The Sandy Cranbrook Soap Opera: Episode Six – As The Engine Turns (with video!)

Thanks to Jim Thwaite at Asphault Adventures, Sandy’s seized engine has been set free! It is too early to call the patient cured, but hopes (and pulse rates) are running high. A new head gasket will be applied shortly to facilitate a more complete diagnosis of the patient.

Stay tuned for Episode Seven – With The Turn Of A Key…

 

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Uh oh… Sandy’s Sandy experience was worse than we thought…

Apparently, Murphy continues to ride as an unofficial and unwelcome Third Horseman…

Looks like the engine in the Cranbrook has some…er… small… issues contrary to what was represented by the seller. Friend Jim Thwaite at Asphault Adventures  is showing tremendous ingenuity (and patience) in trying to get thing moving again, but drastic action may be required if the Cranbrook’s “freely turning” engine proves to be anything but…

A couple of possible options being explored:

1. Find a replacement running Flathead 6 engine and swap it in. While the most easily executed backup plan, these engines are not as pervasive as the Slant 6 and finding one could be a bit of a challenge. The team is putting word on the street to its many Mopar fans that such an engine is being sought… perhaps Murphy will look the other way for a moment and one will turn up.
2. Rebuild the existing engine. This option looks costly and complicated, especially as compared to swapping in an identical replacement engine. However, if we can diagnose the exact point of failure, it may be a less-ambitious endeavor.
3. Go Rat Rod-lite and swap in something other than the correct engine. On the plus side, this is potentially inexpensive and comparatively easy, especially since conversion kits for both Mopar and Chevy V8s are readily available. Finding a more contemporary replacement engine shouldn’t be a big deal, and would result in a far peppier Cranbrook than the Chrysler engineers ever intended. (For the record, a Slant 6 is not really a viable swap no matter how much we want it to be. We checked.)
4. Go full-on Rat Rod and do a chassis swap. Friend Jim discovered that there is less than a 0.5″ difference in the wheelbase of the Cranbrook and of a Chevy S10 Extended Cab. While not an the least expensive or or complicated option, it would yield a Cranbrook-looking street rod with plenty of pep, modern brakes and suspension and possibly even air-conditioning. However, the team is just not sure how driving a Chevy in Mopar clothing will sit with the team’s Mopar fans…

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

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Sandy arrives at her temporary home… (updated with more photos)

The team’s new banger rally car Sandy has been delivered to her temporary home at Asphault Adventures’ southern New Jersey headquarters. Triage will begin shortly and a repair plan put together. The hope is to get the car running well enough to drive it back to Crash’s Atlanta pad… er… soon.

Many, many, many thanks to Asphault Adventures’ Jim and Kelley Thwaite for snapping up this Hurricane Sandy drowning victim and doing so much to help THOTC put her back on the road!

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Meet Sandy — a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook and Hurricane Sandy drowning victim THOTC rescued and adopted

Thanks to a heads-up and feet-on-the-street support from our good friend Jim Thwaite at Asphault Adventures, charity rally team Two Horsemen of the Carpocalypse (THOTC) has rescued a Hurricane Sandy drowning victim and added it to the team’s stable. THOTC has run three other Mopar rescues (a 1989 Dodge Shadow, a 1973 Plymouth Valiant, and a 1969 Dodge Dart Custom) to varying degrees of victory in five rallies over the past four years — racking up over 10,000 miles driven and over $11,000 raised for charity along the way.

This latest acquisition — a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook sedan — was mostly restored before taking an unplanned swim in the horror of Hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately, the previous owner subsequently developed medical issues and is unable to restore the car to its former glory. The previous owner wanted to see the car go to someone who would cherish it and restore it to its former glory, and THOTC is lucky enough to be that someone!

Here is what we know:

1. The engine and transmission were pickled prior to the storm and seem to have escaped the worst consequences of a salt-water soak.
2. Some of the electrical components did not fare so well… The starter, voltage regulator, flasher relay, condenser, points, and rotor (at minimum) will need to be replaced. Parts are being sourced and the hope is no additional electrical work will be needed to get the car running.
3. The carburetor may or may not have been submerged, and so a rebuild or replacement may be necessary to get the car running.
4. The brake switch, door-jamb switches, turn signals, and headlamps all likely were submerged and so probably will need replacement, to be determined once the car is running.
5. The instrument cluster may have been submerged, and so replacement of the cluster may be necessary. Also TBD once the car is running.
6. The wheel cylinders, drums, shoes, and brake lines all took a dunking and so may need some TLC before the car can be driven. Also TBD once the car is running.
7. The interior needs a good cleaning, but is otherwise in exceptionally good condition.
8. The body is in great shape except for one dent in the rear left fender. The hope is that the paint and chrome will again shine with some TLC. The dent may be left in place (after treatment with some rust preventative) as a battle scar from its Sandy experience.
9. All the glass is intact and in good condition.

The car is being transported to Asphaut Adventures’ New Jersey headquarters (conveniently near to where the car was purchased) where triage and first-aid will begin. The hope is to get the car road-worthy so it can be driven from to Crash’s Atlanta pad for ongoing TLC as soon as possible.

THOTC would be grateful for some input from those with more experience with this era of vehicle than the team has:

1. What other concerns arise from the car having been drowned in the storm?
2. The car currently is still 6V positive ground. Keeping in mind this will be a banger rally car and so potentially may break down away from the convenience of auto parts stores that carry 6V+ components, what are the arguments for and against doing a conversion to 12V-? What are the devilish details associated with such a conversion other than the typical generator conversion (or swap to alternator)/fuses/bulbs/voltage reducer for the gauges?
3. Any suggestions for an aftermarket wiring harness for this vehicle?  An online search reveals a large number of generics — no two alike — that claim to be “compatible” with this car. While the team tries not to be stingy when it comes to making our cars road-worthy, please keep in mind we drive for charity and anything we spend on the cars comes out of our own pockets. In short, budget-minded recommendations are especially appreciated.
4. The car came with a beautiful set of bias-ply wide whitewalls in good condition, and THOTC would like to keep them that way for shows and other formal events the car may attend. The team’s thought is to acquire a set of wheels that will fit the car and install a set of drab and boring — but more durable — contemporary blackwalls for the trip to Atlanta and for use on rallies. Any suggestions (other than junkyards, which may be hit or miss…) for where to get four wheels in working condition? Also, any suggestion about what size contemporary tires will be best on those rims for the stated purpose?

Please stay tuned for updates about the resuscitation of this beautiful classic Mopar, its new career as THOTC’s “southern” rally car, and the team’s ensuing shenanigans.

Thanks for reading. See you on the road!

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A sign of things to come…

Stay tuned for details!

 

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Explore The Shore 2013 Day -2 Recap

 

Crash and Dodge had a long but productive day, traveling the 610 miles from Crash’s Atlanta headquarters to Martinsville, West Virginia over twelve hours. Both Crash and Dodge are tucked in for the night. Tomorrow morning, Dodge will accompany Crash to one of his consulting clients in Princeton, New Jersey where some hours will be billed on Day -1 and Day 0 to subsidize the costs of the trip and help feed Dodge’s petroleum habit — the car got 15.1 MPG today and guzzled a quart of oil every 300 miles!

Stay tuned — the 2013 Explore The Shore Rally is just around the corner!

If you haven’t already, please visit the Pledge page on our website to pledge your support for Hot Rodders Children’s Charity and Toys For Tots — the two very worthy charities the team is supporting in 2013.

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It begins… (again!)

From the darkness rises a new flaming beacon for fans of banger/beater/crapcan rallies everywhere — Asphault Adventures!  They have announced their inaguaral event, a one-day trip into the madness that is the state of New Jersey – Explore the Shore 2013! Those who survive will be changed forever. Those who win will become the stuff of legend. And THOTC will be there!

Follow along as we prepare Dodge for a record-setting (for THOTC, anyway) third consecutive rally run on the way to his new home in Burn’s swanky New York garage. Even better, participate in the event! Asphault Adventures is making it easier than ever by offering not only the traditional banger/beater class, but a “Drive What You Bring” open class and a class for motorcycles too! To secure your own ticket into the annals of history, visit the Explore the Shore 2013 event page on Facebook and sign up today!

As always the team will be supporting two eminently worthy charities — Toys for Tots and Hot Rodders Children’s Charity. Please pledge your support today!

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THOTC 2013 BABE Rally Wrap

The 2013 BABE Rally is over… It was a fantastic experience, as always.  The array of crappy old cars (and one crappy old semi-truck) was staggering, Costume Day the most humiliating one yet, and the parking lot parties in the evenings still the stuff of legend. It also was a bittersweet experience as the 2013 BABE Rally was the last BABE Rally ever.

 

Dodge (the team’s beloved 1969 Dodge Dart Custom) had few mechanical problems… A broken oil pressure switch caused an oil leak of massive proportions that caused the car to be temporarily re-christened “The Exxon ValDart.” A weepy power steering pump at the start of the Rally degraded over four days of hard driving and threw a tantrum (and all of its power steering fluid) all over the Night 4 hotel parking lot. Dodge’s  44 year old un-rebuilt suspension proved strangely unsuited for off-roading and the car has developed a marked list to starboard. Best of all, after off-roading also loosened Dodge’s exhaust system in its mounting brackets, an unexpected encounter with a raccoon corpse in the road separated the muffler from the downpipe and necessitated a challenging (and icky) roadside repair. However, Dodge came through the ordeal with flying (albeit sun-faded) colors and is awaiting transport to Burn’s New York garage where a survivor restoration (and potentially a turbo-charger re-fit) await.

Team Two Horsemen of the Carpocalypse successfully completed four of the five stages of the Rally, racked up 1,250 miles, and raised $1,328 for two great charities – the Hot Rodders Children’s Charity ($682) and Toys For Tots ($646). (The team was unable to complete the fifth stage of the Rally due to a friend’s medical issues requiring the team to return home early.)

The Two Horsemen of the Carpocalypse would like to thank StreetSafari, Misfit Toys, Allpar.Com, North Georgia Mopar Club, Year One, Leverage Corporation, Pathfinder Advisors LLC, our (very patient) families, our friends, and all our fans for all their support on the 2013 BABE Rally and those two great charities. It isn’t just that we couldn’t have done it without you… we *wouldn’t* have done it without you.

Though the BABE Rally is no more, Team Two Horsemen of the Carpocalypse remains committed to driving beat-up old Mopars in wacky automotive events to raise money for worthy charities. Have a look at Asphault Adventures (www.asphaultadventures.com) and 24 Hours of Lemons (www.24hoursoflemons.com) for hints about what lies ahead for Crash and Burn and look for more details in the near future.

Thanks so much for coming along for the ride… See you on the road!

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