We've made it to Pigeon Forge

One blown tire on the trailer and 3 hours of engine work on the truck and we finally made it. So the 4 hour drive turned into around 8 :-( At least I had 4 spare tires for the trailer and we were able to limp the truck to the next exit and find a parts store. It was missing like crazy and detonating badly under a load. I couldn't find a dead cylinder or any valvetrain problems, so we put in new plugs. That helped a little, but didn't cure it. So next was new wires. Better again, but still missing badly. Finally, a new cap and rotor did the trick. Doesn't sound like any big deal, but working on a hot engine, while having to squat on top of the motor isn't fun. That distributor cap was tough to get at.

We've got the car at the show and done our first round of cleaning. Still more to do before judging tomorrow, but the bulk of its done.

I think we've got a good shot at some award. Not sure what, but I think we've got the best paint of the show. Other cars might be a little better on the under side and our interior is all stock (got put in the custom class, which I think is a bad call).

The response from other show car owners has been extremely positive. So that's worth a ton right there.

Check back later for more news from the Smokey Mountain Round-Up.