Bob I didn't even realize father's day was that weekend. Darn, and there I'll be just around an of bunch of cars

"....but I suspect you will have a good weekend anyway! Be safe......" You know I think I will HRP

Don as far as mileage the last time I check (mostly highway and some in town) I was getting around 18 MPG (I had about 2000 miles on the build then). The OD effectively knocks the 4.10 gears to a 3.00 ratio so cruising at 75 is about 2600RPM.

".....There has been some talk on other forums about this buried car event, and some of the people feel that the people from the city have done some things to mess it up, and take it away from what the original city Fathers wanted it to be 50 years ago. Things like most people not being able to witness the actual uncovering, just a select group. There was also some talk that there was something like a $ 25 fee to see the car after Boyd and his crew clean it up. They voiced some resentment that the city was turning this into a money gouging event as opposed to a for-the-average-person celebration........"

As far as the city (or more correctly the centennial committee) I wish some things could be a little different but within the constraints the organizers are working in I think they are doing an OUTSTANDING job. I don't think that the committee had any idea about how big this would be until about 6 months ago and they were a bit overwhelmed but went to great lengths to make this an enjoyable event.

The big thing I would like to change is to be able to view the car coming out of the ground first hand but I doubt that will happen. When the car was originally buried The court house lawn was apparently big and open. Over the years new buildings have been put up and due to their location and size (plus the construction equipment used to raise the car) my understanding is that the best they will be able to do is bleachers that will seat about 400 people (mostly already reserved). Because of this the committee has arranged for a closed circuit broadcast of the unearthing in the convention center next door....for free.

The prep to get the car ready to be unveiled will be behind closed doors unfortunately and preformed by Coddington and crew. The car is supposed to have been sealed in a LARGE plastic bag and vacuum sealed, and part of the prep will be to remove the bag. They have between noon when the car comes out of the ground and 6:30PM to get the car ready. I sure at some point that a video of the prep work will be available and cost a couple of bucks but that's life. In the short time they (the cleanup crew) really don't need to be distracted by a bunch of people telling them they are doing it all wrong. Depending on what sites you visit there is an uproar by the restorers about any hot-rodder being near the car, let alone Coddington. Personally I'm not a big Boyd fan, but he did ante up and volunteer for the cleanup ( I do know a little background about that and he and he TLC were approached not the other way around).

I don't think ticket pricing is unreasonable "Tickets are $5 for upper level seating and $10 for lower level seating and $25 for floor seating." If your registered for the open show which I did it's a $20 registration fee that also included 2 upper level seating tickets (yup I got 2 extra tickets now). The open show and indoor "invitational" show are free to the public (the 57 will be displayed there on the 16th and 17th). There is a sock hop on the 16 and they get $5 each on that. Not really unreasonable prices. If you want to see the car and car shows they are now free.

All in all I'm going for party meeting some people face to face and road trip.