It took a while but we got hold of our "windshield guy."
Jerry Armstrong and his two helpers installed the two pieces of the windshield and signed under the hood, like the others who have worked on the truck.
In the meantime, the other secret is out of the bag. I bought a
1959 Nash Metropolitan from a dealer in Florida. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the Stovebolt world but I hope it demonstrates my love for the automobile / truck world. I will add
this one to my collection.
In Craig's earlier test drive in the truck, the steering wheel was tight but he was able to adjust that and he has the horn working (the horn piece was replaced).
It took a while but the other tailgate hinge came in. It's all shiny and new looking so I am working on reversing all that in order to get the right rusty patina.
++++++++++++
In the middle of all this, we flew our 92 year old Mother to Chicago to surprise my oldest brother(her oldest child) for his 65th birthday. He is hard to surprise but we all pulled it off. He was shocked to see his Mother standing in front of him for his special day. I always kid him that my Stovebolt was born in 1949 (same as him) and we will see which one will last longer!
We are a family of humor and we all shared the laugh. Once my truck is running to my satisfaction, I intend to take Mom for a ride now that we added seat belts. She is a little frail but her mind is sharp.
Since I bought a 1959 Nash Metropolitan, we laughed that the '59 is the same year I was born. But, no '53 or '61 cars to match my brother Craig or my younger sister.++++++++++++
The replacement voltage regulator was installed but the charging system still was not charging. Craig was very frustrated by this. The voltage regulator has been replaced so there are not many things that could be wrong so he started with the biggest object.
He took the rebuilt generator back off the truck and took it back to the guy who rebuilt it. Turned out the armature was fried. How that happened is beyond me as it has not been in very long. I mean new regulator, new wiring, and the generator rebuilt. Anyway, answers our questions. Once, Craig got the generator installed, he sent a
video showing me it was charging. He blew the horn, too!
A few finishing touches: chrome rings for the headlights, tightening down some windshield screws and attaching the rear view mirror.
Craig sent a
video of the truck running well and not mis-firing. The plaque I made for him is attached inside the cab. The glove box is in and I need to attach the ring once it gets here.
Craig got the truck up to 55 mph on the way to work today. No issues to speak of.
Craig had some last items he wanted to do before the truck leaves. He needs to drain the rear end housing and reseal the pumpkin. He has a minor leak. He needs to fasten the windshields once and for all. He needs to get the dome light working yet.
By the end of April, I started making calls for shipment of the truck. The first broker quoted me $500 to ship the truck once I gave them a $150 down payment. Within an hour, the broker called back for details about the truck. Within two hours of that, the actual pickup driver was calling me from just outside of Craig's place. He couldn't get hold of Craig (he was in the garage still working on the Chevy
). So much for some of the "last touches" on the truck!
I am looking forward to getting this truck to the house as it has been more than a year of searching, buying, and installing parts. To many ups and downs to list here but when it does arrive here, I have some final touches of my own to do.
