2004 4

2005 Progress # 7

9/24/05 Hurricane Rita wreaked havoc on East Texas.

In the evacuation, it took 18 hours for RHMJr and wife Barbara to flee Jasper and Texas and arrive in Roswell NM to stay with family. The good news is that they made it, and the house in Jasper is OK with a few trees down in various locations The current report is that there will not be any power for 4-9 weeks. Jasper Tire's muffler shop sustained only minor damages and the Coronet was well protected and is in great condition. Jasper Tire lost one of its main garage doors but insurance should cover the damage. More details in 4-9 weeks when RHMJr and Barbara return to Jasper. Please remember to support the Red Cross!

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10/10/05 - WE'RE BACK!

You just can't keep a couple of MOPAR guys down! RHM Jr. and wife Barbara returned to Jasper after the Hurricane Rita evacuation on 10-8-05. The power had been restored to the area only the day before, and that was all that was needed to head back into town. After assesing the damage first hand to his own property (couple of trees down in the back yard) RHMJr's attention returned to the Coronet. At 7:30AM on Oct. 10th a call was received from Jasper Tire's Muffler Shop that they were open for business and that the Coronet would be receiving her custom dual exhaust system and mounted chrome exhaust tips. In addition, a front end alignment and a rear wheel swap (old to the magnum 500's) was also on the docket today.

9/22/05 HERE COMES HURRICANE RITA!

As hurricane Rita approached from the south, the final preparations are made to get the Coronet out of the project site which as been her home for just under two years. This is a big day! Even bigger will be the events to come as Rita makes landfall near Beaumont Texas which is about 70 miles south of Jasper! In a hurried effort to transport the Coronet to the muffler shop at the Jasper Tire Co., RHMJr borrowed a car carrier for that purpose. At this time the residents of Jasper had not been ordered to evacuate. Weather conditions and the federal alert status will change drastically in the next few hours!

10/13/05 - THUNDER ROLLS! - Welcome Home

With the front end alignment completed on this day, as well as the Coronet passing state inspection and acquiring insurance, RHM Jr. takethe Coronet on her maiden voyage home. The shift in work now switches to overall maintenance, detailing and improvements.

10/17/05 10/21/05 GENERAL DETAILING & IMPROVEMENTS BEGIN.

Project Notes:

In this time period RHM Jr visited the old project site and collected the hood pad that covers the underside of power bulge.We received a LOKAR new kick down linkeage system that will be installed in the very near future. While RHMJr was logging his first few hours under the hood of what will be many in the following months, he noticed that the inspection cover for the driver side shock absorber was missing. It appears that he will have to fabricate a new one.

RHMJr has also performed some clean up work on the battery tray and the power steering pump. Both were cleaned and painted black as it goes with the general theme of the car. With regards to some interior work to be performed in the near future, we need to lube and tighten the driver side window cranks and internal mechanism that allows it to go up and down. The front seat backs have also arrived. The legenday Interior covers will be placed on them and they will be installed back on the seats.

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