Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

Spent several hours in the shop today after making a run to the hardware store to by some Flitz chrome polish.

Handling the air cleaner and my new valve covers with dirty hands left them smudged and in need of a good polishing.

Now Flitz polish is something I’ve used for many years for chrome, brass and other shiny plated surfaces. Well, the new bottle of Flitz I bought didn’t work worth a damn — something of a surprise. I have used Flitz over a number of years, but on automotive chrome today, it was nearly impossible to get the Flitz to polish up to a clear, haze-free shine. After leaving half o the air cleaner smudged and dirty, I broke out the tried-and-true Meguairs spray wax cleaner.

The Meguars did a bang-up job, and left the chrome clean and shining. I also used the same spray wax on other chrome parts, including my new valve covers. Looking shiny and good. I really, really prefer the spray wax cleaner. I used it on the visible parts of the air cleaner and again later on the alternator, etc.

CONFIRMED BOLT PATTERN. With Elijah’s help, I quickly used my new bolt-pattern size gauge to confirm that the Chevy’s bolt pattern is still factory — 5 lugs with 4-3/4 inch bolt pattern. I’m going to try to come up with a spare of some sort — either a compact spare or an existing spare with the air let out of the tire so it fits in the spare tire well.

WEATHER NOT FAVORABLE FOR TRI-FIVE NATIONALS. Though we’re a week out, the weather forecast for the Tri-Five Nationals looks like storms and rain for all three days, Thursday through Saturday. Its discouraging for sure.

I think my son and I will still go to Bowling Green, but not in the Chevy. There’s a good chance the weather will improve for one or all three days, and if so, he and I can still attend the nationals as spectators. If the weather improves, we’ll still be able to go and make use of my golf cart rental.

I’m still working the make sure the Chevy is ready to roll should the weather improve. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow I’ll start packing tool bags and make a checklist of items I’ll need to take on the road. For starters, I’ll have to check my existing old Chevy rim to confirm its the correct bolt pattern.

Well, time for bed. More to come soon.