But, that was before I headed off South on my second motorcycle "odyssey".
Since then , the little truck has gone through a couple of "phases"...
Before I bought it, the poor little fellow was languishing in someones large back yard and being used by teenaged sons to "mess around in the mud". As far as I can tell, the last time the truck was officially registered for use on the road was back in 2001. After I bought it, the first phase was a little different to how it had been treated before because it was now "left alone" but still out in the same back yard. And it got no further attention till I came back from my long riding trip about a year later.
At that point, I spent a day doing some really basic and rough work just to get the little fellow running again. But there were significant problems with it, and I really didnt feel I could successfully drive it back to Vancouver without breaking down and then having to tow it... So, at that point I decided to enlist some local professional help to do the big mechanical and body work down in Oregon rather than up in Canada.
What I wanted to do with the little truck was basically a full "body off frame" restoration (in order to get rid of the inevitable rust patches after 40 years in the Pacific NorthWest), and even though this is a small, simple, old vehicle, I knew that this was going to be hundreds of hours of work that I was going to have to pay for... And I felt I really needed to earn some money before I started in on this big project...
And that was over a year ago.
And so, after I rode back North to Vancouver I got myself a contract job and then started working on the motorbike project through the winter and since then the big house renovation project and then the table top too...
And the little truck lived much the same life as it had for the previous year... Languishing in a back yard (although now it was in a different back yard).
... and so, working I have been...
But, earlier this year (In the Spring), I called up the workshop where the truck was waiting and I gave Mike (the professional ) the go-ahead to start working on it... And "work on it" he did!!!
First thing to happen was they rolled it into the big workshop and took off the old cab top... It was rusty and dented but fixable, but I had decided that I wanted it changed to the "half cab" version. So, the guy doing the work did some research and found a disused original steel half cab (much better and more authentic than the fibreglass after-market versions). So, the bolts were undone, and off came the old top and the new one was fitted on to see how it looked...
And sure enough, I like it better than with the old full cab :))
But that was just a trial fitting, and then the top came off a gain and they really went to work.
The rear tire carrier was removed and the holes were welded and patched.
And the auxiliary fuel-tank filler was removed and patched.
And the passenger side engine bay panels were rebuilt to fix extensive localised rust (presumably from spilled battery acid over the years).
And the mechanicals of the suspension and chassis were given a going over too.
Its a V8 engine of almost 5litre capacity (Ford Widsor 302 "small block") with a three speed automatic (that was in very bad condition). I decided that I reallly didnt like the old auto transmission, and I comitted to paying $5000 for a new specially designed substitute 5-speed manual gearbox.
So, the motor got its share of attention... Though the only major work it needed was a new competition cam cos the old one had a flattened lobe.
The whole process had taken well over six months by a professional shop, and unfortunately for me it had taken a lot more time and a lot more replacement parts than I had hoped (and than Mike the professional restorer had expected too), and that all added up to lots more cost.
I had initially hoped that I could do a basic restore for about $10K or so, but Mike had corrected me early on that it would definitely be more than that...Like probably TWICE that much!
It turned out to be even "significantly more" than that! and I have to admit that I was quite stressed by the accumulating costs and felt that I probably made a mistake undertaking this project through a professional... Even though it was undoubtedly going to be a "top notch" job and Id get all the big fixing done in the one effort....rather than spending several years with the car alternately on and off the road etc.
But, what can ya do once you've got half way through the project?... You carry on and finish it of course :) ...
So, after monthly calls with Mike and monthly visa bills that always made my eyes water!, it was DONE!
And this is what that little truck looks like after all that work...
And the interior of the cab is very rudimentary at the moment... No carpet or radio or liner panels at all, just the bare painted steel cab... I find I quite like it, and I think Ill probably keep it largely as it is.
Call it Simple, or Basic, or Utilitarian, or Spartan, or Rustic... you pick :)
And so, thats the transformation of the little Truck...
And though I didnt end up doing all the work my-self as was the original idea, on review I have to say that I definitely made a good choice to work with Mike from NW-Autofab in Oregon to do the bulk of the work... He did an amazingly good job on it and having gone over the receipts for all the hours worked and the parts replaced,and looked at the quality of his workmanship over the entire vehicle, I have to say that I think I got a real bargain, despite the painfull cost.
And while Im probably never going to undertake another project like this, if I did, I would not hesitate to get Mike involved... I really appreciated what he did for me and the little truck :)
Now I just have to go down to Oregon and get it...
