Team Twin-Snail
Before the Stage
“Luke, I’m glad you got a convertible.” Amy said.
“Oh?” Luke questioned, now curious.
“This heat’s going to be awful for other teams without air-conditioning, but we can just drive along and let the air condition us instead. Plus, it allows for a beautiful view of the scenery whenever there’s something worth looking at.”
“Well, it just felt right. I know, it sounds stupid for me to say that, but it just seemed like the right car for the job. Big V8, nothing electronic to blow up in our faces, mechanical fuel injection, twin turbochargers, an old-school hydraulically-actuated automatic, and an auto-locker rear differential, all packed into a car I got for slightly less than $500. Sure, I’ve had reason to believe a couple times that I picked the wrong choice, but every time, it’s proven itself despite the flaws. It’s a little scuffed, a little battle-scarred, but it runs.” Luke replied.
Linda was looking over the maps they’d been given, then said, “Looks like it’s all uphill. I think all the road-duty’s had us a bit far ahead of schedule, so I suggest we take it a bit easy on this leg, try to avoid worsening the car’s condition.”
Scott wandered out of the nearby porta-potty, looking more than a little ill. “Smells pretty bad in there. Worse than when I cut that one loose in the car. I didn’t do it.”
“Right, Scott. Of course you didn’t do it.” Amy said.
“Let’s just get in the car and go. After all, we’re first now.” Luke said.
Day 2, Leg 5
Luke took it easy on the drive up the ridge, allowing the old beast of a car to settle into a natural rhythm with the twisting, winding road, the engine rumbling along through twin mufflers instead of quads, though the radio still could overpower it.
“Wow. That’s… That’s just stunning.” Linda said, looking out at the scenery.
“It is. Even if we don’t make it all the way, this was worth it all, just to see stuff like this.” Amy said.
“Hell, the wheels could fall off right now, we’ve at least got a great view. But I have the feeling we’re going to make it on this one.” Scott said. “Luke wants to win this so badly that he’s pushing his own limits on repair work just to keep the car going.”
“The only thing in it for me is glory and bragging rights. I get to say I drove an old rear-wheel-drive convertible through terrain most people wouldn’t consider without bringing an off-roader to drive.” Luke said, feeling the old suspension soaking up yet another bump, the car rocking gently as it did. “So for me, this is just personal. My skill as a driver is on the line here, and so I feel I have to do well. It’s why I picked the three of you, because your talents have been essential to our success as a team. I mostly drive the car. Linda’s been picking good routes and been excellent at judging our time so far. Amy, she’s not had to prove her repair-work yet, but it was her grand idea to put ceramic blocks on the catalytics, so we had heat to cook with without using fire. And you, your skill with wiring is part of the reason why we’re still able to turn up some music on the old radio.”
“Well, Luke, what do you want to play?” Scott asked, holding his phone, the audio cable running the length of the interior with plenty of room to spare.
“I’m saving my pick for when it gets to more flat ground, or some rough terrain, I think. But I promise, it’s a classic.” Luke said.
“Fair enough. I think I’ve got something in here worth listening to in the meantime.” Scott said, though the radio stayed silent for the rest of the trip as Scott couldn’t seem to decide on any music to listen to.
The view just kept getting better as they kept climbing, and the engine seemed quite content with the gentle pace, the gearbox gremlin rarely having to choose between second and third, thereby not jolting the car too often as team Twin-Snail made it to Watson Ridge.
Day 2, Leg 5 Aftermath
With the Snail-Boat parked as neatly as possible for once, Luke got out and checked the fluids and topped up anything that was low, while Amy and Linda dismounted the hot ceramic blocks to make something quick to eat, setting one in the little grill and the other under a pan. Scott helped Luke replace yet another of the home-brew voltage regulators, as the one currently under the hood seemed to be reading a little hot this trip.
“Yeah, that looks like another’s gone. Well, it was either these, which we could fit a case of them in the trunk with ease, or trying to find and mount an alternator with a built-in voltage regulator. And then we’d be fighting this problem buried inside a junkyard alternator instead of burning up against the firewall.” Luke said. Scott handed him the replacement, and within a few minutes, they had the regulator back in place.
“Let’s change the air filters while we’re at it.” Scott said, getting out the spares from the trunk. “Then she’ll breathe a little better.”
“Not a bad idea. Hasn’t been too bad on dust, but that 100% off-road section, that could have covered our filters in all sorts of shit.” Luke said.
Car Condition:
Identical to the last leg. Fluids topped up, replacement voltage regulator installed, air filters replaced.
Team Condition:
MRL +15 overall. Confident, but not over-confident. Feeling lucky. Glad to have gotten this far in a completely un-suitable car for off-roading.
