Those of you who made the Reunion in KC know of TOTO's trip and Ouch .I was asked to relate it to the rest of the Bolters . TOTO is my 1952 GMC 303-24 tilt bed hauler
. It's been a working truck all of it's life and looks like it and seldom going more than 20-30 miles from home . So after some problem fixing - new tires - radiator - misc. maintainance items I was ready to go to KC . Dawn faided into existance ( foggy as ---- ) as I loaded my pickup with all the stuff I was taking . It was not looking like a fun start to my drive . I took the PU so I could drive it - not TOTO around KC . Fired up TOTO and loaded my PU onto her back and chained everything down turned on my battery powered magnetic base caution flashers and put them on the rear deck so that I could be seen in the Fog and was off like a herd of turtles
. Out onto Hwy.24 a two lane hwy. mostly flat with a few gentle hills ( until you hit KC ) . Checked the chains at the first town everything with them and TOTO was OK - so far so good . After about another 25 miles of bumpy rutty hwy TOTO turned into a mad dog
. Super power steering and difficult to keep running straight down the road - slowly pulled off the road to Ponder what the heck
was the problem . Due to the "silky smooth" ride up to this point the front of the bed had bounced enough and the old hydraulics lost some of it's umph letting the front of the bed to rise about 6"-9" and with the PU on top it changed it's driving characteristics in a BAD way
! Lowered the bed and was off too the turtle races ( top end loaded is not more then 55-60 mph ). Another 20 or so miles the same thing reared it's ugly head almost causing TOTO to make a pit stop in a ditch ! I'll fix that @#!$%* from happening again said I :mad: not knowing that it would come to bite me on the backside later . CHAIN the front of the bed to the frame so that there is no more bounce ! Cured that problem for the rest of the drive
. The next 65 miles or so were rather uneventful . The usual finger jestures and colorful well wishings from fellow travlers . There were some Smiles and Waves from those who like the old trucks and even one '50s vintage International 2 ton flashed its lights and had waving hands out every window
( nice looking working truck she was ) as it passed me heading the other way . Oh Boy I'm There
it's the west side of KC !!! Ugh - now the Real Work began . TOTO and I learned to HATE the next 8 or so miles of up the hill - down the hill city driving . You would see a 2 block up hill run and D@#$ it if you wouldn't hit a Red lignt at the bottom . Up the hill with not so friendly :mad: city drivers wondering when you would get that rolling wreck out of park ( max speed usually was about 20-25 mph by the time the top of the hill was reached ) . I should inform my readers that TOTO does not have a working speedometer or gas gauge, only the important water temp and ammeter workes . On with the Saga . After several miles of this type of city driving TOTO was on another up hill crawl when the engine started to cough and sputter ( well I guess
a gas gauge is also important ) but the Old Truck Gods smiled on me and we stumbled into the next parking lot and was safe . Discovered that the I had a few drops left in the tank but because of the angle of the hill the gas pickup could not pick it up . No problem I have a 5 gal. gas can in the bed of the PU . Hummmm It's on top of TOTO's bed . Emagine a 275 lb. bearded monkey climbing around on top of a '90 PU on top of a '52 1 1/2 ton truck
a Kodak moment if there ever was one ! Don't tell anyone buuuuut TOTO went thru a couple of slightly not green lights at the bottom of a couple of Very long up hill grades . Baaad TOTO !!!
Finally I see the Muddy MO and as I crossed I could see where the truck show was setting up . When I pulled in I was greeted by two of the very friendly KC truck club staff who were Happy to see that I had made it then pointed me to where I could off load my PU from TOTO's back . TOTO was tired of giving a Free ride to a ( spit ) Ford PU. Now as a word of Warning
to all who drive a good distance to a event and have to unload . DON'T !!! Give yourself some time to wind down and relax - get some people to stand around and bother you . This is where my being the impatient cuss and my earlyer " Cure " came around to bite me in the back side . I took off all the chains from the PU and tryed to release the binder from the chain holding down the bed - but the bed had enough pressure on it that I couldn't do it. Fired up the hydraulics and lowered the bed to release the pressure on the chain . Around to the passenger side where the bed was chained down and release the chain . Here is the mistake - instead of removing the chain from the truck like all the others I just threw the loose end up onto the steel bed of the truck - a no no . Back to the other side and the controls . Up goes the back plate - I take the bed up just enough to take the slack out of the winch cable - when the PU took up the slack it jared the bed a very little - but enough to let the new chain slide on the steel deck . Off it went and just my bad luck snagged on the other end . Not knowing this at the time
I started the bed on up . As it went up I was also letting the PU down the bed .Then all sorts of H#@$ broke loose . I thought that I was ripping up my PU ! By the time I found out what was really wrong it was too late
TOTO had a bent bed . See Cletises pictures in the Stovebolt photobucket . As they say Oh S##t ! - Oh Well ! What's been done is done
. For having gone around 120+ miles ( one way ) for the first time in decades TOTO did rather well . Less the bent bed I only had a small rear engine seal leak - a small transmission seal leak - a small hydraulic lift leak and a small rear brake cylinder leak . Not to bad for the Old Rolling Wreck . A fun weekend then a rather uneventful trip back home not counting the friendly :mad: fellow drivers . Now to fix all those little leaks and bent bed . BUT TOTO did it !
NOTICE - Do not try this at home ! Ed H
