Wanting to share the nice drive from Maryland down the Richmond with my 6 yr
old daughter We delayed our arrival until the last minute (9:00 Friday AM).
The weather was so nice on Friday and the back roads so full of interesting
stops that we didn't arrive at the event until almost 3:00. Of course this
left us without a driving event and no time to do one. Turns out VTR insists
on a driving event in order to qualify for the Sat show. Oh well, we didn't
come for a prize. We parked in the Concourse area anyway and made some new
friends. Our apologies to the judges that spent time looking over the car only
to find us ineligible. I'm assuming this rule makes sure the cars are driven
and not just trailered, correct?
At about noon we made off to the local amusement park (Kings Dominion) and had
a blast. On the way back to the banquet the sky opened up. About 2 minutes
later the engine quit. It wasn't a very dramatic strung out death. Just
done.....made the shoulder and began the diagnostics... no spark! coil? After
an hour and a half in the rain we got a flatbed ride to the hotel. Wet and
hungry we arrived in the middle of dessert but the room was completely full.
Big thanks to Chuck McGuire who generously stepped away from the banquet to
lend me his spare coil. Alas it was not the coil but a dead Pertronic ignition
unit. When the old points/condenser went back on she fired like a champ and
got us all the way home the next morning.
Summary
- The decision to stray off into the Virginia countryside got us in trouble
with the trailer queen law.
- The part that failed us was the "modern one" put there for... reliability.
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