Early on Wednesday May 1, the Route 66 saga started for me and Aardvark. The plan was to drive from Waynesville, NC, to Bloomington, IN, to stay the night with (Master FFR guru/builder/painter) Jeff Kleiner, then head to Valparaiso, IN, to meet up with Col. Gale Larson (original owner of the Aardvark FFR kit) and his wife Lainie, then on to Chicago for our planned festivities to begin Saturday May 4. What could possibly gto wrong?
As it turned out, NOTHING went wrong. The Aardvark FFR drove beautifully, new brake system performed with strength and no leaks, engine ran strong and clean with no driveability issues. We did about 625 miles that first day, pausing for gas, checkups and food every couple of hours. That ended up consuming a lot of time: EVERYONE who sees the car wants to know about it and the graphics. Made it to Jeff’s by early afternoon without incident. After some celebratory beverages, we changed the oil, reset the brake pedal, and installed rubber mudflaps behind the front wheels, complete with a new “Kleiner Mod” making them much better looking and functional than my own half-baked idea. Lulu, the puppy, was so glad to see me again, she almost squeezed through the picket fence. I was happy to see her again too, I must confess.
Later, Jeff grilled some astonishingly tasty burgers, brought out a few more beers, and regaled us with stories of how he beat Dave Smith at autocross, but told us not to tell anyone because Dave was also cheating. Thanks for a memorable stay, Jeff and Aaron!
Next up: Valparaiso! Will report the Larson meet-up ASAP…I can’t wait!
