts down that driveway.  G'Day!

But seriously, go watch this:  #BecauseRoadkill

Sunday, August 14, 2016

The Shakedown 2016: A Buffet for the Senses

About this time last year, I went to an awesome car show.  Big surprise, right?  This one wasn't your normal show though.  It was a hot rod and custom show that only allowed period correct modifications and pre-'65 models.  They judge you at the door and decide whether of not your car passes as a custom or hot rod.  I think they even had a minimum of two modifications.  If you didn't pass, they had a lot outside the show near the swap meet where you could still show your car and your new "kicked out" sticker.  The setting was a cool historic living history museum kind of town, so you got to see all kinds of cool stuff while wandering through the cool cars.  They even had a spot where you could pull on your classic camper behind your classic custom and stay on-site.  All in all, it was a pretty neat experience in the town of Symco, Wi, at the Symco Shakedown.


Then the people who run the show decided it was growing too big for the little town of Symco, so for 2016, they moved the Shakedown to the Pioneer Airstrip at EAA in Oshkosh.  The town didn't like all that revenue being taken out, so they decided to keep holding the Symco Shakedown anyway... on the same weekend...  This creates a problem; which do you go to?  One of the swap meet vendors said to me, "it's like having divorced parents and choosing who to see on Christmas... It's not fair to us."  I think a petition is in order to get one of them to change dates.  Who doesn't want to go see two of those kinds of shows?!

This one was sealed away in a basement for 50 years and put back on the road with all the original parts!
Yesterday, I opted for the Shakedown at EAA because it's way closer.  It was cool, and the cars we're cooler.  A really neat aspect was the old time airport and the few old planes that they were giving rides in.  Not only did you have sweet cars that sometimes moved and sounded cool, but you also had the planes taking off and landing and looking awesome and sounding cool.  There were times when I felt like I was in an old movie or just back in time.  Add a little fog and darkness and Cary Grant, and it's Casablanca all over again.

For $75, you too could ride the big tri-motor plane.
While the airstrip was cool, the rest of the show was basically a park.  It was neat to see the cars, but it wasn't Symco cool.  I'm glad I went to the show to see how it was, but I feel like next year I'll have to go back and see how Symco is doing under "new management."


I will say though, there were three cars that stood out to me as being really awesome and made a solid case for being on The List.  There was a '58 Fairlane that was fully redone and beautiful, a '32 Ford Roadster that was sealed away in a basement for 50 years, and a '32 Coupe that I didn't get a shot of, but it was brown, had all the hood, no fenders, and had a stance like a salt flat hot rod.  It would be very hard for me to not daily either of the '32s if I owned them.

When I was in high school, after I got my '64 Fairlane, I thought it would be cool to get all the generations of Fairlanes.
I would drive the wheel off this thing.
I've been thinking about this more and more recently, and shows like this don't help; I think I'm going to sell my precious Crown Vic and put the money from that towards something old to daily.  I've got the Bronco for winter driving, so I could park whatever I get in the winter and have it be a more dedicated summer ride.  Life is just better in old steel.

I'm a sucker for a patina truck.
See photos from the Symco Shakedown 2015 here.

I think you can already tell the setting is cooler in Symco.
See photos from the Shakedown 2016 at EAA here.

All we're missing is trains!
Fit right in this year

Project Glory Hole: Part 1

I finally did it!  I sealed the deal... on a sweet deal I found on Craigslist.  I'm always seeing things on there that are awesome and good prices, but I always either have no money or can't get to it soon enough.  (I almost got a '63 Galaxie wagon that way, but somebody got there first with money and a trailer.)  At long last, I finally got to drag home some rusty, carbureted junk for near scrap prices.

But just look at what I got!  Just look at it!!
The vehicle in question wasn't even something I was looking for, but when you search for Fords under $1000 in cars and car parts, you never know what will come up.  In this instance, what came up was a '79 Bronco with a 400 V8, 4-speed, no roof, and a "very, very, very rusty" body (but it's Wisconsin, so you can easily add two more very's just because of that).  When I got to it, I could see the extent of that rust and how the rockers, floor pans, and quarters were eaten away, and the quarters were actually pulling away from each other.  It was a wood hauler at his cabin up North, and I'm thinking they did some four wheeling with the tailgate down and wood pushing on the unsupported quarter panels which is probably why they don't touch the tailgate when it shuts now. That will take some work to rectify.  Well, the whole thing will...  Also, the floor was deemed so bad that they pulled the passenger side floor out for safety sake.  I can lift the driver's seat on the left side even though it's bolted to the floor still.  The floor comes with it.

It's see through.
The guy listed it on Monday night, and I saw it Tuesday night.  I realized it wasn't something I should sit on, so I texted him for pictures.  It was late, so he said he'd send some the next day... and he did!  I got everything lined up, and I met him at 8am on Saturday to buy it, because he was supposed to leave on a trip at 9am.  Two hours later, my trailer shined around.


By that time, we had only started it in place, but he said he was driving it around the yard the previous day.  The guy had yanked the center section out of the rear axle for another project, so it didn't drive normal.  It was one of those rare, front wheel drive '79 Broncos.  I put it in 4L and the granny gear, and after a couple chicken out attempts, I got it on the trailer.


I followed my new Bronco all 30 miles to my friend's house where it now sits waiting for me to come work on it next weekend, and that was interesting.  I had to follow due to an issue with some failed brake lights, and since we were in the city, you can't really fake it and hope no one hits you.  As I followed, I was bombarded by bits of rust and tree that were being blown out of the vehicle and onto my beautiful Crown Vic.  We stopped for gas, bathroom, and drink along the way (because we were already an hour plus of driving for the day, and I'd been waiting for two for the trailer), and I found what I felt was the perfect drink for the day, a Dr. Pepper with a monster truck '87 Blazer on it.


Our trip was pretty smooth other than some darting into traffic to stay right behind the trailer.  I was trying to lead from behind, and we missed a turn, so I hammered down to pass him and redirect the convoy.  It was worth it, though, because we saw a really sweet lifted Comanche driving towards us.  I also learned quite a bit about the Bronco on the trailer.  When we hit bumps, the trailer would bounce, but the tires, suspension, and frame didn't because they were well secured to the trailer... but the body bounced.  Something in the left rear quarter panel area isn't overly well connected and needs some attention.  Eventually, we made it there with no major issues and no casualties.  Marking it as a win.



Once we arrived, my brother, mechanic friend, and his kid (a couple years younger than me) all got to see just how great of a purchase the Bronco was.  They all took turns looking it over and picking it apart with questions about my intentions or the integrity of the Bronco.  I didn't care; it's awesome.  We unloaded it and proceeded to take turns driving it around the yard and up and down the driveway.  We all kind of agreed that this has great potential so long as it's realized correctly.  We wrapped the seats and parked it next to our dad's '52 Ford F-3 that's being stored for us down there, just down the line from my '64 Fairlane that I keep trying to convince him to sell back to me.  That yard is one Maverick and one FC short of the whole family.  My brother and I then went off to find lunch and talk strategy.

My Bronco...
... next to my dad's '52 F-3...
... near my Vic...
... down the row from my '64 Fairlane.
That leads me to the "build" portion of our show today.  Everyone asks me, "what are you gonna do with it," or, "why would you want that rust pile of junk?"  My answer is simple; it's cool, I've wanted one since I was a kid, and for what I got and the price I got it, you can't go wrong.  My idea is this, patch the body together enough that I can bomb it around and take it to work or be a winter daily.  I'd love to be able to take it off-roading a bit, and I'd like it to be able to pull my mom's 14' camper if going  short trips, and I'd like to 5-speed swap it, but other than that, I'm keeping it pretty stock.  Maybe someday down the road I'll find a clean body to swap onto the frame, but I think this one will work fine enough and be really fun too.


At this point, I don't really have any big plans mechanically for the Bronco.  I'd like to swap a 5-speed for mileage, but I really like the original shifter and its quirkiness.  The motor will stay mostly stock simply because there's no aftermarket support for a 400 that isn't insanely expensive.  I'll probably do a few things, but it's a pretty torquey motor from the factory.  If I get really crazy or find a sweet deal, maybe I'll swap in a 460, but those are expensive to build too.  I'm planning to keep it stock height with stock height tires, partly because there's no place to off-road nearby, partly because I'd like my gauges to stay accurate, and mostly because I'm not really a truck guy, and I like to be able to get in and out of it easier.  I'm more of a muscle car guy anyways.  I only need trucks to drag my projects home.


The last issue we've been having is what to call it.  It's a rusty old Bronco with holes in the floor, no roof, quarter panels falling off, and it's really held together with hope and a bungee cord, but someday, when it drives down the roads and the trails and especially when we get a new body for it, this thing is gonna be the glorious epitome of overlanding excellence.  If we just had a name...  I was thinking the "Rustco" or "Rusty Jones," once I saw the paperwork in the glove box for undercoating, but then there's the Gone in 60 Seconds idea of naming them all with girl names, which also fits my idea for a sign over my garage saying "Charlie's Angels."  No girl names are popping into my head for this Bronco (other than maybe Brittany for the sake of alliteration), so I'm not sure on that idea.  My brother laughed as he jokingly blurted out "Project Glory Hole," and so far, I think that's our best name choice so far, so until further notice, I'll keep you updated on Project Glory Hole.  Stay tuned!

Note the light from the floor area.



Sunday, July 24, 2016

Full Immersion: Car Craft Summer Nationals 2016

For years when I was in high school and college, I read Car Craft magazine.  I loved the tech articles, the event coverage, and the awesome car features.  I still dream of one day having a car cool enough to be in a magazine.  I even watched the backgrounds of pictures and videos from Power Tour and last year's Car Craft Summer Nationals to see if my car was hiding anywhere.  One of the events I read about every year in the magazine was the Car Craft Summer Nationals, basically a three day weekend of car show and cruise with vendors, prizes, and usually an autocross course.  This fun was usually held at the Minnesota state fairgrounds, and while I was in high school, the four hour drive and hotels and everything else was simply too much for me to afford, but I said someday I'd be there.  Eventually, I moved to Wisconsin and even though I had more income, I still couldn't swing it and the now six hour drive.  Then, last year, I heard the best news I could've imagined; not only was Power Tour starting in my backyard, Summer Nats was moving to the WI state fair park!

One from last year
Badges of honor on the Vic
I was ecstatic that I finally could go, even though I moved out of Milwaukee a couple of years ago.  I stayed at my brother's house and shot so many pictures and raced autocross and met the Roadkill guys and met John McGann (chief editor of Car Craft and fellow Crown Vic lover), and I even got to see a picture of my car on the Car Craft website ON THE AUTOCROSS!  It was a great weekend, and I was so happy.  That had to happen again...

Straight from the Car Craft website last summer!
Guess what happened last weekend.  Car Craft Summer Nationals 2016!  (You're good at this guessing thing.)  I got out of work for both my jobs and came down to do it again.  This year they had even added more cool stuff!  Along with the show, the vendors, the autocross, the burnout contests, the dyno challenge, Real Street Eliminator competition, Miss Car Craft, Midnight Drags, car cruise, prizes, and everything else I can't even remember, they added a drifting exhibition that was a pretty cool addition from last year.  As usual, Summer Nats was cool and eclectic with something that was bound to appeal to everyone.

Patina wagon with rims and custom interior.  Dreams...
Dude cruisin' an old mini bike. 
Half-rat ramp truck on bags
BLOWER
Driving around a picnic table with a cooler mounted to it.
Last year, I just tried to see all the cars and booths and eventually got distracted by my first ever attempt at autocross.  That was cool, and I saw some sweet cars (which you can see here), but this year I had a plan: autocross all day Friday, see cars with friends on Saturday, watch drag racing, more autocross and some cars on Sunday.  This plan worked fairly well, but there were a few glitches that weren't especially in my favor... but then some that really were!

FC-Hot Rod
Friday, I got going late.  I wanted to be down there early, but I wound up sleeping in and getting there around noon.  Not the greatest, but I figured this was my autocross day, so no real biggy.  I got my wristband and car sticker and headed into the show. I did the cruise lap to see what was going on and where everything was this year, and then I went into the infield to race.





This Gremlin was killer, and I'm pretty sure it had the top time.
I saw some familiar cars from last year along with some new ones and some updates on some previous contenders.  After a while, I saw the guys from Roadkill pull in with their Mazdarati and take a crack at the course.  I asked Finnegan if they were going mini-truck vs mini-truck with the Ranger kid from last year.  Just after their run, I turned around just in time to see the Ranger pulling in, complete with its freshly swapped 5.0L and T5.  Last I heard, the Ranger won.  Eric had just wrapped up the swap shortly before Summer Nats, and I had just swapped a posi into my car the night before they opened the autocross.  Both of us had completely embraced the Roadkill way of life.  We just need to buy a race car from a junkyard now.




This was a stock 2.5L I4 and wimpy 5-speed last year. 
New favorite Ranger shot.
Makin' it happen
After a glorious day on the autocross, my friend came down in his '86 Camaro with a V6 and a 5-speed, and we met up for dinner and a cruise through town.  We had a wonderful, and fairly inexpensive meal at one of my favorite bars on Hwy 100, Club Paragon.  (I really wish I would've found out about this place while I still lived down in Milwaukee.  It's a log cabin atmosphere with good drinks, fun stuff to do, amazing food, and several TVs.  If you ever get a chance to go there, do it.  Seriously.)  After we ate, his girlfriend had to do a little shopping, which Brad and I made interesting.  The West Allis Kohl's will never let us come back.  Big loss.

Watch for it in the Real Street Eliminator coverage in Car Craft magazine.
Finally, we got to cruise Hwy 100, the only cruise area I've ever heard of in Milwaukee.  Normally, it's a lot of Ricers, but with the show in town, it was a really solid mix of rice and muscle and even some fancy exotics.  We were driving along, and of all people, Jodee pointed out the large concentration of muscle cars at Oscar's Frozen Custard (another great place to eat) while Brad was pointing out to me that we should get custard.  We turned and went back to find the classic custard stand surrounded by about twenty classic cars.  The best part was, as time went on, the cars rotated stock, and about every fifteen minutes a handful would leave, and another handful would pull in.  It was pretty awesome, and well worth the late night seeing it all and taking pictures.







I love this one in the shadows 

We were about to leave when this one pulled up.  Lucky I noticed it.
Not great lighting over where he parked though.
I need to get sidetracked here and tell you a story.  Brad had never been to Summer Nationals, and I'm pretty sure he only knew about them because of me talking about going to them.  He went online to sign up as a participant, and from what he told me, nowhere on the site did it say it was free to autocross.  So what does he do with his grove-fresh, just finally running, stock 3.1-swapped '86 Firebird?  He enters the Real Street Eliminator competition.  Really, when you think about it, you could make the case that it's Real Street because it's his summer daily or why doesn't everyone sign up for it because it's a killer deal for autocross, speed stop, and a dyno test, plus you get to skip in line on the autocross.  The best part of it all was that he didn't have off of work Friday, missed the mandatory drivers' meeting, didn't get official until Saturday around 10, couldn't stay all day, and maybe only ran the autocross about seven times that weekend.  I shot a video of him and the built by high schoolers Camaro on the dyno Sunday morning.  It was pretty fun to watch both cars back to back.  I don't know how he did overall, but I do know I had to buy him lunch that day because his car beat all of our expectations in the horsepower department.  Being the lowest guess in the bet, I had to pony up the cash.  His car has 120hp to the wheels, and it did decent and looked like it handled pretty well on the autocross.

Until this weekend, his goal was to build a turbocharged 400 drag car out of this.
After the autocross, he's not so sure.
Did I mention that he Long Hauled last year on Power Tour in his '91 Firebird convertible?
Saturday was the day I wanted to see the cars.  I was going, that day, with my brother, my mom, my mom's friend from grade school who is a mechanic, his two sons, and one of his son's sons.  We walked the show for a bit, but inevitably, we ate, and I autocrossed.  Time ran out too fast, and I had spent too much time racing, watching the racing, and watching the drift exhibition, and eventually, we had a dinner date with the group about a mile away at the one son's house for a cookout.  I didn't get to see as many cars as I'd have liked, but I talked with some cool people, and that was well worth it.



Didn't actually get to talk to them
My car at the cookout.
After the cookout, I headed to Union Grove, WI, to finally see the Car Craft Midnight Drags.  We didn't go last year because we assumed it'd been cancelled due to the tornado that went through.  We were wrong.  This year, I watched about half the qualifying rounds (still running late), and then someone in one of the other races wet the track, so they had to do some extensive cleaning before they could keep racing.  I took that opportunity to walk through the pits looking at all the cool cars and trailer setups and everything.  That was tons of fun.  Seeing everyone thrashing and running to get the cars on the line or fixed before they had to pre-stage again.  You could honestly get hit and seriously injured walking through the pits, if it isn't drag cars driving fast back to their pits or being pushed quickly to their pits without lights, their crew on sometimes lit golf carts could just as easily run you down speeding around the pits.  You really need to have your head on a swivel and keep checking your surroundings while shooting photos.  A lot of pictures I took of passes down the track didn't turn out because they got a bit blurry, but I kept them in the album because it still gives you a bit of a feel for how fast they were moving.  In the semifinals, I found a spot by the fence by the start line where I got some sweet shots along with near the time slip booth (or whatever they call it) on the return road.  The final race of the Summer Nats, I got on video because I knew it'd be good.  The '73 Javelin with a big block and a single turbo qualified with a 7.20 second 1/4 mile at 205 mph, and was lining up to run the final race.  We got to the top of the grand stand to get the best vantage point.  It didn't disappoint with a 7.12 at 207 winning the whole thing.  We made our way back to Milwaukee with a group of classic muscle cars.













Announcer said, "I'd love to tell you folks what's going on, but I can't see!  Round of applause for [Lane 2]."
Sunday was not great for the car show, if I'm honest.  A lot of guys (or should I say girls?) were scared away by early morning rain showers leaving a pretty small group of cars at the show.  Once we got there, we dyno tested Brad's Camaro and headed in to the autocross.  As we left the dyno, John McGann passed us on a golf cart.  I had seen him around half a dozen times over the weekend, but I hadn't gotten to talk to him by that point.  Last year, I caught him on Friday taking pictures, and I flagged him down, said hi, and told him about my car.  He is a fellow Crown Vic enthusiast.  We wound up following him all the way to the autocross.  Brad and I got right in line.  As I rolled closer and closer to the start line, I looked over and saw him sitting, watching the racing.  I ran my camera over to him, and asked the favor of him snapping a few as I went around, and he agreed.  That's right!  I got pictures of me racing my car on the autocross from John freakin' McGann, the guy who runs Car Craft Magazine!  I was pretty ecstatic.  And they look really good.  It also wound up being my best run of the weekend.

Photo Credit: John McGann
Photo Credit: John McGann



Sunday is the shortest day of the show, and once the autocross wound down and we found some lunch and listened to the announcements for the Real Street competition, we decided to head out and make our way home.  In the end, I had a great time once again at Summer Nats, and I hope they stay in Milwaukee for a good, long time.  It's pretty much what I look forward to all year... unless I find money for Power Tour again.  I gave John McGann my business card for photography; maybe he'll read this and like it enough that I can get one of my dream jobs, working in their Detroit office, and then I'd get to go to more events like this.  That'd be really cool...  Until then, you can see all 720-something pictures I shot here.  Enjoy!

Oddball Autocross!
I was amazed watching this.  So slow.  55 seconds 
My car did 32.0, for comparison.
Looks fast, 15 mph.  43 seconds



Cait wait 'til next year...