Happy New Year 2012

Hi everyone and welcome to the 49in7 blog.

It was a busy yet wonderful holiday season at the Schaub household. We had one of the best Christmas’s with the family. The Christmas prime rib is always a hit and we did our best to finish off a 5 rib roast. We had to throw in the towel after a good try and wrap up the leftovers for a trip to Lake Tahoe. It was the first time in many years that we did have snow at the Tahoe house. The temps were in the teens so snow was being made on the top of the hills and the lifts were running at most ski resorts. But we stayed close to home and enjoyed being together around the fire, with a few walking trips and a movie. My Daughter and Granddaughters headed back to the Bay Area after 4 days with us. That left Carol and I to enjoy our time together making a loop around the lake and taking a trip to Carson City.

New Years eve was spent at Evan’s Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Jimmy, my chef buddy did a bang up job on the menu, with 7 courses of tasty treats and a surprise of Ahi poki for me. We usually hang around until midnight and don festive hats, blowing cheep paper horns, but at 11:30 we were headed home. We toasted to the New Year, went to bed with belly’s full and dreams of the year past. We spent a few more days in Tahoe before making our way back to the Bay Area.

The New Year brought many things that made “looking forward” a cool deal. I got a call from Mike Nystrom from the Minnesota Street Rod Association inviting me to be part of their Hot Rod Show. Mike is a board member for the MSRA that puts on one of the largest gatherings of Hot Rods in the country. The event is known as” Back to the 50′s” and will be held on the weekend of June 22,23 and 24th.in Saint Paul, MN. This will be their 39th year of doing this show that attracts over 11,000 cars, 1,000′s of venders and 125,000 spectators. The MSRA will be making a large donation to the 49in7 Drivin’ for the Kids as well as allowing donations to be collected at the show. This all came about from my short stop in MN. while doing the 49in7.and had a few minutes to talk to Mike. He told me he loved what I was doing and to expect a call from him when the dust had settled. So, after my trip to the L.A. Roadster Show on Fathers Day weekend, I will be heading to Minnesota.I am really looking forward to this trip. I will be running with one of my hot rod buddies Dale”the wild turkey” Grau, who will be driving his very cool Roadster Pickup. I’m not sure who else will be tagging along but it’s going to be fun.

It wasn’t long after the end of the 49in7 event that I got with my Son in Law Chris Street, to help me design a poster for the 49in7. After a few weeks we sent off the order to have the copies printed. I think the poster came out great. I sent some copies off to my buddy Ken”Posie” Fenical who was about to have his annual open house at his hot rod shop in Hummelstown, PA. I sent him a note with a suggestion to auction off a few of the posters for my charity and maybe put out a bucket like we did at Roy Brizio’s open house during Goodguy’s hot rod week, and see what happens. At Brizio’s, the donation total was $ 211.31. Not to bad for just putting out a donation bucket. Well, I get this call from Posie who was just delighted that his open house donation spanked Roy Brizio’s total, Posie auctioned off 3 posters for a total of $200 plus a bunch of money in a bucket with a grand total of $356.00. Great job Dutch !!

I will be on the road in a few days to the Grand National Roadster Show. The Roadster will be at home this year and I will take advantage of this to see the show. Hope to se you there !

Hey Look Who’s Back ……….

Hi everyone and welcome to the 49in7 blog.

November has been a busy month for us. It started with a trip to Las Vegas to attend the SEMA Show. We connected with the bunch from “Posie’s Driven Dirty Tour” for some great nights out with some really fine food. I wish I could have made this years trip across the country with Posie, but other matters were on my plate at the time. We had a wonderful time at SEMA and truly enjoyed the cars and all the new stuff.

Next we were off to Disneyland for my youngest Granddaughter’s birthday. She is getting to be a big girl at age 10. I tell you what, I was walked out by the time we were finished with 4 days of Mickey. We made a quick drive back to the Bay Area for a few days before our next adventure to the Southwest.

Because my anniversary fell right in the middle of the 49in7 Charity drive, I planned to make it up with a trip to one of my wife’s favorite places, Santa Fe, New Mexico. We got on a plane and were there in a 1/2 day. The days of through flights to your favorite cities are long gone unless it’s a hub or big city.We picked up our rental car in Albuquerque and drove to Santa Fe. Just before we were to check into our hotel, the car let us know that a tire was going flat. Sure enough, left front was going down fast. So what to do, change the tire? Call the car rental company? Call AAA? As a hot rodder I choose to change the tire and then take it back to the nearest company office in Santa Fe and exchange it for another car. There was a problem, the lug nuts were made for the mag wheels that were on the car. The spare was a regular steel wheel and required different lug nuts. So with the car jacked up and the wheel off I needed to make a call to find out what they wanted us to do at this point. Also the sun was setting and it would be dark in a few hours. The poor guy on the other end of the cell phone had no idea what to do. He had to make a few calls and get back to us. I choose to try and bolt the spare to the car anyway. It looked a bit funny, but seemed like it would work long enough to get us to the rental office and get a new car. So off we went still waiting to hear from the rental guy. Long story short, we got another car and checked in to the hotel just in time for the  sunset

The next stop was to Maria’s for some tasty fajitas and a margarita. We ate at all of our favorite places in town: Pasquals; Tomasita’s; Tecolate; Cafe; The Bull Ring; Cow Girl; and Tortilla Flats just to name a few. I believe we ate at Maria’s three times on this trip. Shopping was also on the menu for Santa Fe. My wife does most of her Christmas shopping for her relitives here when she can. The 7 days went fast and the next thing we knew we were on our way home just in time for Thanksgiving.

We landed, got to the house to unpack and get together what we would need for the next week. Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving was a trip the whole family would be making. Armed with all the turkey and stuffing we headed for the lake. Carol and I got there a day early,went shopping for all the stuff we forgot and had the meal planned and ready to cook the next day. The weather was cold but no snow. The rest of the tribe showed up the next day and soon we were all in Tahoe mode. I started working on a Christmas gift for a buddy of mine, the Grandkids were playing Twister and pies were being made in the kitchen. The Tahoe experience is one of laid back living, sleep in late and maybe get out of the house to catch a movie. There is some fine dining around the Lake and we did our part the day after Turkey Day. We all went to The Sage Room for a non-turkey feast. Time goes by fast when you’re having fun and it was no exception at Tahoe. Soon it was time for the working people and school kids to leave. We stayed on for a few days before returning to the Bay Area for another get together on Carol’s Birthday. So as you can see we have been busy. With Christmas right around the corner we have to stay close to home. We will be attending a few parties and will be on the move, but I don’t think we will be going like we did in November.

All the best, Dave

Scott's 32 at SEMA

The family at Disneyland

Santa Fe sunset

Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe

Moonlight by the Lake

One door opens and another one closes

Hi and welcome back to the 49in7 blog.

Well,  the Roadster is cleaned up and getting ready to be put away for the winter months. The Hot Rod season is almost over for me. I’m finally back to normal after the 49in7 drive, but there is still work to do on the 49in7. I have some email that need to go out and there is about $10,000 dollars in pledge money that needs to be sent in to Ronald McDonald House. So I will be busy for a while.

The SEMA Show is going to start in the next week and I will be there to see all the new stuff. The Edelbrock Corp will have some pictures and details of the “49in7 Drivin’ for the Kids” displayed in their booth.  A few testimonials from your truly will also be shown to hailing their crate motor program and development. I might add that they also sell some great lubricants that I used on the drive and they really work. The punishment that my motor took on both the 49 state drives should be a testament to the quality of their engine program. So if you’re heading to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show please stop by the Edelbrock booth and check out there stuff. “It made right here in the USA”

I will be attending the last of the Goodguy’s Shows for 2011, The Grand National Roadster Show, Sacramento Autorama, Goodguy’s Shows 2012, Roy Brizio Shop Party, L.A. Roadster Show, Andy’s Picnic and many more show in 2012. Hope to see you there and on the road. Remember the kids and families still need our help at Ronald McDonald House. The donation page will remain open to take donation until Feb. 2013. So please help if you can

Check back, I will be posting here again soon.

Dave

Me and the 49in7 Roadster

Call Me Mr. Clean (part 4)

Hi and welcome back to the 49in7 blog.

I have been busy lately with a bunch of work and family stuff. Just got back from a friend’s wedding that was a lot of fun. But I had a little time left today so I took on the job of cleaning the motor and engine compartment. The Roadster looks pretty good now if you don’t open the hood, it was a mess in there. It hadn’t seen the light of day since I last changed the oil at the start of the 49in7. It ran great and there was no reason to check anything and I really didn’t have time.

The first thing I needed to do was get the motor exposed, so both hood side and hood top had to come off. With that done it is easy to get to everything that needs to be cleaned. I start with a spray of Simple Green to loosen up all the grime. After letting it sit for a while, I give it another spray job and begin to wipe all the visible oil, grease and dirt with a towel. I work from the top down and from side to side. When all the big stuff is wiped up I start on the detailing and polishing of the engine. Somewhere in this cleaning I put a coat of rubber cleaner on all the hoses and polish all the bright metal parts. After the motor is clean I begin on the firewall and then to the fan and radiator. I do the frame rails next and then all the hood sides and hood top. They get a nice coat of wax and are reinstalled on the car. The last thing I do is look for any cleaner of wax that I didn’t get wiped off. The only thing left to do is change the engine oil, service the oil and gas filters and service the air filter. Also change the trans fluid and the gear lube in the quick-change. After that I will be ready for any road adventure that comes my way. Hope I see you out there ………

Dave

This thing needs some help from Mr. Clean

Taking the sheet metal off the car to make cleaning easier

Almost ready to begin cleaning

Cleaning and polishing the engine

I'll be glad to open the hood now ........

Call Me Mr. Clean (part 3)

One of the most noticeable features on your ride other than paint and body work, are the wheels and tires. Nothing can change the look of your car quicker then a different set of wheels and tires ! So it’s important that they look good and they are clean. After this last trip my wheels and tire were beat up badly. They were ugly to say the least. They had seen just about every kind of weather and road surface with the exception of snow. I knew this was going to take some time to do right. So Saturday morning I got up early and began to work on the wheels and tires. First I got the Roadster outside where I could get the wheels off the car. Getting the car up in the air on all fours with the use of my floor jack and jack stands, I started removing the knock-offs. The lug nuts were next and then I started cleaning each wheel combo at a time. I began with a spray of Meguiar’s wheel cleaner and a soft brush to clean the back of the wheel. Next I dried the wheel and began cleaning the back of the tire with some of Meguiar’s tire cleaner. The next step is to clean the tread and the  front of the tire with tire cleaner, before polishing the front side of the wheel. Sometimes I use a foam cone with wheel polish like” Mothers “to really polish the wheels. I did this not too long ago and the wheels still looked good so I skipped that step this time. After all the wheel and tires are cleaned and polished they are ready to be put back on the car. I always mark each wheel to tell me where they go. That way they don’t go on the wrong side. Be sure you clean each lug nut before they get reinstalled. Last I clean the knockoff’s and get them ready to install. Before I lower the car I try to place the valve stem in the same position on each wheel. I know, but it’s just my thing ! I lower the back of the car first then the front. Once the car is back on all fours, I begin to torque each wheel to 75 foot pounds. Now I install the knockoff’s and tighten the locking screw. If I didn’t have nitrogen in my tires, now would be the time to check the air in the tire. So that’s it for the wheels and tires, now it’s time for a drive.

See you back here soon,

Dave

Getting it ready to remove the wheels and tires

Kinda ugly behind there .........

Ah, that's better

And the other side

Getting the wheels clean

Looking good at Rod Powell's Picnic and Car Show

By the Numbers

Here are a few numbers from the “49in7 Drivin’ for the Kids”

49in7 TOTAL RAISED FOR RONALD McDONALD HOUSE:

Through October 4, 2011: $50,191.00

Outstanding Pledges Due for Space on Car: $ 9,500

STATS FOR ENTIRE JOURNEY:

Total Miles Driveway to Driveway 13,897

Miles Back to Maine Start 3,309

Miles from Alaska to Los Gatos 1,908

Moving Speed Avg. 64.4

Overall Avg. Speed 61.6

STATS FOR 49in7 DRIVE:

Drive Completed in 7 days, 14 hrs, 21 min.

Lower 48 States Completed in 6 days, 2 hrs, 49 min.

Miles 49 in7 Drive 8,680.8

Moving Speed Avg. 65.8

Overall Avg. Speed 63.7

Gas Used 542 gal

Hours Slept in 7 Days (including naps) 25hrs. 10 min.

Best Day The start

Worst Day Final day due to road closure wait time

Favorite Food Jerky

Favorite drink Water

If you have any question you would like answered, please leave a comment and I will answer them.

All the best, Dave

Somewhere in the south on the 3rd day of the drive

Sunrise on the road

Absence of a steady hand

My eye's were bigger than my stomach, REALLY

You could hear me a mile away .............

Call Me Mr. Clean (part 2)

After the front end of the Roadster was clean, it was time to move on to the rest of the car. One of the things that makes it go faster, is to take on one area at a time. When the car is this dirty,  know that it’s going to take a while to get it back to where you feel good about it. The front of the car takes the most abuse, next would be the underside of the Roadster. I will concentrate on that a bit later. For now, I will do what I can get to while the Roadster is still on the ground. So I began on the quick-change and the stuff at the rear of the car. I also removed the top to make it easier to clean and put it away until I need it again. Most of the time I leave the top at home and drive the roadster  in a topless form.

I like to get the big chunks off first and work on the fine details later. There is plenty of time to detail the car while it is still a 10 footer. The way it will go from here is to clean the body, the undercarriage, the interior and trunk. The last thing I will do is pull off the wheels and tires and clean each one and  the area where they mount, then reinstall them and begin to torque all the nuts. I will also fix anything that needs to be fixed, change all the fluids in the car and lastly go for a nice ride and try not to get the Roadster dirty.

see you back here soon, Dave

With the top off, lot of work to do here

Ready to start with the big stuff

Grandpa's little helper

the quick-change gets worked over

The top gets a scrubbing

Rinse well and let it dry, it will look like new !

Call Me Mr. Clean

A few days ago a friend commented on how “Totaled” the Roadster was after the trip. “It’s going to take forever to clean that car”. Well, it wouldn’t be forever because of a few tricks I use to make the clean-up a lot quicker.

I found out a long time ago that cleaning a really dirty car is not fun. If you drive across the country when the bugs are in heavy numbers, you will have a mess on your hands in no time. I always use a bug screen on my front grill. There is nothing worse than a plugged up radiator to clean. You will know it’s plugged when the temperature gauge rises and you have an overheating problem. The work involved to clean it is not necessary if you simply used a bug screen. It is easily clean with a small brush while you are filling up with gas. A few quick passes over the surface and you’re done. This will get the screen from getting to buggy.

The other thing I do before any long trip is I cover all my chrome front end part and I cover my grill shell edges with 3M packing tape. I use the clear stuff so it still looks ok at a glance. It is not for show material when this stuff is put on, but it works to protect the paint and chrome from the dirt and rocks that get aimed at the front. I usually leave it on until I can’t stand how bad it looks, then I peel it of and apply a new batch. On this trip I left it on the whole way and removed it when I got home. You simply pull off the tape with all the road grime and bugs attached and your on your way to getting it clean. I follow-up with some “Simple Green” and a foam brush to loosen up the dirt and finish with a spray of clean water and dry with a towel. A coat of wax will be applied when the surface is dry.

Another cool trick I found to really be helpful is to remove the grill from the grill shell and now you can get to the front of the radiator and clean it. What I did was add a “nutsert” to the grill shell that allows me to remove a buttonhead allen at the top and just a stud at the bottom, pull the grill forward and lift the grill up and out. Now the grill can be cleaned and polished on the front and back. When everything is clean you just reassemble. It also comes in handy when you want to repaint the inside of the grill shell.

For cleaning the windshield I use a foam window cleaner that I spray on. I let it sit on the glass to soften the grime and apply another coat of foam and wipe clean with a paper towel. If I still have stuff on the glass I use a razor blade and the foam to remove it.

The last trick I found to make quick work of cleaning is to use a product called “The Glosser”. it is like a wet wipe for your car. They come in a resealable pack with 5 wipes that have a cleaner and wax already on them. The only thing to do is wipe the dirt off and follow behind with a micro towel. After the body of the car is finished I use the glosser to clean the brake dust off the wheels and I toss it away. They are easy to store, will not spill, will not scratch your paint and can be used in direct sunlight. If you know how many days you will be traveling, just take I glosser for each day to clean your car. It takes me about 15 minutes with a glosser to clean all the painted surfaces and the wheels. I bought my last batch of “Glossers”on line.

Hope to see you here soon, Dave

Nasty ! But it just a layer of tape on the chrome to protect it, easily removed

Removing the grill for an easy clean

Everything cleaned and ready to reinstall

After some Simple Green, a foam brush, water, dry with a towel and a little wax.

The front is good as new !

Celebrate Me Home !

I left my friends in Puyallup after breakfast and headed for the road out-of-town. A few turn’s and soon I was on Highway 5 going south. It was a bit cloudy and cool but it wasn’t raining at the time. I remember driving past the entrance to Fort Lewis where I spent some time while in the Army. I never forget the first time I arrived there, but that is a whole other story.

The road work had caused the traffic to slow for miles and then suddenly the traffic speeded up. I drove almost to the Oregon State line where I stopped for gas. I filled up in Washington State and didn’t stop until I got the Weed, California. I still had plenty of gas but I wanted to make one last gas stop that would take me all the way home. It was a 12 hour drive from Puyallup to my house in Los Gatos. I had driven this many time an I know the road well. It my bladder would hold out with just a few stops I would be home by midnight.

I made a stop in Weed and another one in Shasta just to take some pictures. The mountain was really beautiful this time with the sun going down soon. I also took the opportunity to clean the windshield  while I was stopped.  Down through Redding the temp was warm and continued that way until I got to Williams where the cooler began. Now into Vallejo and across the bridge to the Concord area, the roadwork began. They were paving the road on both sides of the freeway from Danville to Pleasanton. I only had an hour or so to go before I would be in my driveway. I called my wife and asked her to unload the shotgun and that I would be there soon. It pays to be cautious around my house. Soon I was on highway 17 taking the turn off to home. I rounded the corner and I could see the lights were still on shining on the driveway. I rumbled down the drive and killed the engine…………  I was home. It had been 3 weeks on the road and thousands of miles. I had sat for most of that time in this 1932 Ford Roadster. I took my time getting out of the car but as soon as I was standing, there was my wife Carol waiting for a hug and a kiss. It had been an exciting trip for the me and the families at Ronald McDonald House. I’m sure for all of you who lived every mile with me enjoy it as well. I want to thank everyone who supported the 49in7 Drivin’ for the Kids. This was a special journey for me even though I didn’t break the record like I wanted to. Some things are just not ment to be, and I’m ok with that. I did the best I could and I am proud of how it turned out. There is a lot more work to do in the next year to promote the 49in7. I have left the website open and the donation page as well until Feb. of 2013. So for you folks who have just now found out about this fund-raiser you still have time to donate. Like I’ve said before, I am creating the opportunity for people in the car culture to help others and be proud of what they did. So if your excited about the drive I did and you want to feel good about helping out some families and Kids, send in a donation or just hit the donation key on the top of the page.

Thanks again for following along and stay tuned because there is more to come.

Dave

Old Fort Lewis, "The Rock" I did some time here in the Army

Near the Capital of Washington

Bridges are everywhere

Near Mt Shasta

It hasta be Shasta WOW !

I see my Granddaughter's were busy

Surprise Party at Morton's Steak House

My extended family

My Love Carol, who did a great job of keeping you all informed on the Blog.

Cam Grant, Fast Eddie and Frankie Z

Hi and welcome back.

Before I headed for the border and into the states again, Art Brumpton took me to one of the members shop, to see some cool stuff. The guys name is Cam Grant,  a builder with much talent and an eye for cool. I was feeling like I had stepped back into the 50′s when I walk through the door of his shop. There was so much cool stuff it’s hard to describe. Everywhere you looked you would see something special to any car guy worth his salt. Old parts, vintage cars, cool one-off stuff, rare car accessory’s, body panels for a 32 roadster, I could go on and on. I had seen a 1932 Ford Roadster Cam had built a few years ago at “Deuce Days’ in Victoria, BC. It was stunning, with a Buick nailhead engine and a ton rare and one-off parts. Now I can see how he got that Roadster to that kind of look. Wow !

I crossed the border and gave my buddy Fast Eddie Nelson a call. He had emailed me to ask if I could meet up with he and my other buddy Frankie Z for some lunch before I headed south. Well, one thing lead to another and before I could say a word he reminded me I was spending the night and we were going out to dinner.

Ed and Frank are my friends from way back. I think I first met them on my first trip to Puyallup, WA. back in the early 90′s. I was driving a 1934 Ford Cabriolet back then. Well, we hit it off and have been friend for years. Whenever I’m in the area I make sure to spend some time with these characters. They are both a hoot to be around and believe me, your face will hurt after all the laughs and BS these two will come up with.

Eddie ,his wife Anna and I when to dinner at a great restaurant not to far from their home. The steaks were good and the beer was cold. After dinner Ed and I drove over to visit Frank at his place. Frank was in his normal spot, out in the garage sitting in his chair with a ball game on. We quickly got caught up on the news from 49in7 and my stay with the Canucks. After a few beers in me and more laughs, Eddie took me back to his house and I got busy with a blog entry before I went to bed.

The morning came with a bit of rain in the forecast. It didn’t last long and I was getting backed for my trip home. But first there was breakfast with the boys at a place in Puyallup. We took a few pictures before we left and I followed Eddie to the restaurant where we would meet up with the rest of the guys. We arrived and Frankie was already there with his new yellow 46 Ford. Jim Hart, Larry Reda also join us for breakfast. We did a little photo-op after a fun time and Frankie got the check with a fast hand on the wallet.

To give you a glimpse into the world of my crazy friends Frank and Eddie. Frank has been feeding me this wonderful polish sausage for years or whenever I get up his way. Usually it’s for the Goodguy’s Car Show in Puyallup. He use to hang around with the Un-Club Boys with Eddie, but now they hang with the Kingsmen, an old car club that has been around a long time. Some of the crazy stuff they use to do is almost unmentionable. Like when the clubs blow-up mascot, a Sheep, and I’m forgotten its name, got kidnapped and held for ransom. The perpetrators wanted some polish sausage in exchange for the Sheep ! That’s how good this sausage was !

Just a few months before I left on the 49in7, my buddy Eddie informs me the he and his wife were going to take a trip up to Hyder, Alaska to see the place. He said,” it had been years since he had been up that way and it might just be fun.” Well, I get a call from Eddie and he did go to Hyder. They stayed at the King George hotel in Stewart and did some sight-seeing around the area and then drove home. Well, when I finally reached Hyder after waiting  3 hours for the guided crossing at the finish of the 49in7.  I got to the Sealska Inn and there was a letter  waiting for me. It was a letter from Eddie and Anna congratulating me on my 49in7 drive and a big welcome to Hyder, Alaska. It also said that I was to spend the night at their place on the way home and have a safe journey. WOW ! I had a hard time holding back the tears. He cared enough to do that, what a great friend have come all this way to leave a letter for me. Guys like Frankie and Ed are hard to find, but they’re my friends and I’m better for it …………

Outside Cam Grants Shop

Just one of the cars in Cam's stable

A workingman's garage

Me with Anna and Eddie Nelson

I think Eddie wins !

Following Eddie's 39 to breakfast

Frankie Z is a hoot to be around and a great friend

With full belly's Larry,Eddie, Me, Jim and Frankie

Check back Again,

Dave