Sunday, December 21, 2014

Montana trip photos

Some pics of Dave's Mordor on the trip home from Montana

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Montana trip

I just returned from a flying trip to Montana.....in a Dodge Ram! My good buddy Dave from Des Moines, found and bought a 32 fordor in Bozeman, I went along for the ride. I drove 300 miles to Des Moines to drive 1100+ miles to Bozeman and 1100+ back to Des Moines and then 300 miles to home. It was a great time...fun trip. A fast trip, I left home Monday and returned on Saturday. He bought a primered mordor, chopped, hiboy, sbc with a 5 speed, no interior,just a front saet cushion. It's finished in red oxide primer, has black steelies and bias ply tires. This is such a COOL car. I tried to buy it from him on the way home. We made it the first day to Billings and arrived in Bozeman the next day at noon. Finished the deal loaded it in the trailer and headed east by about 4 PM. As we hit the Wyoming state line, there was a nice parking area by the big "welcome" sign, we pulled over unloaded the car, took some photos and put it back in the trailer. In Wall SD we did the same thing...unloaded it drove up and down main street, took some photos and then drove out the two lane towards the badlands about 5 miles, turned around and he let me drive it back to town. A great driving, riding car. At that time I upped my offer to buy it....he still said NO! We got some neat photos in front of Wall Drug. I'm still working on the phaeton, kind of slow progress. My lift broke again. The cable jumped off of the pully, I did not notice or hear anything until I was under it working and looked over and saw the 3/8 inch cable all shredded and only as thick as lead pencil lead!! I got out from under it real quick. Dave had a new set of cables that he traded to me for some parts he wanted....that was good. Today I started to put the cable on and noticed the pulley bushings were shot and the spacer between the two pullies was worn thru as was the pulley axle. I called the lift mfg.....they want $400.00 for two pullies and a spacer and the 3/4 inch bolt that is the axle!! WOW! I guess I'm cheap but I think that is way too much. I re inspected the pulles and the only thing wrong with them was the bushings.....I went to my machinist neighbor, had him press the bushings out, went to the shop in town, bought two new bushings, (1.60 for both), had the neighbor press them back in, he made a new spacer while I was in town, paid him what he wanted...plus a $5 tip and I'm back in business. Tomorrow I will put it together and get back on the phaeton project.