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Any Iowa or Minnesota Packard drivers going to this event?

This weekend I plan to drive "my Packard to the levee" and I hope the levee isn't dry. I also hope the 210 mile trip is mechanically uneventful. I expect to put 500 miles on my Packard this weekend.

The Minnesota and Iowa Packard Clubs are hosting a joint weekend tour to Mason City - Clear Lake, Iowa, Sept 18-20. Clear Lake is the sight of the Buddy Holly plane crash of Feb 3, 1959 that killed him, Ritchie Valens and J.P. 'Big Bopper' Richardson.

Don Maclean's - "American Pie" is a tribute to Here's a great explanation of the song:

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/amerpie-1.htm

"The Day the Music Died." website
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/crash.htm

Mason City contains Music Man Square, a tribute to Meridith Willson, Mason City boy, and the '76 Trombones' composer. So we have a Rock 'n Roll AND Broadway Marching Band weekend!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Willson

I just hope this Fri., Sat., Sun., will not be the "Days my Packard Dies."
So far this summer every trip in my Clipper had a successful return (except one.) Actually, that one had a 'return' involving a Trailer.

Dan Leininger

I always prefer to sing it "drove my Chevy off the levee but the levee was dry"

I also prefer to sing the song "Little GTO", "turn it on, wind it out, blow it up, GTO"


Wa waaa, wa wa wa wa wa waaaaa....

I hate GM products.....

Wish me well PInfo members.
I am off on Friday morning by 8am or before for Mason City & Clear Lake, Iowa. I will join about 30 registrants for lunch at Music Man Square in Mason City at 12 noon.

I am calling this (unofficially) the "Miss American Pie Packard Tour" (with apologies to Don Maclean) In tribute of Buddy Holly (Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper' Richardson).

GREAT WEEKEND - Fri- Sun.

Dan Leininger

Dan,

Have a great weekend. Enjoy your Packard, the other Packard people, your trip and all the sights and sounds along the way and at your destinations. And of course.....take lots of pic's!

Thanks Oz for the Aussie send off half way around the world. That is very encouraging, since I have only 500 miles round trip plus an excursion or two around Clear Lake.

I am packed. Need to clear our the Clipper trunk of all but tools and travel essentials.

I have my AAA card, (good for 1 free tow). Got my sweetie. Got my CD incase I encounter some "Old Time Rock and Roll."

"Bye, bye Miss American Pie,"
Thirty minutes to count down of Drivin' my Packard to the levee (actually Clear Lake is a natural lake,
but we will say 'levee' for artistic purposes."

PS Have EXTRA Camera batteries.

DanL

Dan'l, I just got back from a two weeks motorhome holiday to North Dakota and Manitoba and I hope the weather will be as nice for you as it was for me. I guess I should join the Minnesta Chapter of PAC so I would have known about this tour as I would have liked to join it. I hope you have a wonderful Packard experience.
My younger sister was in mourning for weeks over Richie Valens death.

Thanks for all the good wishes. I appreciate the comments

UNFORTUNATELY, I have no pictures, no reports, and have returned home after 3.5 hours of driving.

After 170 miles I arrived in Algona, Iowa, just 40 miles short of the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The master cylinder on my 41 Clipper seized up and would not release pressure on the brake shoes. So the shoes drag and the brake lights stay on. The car became literally, undrivable.

After about an hour of sitting the brake cylinder would release a bit, the brake lights go off. (The brake master cylinder piston would move back enough to release the pressure). Pushing on the brake pedal however, would start the process all over again.

Tomorrow, I will drive my truck with a friends trailer the 170 miles and load up the Packard to return home. By this time tomorrow I will have put about 700 miles on 3 vehicles but missed the Club Road tour.

The only picture I have is the culprit-Master Cylinder from above. (The vise grips did no good).

It is rebuild time again. I think there is gunk-sludge-debris in the piston of the Master.

"Bye, bye Miss American Pie, Drove my Packard to Algona
But Algona was shy
About 40 miles of the Winter Dance Tour
Singin' this will be the day that I cry,
this will be the day that I cry -y -y."



DanL

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Dan.

As Robbie Burns would say ...."The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Mouse

Maybe someone else on the tour can come up with some pic's?

DanL
Sorry to hear about the too short road trip. But, at the same time I realize that that is part of the fun. That's the way we accumulate all those old car stories.

When rebuild is completed, would be very interested to hear what you find that caused the total lockup and whether the cylinder was damaged or able to be saved..