It's time for a reality check on "The Beast", Dan is losing his space to work on the truck under cover, and for those of us who have been up to his place know, there's just no way you can do that kind of work in the wide open sunshine of LowerLake...

So, we're planning on transporting the truck to my place where she'll sit until we get a weekend-group of ya'll together to get back on it. It's just getting too taxing on Dan to do things by himself, and being he's way out there in BFE, it's tough to get up there and lend him a hand as needed.

So, the hope/thought is that once the truck is here in oakdale, maybe we can make better plans here and there (ALTHOUGH A BUNCH OF YOU GUYS HAVE CMOE THROUGH LIKE GANGBUSTERS AND REALLY HELPED GETTING THINGS MOVING) and start picking away at the beast and get it ready for some work.

I'll probably store it under cover in the barn until we have a commitmant of guys/gals coming over to do "whatever" for the day/etc, when I'll drag it out and put it under the car shed.

I know there was an agggressive timeline to get this thing in the mud and running, but I thnk reality is setting in, and just like any other of our projects, it really takes a lot of time to get completed.

My best esti9mate is it'll be next spring before we have a sound, good running truck to mudbog with...I made mention of this last year as we were gathering folks and parts to complete this thing, and I feel now that that will be the final outcome.

Bottom line (IMO) is we'll knock things off here and there through out the rest of the year and get it ready for a Springtime bash, I know sveral of you expected quicker results, but beings that we are so far apart from each other, it's just not possible...that is unless we have Dan quit his day-job and focus on the truck

So stay tuned for scheduling requests/help requests/etc...I think Dan want's to put a hurt on the steering before we haul it down here, since he has something in mind, which I don't know if I/we can just pick up and run with.

Hey, maybe we'll have an unloading party on the 25th...get ya'll sweaty and dirty, then feed ya..

You didn't reeeeaaaally think you could just stop by and eat now, did ya?

 

I would love to be able to head out to DanWorld to help out the the project truck, but as you stated Mike, BFE is really a hard destination for me. Heck, just crossin the Sierras is a substantial trec. Oakdale is allot easier of a destination, realistically. Can meet Dan in the middle..
Though I was really hoping to see Dan's digs, maybe one of these days I can pull off a blue grass festival in Dan Land.

BTW, Mike, what the heck are you doing awake at 3:49 AM?

 

I'd been up and down all night irrigating.

Nothing else to do at 3:30am, except log onto FTE

 

It seemed like the time line was pretty aggressive. But then, you all could have been supermen with nothing to do but wrench on trucks. The real challenge will be to keep up the enthusiasm and not have it sitting as a half complete project covered up in the barn.

 

The time line was fine, had we stuck to the original plan. Where we got into trouble was in not finding a 4wd truck, but instead converting a 2wd to 4wd. Our project time also slipped because of the extra time we spent on the engine, and not being able to test fit the tranny until it was done. Had the two been side by side we would have test fitted them months ago, and already have the case changed.

Another time killer was not having a trailer available to us. I assumed moving the beast around was something I could do as needed, however, the rental that knows me went out of business. The other rentals are much more expensive, and had rules that precluded me from using my equipment to tow such a heavy rig.

Lastly, I never dreamed I would get so sick. The only actual work I have done on the project has only been a token, and cost Dan more time than I saved him. About all I can do now is to be a cheerleader, and keep everyone's enthusiasm high for the project.

Proof of this is that I was not aware of these changes until I read them here. Nigher Mike nor Dan consulted me on a major change in the project, but instead informed me by posting the changes here. That is OK, I agree with the change of location and I knew we were on borrowed time where we were at.

The only suggestion I have is that we finish the case change on the tranny before we move it back to Mikes. I will deliver the stock case to Dan early next week, and haul back any lose items we may have. Dan and Mike can work out the transfer of the chassis however works best for them.

Clint

 

I wish I could help this weekend, but I have to work today. Is there anything I can do next weekend?

 

The timeline to complete it if we had started with a 4WD, surely could have been accomplished.

Seems like things moved pretty quick on Dan's end (having to move the truck), we had been talking about his welder, then the next email was that he needed to find storage for the truck as Bud wanted it out of the area today...so I gave him a call to let him know not to spend money on storage, but just haul it down here, seems though that his friend will let him keep it in the lot for a while longer, so the rush to move has eased a bit, but we certainly can't be working on it out in the sun, it's tough enough with the heat in the summer under cover.

Unless someone has a better place to store it where we can still work on it, I have enough room to hide it from my significant other

 

Wow, I wish I had enough room on my property to hide a whole truck from my S.O.!

 

I don't even have a S.O. and have little room to accommodate the truck! That said, I do have half of a two car garage and a pretty good compressor available in Citrus Heights. No skills and few tools, but a bit of space. If my place makes sense, let me know. I've got some kids in the neighborhood that are pretty good with wrenches that would love to play.

 

That might be a good option, as it wouldn't be too much of a haul for any of us, all about a 2 hour drive, easy enough for me to load my welder up, and I have a small set of OA if we'd need it.

What do the rest of you guys think? Easy enough for all us of to take a drive to Chet's, work on the truck for 4-6 hours, and stil have an easy enough drive home.

Besides, it'd give me a good excuse to pick up and organize my tools if I had to travel with them

 

How tall is the door? Will the truck fit under it?

 

Citrus heights is closer than Clear Lake, for sure! Oakdale would be a lot better. Either place is ok. I'm 15 min. away from Mike's place already, that would give me a lot of wrench time.

 

I'm good for it on weekends that I don't have to drill, and have enough--or can afford more--fuel.

 

My garage door is a standard residential height. The '73 highboy, with 35" tires., just squeaked in with inches to spare. Either Oakdale or here works for me. I simply offered my place as an option.

 

I think Dan's a pretty good carpenter....with a chainsaw and a sawlzall, I think it'd slide right in