CAROLINA RELIC RUN 2022 - APRIL 6-10th - OFFICIAL INFO THREAD - SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Another fantastic Carolina Relic Run! Congratulations to the Olde North State Cruisers for organizing pulling off this year’s event; great job!

I have to say though, that this year's event was not what I'd expected. I arrived on Thursday and set up camp then checked-in, picked up my registration packet and had my 1972 FJ40 inspected. For the first time, I passed the inspection without any issues (short in the horn first year and a burnt-out brake light the second). I headed back to camp and after supper noticed my winch was soaked. Nothing else, just the winch; hum, rain just on the winch? Yikes: coolant! Cranked her up and sure enough the radiator had sprung a leak. Ten hours and 475 miles from home with just my 1972 vintage Toyota tool roll for company and a failed radiator before I had driven as much as 10 feet on a Uwharrie Trail; not a good start. What are the chances there is a radiator shop nearby; do they even have those anymore……?

I hiked back over to the check-in and shared my dilemma with some of the guys hanging out near the tent. Without too much discussion they pointed north towards a lone tent and a white hundred series Land Cruiser – “you need to talk to Kenny.”

It didn’t take long to see why Kenny was the go-to guy in the ONSC. He immediately took me under his wing and we made the rounds to various Cruiser heads who he thought may have the wherewithal to affect a repair or replacement on site. We found lots of sympathy, but no one who had a radiator shop in their tool kit (no surprises there). It was already twilight and though Google claimed there was a radiator shop only 30 minutes away, it was too late to give them a call. We decided to call it a day and I trudged back to my tent to contemplate how I was going to make it home, much less enjoy the rest of the Relic Run.

I had just turned out my lantern and climbed into my sleeping bag when I heard the rumble of a relic outside my tent. Given my location, far from the general camping area, I was a bit surprised that there was “traffic” so close to my campsite. “Hey Dean, this is Jonny, just wanted to let you know one of the guys (Dave Rushing as it turned out) is bringing a brand-new radiator with him in the morning. Just didn’t want you losing a night’s sleep stressing about your Cruiser and getting home.” You’ve got to be kidding me! Three hours after the diagnosis a cure is on its way; amazing!

Bright and early Friday morning with frost still on the ground, I got up and started to pull the radiator; thank goodness for those Toyota engineers who thought it would be cool to include a tool kit with every FJ40 they sold. By 8:00 am I was one bolt and two hoses shy of removing the radiator. I climbed the nearby hill to get a good signal and started calling the radiator shop Google had promised me was nearby. Thought nobody picked up at the radiator shop (if it existed) I was greeted by a young man coming across the field who said he wanted to take a look at my radiator. Turned out to be 16 year-old Nathan Rushing who was on a mission to check out the radiator and confirm that the one his Dad had in his garage at home would indeed fit, if we were unable to find a shop to make the repair.

He confirmed that the brand new OEM radiator intended for his Dad’s 82 FJ40 would fit, but with the confidence of an experienced hometown mechanic, he declared it “repairable” and proceeded to help me extricate the radiator from its recalcitrant hoses. By 9:00 am we were walking across the field to Kenny’s camp site. After a brief consultation, I started calling radiator shops in order of proximity to my now-radiatorless Land Cruiser. First call, no answer. Second call, on hold for 5 minutes then disconnected. This is not looking good. Third call; “yes, we can take a look at it, bring it in.”

Without hesitation Kenny opened the back of his LC and Nathan tossed (gently) it in, but only after spreading out a plastic bag to protect Kenny’s carpet (hum, they didn’t make 16 year-olds like this when I was growing up). Within minutes Kenny and I were on the road to Lexington 32 miles due north.

When we arrived at Walt’s Radiator Shop, Inc, (10:02 am) Walt himself greeted us in the parking lot before we could so much as set foot on the pavement. “How can we help you today?” Needless to say, that was music to my ears and the emersion tank in the bay of the old garage assured me that this was not just some muffler shop that also did radiator replacements. I pointed to the busted radiator in the back of Kenny’s Hundy (I had learned that was what they called Hundred Series Land Cruisers on the drive up) and without pause, Walt asked if it was out of an FJ40. Are you kidding me. “Yes sir it is.” Says I. Walt: “Well what’s the problem?” “She’s leaking coolant” says I. Walt: “Well let’s take a look and we’ll fix you right up.”

True to his word, Walt’s technician did “fix me up.” In amazingly short order, he walked back to Kenny’s “Hundy” with my now freshly painted, flushed and repaired radiator (did I mention that it’s the original, now 50 years old?). I went in and settled up (all of $64.28 if you were wondering). Less than one hour after our arrival at Walt’s and we were back on the road to the campground.

We were back at my campsite at 11:45 and though I told Kenny I could surely manage to install it by myself, he insisted on pitching in and not abandoning me until it was in, completed with coolant, and I was mobile again. It was much quicker to install and with Kenny’s help she was ready to fire up by 12:30. Amazing! There is no way I could have removed, had repaired, and reinstalled a radiator in my FJ40 at home in my garage with all my tools in my home town in less than 6 hours! No way.

By lunch, thanks to the able assistance of the Cruiser community and Nathan and Kenny in particular, I was ready to hit the trails and enjoy the rest of the 2022 Carolina Relic Run. This was my third Carolina Relic Run and each one has been special in its own way. In past years, it has been about the Cruisers, then it was about the friends I’d made at the Relic Run. This year, it was about the Cruiser community; how they come together and help each other out, offer assistance and chip in; no Cruiser left behind. How cool is that.

Thanks guys for a great weekend and a memorable adventure. I wouldn't have changed a thing!

View attachment 2978346

View attachment 2978347

View attachment 2978348

View attachment 2978349

View attachment 2978350

View attachment 2978351

View attachment 2978352
that story is what the club association is all about! It takes a village to fix a LC sometimes, lol! Congratulations on the stars aligning to get your radiator fixed! Oh, and really sharp looking 40 you have there! :)
 
^^^ Middle pic. The built Tercel found you! Ran into him Friday around noon on Rocky Mountain Loop and he said he felt the stink eye from one of our groups earlier in the day. I assured him it was the "awe eye" and invited him to swing by camp Saturday to check us out since his 1983 qualified as a Relic (t-case lever be damned)!
Definitely awe for me. SR5 with factory inclinometer.

IMG_20220409_124139410_HDR.jpg
 
What a weekend! And awesome weather showed up as ordered. Friday was a much needed relaxing day, little work, little trails, a little chilling
13546463-AF51-46D4-A368-21D233DC284F.jpeg


Saturday had to miss all day due to work, but at least work was a lot of fun on trails and obstacle courses.
F3F08F49-D441-48AF-B557-F58AF98B7A50.jpeg

A2577B08-884D-4D8D-A0B9-FA418C97DDA4.jpeg

But at least got to see the relics line up in the end, sweet looking veeeeehicles!
0270890F-5BD2-4A25-AEFE-E3B588DD2D41.jpeg

A01130F8-BA40-43A4-B8F0-D1147D8D364E.jpeg
 
His mud handle is CHUOX17A as well

Anyone have Jesus's contact info? (or better, does he post on here?)
I know he had been looking for people to send him pics of his 2 relics.
 
Need contact info for the 45 best modified, my back still hurts from my driver's seat. Need his pn for the prp suspension seats he was running. If someone could put me in touch that would be awesome
 
Need contact info for the 45 best modified, my back still hurts from my driver's seat. Need his pn for the prp suspension seats he was running. If someone could put me in touch that would be awesome

Best in show winner?
That would be Jim. @Cirbo
A fantastic rig
 
How did I not put that truck with that mud name! Thanks
 
Wow. Some great pics on The TLCA Facebook page. I’d share. But it’s not set to share.

Wow. Even my s***box looks good :)
 
Thank you sir. And my back thanks you! Stock seats look cool but they gotta go.
 
Man, I had such a good time hanging out with my fellow Tornado Alley OGs and all the great ONSC folks and everyone who descended on the Uwharrie for the RR, and a big thanks to Matt Walls for leading us around … and hey, an event where Steve wasn’t riding shotgun! Got Chef’s truck dirty just like he’d have wanted.

For a weekend I was a relic among relics 😂 :grinpimp:

Steve Fox
 
It was great having you come out all that way, thanks for doing that.

Glad to hear you had a good time. That's always the goal!
 
I just posted a bunch of the photos taken at the RR on the Relic Run Photo thread so I won't repost them here. You might want to check out that thread if you want to find photos that might feature you and your rig. I provided a link to my google drive with a hundred or so photos mostly taken by Erik on the trail ride.
 
Wow. Some great pics on The TLCA Facebook page. I’d share. But it’s not set to share.
Sure would like to know how to access these photos; I tried but can't find the first photo of the event on the TLCA Facebook page. Bummer. Anybody know how to access them?
 
They're on the TLCA private invite only group page. The page was public but after a bunch of hassles with spammers they privatized it.

If you'd like me to invite you - send me a note with your facebook profile.
 
James
Same here. I tried looking and could not find the page.
Can you send me an invite?

Thanks
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom