Next Monday, the Old Guys will be hittin' the road, and makin' our way to Springfield, Illinois for the annual Route 66 Festival.

And we're doin' our usual thing...waiting until almost the last minute to take care of all things mechanical!

Sonny took the 3.00 Traction-Lok rear out of the wagon parts car, and put in the Cyclone, replacing his 3.25 open axle.

Cecil's got his Mustang up on jack stands, and is doing some mandatory preventive maintenance...changing out the oil-soaked power steering hoses, which would otherwise surely fail on the trip.

After more than 15 years, I learned that I've been using the wrong thermostat, and this week, have replaced mine with the correct one for a Cleveland engine, and took a moment to adjust the TV cable on the AOD trans.

Packard Bill hasn't reported in yet, but you can be sure he's updated something, and it's probably electronics-related!

We'll gather in Lake City, Florida next Monday afternoon, and hold one of our irregularly-scheduled Old Guys meetings, where we'll discuss our 2007/2008 travel schedule, make some hotel reservations, swap tall tales, and enjoy a cold one (or two).

Tuesday morning, it's off to Cartersville, Georgia, with a lunch stop at Summit Racing's new showroom/warehouse in McDonough, Georgia. This could get expensive!

Wednesday morning, we'll leave I-75, and head slightly northwest (only about 100 miles out of the way), so we can take that awesome ride through the Tennessee mountains, and make a stop in Bowling Green, Kentucky for a lunch break at an Old Guys favorite...the Smokey Pig BBQ Restaurant.

Side note...the Old Guys have learned that those who claim to be the BEST BBQ are usually not, and those who make no claims at all, usually ARE! Smokey Pig IS, and so is Sim's BBQ in Little Rock.

From the Smokey Pig, it's about an hour-and-a-half to Brooks, Kentucky, where we'll spend the night, but not before joining up with the newest Old Guys Probationary Member, recently-retired (more than 40 years at the same factory job) Mikey Hamilton.

That evening, we'll race go-karts at the longest (more than 1.5 miles) go-kart race track in the country (somebody is gonna get hurt!), and enjoy plenty of (you can't get 'em in Florida) White Castle burgers!

Thursday morning, it's off to Springfield, where we'll join up with Kevin and Boss Hog Strall, and take in all three days of the Festival.

In addition to our daily Blog, and the photos we'll be adding to the album, I purchased a camcorder, so look for some video, too.