A year? Really?

Getting a game plan together and waiting to make sure that my new job doesn't end in a layoff this Spring like it did last Spring.

After getting all of those ducks in a row, I hope to see Marge out of the garage again by late Spring.

That's it. Stopping time for real

Marge hasn't seen much action this year. Or last. Or any of the last 20 years.

But after she served admirably as the mobile bar for my birthday in July and again as the bar for our annual Halloween festivities, I realized that this pony needs to be put out of her misery.

Coming up (hopefully soon), an over haul of brakes all around and front suspension. Then we will have to deal with the myriad transmission and engine issues.

When I went to drive Marge back into the garage after Halloween, at least one of the brake drums is seized up. A neighbor and his buddy helped get Marge back in her garage stall and until parts are replaced, she will be staying there.

13 months? Really?

Just so you know, I AM still alive and Marge is still in the garage. In fact, I needed to hide from the heat today, so Marge loaned me her tailgate for a nice shady seat. Still, I can't believe it has been more than a year since I updated this blog.

Not much has changed with the old girl. This year we have been a little tight on $, so Marge was the first project to get sent to the back burner. Hopefully, with a new job on the horizon, that will be changing in the fall. Of course, once I am working I won't have any time to hang out with Marge, but at least I hope to stockpile some parts.

I have always kept a mental punch list of small projects to get done, but Marge now has a dedicated marker board out in the garage where I can keep track of all the things I need to get done to get her back on the road.

The major items currently include:
BRAKES and a new front suspension.
Engine tear down/rebuild

No need to get too specific for now. The most important stuff that Marge needs is all big $, so until I can afford to get these things done first, there isn't much sense in spending the cash to get the little stuff done.

Clean sparkers

Marge has been limping along this spring. She has been running rough, but I have not taken the time to figure out why. This afternoon I needed to use the truck for a while, and once I got home, I decided to tackle the problem.

First, I let the engine cool down for a few hours. Yes, in a 68 Chevy C-10 there is plenty of room to work under the hood, but I have learned, the hard way, that if I am not stuck on the side of the road, then it is best to work on this old engine after it cools down.

After I checked the timing and dwell (yep, Marge still has a points based ignition), then I pulled the spark plugs and gave them a good cleaning. I checked the gap before reinstalling and after I lowered the idle (that I had raised to try to smooth out the engine) to a decent level, we hit the road for a while.

First time in a while I have had a big grin on my face, just cruising the 68 through the neighborhood. Yes, the brakes still suck, so I stayed close to home. Otherwise, it was a great cruise in a smoooooooooth running ride.

Been a long time since I stopped here

Marge is still alive and kicking. She just does not make many trips out of the garage over the winter.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a short cruise and to haul some yard work tools across the neighborhood. The brakes were crapped out.

I should have checked the obvious before that drive. Brake fluid was way low. As loon as I topped it off, the brakes are ok. Not great, but not death-trap scary, either. Of course, that means I have a leak in the system. And I have to get the fixed ASAP. But it is nice to know that the problem was not a lot larger for now.

Same old truck

Nothing exciting to report. The truck only gets a workout now when I am driving it across the neighborhood to mow a few yards for customers. I mow 3 yards on the same block and I cut them all at the same time, about once a month at this time of year.

So Marge works out great for this gig. She gets run every few weeks but the mileage stays low.

I am in desperate need of a brake job/system rebuild. Until the time comes when I can plunk down $500 on Marge, she and I will only cruise to the mowing jobs and back home.

Hot truckin'

The truck is running along just fine. So I have been using it to cruise across the neighborhood when I mow a friends yard.

Other than that, Marge sleeps in the nice dark (but not cool) garage.

He'll only have half a truck left

OK, he has a whole truck, just it is sitting in several different parts of his house.

Still, Rick is selling his 1925 Chevy Truck that I covet very much. Buy it for me, OK?

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...

Column Swap, part 1

On Christmas eve I spent several hours out in the garage. I was hoping to get the entire steering column removed, so that I could have a head start when I bring the new column home tomorrow. I probably won't get the new one put in right away, but at least I am ready when I get to it.

This is the turn signal switch that started all of my troubles.
I wanted to swap it out with a $25 part from Auto Zone. So much for this budget repair...

The bunged up threads at the tip of this steering rod are the source of all of my column problems. I can't mount the steering wheel with them like that. So the swap was in order.

Is that what your dash looks like after you rip the column out of your truck? There is a method to my madness, but it would take too long to explain...


Some where in that picture is my nice pretty steering wheel that I spent hours cleaning and now I won't be using. Can you say garage wall art?

There should be a steering shaft and transmission linkages in that picture,
but they are attached to the now missing column.


Where do you keep your column? I keep mine beside the driver's side front wheel.
Thanks for asking.

Parts ordered

I found a complete steering column from a 1968 truck for sale online. I don't really need the whole thing, but it is complete and looks to be in great shape. Plus it is costing me $7 more to have this nice looking part shipped to my door than the only other one I found. That column was pretty junky looking and I would need to make a 4 hour round trip drive to pick it up.

$7 well spent, I think.

Turn signal success - Ultimate failure

I wanted to pull the steering wheel off this morning, to get ready for a swap of the turn signal/hazard signal switch. I assumed that I would have to order the switch, but my local Auto Zone had one in stock.

I picked up the switch and got everything disassembled and cleaned up fairly quickly. It took a while to get the switch positioned properly and to get the wiring run properly through the steering column, but those were the biggest hassles. Up to that point.

When I was ready to reinstall the steering wheel, I noticed that the threads on the column were totally wrecked. I don't know if I trashed them with the wheel puller, or as I was removing the retaining nut. Either way, there is no repairing them, now.

So in the end, I replaced the turn signal switch. but now I can't install the steering wheel until I swap out the steering shaft.

Have I ever told you how much I love working on 40 year old metal?

The Rebirth of Marge, Post 1

Since parking the truck and suspending the insurance coverage, I have not spent any real time out in the garage until tonight. Even that was more planning for the coming work than anything.

I am trying to decide if I should put Marge up on jack stands to get the tires off of the ground. I don't want the tires to get flat-spotted while she is just sitting in the garage, but I want to make things as safe as possible out there, too. As of tonight she still sits on her tires.

I started pulling the steering wheel off tonight. Then I remembered that I do not own a wheel pulling tool. Racecar Man has one and I have borrowed it several times. Guess once more won't hurt. The wheel has to come off so I can install a new turn signal/ hazard signal set-up. While I am in there I want to get everything cleaned up really well, too.

The first stoppage is the hardest

I suspended Marge's insurance a few days back. Which means she can no longer venture out onto the streets. I know it is going to take me a few months to get everything fixed properly, (front and rear brakes, emergency brake system, front steering, windshield wiper motor, turn signals and hazard flashers, door windows - all need attention). Most of this stuff is original equipment and simply worn out. After all of this, she will still look like hell, but should be safer to drive around town.

Now we are not spending the money to keep her insured. But of course, the insurance company has figured out a way to keep a little of the $ for themselves. Instead of a couple of hundred bucks a year to keep liability insurance on the truck in case I hit someone, the company is making me keep a theft and fire policy on Marge, since she will be stored in our attached garage. $18 a year for worthless coverage with a 1K deductible. Of course, if the house burns down, Marge will be the last thing I am worrying about.

I could have canceled the insurance outright. But when I signed up the truck originally the company had a hard time getting all of the paperwork correct. Because I am sure you want to know, modern cars and trucks have a standardized format for ID numbers. Cars and trucks this old were not standardized, each manufacturer set up their own format. Our insurance company's computer REALLY wanted the truck's ID number to match up to the current standard.

Now that the truck is listed properly, I really don't want to hassle with that again. I guess it is worth $18 a year to skip that fun. Anyways, I am hoping that Marge is back up to speed by Spring Break, but $$$ may keep it from happening until summer. My rough estimate shows that I need about $1000 in parts to get all of this done.