Its a bit of a pain to modify all of my pics to meet the SS size restrictions, so most can be found on my Photobucket account The rest of this is a modified version of a post I made on the Jeep forum I belong to, so please excuse me if I didn't get it completely edited and parts don't make sense.
This trip was a trip I’ll never forget, and fortunately very uneventful at the same time, if you know what I mean. Although I had a couple months to roughly prepare for the trip, due to the circumstances, I had no time to do last minute preparations. My EUC was approved on Thursday, then I got the hold e-mail on Friday. Then Monday, with the help of Greenjeepster on here, things got straightened out and I was able to make arrangements for the recovery of my Kentucky (Ft. Knox) Deuce. I was to fly to Louisville Tuesday and go with Brad on the recovery Wednesday. I gathered basic tools together: ¾” drive socket set w/extension, ½” socket set, ½” breaker bar, combination wrenches, pliers of various sizes, large adjustable wrench, large channel locks, and a few misc. items. I packed these into a suitcase and weighed it…48.5 lbs, just shy of the 50 lb. limit Southwest has. Perfect! Gathered the rest of the items I was bringing, which mostly consisted of clothes and electronics to keep me from going out of my tree on the way home. Deuces don’t have much of an entertainment system. I had my GPS, Sirius radio, MP3 player, and over the ear headphones. I also had parts to be able to hook all of this up, including a 24v to 12v converter.
Wed. morning I left early for my father’s house, where I was leaving the Durango. He was bringing me to the airport in Manchester. All was going smoothly so far. Bear in mind I have never flown before, so this was all new. And the current security level of airports had me a bit nervous. I had all of my electronics as carry-on, so I was hoping none of it would be restricted. I found baggage check and dropped my bags, and fortunately their scales agreed with mine. The tool bag still got a bright tag to let anyone know it was heavy. I then headed upstairs to find a book or magazine for my aprox. 1-hour layover in Chicago. While browsing the newsstand I heard my name called over the PA, requesting my presence at baggage check. Oh no. I’m going away in handcuffs. They didn’t like the tools. I get there and they just needed the combination to the lock on the bag. Apparently something in it must have raised suspicion, and they wanted to look through it. It must have been the jeans I put in to take up space.
Back upstairs, and over to board the plane. When it arrived I was surprised at how small it was. This was confirmed when I boarded. I had to duck my head getting on, and the inside reminded me of a bus. Three rows of seats on each side and a very narrow aisle down the middle. Once in my seat I thought of Ron White’s routine about his airplane flight, and thought this must be the plane he flew on.
The flight was quiet and exciting, being my first. We landed at Chicago and I walked around to my next gate, then looked for a place to eat. I was on the phone with my wife, who has been in the Manchester, NH airport, and said there must be someplace to eat at the airport, like a McDonalds or similar. I found myself in the middle of a fairly large food court, with about every type of food there is, including a couple taverns. I decided on a nice polish sausage w/onions and a beer. I enjoyed letting my wife know I traded up from a Big Mac. Then on to the next plane and Louisville.
Once landed I headed to baggage claim, crossing my fingers that my tools made it. The clothes can be replaced…but I need those tools! Luckily I got the bags quickly, then got my phone out and called my friend Neal, who had volunteered to pick me up and let me stay at his home. I was headed out the doors as he answered, and when I asked where he was, replied “Sitting in my truck watching you come outside”. I noticed his Chevy parked in front just as he was saying that. Nice! Back to his house, where I finally got to meet the entire family. I had met his wife before, but now he has 3 great kids as well.
The next morning I was picked up by Brad for the trip to Ft. Knox. We stopped by my friend Wayne’s house to pick up a couple batteries he loaned me, then on to the base. Getting in was easy, and we quickly found where we needed to go. I was finally able to lay eyes on my purchase, and I’m happy to say it looks every bit as nice as it looked in the photos! Everything was still intact, which made me feel like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
First off was an overall check. The oil was full and unbelievably clean, belts were good but slightly loose, coolant full, tires looked great. Brad flipped the master switch and the low air buzzer went off, so we were hopeful that the batteries might be good. He hit the starter button…and nothing. ****. Next the batteries were hooked up with the one set of jumpers we had (could only hook 1 battery up) and tried again…nothing. Next we pulled the stock batteries out and installed Wayne’s. Still nothing. Now I’m starting to wonder about a starter issue, so I checked what I could, and the wiring looked fine. Out came Wayne’s batteries and in went the originals, then I checked both of Wayne’s batteries by hooking them up one at a time…and found one was good, and the other had no charge. O.K., next I tried something crazy…we borrowed another short lead from another truck (it went back on when we were done!) and I hooked up the 3rd battery in series, making 36 volts. Maybe if we have 3 semi-charged batteries it will fire. Nope. As a last resort Brad and I went over and started checking other trucks to find one that starts, and we finally got one that fired right up. He pulled that up in front of mine and the jumper cables just reached. Success!!! My truck fired right up, and sounded great! WOO HOO!!!! The other truck was returned to its place in line and we picked up the tools and batteries and got ready to pull out. As I was securing the batteries back in place I asked Brad if he had checked the brakes. Nope. He jumped in and hit the pedal…and it hit the floor! We quickly decided to try to get the truck back to a gas station that was down the road a few miles. I pulled the truck around to the gate where we signed out, then was finally able to drive off the base for the first time. Its official, I have a Deuce!!!
The drive to the gas station was fun. Of course when driving with no brakes people somehow know to pull out on you. After two semi-close calls (closer than I wanted anyway) I saw Brad pull over by a gas station. I downshifted…and decided to hit the next station, since I didn’t have enough time to get slowed down for that one. At the next station we filled the brake fluid and I started pumping the pedal. It took maybe 50 or so pumps, then I started to get the smallest amount of firmness at the very bottom of the stroke. After a check for leaks under the truck, we hit the road again. Fortunately the brakes stopped the truck so we headed back to Wayne’s house. On the way the brakes kept getting better and better, and by the time we got to Louisville, I had full brakes with a nice firm pedal. We stopped at a Dairy Queen for lunch, where we debated whether to shut the truck off or not. I was at the top of a small hill, so I took a chance. It fired right back up, so we were excited that the batteries took a charge.
Once back at Wayne’s I thanked Brad for all of his help, then started really checking over the truck. I found a plate on the dash that showed that the truck had been maintained by the German military in 1985, so it spent some overseas. Soon my friend Red showed up, man it was good to see him! I’m glad he made it back from Iraq safe and sound once again. After checking over a few things Neal showed up and was like a little kid with a new toy. Of course I had to let him drive it, after all he was nice enough to give me a place to stay and “make me” put up with his kids so he jumped in and fired the beast up. We went for a short drive and he decided every guy needs one of these. After a few pics of the truck I went back to the inspection. I have a feeling this truck was very recently maintained, because of the clean engine oil, but also because of the super clean transmission fluid as well. Next up was wiring up the 12v circuit for my GPS and Sirius radio. I wouldn’t have survived an 1100 mile drive without those!!! Last up was a check of the tire pressures. It was getting dark so I was going to pull the truck up closer to the garage to get some light. Unfortunately the truck had other ideas…the batteries were dead.
Red was nice enough to take me to WalMart for new batteries, which should have been easy…many posts on Steel Soldiers recommend Group 31. Well WalMart didn’t have any shown, so we went to AutoZone. Same thing there! Well I called Amelia, who got on the computer and did a search on SS for “Deuce Batteries Group” and came up with several posts showing Group 31, which apparently don’t exist. We ended up going back to WalMart, where the batteries were aprox. $30 cheaper than Autozone, and just grabbed the 2 biggest batteries they had. Back to Wayne’s, installed the batteries, and the beast came right to life. Cool! Pulled it in and checked the tires. Hmmmm. We decided whoever did the last maintenance must have been a kid who worked at a chain repair shop in civilian life. Every tire was set at precisely 32 psi, just like the kid’s Civic would take! O.K., more time was spent on bringing the pressures up to 80psi all the way around. And when dealing with 1100-20 tires, that takes a while! I felt bad because it was getting late, and I’m sure Wayne had better things to do than deal with a big green chunk-O-steel in his shop. Once the pressures were up I poured in the several gallons of used motor oil they had saved for me, then thanked Wayne and Red for all of their help, without them I would have been screwed! Two great guys, that’s for sure.
I noticed the time and cringed…it was 9:30, and I was sure Neal would be either in bed or close to it. I talked with him, then headed back to his house, where I proceeded to take the Beast through Wendy’s drive-through on the way. This was a private joke, since we were talking earlier about taking big vehicles through a drive-through. It just happened that this was the only thing open at 10:10, and only the drive-through at that. I got some strange looks but it went smoothly. The truck fit under their awnings with about 2” to spare. Once back to Neal’s I snuck in as quietly as an unmuffled Deuce can, had my late dinner, checked in with Amelia, then went to bed to be rested for the long drive home.
In the AM I said my goodbyes. It was great seeing the Kentucky crew again, and I have to say that I have never deal with, or know of, another group that’s so quick to jump in and help a guy out than these guys.
With a nearly full fuel tank and packed truck I headed North. The truck drove great and I was making decent time (as good as can be expected at 55 mph) up into Ohio. I stopped in Jeffersonville (about 35 miles south of Columbus) to top off my tank and get a bite to eat. I knew I was far from empty, but I wanted to make sure there were no issues making it use fuel faster than expected, and I wanted to make sure the gauge was accurate. Back on the highway, with a rough plan to try to make it to Geneva, OH. For those of you who kept up with my motorcycle trip for Spring Fling, the Yamaha/Suzuki dealer there had helped me out by installing a new chain & sprockets, and wouldn’t take any money for labor! They were fantastic about it, and I wanted to stop by and personally thank them. As a side note my electronic gear worked perfectly. It was kind of strange having technology in a Deuce, but it provided just enough of a distraction to me to keep me occupied and awake. The headphones worked very well, and this was very obvious when I would remove them. They really cut down on road noise!
An hour or so later I came to a bit of rain. Nothing major, but it reminded me that I had intended to put some duct tape around the poor seal of the driver’s windshield. I was reminded when the water came spitting through and hit me and my electronic gear. It was a very quick shower than things dried out. Once completely dry I stopped at the next exit to get some duct tape. Unfortunately all I could find was a small roll of very cheap stuff, so I grabbed that and put it on the windshield. Back on the highway, and a mile later the tape blew off. So much for cheap tape! Due to the limited top speed of my truck, I was getting close to Geneva around 6:30, so I called to see when they closed, and was happy to hear 8pm. I pulled off the highway and headed over there. The manager (or owner? Not sure) was there, and once I mentioned stopping in while riding home from Kentucky, he remembered me. He seemed very happy that I went a little out of my to stop in, and we talked for an hour. I needed the break, and he was a very nice guy and easy to talk to. I thanked him again for the help they gave me and went on my way. When the day comes that I can afford to buy the V-Strom 1000 that I want, they are the dealer I’ll buy from.
Just a few miles further up the highway I stopped at a truckstop in Kingsville for fuel and dinner, and for some real duct tape. I bought a roll of Gorilla Tap and applied that. It stuck much better and seemed like it had a chance of staying in place. On my way again. I got roughly 9 mpg that tankful. It kind of hurts to have a $90 fuel bill! Back on the highway and up through PA and into N.Y. I was on the home stretch east of Buffalo. About an hour later I hit a bit of rain, then a bit further on it started turning to snow and slush. My windshield was getting covered with slush, and one of the issues with this truck is that the driver’s side wiper motor doesn’t work perfectly. By playing around with it I could get it to work, but not great. Even when working I only had a clear area about 10” wide at the bottom, and 2” at the top. You gotta love 1960’s technology! At least the road wasn’t slippery, and the snow cleared after a couple hours. When I talked to Amelia just before she was going to bed, I asked her to write to my friend Chris C. to see if he would have time to meet up in the morning. Amelia sent off an e-mail to Chris with my number. I was estimating that I would be stopping at some point for at least a couple hours nap, then be near Chris sometime mid-morning. What I didn’t plan for was that I was able to drive all night non-stop, which put me near Chris around 6am. I was disappointed that I would miss him, so I got off the highway and headed up past his house. Then 45 minutes or so after getting off the highway I started feeling VERY sleepy, and decided I better pull off for a nap.
Well I’ll tell you what, a 6’4” 300lb. guy doesn’t have much room to lay in the cab of a Deuce! I was barely able to get down, with one foot stuck on the floor and one on the seat. I just got to sleep when the phone rang. Amelia wanted to say good morning and check on my progress. I told her I was napping and we said good bye. Back to sleep. 18 minutes later I just got to sleep again and the phone rang again. Chris was checking to see where I was, and was surprised when I told him not far from his house. He felt bad that we woke me up, but it wasn’t a problem. He suggested breakfast, and offered to wait until later to give me time to rest, but I was all set, and kind of hoped breakfast would wake me up. He drove to where I was parked and found me asleep again, but I was waking up just as he got there. We had a nice breakfast, and we had a chance to catch up a bit. Its been a couple years since I saw Chris last, when we met up with he and Art for lunch while on a trip to N.J. for a transmission. After breakfast Chris nervously climbed into the cab for a spin around the mall parking lot. He did fine, and looked right at home in there. At least he fit a whole lot better than I do! After sitting in the seat and dealing with no power steering, I think he got an idea of what it was taking to do 1100 miles pretty much non-stop in this thing.
We parted ways with a handshake and I was once again trapped in the tight confines of the small cab. The rest of the trip was quiet, with the most memorable part being the ride on Rt. 4 through Killington, VT. The underpowered truck slowed to less than 35mph going up some of the mountains. I arrived home around 4pm and stopped by the store my wife was working at. The Deuce immediately drew a crowd, so I had to answer about a thousand questions. I got a few gallons of fuel and headed up the hill to the house, and quickly crawled into bed.
On technical notes about the truck, I got very lucky with a very clean, solid truck with great paint. Its an early model, showing an original build date of 1962, and it shows with the options. The driver’s seat is solid-mounted, no springer here. The battery box is the old style, with side straps to hold it instead of the quick-release pins, and the tachometer is mounted below the dash instead of in the instrument cluster area. The 1100 highway radials really made the ride smooth, and everything on the truck worked, including every light. The insulated soft top is in great shape (looks brand new), tires are at least 90-95% with a brand new spare, and the troop seats are in perfect shape. Its not a whistler, which I was hoping for, but at least it made for less noise on the trip home. The biggest drawback I found on this truck is the sprag transfer case. I’m considering swapping it out for an airshift from my father’s part’s truck.
Overall it was a great trip and I appreciate all the help from my friends, including Greenjeepster on here. I wouldn’t mind doing it again, as long as the trip home goes as smoothly.
Jim
This trip was a trip I’ll never forget, and fortunately very uneventful at the same time, if you know what I mean. Although I had a couple months to roughly prepare for the trip, due to the circumstances, I had no time to do last minute preparations. My EUC was approved on Thursday, then I got the hold e-mail on Friday. Then Monday, with the help of Greenjeepster on here, things got straightened out and I was able to make arrangements for the recovery of my Kentucky (Ft. Knox) Deuce. I was to fly to Louisville Tuesday and go with Brad on the recovery Wednesday. I gathered basic tools together: ¾” drive socket set w/extension, ½” socket set, ½” breaker bar, combination wrenches, pliers of various sizes, large adjustable wrench, large channel locks, and a few misc. items. I packed these into a suitcase and weighed it…48.5 lbs, just shy of the 50 lb. limit Southwest has. Perfect! Gathered the rest of the items I was bringing, which mostly consisted of clothes and electronics to keep me from going out of my tree on the way home. Deuces don’t have much of an entertainment system. I had my GPS, Sirius radio, MP3 player, and over the ear headphones. I also had parts to be able to hook all of this up, including a 24v to 12v converter.
Wed. morning I left early for my father’s house, where I was leaving the Durango. He was bringing me to the airport in Manchester. All was going smoothly so far. Bear in mind I have never flown before, so this was all new. And the current security level of airports had me a bit nervous. I had all of my electronics as carry-on, so I was hoping none of it would be restricted. I found baggage check and dropped my bags, and fortunately their scales agreed with mine. The tool bag still got a bright tag to let anyone know it was heavy. I then headed upstairs to find a book or magazine for my aprox. 1-hour layover in Chicago. While browsing the newsstand I heard my name called over the PA, requesting my presence at baggage check. Oh no. I’m going away in handcuffs. They didn’t like the tools. I get there and they just needed the combination to the lock on the bag. Apparently something in it must have raised suspicion, and they wanted to look through it. It must have been the jeans I put in to take up space.
Back upstairs, and over to board the plane. When it arrived I was surprised at how small it was. This was confirmed when I boarded. I had to duck my head getting on, and the inside reminded me of a bus. Three rows of seats on each side and a very narrow aisle down the middle. Once in my seat I thought of Ron White’s routine about his airplane flight, and thought this must be the plane he flew on.
The flight was quiet and exciting, being my first. We landed at Chicago and I walked around to my next gate, then looked for a place to eat. I was on the phone with my wife, who has been in the Manchester, NH airport, and said there must be someplace to eat at the airport, like a McDonalds or similar. I found myself in the middle of a fairly large food court, with about every type of food there is, including a couple taverns. I decided on a nice polish sausage w/onions and a beer. I enjoyed letting my wife know I traded up from a Big Mac. Then on to the next plane and Louisville.
Once landed I headed to baggage claim, crossing my fingers that my tools made it. The clothes can be replaced…but I need those tools! Luckily I got the bags quickly, then got my phone out and called my friend Neal, who had volunteered to pick me up and let me stay at his home. I was headed out the doors as he answered, and when I asked where he was, replied “Sitting in my truck watching you come outside”. I noticed his Chevy parked in front just as he was saying that. Nice! Back to his house, where I finally got to meet the entire family. I had met his wife before, but now he has 3 great kids as well.
The next morning I was picked up by Brad for the trip to Ft. Knox. We stopped by my friend Wayne’s house to pick up a couple batteries he loaned me, then on to the base. Getting in was easy, and we quickly found where we needed to go. I was finally able to lay eyes on my purchase, and I’m happy to say it looks every bit as nice as it looked in the photos! Everything was still intact, which made me feel like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
First off was an overall check. The oil was full and unbelievably clean, belts were good but slightly loose, coolant full, tires looked great. Brad flipped the master switch and the low air buzzer went off, so we were hopeful that the batteries might be good. He hit the starter button…and nothing. ****. Next the batteries were hooked up with the one set of jumpers we had (could only hook 1 battery up) and tried again…nothing. Next we pulled the stock batteries out and installed Wayne’s. Still nothing. Now I’m starting to wonder about a starter issue, so I checked what I could, and the wiring looked fine. Out came Wayne’s batteries and in went the originals, then I checked both of Wayne’s batteries by hooking them up one at a time…and found one was good, and the other had no charge. O.K., next I tried something crazy…we borrowed another short lead from another truck (it went back on when we were done!) and I hooked up the 3rd battery in series, making 36 volts. Maybe if we have 3 semi-charged batteries it will fire. Nope. As a last resort Brad and I went over and started checking other trucks to find one that starts, and we finally got one that fired right up. He pulled that up in front of mine and the jumper cables just reached. Success!!! My truck fired right up, and sounded great! WOO HOO!!!! The other truck was returned to its place in line and we picked up the tools and batteries and got ready to pull out. As I was securing the batteries back in place I asked Brad if he had checked the brakes. Nope. He jumped in and hit the pedal…and it hit the floor! We quickly decided to try to get the truck back to a gas station that was down the road a few miles. I pulled the truck around to the gate where we signed out, then was finally able to drive off the base for the first time. Its official, I have a Deuce!!!
The drive to the gas station was fun. Of course when driving with no brakes people somehow know to pull out on you. After two semi-close calls (closer than I wanted anyway) I saw Brad pull over by a gas station. I downshifted…and decided to hit the next station, since I didn’t have enough time to get slowed down for that one. At the next station we filled the brake fluid and I started pumping the pedal. It took maybe 50 or so pumps, then I started to get the smallest amount of firmness at the very bottom of the stroke. After a check for leaks under the truck, we hit the road again. Fortunately the brakes stopped the truck so we headed back to Wayne’s house. On the way the brakes kept getting better and better, and by the time we got to Louisville, I had full brakes with a nice firm pedal. We stopped at a Dairy Queen for lunch, where we debated whether to shut the truck off or not. I was at the top of a small hill, so I took a chance. It fired right back up, so we were excited that the batteries took a charge.
Once back at Wayne’s I thanked Brad for all of his help, then started really checking over the truck. I found a plate on the dash that showed that the truck had been maintained by the German military in 1985, so it spent some overseas. Soon my friend Red showed up, man it was good to see him! I’m glad he made it back from Iraq safe and sound once again. After checking over a few things Neal showed up and was like a little kid with a new toy. Of course I had to let him drive it, after all he was nice enough to give me a place to stay and “make me” put up with his kids so he jumped in and fired the beast up. We went for a short drive and he decided every guy needs one of these. After a few pics of the truck I went back to the inspection. I have a feeling this truck was very recently maintained, because of the clean engine oil, but also because of the super clean transmission fluid as well. Next up was wiring up the 12v circuit for my GPS and Sirius radio. I wouldn’t have survived an 1100 mile drive without those!!! Last up was a check of the tire pressures. It was getting dark so I was going to pull the truck up closer to the garage to get some light. Unfortunately the truck had other ideas…the batteries were dead.
Red was nice enough to take me to WalMart for new batteries, which should have been easy…many posts on Steel Soldiers recommend Group 31. Well WalMart didn’t have any shown, so we went to AutoZone. Same thing there! Well I called Amelia, who got on the computer and did a search on SS for “Deuce Batteries Group” and came up with several posts showing Group 31, which apparently don’t exist. We ended up going back to WalMart, where the batteries were aprox. $30 cheaper than Autozone, and just grabbed the 2 biggest batteries they had. Back to Wayne’s, installed the batteries, and the beast came right to life. Cool! Pulled it in and checked the tires. Hmmmm. We decided whoever did the last maintenance must have been a kid who worked at a chain repair shop in civilian life. Every tire was set at precisely 32 psi, just like the kid’s Civic would take! O.K., more time was spent on bringing the pressures up to 80psi all the way around. And when dealing with 1100-20 tires, that takes a while! I felt bad because it was getting late, and I’m sure Wayne had better things to do than deal with a big green chunk-O-steel in his shop. Once the pressures were up I poured in the several gallons of used motor oil they had saved for me, then thanked Wayne and Red for all of their help, without them I would have been screwed! Two great guys, that’s for sure.
I noticed the time and cringed…it was 9:30, and I was sure Neal would be either in bed or close to it. I talked with him, then headed back to his house, where I proceeded to take the Beast through Wendy’s drive-through on the way. This was a private joke, since we were talking earlier about taking big vehicles through a drive-through. It just happened that this was the only thing open at 10:10, and only the drive-through at that. I got some strange looks but it went smoothly. The truck fit under their awnings with about 2” to spare. Once back to Neal’s I snuck in as quietly as an unmuffled Deuce can, had my late dinner, checked in with Amelia, then went to bed to be rested for the long drive home.
In the AM I said my goodbyes. It was great seeing the Kentucky crew again, and I have to say that I have never deal with, or know of, another group that’s so quick to jump in and help a guy out than these guys.
With a nearly full fuel tank and packed truck I headed North. The truck drove great and I was making decent time (as good as can be expected at 55 mph) up into Ohio. I stopped in Jeffersonville (about 35 miles south of Columbus) to top off my tank and get a bite to eat. I knew I was far from empty, but I wanted to make sure there were no issues making it use fuel faster than expected, and I wanted to make sure the gauge was accurate. Back on the highway, with a rough plan to try to make it to Geneva, OH. For those of you who kept up with my motorcycle trip for Spring Fling, the Yamaha/Suzuki dealer there had helped me out by installing a new chain & sprockets, and wouldn’t take any money for labor! They were fantastic about it, and I wanted to stop by and personally thank them. As a side note my electronic gear worked perfectly. It was kind of strange having technology in a Deuce, but it provided just enough of a distraction to me to keep me occupied and awake. The headphones worked very well, and this was very obvious when I would remove them. They really cut down on road noise!
An hour or so later I came to a bit of rain. Nothing major, but it reminded me that I had intended to put some duct tape around the poor seal of the driver’s windshield. I was reminded when the water came spitting through and hit me and my electronic gear. It was a very quick shower than things dried out. Once completely dry I stopped at the next exit to get some duct tape. Unfortunately all I could find was a small roll of very cheap stuff, so I grabbed that and put it on the windshield. Back on the highway, and a mile later the tape blew off. So much for cheap tape! Due to the limited top speed of my truck, I was getting close to Geneva around 6:30, so I called to see when they closed, and was happy to hear 8pm. I pulled off the highway and headed over there. The manager (or owner? Not sure) was there, and once I mentioned stopping in while riding home from Kentucky, he remembered me. He seemed very happy that I went a little out of my to stop in, and we talked for an hour. I needed the break, and he was a very nice guy and easy to talk to. I thanked him again for the help they gave me and went on my way. When the day comes that I can afford to buy the V-Strom 1000 that I want, they are the dealer I’ll buy from.
Just a few miles further up the highway I stopped at a truckstop in Kingsville for fuel and dinner, and for some real duct tape. I bought a roll of Gorilla Tap and applied that. It stuck much better and seemed like it had a chance of staying in place. On my way again. I got roughly 9 mpg that tankful. It kind of hurts to have a $90 fuel bill! Back on the highway and up through PA and into N.Y. I was on the home stretch east of Buffalo. About an hour later I hit a bit of rain, then a bit further on it started turning to snow and slush. My windshield was getting covered with slush, and one of the issues with this truck is that the driver’s side wiper motor doesn’t work perfectly. By playing around with it I could get it to work, but not great. Even when working I only had a clear area about 10” wide at the bottom, and 2” at the top. You gotta love 1960’s technology! At least the road wasn’t slippery, and the snow cleared after a couple hours. When I talked to Amelia just before she was going to bed, I asked her to write to my friend Chris C. to see if he would have time to meet up in the morning. Amelia sent off an e-mail to Chris with my number. I was estimating that I would be stopping at some point for at least a couple hours nap, then be near Chris sometime mid-morning. What I didn’t plan for was that I was able to drive all night non-stop, which put me near Chris around 6am. I was disappointed that I would miss him, so I got off the highway and headed up past his house. Then 45 minutes or so after getting off the highway I started feeling VERY sleepy, and decided I better pull off for a nap.
Well I’ll tell you what, a 6’4” 300lb. guy doesn’t have much room to lay in the cab of a Deuce! I was barely able to get down, with one foot stuck on the floor and one on the seat. I just got to sleep when the phone rang. Amelia wanted to say good morning and check on my progress. I told her I was napping and we said good bye. Back to sleep. 18 minutes later I just got to sleep again and the phone rang again. Chris was checking to see where I was, and was surprised when I told him not far from his house. He felt bad that we woke me up, but it wasn’t a problem. He suggested breakfast, and offered to wait until later to give me time to rest, but I was all set, and kind of hoped breakfast would wake me up. He drove to where I was parked and found me asleep again, but I was waking up just as he got there. We had a nice breakfast, and we had a chance to catch up a bit. Its been a couple years since I saw Chris last, when we met up with he and Art for lunch while on a trip to N.J. for a transmission. After breakfast Chris nervously climbed into the cab for a spin around the mall parking lot. He did fine, and looked right at home in there. At least he fit a whole lot better than I do! After sitting in the seat and dealing with no power steering, I think he got an idea of what it was taking to do 1100 miles pretty much non-stop in this thing.
We parted ways with a handshake and I was once again trapped in the tight confines of the small cab. The rest of the trip was quiet, with the most memorable part being the ride on Rt. 4 through Killington, VT. The underpowered truck slowed to less than 35mph going up some of the mountains. I arrived home around 4pm and stopped by the store my wife was working at. The Deuce immediately drew a crowd, so I had to answer about a thousand questions. I got a few gallons of fuel and headed up the hill to the house, and quickly crawled into bed.
On technical notes about the truck, I got very lucky with a very clean, solid truck with great paint. Its an early model, showing an original build date of 1962, and it shows with the options. The driver’s seat is solid-mounted, no springer here. The battery box is the old style, with side straps to hold it instead of the quick-release pins, and the tachometer is mounted below the dash instead of in the instrument cluster area. The 1100 highway radials really made the ride smooth, and everything on the truck worked, including every light. The insulated soft top is in great shape (looks brand new), tires are at least 90-95% with a brand new spare, and the troop seats are in perfect shape. Its not a whistler, which I was hoping for, but at least it made for less noise on the trip home. The biggest drawback I found on this truck is the sprag transfer case. I’m considering swapping it out for an airshift from my father’s part’s truck.
Overall it was a great trip and I appreciate all the help from my friends, including Greenjeepster on here. I wouldn’t mind doing it again, as long as the trip home goes as smoothly.
Jim
If I ended up going down by myself I was going to get that truck off of that base if I had to push it to the front gate
