Shop Talk: Thoughts From Seat 20D

The tale begins, as so many do, long before I took my place in seat 20D on the Airbus 318 bound for Nashville. Within minutes of performing the online check-in some 18 hours prior to the flight, I got a notice that the flight would be delayed 30 minutes. Can’t say I didn’t expect that.

Though I was flying to Nashville, my ultimate destination was Bowling Green, Kentucky, for several interviews with local media in advance of the Car Craft Summer Nationals. I entered the address to my hotel in Bowling Green into my phone; that way, upon arrival in Nashville, I can just zombie shuffle to the rental car, press go, and follow Siri’s soothing directions to the Ramada. For the hell of it, I checked the driving directions from home: 2,083 miles and 31 hours. Wistfully, I gave passing thought to scrapping the flight and jumping into the car that minute for a road trip to Bowling Green instead. Both cars have been running well, and I figure either of them would make the trip. The CC/Malibu has turned into a very capable road-tripper, having driven it nearly 3,000 miles over four weeks: round trips to Redding, California, and Las Vegas, plus several assignments in Southern California. With the cooling-system issues sorted out and vacuum leaks fixed, the car has been running like a champ. I know it would get me there. Likewise, Truck Norris, our 1967 C10, is running strong now that several of its issues have been solved. With help from Hot Rod Garage cohost Lucky Costa, we fixed some wiring issues and rearranged the clutch hydraulic components. I’ve been driving it every day, and it feels good.

I like this portion of the car-building process: when the big problems are solved and you’re on to refining smaller issues. That’s when you have time to look forward to the next part of the build, which for both cars will probably be suspension work. The Malibu needs its fenders rolled to accommodate the new 15-inch wheels and wider tires. I’d also like to upgrade the brakes. Truck Norris will be getting insulation and sound-deadening. It also needs the fuel plumbing rerouted, and I’d like to change the shocks. I have a True Trac differential scheduled to be installed when I return from my trip and a power-steering kit I’ll get to eventually. For now, I’m secretly enjoying the “armstrong” manual-steering workout I get every trip in the C10. I’m debating an exhaust change, too. After the first few blasts down the freeway resulted in ringing in the ears, I downloaded a decibel app on my phone. At 75 mph in Fifth gear, it registered 106 dB, and it didn’t matter whether the windows were up or down. Bigger mufflers, a balance tube, and routing the exhaust out the back would help keep my hearing intact.

Ultimately, my flight was delayed by more than an hour. Another hour was wasted taxiing to the runway in a phenomenon I refer to as the Sightseeing LAX. At one point, I felt sure the pilot was about to pull out onto Sepulveda Boulevard and begin driving to Nashville instead. At that point, I began to seriously regret not driving myself.

The flight, of course, was fine. Neither I nor anyone else was dragged off the plane, bloody and unconscious, and that’s noteworthy anymore. I’ve made it to two of my interviews in Bowling Green so far, with three to go. And thanks to the delays, I’ve got an even longer list of work to do to both cars when I get home. I call that a success.

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