As the sun rose in Chinchilla, Retro Rock-It was there waiting for Damian and Hoges...
Apparently the tree it was parked near dropped a lot of crap overnight!
Reversing out and throwing it into drive, Retro Rock-It decided enough was enough, and Damian thought that it might be prudent to top up the auto transmission fluid.
Awkwardly, this model car doesn't have a dipstick/filler tube under the bonnet, so this process involves removing a nut/plug in the side of the transmission (just above the exhaust) and poking your finger in the hole to check the fluid level.
It needed some more, so Damian squeezed it in there using his impressive contortionist skills!
Freshly topped up, the transmission actually engaged the gears and changed smoothly all the way to breakfast!
Driver briefing... as expected, Tara was a no-go zone due to the bushfire situation. The morning route notes could be followed for a while, before turning and driving 57km down the highway to Westmar instead of Tara.
Crossing this old bridge, Damian heard a little clang... he thought nothing of it and continued on...
The next time he put the brakes on, he discovered that the brake pedal was incredibly difficult to push down (even though the car still stopped). Deciding the best option was to slowly plod along to a safe place to stop, the boys continued.
Reaching the rest stop, Damian noticed that not only were the brakes continuing to be difficult to press, but that there was also a flat tyre...
After having some of the mechanics check the brakes and determining that the brake booster had failed, it was decided that since the brakes still worked (albeit they are more difficult to apply), it was safe to continue, being especially mindful of stopping distances!
Past some huge stacked up rocks in a field...
Arriving safely at Westmar for lunch, Retro Rock-It ended up parked beside the old Lion King car... two vehicles that used to be owned by the same esCarpade entrant, and now owned by different people!
After lunch the only choice was to head south towards Toobeah, as the road to Moonie was closed due to yet another bushfire!
Some esCarpadians stopped for refreshments along the way...
Past a blue tree stump...
Into sunny, downtown Goondiwindi!
Retro Rock-It checking in!
And off to find the motel.
After fuelling up and checking in at the motel, Damian called a local business to see if he could locate a replacement brake booster... As expected - no luck there!
The last day of esCarpade 2023 (for the boys) will be spent on the bitumen! Damian blames himself for this, as earlier in the day he thought to himself that Retro Rock-It had been going really well, and it looked like they would do all dirt sections this year! *facepalm*
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