Lauren's Wedding

Mike's coworker/friend married Doug in Los Angeles' Temescal Gateway Park. It was a quaint, beautiful setting, with a dinner/dance to follow in the reception hall downhill. All in all it was a great time!

Sunday Visit to the Beach

After the wedding festivities (more on that later), we headed north to see the beach and ocean at Leo Carillo State Park. The beaches in California are always crowded in the summer, Sunday was no exception. But it was still quite beautiful. [Marc] PS About the candid looking-into-the-distance style photos -- just something different to try, and everyone looks less squinty that way in the bright sun.

Harvest Time Begins

We're back from a weekend trip to Los Angeles (more on that later). My post-return inspection of the tomato plants found a good handful of cherry tomatoes. (Actually, I think the variety is officially a "grape tomato," but that's a finer point than needed.) The first of many, I can see. [Marc]

New turn signal lenses

They say that God is in the details - well, that's what I focus on when I get frustrated with the mechanicals... The secret is not to try to do too much at once, and remember that the cover can stay on indefinitely - and the truck WILL wait for you!!! The old turn signal lenses were original, cracked, and opaque. I found these from Jim Carter - about $4 or $5 for the pair. I polished up the chrome around them and put them on. Bit by bit...

New Glove Box

Another quick, inexpensive fix to add detail. The new glove box was $13 at Jim Carter. I should have snapped a pic before pulling old box - but as you can see, it was worn, had been painted once, and had water damage, etc. I think it was actually a grease stain on the bottom. There was so much space beneath the dash that pulling and installing took a mere 10 minutes!!! Notice the USAA card flashed at the side in the last shot. The AAA card will also be there!

New Door Panels

The interiors of these trucks are simple - as best I can tell, this truck represents a deteriorated amateur restoration from the 1970s - when reproduction parts were not available. Now I can get just about any part that I want on the Internet. It's great! The door panels and headliner are made from molded cardboard. Looking at the original photo on top, the original cardboard was covered with vinyl. It had much water/moisture damage (I think that this truck sat in a leaky barn for many years after it was fixed up). Anyway, I bought new panels with metal trim from Jim Carter - about $50 - then polished up doors and installed. It will make a nice improvement! Slowly coming along...

My frist tow

Well, the truck drove home (30 miles from Monroe, WA), but it has not really been touched in years, so there are many things that I want to do to make it a reliable weekend driver.

Here's what I did so far:
1) Rebuilt brake system - hired out
Rest I did myself
2) New battery - Optima 6V
3) Replace upper radiator hose and clamps, flush radiator
4) Change engine oil
5) Change transmission gear oil
6) Change fan belt (as pictured above)
7) Change spark plugs

The weekend before last I went down to the tire shop to talk to the sales person about new tires (promised a call back, but no return phone call). 'Tis OK, because my neighbor and I are going to break and mount the tires in the yard! Anyway, I totally stalled out and kept stalling and stalling and stalling - especially when under load, going uphill. Needless to say, I had the truck towed home. Thanks AAA - it was quick and didn't cost me a dime. Now the trouble shooting begins - fuel vs fire? I think that the timing is too retarded, so that will be a first step. Then it's a review of the fuel system - clogs are VERY common in these old trucks as crud from the gas tank floats around. I will stick to cosmetics for a little while as an ego booster...