Nats whole Hazel Nats!!

Got off to a bad start, me and the Miss's needed to get an early start, as it's a long journey 330miles to the NASC Street Rod Nats and we wanted to beat as much of the Bank Holiday traffic as we could and take our time....

We were up at 4am and ready in no time, the Truck started up first crack as normal, but when I flicked the lights on.. Bugger no lights???? I pressed the dip switch on the floor and kazzam we had full beam, I pressed the dip switch again in a vain hope the lights would be now working.... Bugger ... no nothing not even a flicker.. Arghhhhh bum shit fart willy!!!

I tried frantically to find the fault, ripping up the carpets and unscrewing the dip switch, straight wired it to dip but nothing... Grrrr I was getting wound right up, and could see our trip to the Nats fading away rapidly.

My Miss's said cant we just go with the sidelights on? I didn't want to risk it. I jacked the truck up and tried tracing wires etc etc... in the end I took the headlights out and unclipped the connections in the light socket and swapped the full beam wire with the dip, so we now had dip no full. Re packed the jack and tools and finally got away at 6:10am so much for the early start eh!

Truck seemed to be driving nice, me the wife and our 2 Staffies, Tess and Frankie all happy as sunbeams, I was slowly calming down and starting to enjoy the drive, even though it was heavy heavy traffic, mass's of trucks everywhere.

Called in to the services to exercise the dogs get a coffee and some LPG.. did the first one, then the second Ok, got back to the Truck and the sodding Pup Frankie had chewed the wife's Brolly... not impressed. Went to top up with LPG and Kak, they didn't sell it!!

So off we trotted to the next services... same response. er we don't sell Autogas, but I am sure they do at the next services.. we were now getting real low. Next services.. same dont sell fukin LPG.. Grrrrr so I put £20's worth of unleaded in for safe measures as we were assured the next services 18mile away, definitely did sell Autogas... er maybe ;o)

Well the inevitable happened we ran out of LPG, as we neared jct6 on the M6 at busy as nuts time, with traffic everywhere. It was manic, like being on the banger track again with cars seeming to attack you from every angle and it was whoering down to add more to the confusion. I flicked the switch to go onto petrol and sure as hell it died as the carb filled, then broom into life again (that's always a heart stopping time). Well no sooner was it driving on petrol than it started to falter and die then spurt on as I decked it and splutter and surge... what the??

I persevered for a few mile and watched the fuel gauge drop like the wire had been cut?

Even though it was pissing down with howling wind and the traffic was nuts I had to stop and give it a look over, it did feel vunerable sat on the hard shoulder in bad conditions and such mad heavy traffic but it had to be done. I couldn't smell fuel so I didn't expect to see the sight that greeted me when I lifted the hood... petrol was pissing from every orifice of the carb.

I tapped the carb with a spanner vainly trieing too loosen the suspected sticking float.. to no avail. I thought well, maybe I could start it and keep flicking the fuel pump switch on and off to get to the next services... but there was no way that engine was going to start, no way. I envisaged the next thing that the battery would be flat, I tried so much.

So finally I phoned the RAC, man do they ask some stupid shit now or what. "You are required by law to inform the attending officer if you have any things that may harm in the course of his assistance to you" "any inflammable liquids that may explode or injure him"... Jeez what has this country come to! Then as she finally got a dispatch out, she said" I am going to hang up now, but you must remain connected to listen to a short safety message" yeah right...

Two Hobby bobbies turned up soon after, made us evacuate the vehicle and stand in the pissing rain up a steep but short banking for our own good, but we had to leave the dogs in the Truck. I said to be honest I would much rather take my chance in the Truck in the case of an accident than stand here out in the elements with just a low piece of single armco between me and some runaway truck.. They were having none of it and put a few cones out that would save us Ok ;o)... and preceded to ask about the LPG leak????? What?? no I have run out of LPG and my petrol is leaking from my carb. Finally the rain stopped and after about 35mins the recovery wagon turned up.

Dont look so wet in this photo but it had been peeing down all while we stood outside waiting!

Well to cut a long story long, we got recovered Ok and once we got filled with LPG the old girl fired up and we were on our way again.. though now I was paranoid about running out again.. so I topped up at every opportunity I could.

Great thing was when the recovery guy was putting my truck on the low loader, he spotted the rear lights and said " Hum Caddy back lights eh unusal choice" ;o) ... turned out he was a yank nut and had had yanks for years owned a 72 Camaro..

We arrived at the Show Ground finally and there were cars everywhere.. lots and lots of daily's was my first impression and lots of Yanks... Rods did seem a bit thin on the ground. But the place was buzzing and you could feel the excitement in the air. Yeehaa

We soon got camped with the guys we have got to know from Yorkshire and Lancashire... hey no war of the roses with these guys. They were camped in the designated quiet camping ground... wouldn't of been my choice but my fears were soon squashed it was to be a quiet area, as I spied Ozzy with the Headhunter 41 Willys camped near, that is louder than anything you can every imagine....nay it's even louder than that.. Nice one no quiet camping for us.. oh no siree!

Good Old Ozzy not one to let a camp site ever go quiet..

Once camp was erected, I found the Pup had now chewed up me bloody floor mat in the Truck... Bloody Hell what next? Anger subsiding me and the wife (Jackie) took the dogs for a walk round the Campsite to have a recky..

Yanks, Rods, trucks chops all cruised the site all day long, which made for a fantsatic atmosphere.

Now I was seeing a few more Rods, and there were people everywhere and cars just cruising up and down, which was interspersed with what sounded like a freight train coming, which was just the yankguys with horns to match their big rigs!!

I noticed loads of young people milling about and not just ones that looked like they had come with their parents either they were there with their own cars. You really could feel the buzz that seemed to echo round the whole place.

Chop and Change! great to see chops at our runs, for me anyway as I love my bike's. If scooter's start being allowed at our runs though, I wont be so impressed, in fact I would not go to another Rod Run if they were allowed to be shwon....I feel so strongly about them... just the way I grew up!

Pudzz couldn't set off until 12pm as his wife was at work, but we weren't there long before they arrived and once they were camped we hit the sauce and the crack was good.

Cool Scalloped Rod cruised the hamburger stand now!

Nice line-up!

The entertainment for Friday was the Mojo Kings and they were absolutely fantastic.. who after their set were replaced with a Rock band who I enjoyed but Pudzz hated... Hey Ho eh!

Crazy 36 Truck also cruised.

Nice looking T drive by.

Great way to have a look round the site see what cars are there.

It was an early...ish sensible retirement to bed for us, ready for a fresh head ache free Saturday. for the Cruise.

Saturday Click here