[DeTomaso] MAP Squadron De-briefing

Wed May 2 12:07:22 EDT 2012

 Chuck,
Great write up.  Got home without any problems other than severe lack of sleep.  Doing the trip out in 3 ten hour days was surprisingly fun.  Doing the trip back in a 20 hour day and a 12 hour day on just 8 hours of sleep between both days was torture.  Due to forecasted storms for the next week the next day was the best opportunity to avoid rain so I got up the next morning at 6am and jumped back into the car and drove another 200 miles to drop it off at Collectors Choice where it will be repaired from the plywood accident.

It was a pleasure meeting up with everyone in the MAP Squadron who were a great bunch of guys (and gal).   It was an experience that I will never forget.

Tom Shinrock

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net>
To: 'M Grillot' <msjaan at sbcglobal.net>; 'B Hower' <b.hower3400 at yahoo.com>; JJD1010 <JJD1010 at aol.com>; rrsantilli <rrsantilli at att.net>; alex.engles1 <alex.engles1 at gmail.com>
Cc: bob <bob at radefeld.com>; sdlgibson <sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net>; cmccann1972 <cmccann1972 at gmail.com>; rtaspl <rtaspl at aol.com>; knottsj <knottsj at galstar.com>; mbradley <mbradley at digitalflak.com>; tmshinro <tmshinro at aol.com>; bob <bob at knoxtextiles.com>; mgilmore11 <mgilmore11 at mchsi.com>; epmoses3 <epmoses3 at yahoo.com>; grayjim <grayjim at att.net>; jdwd2685 <jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net>; adin <adin at frontier.net>; uniquengines <uniquengines at sbcglobal.net>; jpeaden47 <jpeaden47 at yahoo.com>; lizardman462 <lizardman462 at aol.com>; ronfleming <ronfleming at mindspring.com>; ccunnyng <ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Tue, May 1, 2012 9:13 pm
Subject: RE: MAP Squadron De-briefing

Dear Guys,

               I am still trying to get caught up.

              The night before departure we had dinner and Tom asked to use the garage to add some clutch fluid.   His mysterious fluid loss was due to a failed slave cylinder.  I had a spare long throw unit and Todd Reid popped it in and adjusted the push rod to compensate for the longer throw and Tom was ready for the departure.   

               Monday was clear and sunny.  The morning schedule went along on time.  The trip south perfectly encountered a rolling rendezvous with Jim Gray and  we pressed onward to the turnpike.   Disaster struck before the first toll booth when a  sheet of plywood on the road was kicked up by the preceding Pantera.  It was a low altitude cruise missile that Tom couldn’t avoid.   It damaged his front spoiler and fog light.  A side of the shoulder repair with large zip ties secured things and mercifully no damage was done to the fans, radiator or headlights.   Tom pressed onward without any driveability problems.    We had another perfect rolling rendezvous with Shawn Gibson about a hundred miles down the road where he joined us with his Pantera on a trailer due to its freshly installed engine.   

            In Wichita Falls, Jeff Detrich and Mike DiTucci joined us for a squadron strength of eight total.  We encountered some good roads between Wichita Falls and Lubbock.   Wonderfully undulating and high speed.   Just mesquite and no other real traffic.   Lunch in Lubbock at Ruby Tequilla’s preceded the final push to Roswell.

              Jeff’s recently reassembled Pantera was having some shifting problems which were due to a slightly loose trunion bearing support.  The La Quinta Inn was ready for us.   The next morning was clear, sunny and crisp.   Jeff was still having some shifting problems.   Then Jim couldn’t start his car.  During the night some Italian gremlin disabled the ignition wire from the switch to the solenoid.   Shawn made temporary repairs and Jim did not turn off his Pantera from 8 a.m. until 7;30 pm that evening.

              We shortly ran into more problems with Jeff’s car in the from of “overheating” indicated by a temp gauge in the red zone.   After a couple of nervous stops, Mike DiTucci used a temp gun to ascertain that all the real temps on the engine and cooling system were normal and the temp sender was wonky.   While we were dealing with this Jim Gray and Shaun pressed onward due to rising engine temps on Jim’s car.   We were not to see them again until Las Cruces.   Finally,  we hit some wonderful New Mexico roads with curves and rises and descents.  

            Somewhere east of Las Cruces, the chronically cursed AC system that was *supposed* to be fixed by the experts, blew yet again rendering Alex happy that he was wearing khaki shorts rather than jeans…….

               We hit I-10 in Las Cruces and enjoyed truck saturated super slab until we all exited for the mandatory Border Patrol check point.  What a bizarre thing it is.  Alex upset the guards.   The trick question to pass the check point was “Where were you born?”    Clearly, this fiendishly clever question was designed to reveal illegal immigrants as well as infiltrating al-Qaida terrorists.  Only our leaders and officials in Washington could have come up with something this effective against evil doers.  We finally pressed onward off the interstate and hit the very long small town of Globe that seemed to go on for ten miles.  It suddenly stopped and we found ourselves on a wonderful canyon road  that was complicated by filthy windshields and the glare of the setting sun.   We kept going.  In short order we were a bit over the 50 mph limit and about 2/3rds of the way down went zip-zip-zip seven times past a law enforcement vehicle ascending the canyon.    It would appear that he didn’t or couldn’t get turned around as miraculously we didn’t encounter a roadblock nor helicopters on our entrance into a dark Phoenix.   Bob Knox led us to the resort with his GPS.   

               We were among the very first there and despite our delays we arrived before the Houston group due to their trailer tire problems.

               The resort was very nice and way better than the old Plaza, the Orleans or the Reno CircusCircus.    The next morning saw the squadron performing cleanup and repair.  Shaun and Jim got the ignition fixed.

                The return trip had the squadron split into a northern group and a southern group.  The northern group consisting of our northern members plus Shaun with his Pantera on a trailer opted for the faster, more boring , but more efficient I-40 back east.   They consisted of Bob Knox, Bob Radefeld, Tom Shinrock and Shaun.   The southern contingent consisted of the Engles brothers, Jim Gray and Jeff Detrich.   

            We launched and had a good run back to the east.   All was running well.   We made Roswell before sundown and got the news from the northern brothers about Bob Knox’s tire and wheel problem as well as the transplant from Shaun’s trailered Pantera.   They pressed on and I trust they all arrived home without further incidents.

             We took off Monday morning after careful and anxious study of the rain and storm forecast along the route.   The chances had decreased overnight and we made good time.  The Valentine saved us from a couple of officers, but a fair number of cops did *not* have their radar on, which made for some worrisome surprises.   The only mishap occurred in the west Texas panhandle when my driver’s window refused to come up.  Quickie repairs didn’t make it budge and it stayed down for another three hundred miles.  Sigh.   Jeff peeled off in Wichita Falls to head back to DFW and we pressed home with brisk speed that somehow didn’t get the attention of the parked OK Highway Patrol on the shoulder with his radar OFF.   We returned to PRI at 7 p.m. Monday evening with all systems go except the window and the darn AC that blew near Las Cruces on the way down and was actually working until the window failure rendered it useless.   Clean up will progress this weekend, most likely.

             The trip out is faster and more interesting.  The trip home does seem to be longer and less exciting, but the back roads sure beat the boredom of the I-40 trips of old to Las Vegas.

                             Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles

From: M Grillot [mailto:msjaan at sbcglobal.net] 
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 10:30 PM
To: Charles Engles; B Hower; JJD1010 at aol.com; rrsantilli at att.net; alex.engles1 at gmail.com
Cc: bob at radefeld.com; sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net; cmccann1972 at gmail.com; rtaspl at aol.com; knottsj at galstar.com; mbradley at digitalflak.com; tmshinro at aol.com; bob at knoxtextiles.com; mgilmore11 at mchsi.com; epmoses3 at yahoo.com; grayjim at att.net; jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net; adin at frontier.net; uniquengines at sbcglobal.net; jpeaden47 at yahoo.com; lizardman462 at aol.com; ronfleming at mindspring.com; ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: MAP Squadron De-briefing

glad everyone is safe and sound.

From: Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net>
To: B Hower <b.hower3400 at yahoo.com>; JJD1010 at aol.com; rrsantilli at att.net; alex.engles1 at gmail.com
Cc: bob at radefeld.com; sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net; cmccann1972 at gmail.com; rtaspl at aol.com; knottsj at galstar.com; mbradley at digitalflak.com; tmshinro at aol.com; bob at knoxtextiles.com; mgilmore11 at mchsi.com; epmoses3 at yahoo.com; grayjim at att.net; jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net; adin at frontier.net; uniquengines at sbcglobal.net; jpeaden47 at yahoo.com; lizardman462 at aol.com; ronfleming at mindspring.com; ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com; msjaan at sbcglobal.net
Sent: Mon, April 30, 2012 10:24:20 PM
Subject: RE: MAP Squadron De-briefing

Dear Guys,

               Just back,  Alex Engles, Jim Gray and I made it home to OKC with running cars and the only mishap on the return leg was an acute driver’s window failure that is suspected to be a bad window motor.   We shall see.   Further details when I get dug out at home and the office.  No tickets.  Pantera one made about 19 mpg and Pantera two made 20 mpg.  Purdy good, all in all.

                                 Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles              

From: B Hower [mailto:b.hower3400 at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 4:20 PM
To: JJD1010 at aol.com; rrsantilli at att.net; alex.engles1 at gmail.com; Charles Engles
Cc: bob at radefeld.com; sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net; cmccann1972 at gmail.com; rtaspl at aol.com; knottsj at galstar.com; mbradley at digitalflak.com; tmshinro at aol.com; bob at knoxtextiles.com; mgilmore11 at mchsi.com; epmoses3 at yahoo.com; grayjim at att.net; jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net; adin at frontier.net; uniquengines at sbcglobal.net; jpeaden47 at yahoo.com; lizardman462 at aol.com; ronfleming at mindspring.com; ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com; msjaan at sbcglobal.net
Subject: RE: MAP Squadron Phone numbers

Guys,

I just left ( Hooters ) Topeka about 1:30. Tom and Bob were pulling out toward OKC then.

Tom pulled into Hooters about 12:15. I sure wish I had my car on the road with them. 

Bud #3400

--- On Sun, 4/22/12, Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net> wrote:

From: Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net>
Subject: RE: MAP Squadron Phone numbers
To: JJD1010 at aol.com, rrsantilli at att.net, alex.engles1 at gmail.com
Cc: b.hower3400 at yahoo.com, bob at radefeld.com, sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net, cmccann1972 at gmail.com, rtaspl at aol.com, knottsj at galstar.com, mbradley at digitalflak.com, tmshinro at aol.com, bob at knoxtextiles.com, mgilmore11 at mchsi.com, epmoses3 at yahoo.com, grayjim at att.net, jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net, adin at frontier.net, uniquengines at sbcglobal.net, jpeaden47 at yahoo.com, lizardman462 at aol.com, ronfleming at mindspring.com, ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com, msjaan at sbcglobal.net
Date: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 3:10 PM

Dear Squadron,

           Good news: Alex flew in as planned.  Both Panteras are ready and Alex brought two little hand held radios.  Ray loaned me his Valentine One radar detector.

            Bad news:  The vintage CB radios carefully aged in a closet for about twenty years light up with power, but don’t seem to actually broadcast and receive.  No time to go to Jim’s CB wizard.   Sigh.

            No word from the Northern Guys about their arrival in OKC.   

                               Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles

From: JJD1010 at aol.com [mailto:JJD1010 at aol.com] 
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 12:10 PM
To: cengles at cox.net; rrsantilli at att.net; alex.engles1 at gmail.com; jjd1010 at aol.com
Cc: b.hower3400 at yahoo.com; bob at radefeld.com; sdlgibson at sbcglobal.net; cmccann1972 at gmail.com; rtaspl at aol.com; knottsj at galstar.com; mbradley at digitalflak.com; tmshinro at aol.com; bob at knoxtextiles.com; mgilmore11 at mchsi.com; epmoses3 at yahoo.com; grayjim at att.net; jdwd2685 at sbcglobal.net; adin at frontier.net; uniquengines at sbcglobal.net; jpeaden47 at yahoo.com; lizardman462 at aol.com; ronfleming at mindspring.com; ccunnyng at ix.netcom.com; msjaan at sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: MAP Squadron Phone numbers

Subj: MAP Squadron Phone Numbers

Shaun Gibson 580-591-2923 

Alex Engles 405-245-6633

Jeff Detrich 972-333-3368

Mike DiTucci (my co-driver) 817-455-1440

Jim Gray 580-467-0088

Chuck Engles CB Radio only

Bob Knox 419-633-2222