Martin's mi-STRESS, 1965 Long Fleetside C10 "Rebuild in ENGLAND"

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Next time you make it to the states, I'd like to ride with you, I'll even chip in for gas. lol

It would be a pleasure to have you ride along with us Greg

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

It would be a pleasure to have you ride along with us Greg

What he said Greg. ^^^^

But you may be doing a lot of the driving.

Here is a Duramax being abused.

http://youtu.be/ZEMDqY37tJw

I did enjoy seeing and hearing them in the cities, being driven hard.

[mjh1965]

Well as Rian was looking at the hearse due to Nicola working at an undertakers , I was interested in the vehicles outside .

Here are some of my pictures











And now for the treasures inside













So another great day was over head junk drunk again with more to come

[dwcardfan]

Man it looks like yall had a blast touring the country. Thanks again for sharing your journey.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by dwcardfan

Man it looks like yall had a blast touring the country. Thanks again for sharing your journey.

We most certainly did Donnie.

Just hope to be able to reciprocate some time.


Headed down mainly i70 or was it i707 we saw much that made us want to stop, but while driving, I had made contact with Paul "NevEno" and Brandon "White Knuckle Garage who both live in Ada some distance beyond Oklahoma City and Norman, where we had been booked in at Phil Beauchamp "Rock Tonka" for the next couple of nights.

We had met Brandon and Paul at Clem's party and knew we had to meet up with them too, as they were seriously committed Chevy C10 guys.

Along the route yo Oklahoma, we saw interesting sights and crossed some landmarks.

At this point we had driven through 5 states.... Not bad for a little high mileage Roadtrip.



Much roadside art like this exists in the Midwest Bible Belt of America.

Refreshing and of course for us, who see so very few American cars in England, a constant source of amazement.




One final pic tonight for mate Martin........

This put a massive grin on our faces.



Next up.........

A town called ADA.

[Ta2Don]

Another chapter in this EPIC saga...

[mjh1965]

Well unfortunately it's back to reality .
With the first week back at work being very busy , so no chance of truck time .

Well Saturday couldn't arrive soon enough , so first thing was to go to Maidstone town centre, and change my dollars back to pounds , and yes I did come home with some left . Later when I got home I had to drive to my mums to see her and pick up my birthday present .

Sunday Truck time so up early and went through all my parts , it looks like customs confiscated my silicon assembly paste for my inlet manifold . Well you win some and loose some .

Next I tried my new pulley for my power steering pump And it fitted just fine , but the serpentine belt I got was too long , so I fitted the old one back on



Next I thought I'd try my drive shaft end I got from Clem unfortunately it doesn't fit the output shaft of my TH350 auto box . Well they say it comes in threes
So instead of being disheartened I started assembling the chassis .

First I installed the rear trailing arms



Then I installed the front crossmember



Then the front shock mounts and the shocks followed by the power steering adapter plates and then the power steering box





Then after that I prepped and painted my front and rear springs and painted them red
So at long last it's starting to go back together . Going out to the carport and bolting things back on is so much nicer than pulling it apart .

[Grizz1963]

Really well done Martin.

I had yard time this weekend, and an American car breakfast this morning that lasted till 1.30pm

Then home and all I did was polish up my Corvette exhaust tips.

[ibrown50]

Great progress Martin,

I see you've gone for a U/J rather than a rag joint, I have been considering that for mine so I can fit a collapsible section to my steering column, did you source it in the UK?

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by ibrown50

Great progress Martin,

I see you've gone for a U/J rather than a rag joint, I have been considering that for mine so I can fit a collapsible section to my steering column, did you source it in the UK?

No Ian I collected it from Don's, i had it posted to his place from a supplier in the states off eBay . I also have a U/J for the other end as I have to connect it to this



I have a 1 inch dd rod to connect the two together. I was also thinking of doing a collapsible section myself , but with two U/J s it will still be safer than the straight rod from the steering box to the wheel .

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Well unfortunately it's back to reality .
With the first week back at work being very busy , so no chance of truck time .

Well Saturday couldn't arrive soon enough , so first thing was to go to Maidstone town centre, and change my dollars back to pounds , and yes I did come home with some left . Later when I got home I had to drive to my mums to see her and pick up my birthday present .

Sunday Truck time so up early and went through all my parts , it looks like customs confiscated my silicon assembly paste for my inlet manifold . Well you win some and loose some .

Next I tried my new pulley for my power steering pump And it fitted just fine , but the serpentine belt I got was too long , so I fitted the old one back on



So at long last it's starting to go back together . Going out to the carport and bolting things back on is so much nicer than pulling it apart .

Quick question mate, why isn't the belt routed around the idler pulley???

[RockTonka]

I'll copy and paste from Rian's thread...although I imagine most are following both Martin's thread here and Rian's. Such a cool trip!


It was an honor to be able to share in your and Martin's adventure!

You both have enriched our lives and provided thought-provoking insight into this truly global passion we all share of all things mechanical.

My son and I are amazed at the dedication and persistence you both have to accomplish all you do...not just building your trucks, impressive in it's own right, but also to make this pilgrimage of sorts to the US.

It's easy to take for granted the freedoms and privileges we have here...you have helped both my son and I appreciate, a bit more, how easy we have it times.

Again, THANKS to both of y'all for letting us be a part of THIS year's adventure...because, there's more to come...right??!!!

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Quick question mate, why isn't the belt routed around the idler pulley???

Don I put it back as it was . I took a photo of the old insterlation before removing the A/C pump and replacing it the the delete pulley . The belt I got from you was quite a lot longer . If you have a picture to show how if should be that would be great .



I guess you are talking about the pulley under the A/C pump

[mjh1965]

Here's one of Brandon's wife rocking the Union Jack flag

[White knuckle Garage]

I don't have more to say about that night expect it has an honor to meet you and rian. I'm please you had a great time

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by White knuckle Garage

I don't have more to say about that night expect it has an honor to meet you and rian. I'm please you had a great time

Guys like you and Paul made our trip , with your friendship and hospitality

[clemdaddy]

what a whirlwind trip you fellas had. its gonna be tough to top next year but I bet we can do it. thanks for the recap and really appreciate all the pics.

[mjh1965]

Thanks for posting Rian . It's amazing to think we were only half way through the trip at this point . I have a few more pictures to add . I think I could have moved into Phil's garage and lived there . With a pool table , fridge and micro wave oven downstairs and two double beds and jacuzzi bathroom Upstairs .

Another birthday cake



The engine in the Suburban



This was in Steve's yard



These I took later





Back at the ranch



One of Phil's dogs



Just for playing in the mud



We had a great time phil works hard but plays harder he took me around in the new Yamaha quad and all I can say was he knows how to drive it .

[mjh1965]

Well thanks again Rian for posting , while you were busy posting I was working on my truck . First I fitted my front suspension on the passenger side . The front calliper is only placed on for the photo , I noticed there were a couple of chips in the paint , so I will repaint them first .



I also took notice of what Don had said , and tried the serpentine belt again and fitted it as he said . It seems the old one had been fitted incorrectly . The new one is now fitted .



So another nights work on the truck , hopefully all being well I will get the other side fitted tomorrow .

[mjh1965]

I thought I would also post some of my pictures from our road trip
Route 66 museum

[Grizz1963]

Well, I guess someone has to share the story.

Please post up any photos you have of Tulsa.

[flashed]

Your suspension and motor are looking great .

[Ta2Don]

Love seeing the adventures in pictures...

Great work Martin…

Cheers Mates...

[Grizz1963]

I do hope Martin has some photos of the party and the next day to post up.

I seem to have deleted them from my iPhone which was so over full of photos and other data sapping stuff.

A photo I forgot to upload from hearted days posting, one more item that caught my eye in the Harley Museum at Miami in Oklahoma.





Next morning we were all up early. It was now Friday, which meant we had passed the halfway mark of the trip.

Kieths wife it seems is an early riser and had left by 06.00 for work. Remember what I said about people working hard in the U.S. ?? She could long since have retired, but continued to work in a job she obviously enjoys.

We all showered, had breakfast, coffee etc and then set off for Fayetteville, back to Arkansas to send a bit more time with Clem, Kim and their four cats.

I still had to collect the new side trim that I had bought months before, as well as the unpolished Stainless steel bed strips. These had been bought on Clem's shop account and delivered to him on my behalf, so I paid him back when we got there. Remember the Ski bag I had bought early in the year for £20.00 or $30.00 ......? This was to be my "sports equipment" on the return trip, and I had already paid the £65.00 or $100.00 for excess baggage up to 23kg or 50lbs Of course there was still the worry about whether they would let me take a 2.1meter or 7" long bag onboard that was ultimately to weigh in at 23kg. Subsequent to all the good planning, I still needed to buy another bag allocation for £140.00 or $215.00 to bring back the rest of the spares and stuff I had accumulated. Just beware if you travel like we did, stuff soon accumulates.

Once again we chose back roads and it delivered to us in spades......



There is so much more to see.

Scrap yards, cars, trucks etc parked out front, and out back of properties. Sometimes a glimpse made us pull over, turn around and go look again.

I had not taken very many photos on this day as the scenery was way too interesting.

At one point we saw what looked like a breakers yard.... Closed when we tried the doors, but as we had turned around to investigate and I was still looking for an original auto column shift steering column to buy, and any yard was open game we went to another business nearby.
Martin waited in the car while I went to ask about the yard.
Inside I met Meri (her parents' fault for naming her) and Paulawho worked the front office and desk.
At first they thought I was a mad Englishman, but soon warmed and started asking questions.
Within minutes, Martin had come to see why I took so long..... He is impatient like that.
Suddenly our quick stop and seeking directions and info about a breakers yard had turned into an hour or more in chat and cultural exchange.
I suspect the girls were massively amused by the way Martin and I play off each other, constantly hitting back and forth at each other.
British humour is different to the American version.
So there in Welston in Lincoln County in Oklahoma, a random stop for directions ended up in Facebook friend requests and well wishes plus a selfie for Paula's Facebook page.

Small world, generous people.

Terrible photo, but perfectly represents the randomness........

Paula to the front, Meri at the rear.






We made it back to Clem's in the afternoon...... Had a few beers down at the shop.

I also had a rather spectacular Mojito that Clem made up for me..... My first.

While packing my side trims and bed strips, Clem asked if there was anything I was still looking for for my truck.

We had mentioned to him that the trip had not delivered on a steering column to replace the one in my truck, but that we were both hampered by sheer volume of stuff. My ultimate weigh in was at 84kg or184lbs not including my back pack.

So he asked again if I would be interested in one if he had one, of course I would be and I said to him, only if I could pay for it.

So we went around to one of his stores, rummaged through the approximately eight he had in stock, all wrong....... He said he was sure that he had one. Until I saw it placed wheel on the floor, further back in the store. EUREKA !!!

We unpacked and dragged it out back to the front workshop and set about stripping it. I did not need the wheel, and my existing steering column had a shaft, so it really was just the rest of the column I needed.

The switch gear on it was brittle and falling apart as we disassembled it, and Clem suggested I order in an OEM part to rebuild it with. At 4.30 on a Fridaywe managed to get one ordered for delivery to Bret's mother in laws home in Austin Texas...... As we would be long gone from Fayetteville by the time it got delivered.
Cost, including overnight delivery was $99.95 which was a lot to pay, but at least one can now rebuild it and have working switchgear.

Clem also agreed to sell the column to me for an incredibly fair price.

I did help too, but here is Clem and Martin fitting a puller to the wheel.



Eventually we decamped back up to the house.

Beer fridge around the corner, bottle caps this side please. I love the way in which Clem manages to make everyday items look just right and in place.



Back at the house I was greeted enthusiastically by all the cats, including Minnie who gave me all of her attention.

My kinda welcome.



Back in "my bedroom" I found this car on the pillow, and a box full of vintage jewelry, clothing, handbags and hats for Nicola, a very thoughtful gift from Kim, who had clearly connected with Nicola through my stories and photos of her. Technology to the ready, I texted Nicola a few iPhone pics....... Response was as could be expected. Pleased.



Coffee, tea, chats and cats took a while, then we were joined by Pete and his wife as well as Jeff from the shop and we all went out to dinner at a local pub and pizza house a few streets and short walk away for another celebration of Martin's 50th Birthday.

The jugs of beer kept coming, we kept on drinking. We met up with more of the locals who had been to Clem's party the previous weekend, and it was great seeing them all again. Even better was the fact that we were greeted like long lost family.

Eventually a load of pizzas came along as well and we all ate ourselves silly. It was an awesome night.

I managed to get the whole restaurant to sing "Happy Birthday" to Martin as well and it ended in a rapturous applause.

Did I mention this trip just kept on giving?

Eventually the seven of us left the restaurant and headed home for more Pool, Baccadri over ice, red skin peanuts and a generally good time till who knows what time of the night.

I think I ended up with two cars in my bed that night, again, not everyone's cuppa tea, but as I love animals and they seem to take to me, it was a perfect finish to the day.

[Grizz1963]

Back to the next bunch of random photos.

The pawn shops have so much stuff and in the regions where we travelled the Rebel flag, history and Being American is still celebrated with pride and no apologies.

One of the items in Russell's shop I would have loved to own, despite not playing chess, was this set.





I saw some great looking sets of Spurs too in various shops, and would love to collect and own some of them too......

These in Russell's Pawn shop were modern repro cup holders.



Another open road.....



The photo does not do the car justice ...... Willis Hotrod



Different era.....



Pleased with another roadside purchase..... $1.00 bargain.



General Lee ..... Thrown in free at one of my tut purchasing stops. It actually now belongs to Paul in Ada, but resides in Norman with Phil.



Cougar badge for a dollar....??



Another thing we rarely saw on the trip was broken down cars, trucks or bikes.

This one was just when we were leaving the Oklahoma City limits.



More randomness, but high on the cool factor.

Burger and chips anyone? Neat packaging. Photo courtesy of Ta2Don.




Back to Phils place in Norman, this photo definitely taken at 05.00 when we were in the man cave, sampling some of his moonshine collection. I loved it as Iused to distil my own as a teenager as my dad had a still he allowed us to use.



Pricey in my view, item at Harley Museum on Route 66. However, a Coca Cola collector like Herb "BugThug"may know very differently.



Same venue, the first plumbed outhouse in Oklahoma, I think that's what the owner said.







Back on Route 66 at the device station with the colourful bottle wall.



Maybe not everyone's favourite flavour.





Remember Kieth (yes, that is how you spell his name) in Tulsa, here is another photo of his daily job.

With the kid in me still alive and kicking, I had serious envy.