Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[bevis1]

so how did you get it home?

[sduckworth13]

Cool ride Vic!

[swamp rat]

This one is gonna be fun!

[Vic1947]

I think this ought to be a fun one. I was so tired last night I didn't say much about the circumstances. A friend found the wagon on FB marketplace. It took several days to arrange a meet where I could see it in person. It was located about 220 miles from us near St. Louis which is an easy drive on I-70. It had belonged to an older fellow who had passed away and was part of his estate. His son said that his mom had passed about 15 years ago and there was no one around to tell his dad NO anymore, so he'd accumulated over a dozen project cars, including this one. The seller mentioned he'd had over 3000 hits on the car in the first 24 hours. And probably, a half dozen guys tried to trade him a Harley for it. I believe I may have been the first to show up with cash, though.

I'd arranged for my buddy to meet me there if I bought it and he would trailer it to my house. However, the car seemed to run okay and the brakes sorta worked, so Kathy and I decided I'd drive it home and she would follow. If it broke down, we could always call Jim and have him load it up and haul it the rest of the way. Plus, my brother-in-law, Rick had already thrown down and said if I didn't at least try to drive it home, I didn't have a hair on my azz.

It was raining lightly when we left and I didn't even get out of the driveway before it died... the first of many, many times. It has a new carb on it, but something's not right. I got good at shifting it into neutral and revving the engine to keep it running if I had to slow down. The wipers worked, but the blades were shot, so I had just a small patch I could see out of. By the time we got it out on I-70 pointed back to KC, I knew I was in for a Roadkill episode. It topped out around 65, but was doing pretty good for awhile. We stopped at all the rest areas and several truck stops to check on things, but it seemed okay except for being down on power. None of the gauges worked, but they'd added some aftermarket ones. The only one of those that worked was the oil pressure and it held steady at 40psi. You could tell the engine was staying plenty cool so we forged ahead.

At about the halfway point, it nosed over and wouldn't run but about 50. Pulled off the road and discovered that the rubber gas pedal had slipped off the throttle arm and was sitting under it. After putting it back in place, it resumed doing 65, but was having an increasingly harder time pulling the hills. We made our last stop about 65 miles from home and by then, despite all the problems, it looked like we just might make it. When we rounded the corner to go up the hill to our house, it was barely making 5 mph. Coasted into the driveway and it promptly died. But we made it.

My right shoulder and knee were throbbing and shaking from the effort. At times, I had to use my hand to push down on my knee to keep the gas pedal matted. Some Advil and a good night's rest took care of all that and I'm looking forward to the coming build. No delusions this time. Plans call for a Roadster Shop frame, LS or LT power, Dakota Digital, Vintage Air... the works. The downside is that I'll be moving Crusty down the road. I only have space for one project car and I need to sell to have the funds to do what I want. I missed getting a good spot in the December Mecum auction, but they said they'd call me when they open the books for the one in March. Till then, I plan to tinker around with it, get the title work done and start a build thread. Stay tuned....

[bevis1]

Roadkill fer sure! I'm proud of ya.

[rustytruck50]

Hate to see Crusty leave, but this is a great replacement!

[knomadd]

Cool find, and what sounds like it will be a great build too.

[Low Elco]

Wow, this oughta be cool! Glad you found what you were looking for.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by bevis1

Roadkill fer sure! I'm proud of ya.

There was a time when I wouldn't have given a road trip like this a second thought. A looooong time ago.

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Hate to see Crusty leave, but this is a great replacement!

I agree, but I only have space and financing for one project at a time.

Originally Posted by knomadd

Cool find, and what sounds like it will be a great build too.

Thanks, Duane. I hope so.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Wow, this oughta be cool! Glad you found what you were looking for.

Kissed a few frogs, but found a princess.


Started a build thread on Alternate Tinkerings. It will be slow for awhile, but I'll try to post any news that's fit to print.

[mcbassin]

Very cool new project!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Very cool new project!

Thanks, Mike.


So, breaking news... Kathy and I made the long trip to O'Fallon, IL yesterday to consign CRLS with Gateway Classic Cars. They will display it in their showroom and online for a minimum 90 days. Their package includes a video of the truck as well as photos from all kinds of angles and a write up of the key features. They handle all inquiries and sales transactions while keeping the vehicle in a controlled environment. I hope this works out since Mecum has relocated the Kansas City auction in March to Phoenix. I'll post a link to the ad when it hits the website next week.

Here's the last photo I took at the check-in area with Andrew Evans, the inventory consultant that handled all the paperwork. I'm already suffering post partum depression.

[swamp rat]

I KNEW you wouldn’t sit on that truck long, building is an addiction with you and selling funds the next build! Truth be told I wish I could afford you to build mine!

[knomadd]

Maybe it's me, sad for you, or the angle/background of the photo, but Crusty looks sad in that last pic.

Well, on to another adventure in a new build!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I KNEW you wouldn’t sit on that truck long, building is an addiction with you and selling funds the next build! Truth be told I wish I could afford you to build mine!

You nailed it, Mike. I've been building, repairing, restoring ...whatever, since I was a kid. Never owned anything I wouldn't drive or sell. Not as easy as it used to be, though. You've been doing great on yours, weather permitting. Storing it in the shop for the rainy season will pay off in the spring.

Originally Posted by knomadd

Maybe it's me, sad for you, or the angle/background of the photo, but Crusty looks sad in that last pic. Well, on to another adventure in a new build!

So true, Duane. Crusty looked absolutely forlorn as I was leaving. Almost as if it was saying "Hey buddy, what's going on? I come home on the hook a couple of times and this is what you do to me? Please don't leave me alone in this place with all these strange vehicles! I promise I'll be good."

[AKC]

It's true, CRLS does look sad to see you go. Kinda like havin' to leave a dog at the shelter. But, it looks great compared to how it did when you first brought it home. It'll find a good owner.

And now, another mangy mongrel gets to have a chance at becoming "Best in Show"...