Morning Brett, and all to follow.

 

Greaser007 reporting in for Nor-Cal Ford knuts. I've been on pins and needles all week drooling over a '62 Ford F250 4x4 flatbed which "was" for sale last week.
I searched yesterday, and the posting was GONE. Some lucky Ford knut got himself a nice old early '60's Ford.
I live 20-miles south of Shasta Lake and south of Redding.
First event for the week was to go snow skiing Tuesday at the Mt Shasta Skipark with my 33yr old son and his just turned 5yrs daughter.
Tuesday my grand daughter decided it was the day to shoot the intermediate hill straight-down like a downhill ski racer. That was a first for her, and after 3-runs she said she was pooped out and ready to call it a day. Was very encouraging to watch her progress. Next, she'll be after the boys. !!!! _ _ _ lucky boys. hahaha

Rather than being a firearm collector, I am an early ****** jeep parts collector. My trusty jeep cj-7 has experienced 16-summers of trekking the famous Rubicon Jeep Trail over near and west of Homewood, Ca. being on the west shores of Lake Tahoe. The cj-7's last trek into the Rubicon was summer 2001.
Hard to believe I've been retired from the Rubicon now for 22-years. I really do believe my '78 Ford E250 is capable of traversing the Rubicon, but no need to find out, because the cj-7 is all set up for that grueling jeep trail.

Anyway's yesterday down here was a very nice warm (65-deg) and sunny with a light breeze. Being a nice day, I began doing surgery on the '77 AMC cj-7.
In early June of 2022, a group of us guys from the Old ****** Forums banded together for a day-run into the Mendocino Nat'l Forest.
Traveling to the basecamp being Upper Lake, Ca., the temps were 104 in the Sacramento Valley, and on the first big long climb headed to Clearlake, the engine temp got up to 220 and the engine belched coolant everywhere What the dickens ?
The engine was allowed to cool and topped off the coolant ( 1-full gallon ), and continued for 3-days.
When I got home and began cleaning the engine to install a water pump and radiator, I discovered a head bolt with the head Missing ! no kidding. Hmm
That fratured head bolt explains why the engine's cooling system was pressurized at 220-tem;'s.
Yesterday I began removal of exhaust manifold bolts, beginning with the toughest one first.

When I get the exhaust manifold removed, I can then have access to weld a flat washer to the exposed end of the broken head bolt. I will weld a mound of bead to the washer, then set a nut over the mound and weld the nut to the mound, with hopes of unscrewing the bolt and replacing with a new one.

Sorry, I'm not in Oregon, but close enough to Oregon to share my misery. hahahaha

The grand daughter / snow ski bunny is coming over at 7:30am this morning, and she has a new cold from school and has a temperature, so you know who will be getting it next. Me.
Since that girl started school in August, I have shared 4-colds with her back-to-back, and am probably looking cold #5 next after today.
I'm gonna wrestle with removing exhaust manifold bolts today again. Maybe I can get my grand daughter to assist.

 

You Oregon guys have the best fast water boats available and are spoiled.
My first fast-water boat was a Willie 21'-6" Predator with forward control and walk-thru windshield powered with a Kodiac Marine 351w ford engine and a Kodiac three stage jet pump. The Predator was a confiscated marijuana-grower boat from Brookings, Oregon no kidding, and I bought it from the younger brother, who was a Calif. fish and game warden.

Having grown up on the Sacramento River, that was my water playground. The upper Sac has some good riffles and fast water.between Redding down to Red Bluff. I think I ran that Willie Predator for 6-years and sold when I moved my family to Eureka, Ca. for a State highway worker job in 1998.
Six years later, I got a job transfer back to the valley in Redding, so I promptly began searching boats for sale in Portland.
Finally, in 2004, I found a Jetcraft 19-foot Yukon powered by a fuel injected 305 chevy Kodiac Marine with a 2-stage Kodiac pump.
Of the two boats, the Willie Predator was the one I like best, and really did hate to sell it back when, but such is life.

I think North River boats in Roseburg went belly-up in 2007 during the great recession.

Any of you Oregon Ford lovers running a Willie boat ?

 

Good morning Oregon and everyone everywhere else. 43.4 and wet. Headed out to Salem in a few minutes and then back to Mac for an appointment there. Fun

 

Good Friday evening Ford Drivers.

 

Good evening Oregon and everyone everywhere else.


North River Boats is alive and well. They moved to a bigger facility and expanded their lines. They were in Wilbur just north of the old Bayliner plant and moved to the 'Green' District of South Roseburg between Roseburg proper and Winston, I-5 Exit 119. North River Boats | Aluminum Boats, Fishing Boats, Aluminum Fishing Boats, Work Boats, Commercial Boats: North River Boats

Served in the Navy with a fellow from Anderson / Redding. During our time in the Navy we were about as close as brothers. Still go visit on occasion but . we keep in touch by other means. His most recent adventure was as a Principal for a Christian School.

 

Good Saturday morning Ford Drivers.

 

Belated good morning Oregon and everyone everywhere else. Started out with a heavy wet fog that has cleared up and we've moved to scattered overcast for now. Temp has gone from 37 up to 46.

Picked up #1 sone this morning and then went to the range. Brought the raft up from the mooring spot and got it folded/rolled up to bring home. Confirmed one of the bottom welds had split wide open. Not only did it allow the floor chamber to deflate, but it also sagged down scooping up water and acting like a drift sock for the current. There was no way to go against any current effectively with that "scoop" down in the water.

So then we did a little shooting, flew the drone around and then came home. The only problem is that we didn't take enough coffee with us.

 

Good evening Ford Drivers'.

 

Good evening Oregon and everyone everywhere else.

 

Good Sunday morning Ford Drivers.
Currently 33°.

 

Good morning Oregon and everyone everywhere else. Hanging in at 30°. Wind currently at 9 with at least one gust at 25.4. Thought maybe it would warm up a bit with the clear blue sky and sunshine, but it has actually dropped 1/2 degree.

 

Good evening Ford Drivers.

I'm thinking I need to find somebody in a State office that can help me with my mortgage company.

 

Good evening Oregon and everyone everywhere else. My fishing and hunting partner called this morning and we decided a trip to Cabela's was in order so that we could look around and do a resupply on our tackle boxes.
No need to worry, we had adult supervision with us. Took our wives with us promising them an early dinner at Cracker Barrel.

 

9 degrees here......didn't get above 20 today.