Gasoline Alley

I wish I knew more than I do about automobiles. I'm pretty good at taking them apart but putting them back together can be a challenge to me. Back in the 80's I had a 57 T-Bird that I drug home on a trailer. It was great fun. When I got it home I got it started and drove it in the condition in which I found it. However I soon discovered that the transmission wasn't shifting right and eventually it stopped shifting at all. It was an automatic.

I pulled the engine and transmission out because it was impossible to take the transmission out from under the car. The transmission was then rebuilt and I brought it home, put it back on the engine and with the help of a teenage boy from the church youth group I put it back in the car. It started, ran and shifted properly.

Today I'm dealing with a 35 Ford pickup that I refer to as BOB. Since it sits on a drive right next to where the carpenters are working on the building project I've been a bit hampered in my quest to strip it down. But I have discovered that it's a great place to hang out with my grandson, Daniel.

"Grandpa, how do you have those plugs gapped?"

To make matters worse, we celebrated July 4th with 9 individuals at our little cabin. Four were grandsons and none of them are over age 6. The evening of the 4th there were flash flood warnings for the valley and we were up until after midnight making sure that the water did not rise above the comort level. It didn't.

Oh, and before that we had dinner for my brother's biker friends from Topeka, serving 25 total. Jane made brisket and pulled pork.

And before that I thought it would be nice to have my old gas pump wired so that it would light up. Thought it would be a nice touch when the bikers rolled in.

I'm still selling regular for 33 cents a gallon.

You get the picture. The truck has been on the back burner. And I write all this just to say that it's fun working on the thing with grandsons around. They are curious about the tools and what "grandpa's doing." My prayer is that someone among the group of little ones will be able to figure out how to help grandpa put the stuff back together. If they do....I'll give them the truck one day.

Love those swim trucks, Daniel.