Marge is Back!

I spent all day under the truck. Started off by finishing up the install of the replacement steering column and the brand new rag joint/steering coupler I bought last week.

Then, when I realized that the shifting was all bunged up on the new column, I decided to rebuild my old one, with the steering shaft from the new one.

After 7 hours in the garage, Marge and I took a cruise for the first time since November 9.

By my count 209 days have lapsed since we hit mile 46011. Now the odometer is sitting at a staggering 46013.

I didn't really start off the day thinking I would make enough progress to take a drive, but good things come to those who cuss like sailors wait in the garage.

A pretty well spent $8

I ordered some vinyl die-cut letters for the tailgate, since I highly doubt I'll ever get around to the bodywork and painting that re-finishing the tailgate would require. For$8 I think they look mighty fine. Bonus that they went on easy

She can't hide money!

The Boss Lady just ordered a few parts for the truck. Someday I might even tell the woman what she actually bought.

I have been looking for a steering coupler for the truck for a while. I found one at GMCPaul's in Indiana for about $50. And since shipping costs were figured on purchase price I picked up a few odds and ends. The tailgate is getting a new set of CHEVROLET letters and the brake and clutch pedals will finally be getting a set of replacement covers. I bet these were never replaced once the original ones wore out.

Hopefully, once the steering coupler/rag joint is installed, I will be getting the truck back on the road for our neighborhood July 4th parade.

We are still up and running

The 68 Chevy has recently taken a backseat to other more pressing $ matters. And time. There just isn't as much of it to go around as there used to be, right?

Anyways, I rolled the truck halfway out of the garage this morning, to let the engine run for a while. The engine hasn't been up to operating temperature since back in November, so I cranked her up and listened to that 307 tick along pretty nicely (for a 40 year old engine.)

I shot a quick video of the engine running, to prove that Marge is indeed still alive and running. Even without a good portion of the steering system in place.

Truck time!

I missed the Pate Swap Meet this year. It is (one of) the biggest auto/parts swap meets in the southwest US. I go up every year, since the site is only a half hour from mom and dad's house, so my hotel stay is lousy but cheap! Which generally means more $ for truck parts.

The family calendar (and budget) wouldn't allow the trip this year. Which is OK, since I haven't actually done any work on Marge since New Years Day. And she hasn't seen the outside of the garage (or a street) since mid-November.

Back in December I bought a steering column in Dallas and I made a quick run to pick it up. When I got there the parts were in great shape, but the guy had promised to pull the steering wheel off for me and (no real surprise) it was stuck in place. He blamed is his cheapo puller tool. I decided to buy the part from him anyways and try to remove the wheel myself, later.

Evidently it is now later! I got the steering wheel removed today with a newly purchased $7 wheel/bolt puller set from Harbor Freight. If his tool was cheaper than that, I am not surprised it wouldn't work.

With this success, I am stopping for the day. Ending truck repairs on a high note. That is a good resolution for the new year, right?

The only other thing I managed to get done was also a success. I started Marge for the first time since mid-November. One crank of the key. One pull of the choke, that I forgot to pull before I cranked it, and one more turn of the key. Success! She starts like a champ, first (or second) time, every time!

More progress

This morning I used the truck for the first time in a while. Yep. The tailgate made a nice, stationary workbench.

I did manage to get about a ton of gardening tools and kid's toys out of the bed of the truck. So that is something.

Progress?

Yesterday I opened the garage and lowered the tailgate so that I would have a place to sit while the kids played in the front yard.

And some of you were worried that this project had stalled...