Saturday I met up with some guys from the NAVWC and we cruised down to Birmingham for Pokey’s first car show since getting restored. The show was held in Tannehill State Park so this it was going to be a good chance to put some highway miles on him and shake out the bugs. The only bug that shook out was a slight oil leak somewhere in the engine compartment. I think the dual-post oil pressure sending unit in the side of the case has a crack in it or a hole, because there was a thin film of oil on the left side of my engine compartment.
The oil dripped down the engine tin and eventually exited a small hole for rainwater to drain. Unfortunately, this hole sits right on top of my header, so as the oil dripped on my hot exhaust as I was driving, it smoked. It wasn’t but, like a James Bond smokescreen, but it still made me nervous at times.
Aside from my oil leak, the rest of the trip down there was pretty uneventful. We did stop in Cullman for one of the guys to get some gas and he over-filled his tank. The gas didn’t come out the filler neck like you might imagine, but through a small overflow hose that I don’t think he knew about. As he was getting back into his car, he noticed there was gas pouring out from under his front apron! After he lost about $2.75 in gas, and he was sure it wasn’t leaking anymore, we were back on the road.
I think the threat of rain this weekend kept some of the VW-owners at home, but there was still a pretty nice turnout for this first annual event. There were lots of great looking in cars there, like this gorgeous orange dune buggy:
And this slick electric Beetle:
The NAVWC was well represented with 5 cars. We actually took home the trophy for most represented club!
As you can see in the picture above, I’m holding a trophy of my own. I’m quite pleased to say that Pokey won 1st Place in the “1968 and later Beetle” class. I don’t wanna brag or anything, but usually that class is further divided into 1968 and later stock and custom, and there are usually Super Beetle Stock and a Super Beetle Custom classes, so I was lumped in with ALL the other Beetles. I was just glad that Pokey made it to Birmingham without a major incident but to take home a first made my day.
I enjoyed hanging out with the club and planning our summer events and cruises. It was also neat meeting other VW owners and discussing our cars. I got several compliments and answered more than a few questions about my build. One onlooker asked if Pokey was a 2007 model. I know I had streamlined him and gave him a more modern look, but I didn’t think I had shaved 35 years off his appearance!
After the show was over, we hit the road for home. The rain stayed away all day, until we hit Cullman. At first, there was a light shower which felt wonderful. I had the windows cracked and for a few moments, a cool breeze and the delicious smell of rain drowned out the burnt oil smell from Pokey. Then we hit a short gulley-washer about 15 minutes later and it was all I could do to keep Pokey on the road which I could barely see. Thankfully my wipers are working great.
Now that Pokey is back home safe and sound, I guess my next project is to track down and fix that oil leak. I’m still planning to head up to Effingham, IL at the end of the month for Mid-America Motorworks “Fun Fest.” With a drive that long, a small oil leak could turn into a big problem!