Ed passed away February of this year. He was such a knowledgeable person and so helpful to me.
He had been helping me with my 1950 Chevy COE steering geometry. Not that long ago I tried to reach him but his Earthlink email address bounced. Then I found out that he had passed.
++++++ Edited by Stovebolt Staff, September 1, 2025 We wanted to update this initial post of Marty's to include a little more info on Ed. ++++++ Ed "EdPruss" Pruss was quite a Big Bolts Stovebolter as you could tell from his signature line:
>> 1937 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires. >> 1947 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle. >> 1954 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed. >> 1955 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK. I added a few pix further down this thread!
Ed joined the Bolt in June 2011 and it seems his last post was the day he passed. In his Stovebolt profile, Ed listed his occupation as "School bus driver" but he was much more than that. His Obit mentioned, :"... Ed was good at gathering and fixing old trucks, tractors, engines, or anything mechanical. His mechanical and fabrication skills kept him awake at night, innovating tools if they didn’t exist."
We found some other neat surprises in His Obit .... No wonder Ed had some helpful knowledge to share with our gang and many, many others. He roamed many places but he planted himself in Longmont, CO.
For example:
"Airplane enthusiast, lifetime explorer, geologist, and real estate agent; enjoyed camping, scouting, and backpacking in the Sierra Mountains. Studied geology (earned his PhD). During graduate school he spent many hours in the mountains near Cody, Wyoming for his thesis work. During those years, Ed took flying lessons from an old cowboy at an airport outside the city. They had to chase antelope from the dirt landing strip and those flight lessons would change the course of his life."
He even traveled with scientists to Antarctica via New Zealand.
"(He) lived on a small farm in Boulder, Colorado and life on the farm was wonderful for Ed and his family, and engine, firetruck, tractor, and animal collections all grew. ... He loved fishing, camping, backpacking, and exploring with family and was at his happiest sleeping under the stars."
"Ed loved singing in the choir at Grace Commons church in Boulder for years and frequented the Longmont Symphony. As a faithful member of the Vintage Aircraft Association and Antique Airplane Associations in Longmont, he had a passion for anything related to antique airplanes."
There's even more but you'll just have to go read it ... The Obit
Truly the world was a better place while Ed was here.
