Picture of the Week: Stude in Motion

Stude in Motion

When a photographer friend of mine asked if Stude and I would be interested in doing a film-noir style shoot with him, it didn’t take a second thought! He’s been working on perfecting a new custom-built rig to shoot cars at speed and wanted to shoot Stude in a dark, industrial setting. I love the way it turned out! I like to think I’m racing away from a villain chasing behind me - write your own story in the comments below…or at least read the comments for The Gear Head Skeptic‘s fabulous fiction!

Check out more cars in motion from photographer Bo Struye (http://www.bostruyephotos.com/blog).

Would You Drive Your Classic Up Pike’s Peak?

The 2013 National Studebaker Meet meet happens to be in Colorado Springs, CO this year. Usually held in Indiana, it’s closer proximity prompted me to look over the schedule. I was surprised when I saw “Drive Your Studebaker to the top of Pikes Peak” listed.

Pike’s Peak is famous for the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb race each year. The “Race to the Clouds” speeds up Pike’s 12.42 miles of narrow, twisting road – climbing 4,720 feet as it winds past 156 turns. I would love to drive this route – but the thought of driving my drum brake-equipped Studebaker here makes me shudder…

My first mountain drive was up to Big Bear, a summer or two after getting Stude. It wasn’t going up the mountain that was the problem (although I did have carburetor issues with the altitude)…it was coming DOWN! Careful not to ride my brakes, heating them up was unavoidable. I went as slow as possible and eventually had a line of traffic behind me. When a turn-out finally appeared, Stude rolled very slowly to a stop.

After this journey I vowed never to drive in the mountains again with Stude. But life always brings surprises, and I unknowingly piloted Stude to another mountainside.

When my husband and I were driving to our honeymoon destination – the last stretch of road dropped dramatically down a mountainside. Not exactly an ideal time to worry about barreling down a steep cliff! Luckily we made it without mishap – but it wasn’t the funnest part of the journey.

These experiences made me all the more surprised when I saw the Pike’s Peak drive on the schedule of the SDC Meet. I suppose a number of owners have upgraded to disc brakes, because I wouldn’t dare drive the peak – while my Stude wouldn’t have a problem getting UP the mountain, I fear she’d need to be air-lifted out of there!

Does anyone else have experience driving their classic to the mountains?

Legacy and a Learner

80 years separates these two unexpected “Grease Girls”. Margaret Dunning is 102 and still driving and wrenching-on her beautiful 1930 Packard that she’s owned for 63 years while Morgan Johnson is a mere 22-years-old and just began earning her wrenching-credentials after purchasing a ’72 VW Bug and promptly taking off on an epic road trip. In a climate where many people are still surprised to see a woman getting involved in the garage, it’s refreshing to be reminded of both the many women who have gone before and also the next generation of ladies getting “bitten by the bug”. Their stories make me grin and I hope they’ll make you smile also.

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…

Stude Rules the Road Once Again!

It’s been pretty dusty around GreaseGirl lately…I apologize for that. Life has been going at warp speed lately – with a new job (yay!), just engaged (double yay!), and pending move (meh) – I’ve been just a little busy. But I fully intend to continue sharing my adventures via GreaseGirl – many will be coming in the near future!

Without further ado, I couldn’t wait to share with you that Studie has been freed from her long imprisonment! She’s been on my driveway due to fuel issues since November. It wasn’t too much money or time to fix the issue – but I just didn’t have either for awhile. After a couple of Saturday-afternoon wrench sessions, the tank was dropped, professionally cleaned, and put back in along with a new fuel pump. The new hard lines to the front are still in the works – but the important thing is she’s back!

I’ll be doing the full write-up very soon – so look forward to a report of my experience soon of dropping a tank for the first time, finding a new favorite tool, discovering a fantastic way to quiet a fuel pump, and lots of other adventures.

Happy Trails,

Grease Girl

P.S. You’ll be glad to know I was snagged by a car-loving Fella! For our first date, I was wearing my overalls and we met at his shop. Many a days have been spent together with our cars…I can’t wait to continue my adventures with a partner-in-crime as fantastic as him!