This weekend I logged in a little more than 1300 miles, all for hot rod parts. I thought I'd share a few photos of the weekend. Saturday I went from Salt Lake to Reno and back... 14 hours of driving and about a thousand miles. I took some pics for the vicarious people. Here's Bonneville under water. No salt flat racing today, unless it's a boat. Again... After that, I didn't take any more photos until I got the frame back from Reno. It was pedal down and music up time. Here's the frame. It needs some work but, overall, it's decent. Here are some of its issues... Then, this morning it was up and at 'em again. This time, a mere 260 mile round-trip jaunt. This time I took I80 East into Wyoming. For those that aren't familiar with the area.. here are a couple shots coming through the mountains. There'll be more in the next post. Although a little out of order, as far as my trip's concerned here's a car that the man I got the A parts is storing for his old buddy's widow. The man converted this 30 A into a pickup truck a long time ago. The space was so small I really couldn't get great shots. Then, my camera ran out of juice so this is all I've got for details. But, as far as a neat build goes, this thing was really authentic. He had done a pretty good job on the bed. It was well-used up until the day he died. The story the man was telling me is that his buddy got the car running after it sitting idle a bit. He called his wife to tell her he had just been out tooling around with it. The shared a laugh about it not having brakes and such and they hung up. When she came home, she found him dead sitting by the phone. So, at the very least, he went out doing what he loved.
I like the '51 Merc steering wheel on the A, and the vinyl upholstery, must have been done in the 50's from the way it looks.
I loaded, I mean like REALLY loaded my truck with Model A parts. All sorts of good stuff. 3 or 4 rears, 4 front axle set-ups, 3 transmissions, 4 rear A springs, 3 fronts, A rear cross-member, and a ton of miscellaneous parts. Tail dragger! Some will get sold off and I'll keep the things I need for an eventual project I've been plotting. I thought I'd sneak in a few of the scenic shots, too. So, what did you do this weekend?
The interior was pretty neat. The owner and his daughter took the seat covers out of a Merc and shortened them to fit and the others were given up for the panels. They could've come out of the same car that wheel came from. That wheel was really sharp. Which one, in the car or sitting in the bed of the truck? That car had a defroster. He drove it year round. Beneath the bed there was a spare and a shovel for when he took it hunting (there was a gun rack in it too). As well, beneath the seat he had tire chains, which are needed in that area during the winter. Another neat thing was the gl*** in the quarter windows. He took beveled gl*** out of a picture fame and cut it to fit. He was a handy guy.
I got a similar defroster in one of the boxes packed in the front of my truck. It's pretty neat, 6v, that hooks up to the stock-style heater and has a tube coming off to run a vent. I got a cool old reflector and great 28/29 speedo and dash light. As well, a decent drum-type brake light that needs a little TLC. Man, there's so much stuff... even a box full of NOS engine and electrical parts.
While I was nearing the speedway exit, I contemplated taking it and seeing how far the water covered the salt but then I figured I had another 400 miles to drive and kept at it. It's pretty crazy how much water is out there.
You're one of the few, I suppose. Lot's of people don't get why I'd go out of my way for stuff like this. Maybe I have a little bit of trucker in me. I like seeing the country, playing my music loud, meeting new people, and having some adventure. I do miss having a dog to ride shotgun, though. I skipped the gym and unloaded the truck tonight. Now that it's out of the truck and taking up good real estate in my work space/storage, I'm going to have to move it all again. It probably won't be the last time either. I am a glutton for punishment. Thanks for the offer, though, man. I do appreciate it.
The Jalopy Journal
