It's been a while since I've posted an experience of my own, so here goes.
I'll start with saying I went to the T/A Performance Open House in Scottsdale on Sunday. A very, very nice get together, I must say. Thank you Mike and his lovely wife for having all of us, it was a GREAT time! Sorry I couldn'r bring my TR.
Speaking of not being able to bring my TR to the T/A Open House, on Saturday, Nov 18th, one of the members here put on a private track day at Tucson Dragway.
The weather was perfect, although the DA was reading in excess of 3000 ft. This is always an issue in Tucson, but what the hell. It was a rare chance to run my car without being thrown out for hauling the groceries without a roll bar. I don't even bother with Wild Horse Pass anymore, but that's not germane to this story.
Traffic was light for the 135 mile drive and I managed to haul the Buick down in just under 2 hours. I was unloaded and ready to run by about 10:45AM. I dinked around with the car for a while, talked to Nick Micale who was having some issues, asked his friend Dennis to help me with my power logger and went out for my first run......The only downside to this track day was I only got in three passes before I saw coolant leaking from "somewhere" at the front of the engine, so my day was cut way short.
As I was looking around underneath the hood for where the coolant was coming from, a fellow racer came up and said "I'm going to ask you a weird question".
Being I have a Turbo Regal, I assumed he would be asking a question related to the car. I've had some real doosies asked, so I was ready for what ever this guy had for me.........at least I thought I was.......
I said "Ok, what?"
He says "Do you have an extra pair of pants?"
"Huh?" I asked.
He says "Do you have an extra pair of pants, I'm wearing shorts and they wont let me go down the track in them."
So, here is this guy I don't know from Adam, asking if I have some pants he can wear. So, naturally, I said "What size do you wear?"
He answered "It doesn't matter, I just need pants to run."
Now here I am, looking at a car that isn't going anywhere but onto the trailer to go home, so I look at him and said "Well, mine's broken so what the hell.", and begin to undo my belt.
So here we are, two strangers to each other, just dropping our pants in the pits.
The couple with the car next to me knows me and the guy's wife just kind of giggled and said "It's all about the cars and going fast with ALL of you guys, isn't it? I get it, but this is just weird....."
The guy says his name is Brian, shakes my hand , hands me his shorts, thanks me, puts on my jeans and jumps in his car to go make a pass.
I'm standing there in my race jacket, red boxers, white socks, black sneakers and fish belly white legs glowing in the November sun thinking to myself "Oh damn, what the hell did I just do?"
It is just about now that I figure out this guy must weigh 30lbs less than I do. His shorts are just not going to fit my old fat ass, so I go about loading my trailer as if nothing is any different about me....... Me, I have no shame or dignity left in my soul, so I just didn't care.
I really do wish I had pictures of some of the faces of those that walked or drove past.
There weren't many people there, maybe 150 total and when a couple of ladies walked past me (them making sure there was a safe distance between us) I just smiled and said "What can I say, someone needed my pants more than I did." One of them said "I know Guy, I'm Joe's (the guy putting on the track day) girlfriend, that was really cool of you to do for him."
Whew, I thought to myself, because even though I have no shame, that was a REALLY awkward moment right there.....
Eventually, I was ready to go, and I had enough gas and snacks/drinks to get home. I did not, however have any pants, so I casually walked over to Brain's pit and gave him my business card. I said "Hey, I'm going to head on out, call me on Monday and we'll figure out the pants situation."
One of Brian's buddy's had just shown up and kinda went "Huh?", looking at me like I was crazy standing there in my underwear.... So Brian gave him the Readers Digest short explanation of the situation and the guy says "I've got some fire suit pants in my trailer, Brian, give this guy his pants back."
He looked at me and said "You, you put them pants on, NOW!"
A few minutes later I'm on my way home.
I'm tooling Westbound along I-10 without a care, just leaving the western outskirts of Tucson's metro area when the RAM 2500 4WD Diesel dash starts dinging like crazy.......... I look down and the temp is pegged at hot, then I realize the power steering is not working properly. I move into the right lane to get off at the next exit, about 3/4 of a mile up the highway.
As I get off at the exit, I realize, Oh crap, no power brakes, the pedal is hard as a rock......... I just barely make the stop, turn towards the signs for a Circle K and a Chevron but while driving past them, I know there is no way I'm going to maneuver this rig into a space in either parking lot without any steering or brakes, so I roll on past and find this little bar with a big ol' dirt lot in front of it.
La Tumbleweed Lounge in Marana, AZ..........PERFECT!!!!!!
I pull in, check under the hood and figure out the water pump pulley had sheared all but one bolt off and the serpentine belt had no tension as a result.
Time for a cold beer.
So, and to end an endless story shortly, thank goodness for the AAA Auto Club RV membership I have, it got both truck and trailer towed to my home in Phoenix for free.
That, annnnnnnnnd..........
Thank freeking God I had some pants on!!!!!!!!!!
By the way, before she started leaking, the ol' Buick ran pretty damn good, even with a shitty almost 1.76 60ft time!
I'll start with saying I went to the T/A Performance Open House in Scottsdale on Sunday. A very, very nice get together, I must say. Thank you Mike and his lovely wife for having all of us, it was a GREAT time! Sorry I couldn'r bring my TR.
Speaking of not being able to bring my TR to the T/A Open House, on Saturday, Nov 18th, one of the members here put on a private track day at Tucson Dragway.
The weather was perfect, although the DA was reading in excess of 3000 ft. This is always an issue in Tucson, but what the hell. It was a rare chance to run my car without being thrown out for hauling the groceries without a roll bar. I don't even bother with Wild Horse Pass anymore, but that's not germane to this story.
Traffic was light for the 135 mile drive and I managed to haul the Buick down in just under 2 hours. I was unloaded and ready to run by about 10:45AM. I dinked around with the car for a while, talked to Nick Micale who was having some issues, asked his friend Dennis to help me with my power logger and went out for my first run......The only downside to this track day was I only got in three passes before I saw coolant leaking from "somewhere" at the front of the engine, so my day was cut way short.
As I was looking around underneath the hood for where the coolant was coming from, a fellow racer came up and said "I'm going to ask you a weird question".
Being I have a Turbo Regal, I assumed he would be asking a question related to the car. I've had some real doosies asked, so I was ready for what ever this guy had for me.........at least I thought I was.......
I said "Ok, what?"
He says "Do you have an extra pair of pants?"
"Huh?" I asked.
He says "Do you have an extra pair of pants, I'm wearing shorts and they wont let me go down the track in them."
So, here is this guy I don't know from Adam, asking if I have some pants he can wear. So, naturally, I said "What size do you wear?"
He answered "It doesn't matter, I just need pants to run."
Now here I am, looking at a car that isn't going anywhere but onto the trailer to go home, so I look at him and said "Well, mine's broken so what the hell.", and begin to undo my belt.
So here we are, two strangers to each other, just dropping our pants in the pits.
The couple with the car next to me knows me and the guy's wife just kind of giggled and said "It's all about the cars and going fast with ALL of you guys, isn't it? I get it, but this is just weird....."
The guy says his name is Brian, shakes my hand , hands me his shorts, thanks me, puts on my jeans and jumps in his car to go make a pass.
I'm standing there in my race jacket, red boxers, white socks, black sneakers and fish belly white legs glowing in the November sun thinking to myself "Oh damn, what the hell did I just do?"
It is just about now that I figure out this guy must weigh 30lbs less than I do. His shorts are just not going to fit my old fat ass, so I go about loading my trailer as if nothing is any different about me....... Me, I have no shame or dignity left in my soul, so I just didn't care.
I really do wish I had pictures of some of the faces of those that walked or drove past.
There weren't many people there, maybe 150 total and when a couple of ladies walked past me (them making sure there was a safe distance between us) I just smiled and said "What can I say, someone needed my pants more than I did." One of them said "I know Guy, I'm Joe's (the guy putting on the track day) girlfriend, that was really cool of you to do for him."
Whew, I thought to myself, because even though I have no shame, that was a REALLY awkward moment right there.....
Eventually, I was ready to go, and I had enough gas and snacks/drinks to get home. I did not, however have any pants, so I casually walked over to Brain's pit and gave him my business card. I said "Hey, I'm going to head on out, call me on Monday and we'll figure out the pants situation."
One of Brian's buddy's had just shown up and kinda went "Huh?", looking at me like I was crazy standing there in my underwear.... So Brian gave him the Readers Digest short explanation of the situation and the guy says "I've got some fire suit pants in my trailer, Brian, give this guy his pants back."
He looked at me and said "You, you put them pants on, NOW!"
A few minutes later I'm on my way home.
I'm tooling Westbound along I-10 without a care, just leaving the western outskirts of Tucson's metro area when the RAM 2500 4WD Diesel dash starts dinging like crazy.......... I look down and the temp is pegged at hot, then I realize the power steering is not working properly. I move into the right lane to get off at the next exit, about 3/4 of a mile up the highway.
As I get off at the exit, I realize, Oh crap, no power brakes, the pedal is hard as a rock......... I just barely make the stop, turn towards the signs for a Circle K and a Chevron but while driving past them, I know there is no way I'm going to maneuver this rig into a space in either parking lot without any steering or brakes, so I roll on past and find this little bar with a big ol' dirt lot in front of it.
La Tumbleweed Lounge in Marana, AZ..........PERFECT!!!!!!
I pull in, check under the hood and figure out the water pump pulley had sheared all but one bolt off and the serpentine belt had no tension as a result.
Time for a cold beer.
So, and to end an endless story shortly, thank goodness for the AAA Auto Club RV membership I have, it got both truck and trailer towed to my home in Phoenix for free.
That, annnnnnnnnd..........
Thank freeking God I had some pants on!!!!!!!!!!
By the way, before she started leaking, the ol' Buick ran pretty damn good, even with a shitty almost 1.76 60ft time!
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