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Chapter Three: We Meet at Last!

We woke early and stepped out into a beautiful morning. It was 50 degrees, bright and sunny. It had been a balmy 80 degrees just 24 hours earlier. There was no hint of the humidity when we left in Georgia.

The hotel offered what they referred to as breakfast. I passed on that and had a cup of coffee. I suppose it was the excitement of finally getting to see Thor, but I just wasn’t that hungry. Oppie was insistent on eating something. I told him we would stop for a biscuit.

We made a quick check of the truck and trailer. I cleaned the windows and mirrors, checked the fluids and kicked the tires. Yep, we were good to go. We pulled out of the parking lot. The GPS was barking orders as we ignored them and found a biscuit.

I had agreed to meet Victor around 9am. Oppie wanted to proceed over and get started. I told him that we would stick with the plan as I was sure Victor had things to do as well for that morning. He ate his biscuit.

It was decided that we should get fuel while we had time. We made our way through the downtown area, stopping at a Mom and Pop station. Next to the station was an auto shop. There in front of the shop was a well patina'd AD. The badging on the truck proclaimed it to be a 4400. The lowered stance and 20 inch wheels said otherwise. I took a couple of pictures, after all it was a Stovebolt. I took this to be a good omen -- seeing a truck while going to get a truck, and only a few miles away. It had to be a sign.

We fueled up. Across the road was a small-town yard sale. I wished we had the time to check it out and said as much to Oppie. Apparently, yard sales are not his thing -- the look on his face told me that much. There was a COOL old vintage “Radio Flyer” wagon just setting there, ripe for the picking. But it wasn’t meant to be.

It was only a few miles to Victor’s place. The GPS led us right past it. There was a driveway but the wrong street number. We kept on. In a matter of minutes, we had actually crossed the state line and were now in Delaware. A quick U-turn put us back on course. This time Victor was standing in the road. He had seen us pass and was now blocking traffic.

We missed the turn on the first go round because there was a second driveway that went to the back property. Victor guided us in off the road. He had been pruning back a few of the trees and shrubs to have better access and he had seen us go by.

We made our introductions. Victor is a long lean gentleman, soft spoken and quick to smile. Of course, I liked him right off. I introduced Oppie as “ Zachary” to avoid confusion. I’m not sure that really helped as I found myself calling him “Oppie” on more than one occasion while there.

We planned our assault. As it turned out, the truck and trailer were pointed in the wrong direction. A quick 19 point turn corrected that. We backed up a short rise to a flat area that seemed more suitable. That was my first glimpse of Thor. Victor had positioned Thor pointing out to help with loading. He sat there in the morning sun, dew still on the windows. It was as if he were waiting on me.

I left Oppie to tend to the ramps while I made my way around Thor. The truck was just as described --- rust in the usual places, dents and bangs from years of work on the farm. I opened the door and was greeted by the smell of an old truck, that stale musty gear oiled aroma that us truck guys love. I climbed in and took the steering wheel in my hands. Yep, this was exactly what I needed in my life.

Victor led me through the doings of the old truck. There was a small lawnmower-style gas tank under the hood that served as the fuel source. The seat tank was rusted inside and would plug the filter with debris and sediment. The carburetor leaked and would need to be primed. The brakes were non-existent. The tires held air, for now. Thor had been painted in house paint with a brush and roller -- a shade of pale blue green. He was beautiful!

Thor came with all the trimmings. The original steel grain bedside panels, an extra set of wheels and tires a shop cart full of small parts and pieces. We had to move the bed panels from the side to Victor's shop, through a garden gate and on to the back of Thor. The panels weighed in excess of 400 lbs each. The front panel was already mounted on Thor. We loaded the panels and placed the extra wheels and tires on top of those.

Turning our attention to getting Thor on the trailer, I realized that the rear was too wide. Off came the outer duals. Those made their way on to the bed as well. We secured everything to the bed. I loaded the front passenger side seat and floorboard with all the small parts and pieces.

The time had come to load Thor. I mapped it all out in my head, getting it centered up on the trailer and ramps, making sure to get the balance just right. Just do it. Victor connected the battery terminal and gave the carb a shot of gas. Here we go. I pulled out he choke, turned the key switch, checked the transmission for neutral, pushed in the clutch (being safe here) and hit the floor starter. Thor fired right up. The engine caught first try. I patted the accelerator and soon had it idling. He knew he was going home!

I slipped the transmission into low gear and eased the clutch out. Thor moved forward ever so slightly. So the clutch worked. I aimed the wheels at the trailer ramps and let out on the clutch again. Oppie was standing on the trailer directing me on. I moved up the ramps and gave Thor a little more gas and he climbed up as pretty as you please. I stopped a couple of times to let Oppie reposition so I could see him better. He was standing on the toolbox across the bed of his truck now. I eased Thor forward a little more until it seemed right. I shut it down and climbed out.

To my shear surprise I had it on in one shot. Thor was centered on the trailer and the balance looked good. I checked the overload springs on Oppie’s truck, and they were just kissing on the back. Perfect.

A few minutes more and Thor was chained down, ready for his piggyback to Georgia. Victor gave me a manila folder with all the necessary paperwork and records he had created. He had owned Thor for 11 years. In that time he had put 350 miles on the truck. I handed Victor the envelop with the payment and a little extra for the parts he had included. It was time to go.

Our goodbyes said and handshakes given and thank yous said, we climbed in Oppie’s truck and headed out the driveway. I waved back to Victor as we pulled out. My next project in tow behind us.

It was a beautiful morning.