What I Did This Summer Vacation…

With summer drawing to a close, I figured it was a perfect time to return and let you in on everything that’s been going on in this Grease Girl’s world. It’s been an exciting season full of lots of changes and adventures – and yes, many articles that have gone unwritten…a problem I plan to rectify! Take a peek and see what I’ve been up to and what’s in store…

Little by little, I’ve moved into places that are more accommodating to what I spend an increasing amount of my time doing – playing with cars! Once upon a time I had to buy a spot in a parking lot just to have the ability to park in my neighborhood, then eventually I moved to a place with a driveway, after that a one-car garage…I now have a shop to call my own! That means much more room for car projects, as well as having the helpful hand of my mechanic husband…but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself!

The big event of the summer was getting married! Always a do-it-herself sort of girl, I did a lot of DIY projects for the wedding including making my wedding dress. Part of the fun was having the reception in our shop and welcoming all of those closest to us into a little slice of our world.

Of course my car club gals were there to celebrate the day with me – Lori drove me to the ceremony in her ’48 Ford F1 and Ethan and I drove away in my Studebaker. My favorite part of this whole shin-dig is walking away with the most fabulous man I know!

Many of this season’s car shows took a back seat to our club’s summer project. The Gasoline Girls built a car to take part in the Damsels of Destruction demolition derby. It was all with the purpose of raising funds against breast cancer.

I was honored to drive that evening…but didn’t last more than a couple of minutes due to an electrical issue. Luckily though, the car was in perfect shape to enter another derby… which club member’s Jen and Rochelle had already registered in. Ro was the driver the second time around and out of nearly 40 cars she came out in 7th place… it was a great finish to all the hard work put in by each member of the club.

I’ve been squeezing in some wrenching of my own too. With the extra room, I’m finally able to really get going on my 1960 Falcon project. As you can see, the engine is out and I’m hoping to have ol’ Davey back on the road before too long. Stay tuned for more on this project for sure.

Stude needed a little bit of care also – I got plenty greasy changing her starter (maybe I shouldn’t get quite as greasy doing this job… it’s due time for a thorough engine cleaning/degreasing on ol’ Stude!) I decided to upgrade to a performance starter and protected it from those headers that run nearby with a heat shield.

There were a couple of opportunities to get around even more ladies and share the love of wrenching! First, my car club volunteered for the 2nd-year to spend a day with Rosie’s Girls – a program that seeks to empower junior high age girls partly by introducing them to male-dominated trades. The segment I taught explained all about how an engine produces power to make a car go! I love being able to share my love for working on cars with these eager and growing young ladies!

Next, I was honored to be included in the SEMA Business Women’s Network Mustang Build Powered by Women as the lead for it’s interior week. My team and I had the job of installing a Kicker Stereo, Flex-A-Lite fan, sound deadening, emergency brake cable, and some other odd jobs. Other week’s teams focused on powering the engine with an Edelbrock supercharger, upgrading the suspension, braking, and giving her a new look with rockin’ custom paint!

It’s been a terrific experience getting to work with other female professionals within the automotive industry! A great online upholstery website, The Hog Ring, did a little write-up on me centered around this project if you’d like to check it out.

Those of you who follow me, know about that time when I lost the brakes in my 1955 Studebaker. The amusing part of that story was I happened to be heading to the swimming pool at the time and had my bathing suit on…in addition to jumping out of my moving vehicle (I don’t suggest you try that!) Of course people have asked for reenactment photos… and I finally did a little photo shoot replaying the events of that day. So be looking for those soon – alongside the articles I’ve put-off writing showing the process of upgrading Stude’s brake system with the help of ABS Power Braking.

With all these activities going on, I missed my annual road trip to Bonneville for Speedweek this summer. I did however get to go on another fun road adventure during Ethan and I’s honeymoon. Our dream of going on a cross-country Route 66 trip will have to wait for a couple of years, but we were able to take a few days and visit the super cool little town of Borrego Springs. We picked this spot because of a vintage hotel there called The Palms and it’s proximity to Los Angeles. The hotel was fantastic and the town surprised us by having amazing metal sculptures scattered out among it’s cacti! Just south of Palm Springs, I’d definitely recommend this gem of a place for a visit!

One last thing I’d also like to share that I’m a Featured Author on Liquid Wrench’s new Tinkernation website. Seeking to build a place where Tinkerer’s of all sorts can share their passions, Tinkernation.com has many cool stories of which I’m glad to contribute to!

I promise to bring more wrenching adventures and lessons soon… happy trails as always!