We hit 2,000 miles
As many of you know, I have been driving this car as much as possible. I try to reserve using a trailer only for trips that are more than a few hundred miles from home. Recently, while out for a drive, I noticed the odometer rolled over to 2,000 miles. I pulled over to the side of the road and snapped a quick picture to commemorate the moment.
I have owned the car for about a year and a half. In that time, I have managed to put 1,400 miles on it, which, considering this is a custom car, is not too bad. The journey hasn’t been without its complications. When I first got the car out of storage, I encountered several issues, and a few more popped up over the past year. Realistically, the car was only on the road for 7 months during this period, which makes reaching the 2,000-mile mark even more meaningful to me.
Here is a timeline of the major events and repairs that kept the car off the road:
September 13, 2024 - The car is delivered - 623 miles (roughly 28 miles added in 5 years). I had to replace the gas tank, have the trunk repainted, and leather panels in the trunk recovered.
December 31, 2024 - On the road for its first drive.
May 2, 2025 - Sacramento Autorama the clutch release bearing sprung a hydraulic leak
May 11, 2025 - The car was shipped to Wicked Fabrication for repairs to the release bearing and various other updates. While in their care, the car was displayed at Wheel Hub Live in Nebraska, Goodguys Puyallup, and the Wicked Fabrication Open House. I was able to show it at all three events while they worked through my list of improvements.
September 12, 2025 - The car was shipped back home.
October 4, 2025 - Pilot bushing began making a grinding noise.
January 8, 2026 - I finished pulling the transmission, changed the pilot bushing, and reassembled everything. This was more involved than it sounds, requiring the removal of the entire exhaust system, driveshaft, the center frame section, and then the transmission itself. I wanted to do this repair myself to understand how everything fits together. It was a great learning experience, and I took my time rather than rushing the job.
March 1, 2026 - The odometer reached 2,000 miles!
Driving periods between repairs:
January 1, 2025 - May 2, 2025 - 4 months of driving
September 12, 2025 - October 4, 2025 - 1 month of driving
January 8, 2026 - March 1, 2026 - 2 months of driving
All told, I have had the car on the road for a total of 7 months as I worked through getting everything just right. During those 7 months, I managed to put 1,377 miles on it, which is pretty good considering the circumstances. I am optimistic that the coming year will see the miles add up even more quickly now that the major issues have been addressed. I look forward to seeing everyone at shows or cars and coffee events!
