I'm sure I'm saying things you've already thought of, but years from now,
what you'll remember is how great it was working with your dad. Fixing the
truck or not fixing it will take a back seat to that. And anyway, if
everything always went right with these oletrucks, we probably wouldn't
think it was much of a challenge and we'd probably choose something else for
a hobby. I guess most of the fun comes from working through the "impossible
tasks" and finding a way to put these old vehicles back together. I'm sure
not a good mechanic, and goodness knows I get incredibly frustrated when I'm
trying to fix something and I don't know what I'm doing. (It's 10 times
worse when I "fix" something that ends up tearing up 3 more things in the
process.) However, when I do get something right, it's sure a wonderful
feeling to sit back and say, "I fixed that." (It doesn't happen often, but
when it does, it's nice.) And the most important thing is that you're
getting to work through all this with your dad. Whether the truck is fixed
or not, you're doing something you'll remember forever. I guess you could
look at it this way, you're not working on an oletruck, you're making
memories. Nothing's more important than that......running truck or not.
Tom Caperton
47-2nd 3100....in Whiteville, NC
tcape@weblnk.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobby D Keeland" <bob_keeland@usgs.gov>
To: <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2001 3:58 PM
Subject: [oletrucks] The Way of Things
> Last spring I spent a week helping my dad swap out the worn out 216 in his
> 51 3100 for a rebuilt 235. Needless to say when you have two
non-mechanics
> trying to follow instructions downloaded from the internet it will be a
> fiasco. We did get the old motor out after removing the hood and the rest
> of the front sheet metal as a unit. Swapping the front motor mount from
> the 216 to the 235 proved to be a lot more work than we had bargained for
> but we managed do get it done (in spite of the internet directions being a
> little sparse on details). Unfortunately I had to leave before we could
> get everything back together and the motor back into the truck. Over the
> past few months my dad has done a lot of 'little things' like sand
blasting
> and painting several small parts and that sort of thing.
>
> Recently my brother (a professional potter - not mechanic) and my
> brother-in-law (finally someone who knows something about being a mechanic
> for the past 30 years) finished installing the motor and front sheet
metal.
> They had the obligatory trouble getting the motor to start of course. My
> dad was beginning the think that all of the work that we had done was for
> nothing. Finally they decided that the wiring was hooked up wrong, fixed
> it and started the truck. Things were looking good (which should have
been
> a warning). I'm not sure what they were trying to do at this point, but
my
> brother-in-law was under the truck working on the starter or something
near
> the starter. Somehow he managed to short the starter with his wrench and
> what with the battery being very hooked up, the truck in gear and no stop
> blocks, the truck lurched forward. Although the motor did not start the
> truck did run over the hood before they could get it stopped.
>
> Sounds like the three stooges to me. It is a good thing that I was not
> there or it would have been the four stooges . . . Seems like every
> project in all of my repair manuals start with 1. Unhook the battery. I
> guess that they did not read that part.
>
> BobK
> 51 3600 5-window (project without progress but work on the house is going
> fine)
> Arnaudville, LA
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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