Well, the saga continues. This time I got roped in and had what eventually became a fun trip.
Once I started thinking of it that way.........
Hang on, its going to be a long ride........
The Jeep has been siting at my mechanic's shop with the cover off the rear end waiting for my nephew to find a new rear end.
Its under a shed, but I'm not worried about rust or dirt since that whole rear end is going on the scrap heap when we find a replacement.
While he was home for the 4th, he spoke to a guy who runs a shop called Son of a Jeep.
He told him he would sell him a set of used front and rear ends in good condition. D35 rear, D30 front I think.
With Detroits in both, for $500. Plus install them for $300.
Install seemed a little high, but two Detroit lockers plus full diffs for $500 sounded good to me.
All we had to do was get the Jeep to him.
About a 45min - hour trip.
I told my mechanic to pop the cover back on, fill it with whatever cheap grease he had, charge the battery and I would pick it up one afternoon and drive it to PC.
My nephew's father, Baitfish2, works about 5 miles away, and lives just a few miles from my mechanic's, so he could pick me up and take me back to my truck.
Then the idea started going downhill........
First, I went by the place to make sure my nephew had told him the correct specs on the Jeep.
The ones he had were for coil springs alright, but they are 4.56s!!
He is running 3.55s now, and this thing will see lots of interstate travel.
I warned him, but he just wants it running, so I said OK.
Then we discover the right front tire has leaked down from sitting, plus the darn thing would not start.
Mechanic airs the tire up Monday, pulls the Jeep into the shop. Puts on the cover and grease, does some checking and discovers the fuel pump in the tank has died.
Charges the battery good, tries the pump with a generous application of 2X4, no luck.
So this morning he puts in a new pump and parks the Jeep out front.
Enter the sucker........Me.
Pull up about 2, I don't want to get there too early because his father can't get off before 4.
Check things over, use my thumb on the tires, all up. The right front has been up since Monday with no obvious leak.
It has just stopped storming where I was, and the place I was headed had a severe thunderstorm warning just issued.
Should be a blast.
I hit the road. Call my nephew to tell him its on the way, call the store to let them know I'm coming, make sure his father remembers to pick me up.
Batting down the highway, I notice the hood is floating up. We had forgotten to pop the outside latches down. Internal latch is holding, but I don't like it.
Pull over, latch it down, thumb the right front again.
Doing fine.
Bout 20 minutes down the road, I start to notice the Jeep is pulling slightly to the right.
There is a big truck stop called the Pine Tree Plaza at the intersection of highway 20, which I am on, and highway 231 which is the main drag to PC and where I am headed.
Figure I will check things out there, since its about 3 miles farther on. At the intersection, I actually have to turn North briefly because they are paving part of 231, then loop back to the South and the Pine Tree.
As I do, the workers start yelling and pointing saying I have a flat tire......
Ease up to the pay air pump at Pine Tree, the tire is pretty much on the rim. Don't think it has been hurt maybe, but its got to have air before I can go any farther.
Put my last dollar's worth of quarters in the machine, it starts pumping and the hose will not pull out of the box.
It hanging out about a foot, and will not move. I push it in, pull, no luck, its locked.
As I stood there looking at it, something in me clicked. This was no longer a favor for a friend, it had suddenly become a Mission.
Suddenly I was the guy who my company used to send out on the remote repair jobs because they knew no matter what, I WOULD complete the job.
That Jeep was going to that store!!
Studied the air pump. It had a side cover that would show the problem if removed. Trouble was it was held on by those tamper proof screws...............
You know, I have always felt they were more of a suggestion than an absolute prohibition....
Out came the Vise Grips I am never without.
First picture below shows the result. Second picture shows the screws that did their best but failed.
The hose had jumped off the spool and wrapped around the "axle".
I got it loose, pulled out enough hose to reach the tire and the pump ran out of time.
Walked over to the Plaza, asked the woman to give me $5 worth of quarters for the air pump.
She said "Oh, I'm sorry, the air pump is not working". I told her it would work for me. She said no, the hose is caught or something.
I said, lady, I'm an engineer, and I need air. That pump would not dare try to give me any trouble.
She shook her head and gave me the change.
I aired the tire up, put the screws back in and left a generous amount of hose wrapped around the box so that the next guy would be sure to get air.
Headed South. About 5 miles farther down the highway, is the town of Youngstown. It has a small store with another air pump.
I am started to feel that its pulling to the right again, so I wheel in.
Pull up to the air pump, notice that there seems to have been some kind of altercation, or maybe a fender bender.
Deputy is talking to a small group of people. I walk around the Jeep, noticing that the spare on the rear mount is flat.
As I reach down to feel the tire, I hear voices shouting. The tire is obviously going down, and there are a couple of guys with their backs to me getting in the deputy's face.
I don't have time for this. If I get tied up in a fight, the store will close before I get there.
I reach in the Jeep, pull out my .22 magnum rifle. I always have some kind of gun with me.
Step to where the deputy can see me over the guys' shoulders, show him the rifle and sorta cock my head like "need me?".
He shakes his head no, so I put the rifle up and air up the spare and the front tire.
Hit the road again, don't want to hang around, don't need the distraction.
Call the nephew again, ask where the jack and tire tool is, he has no idea, maybe in the back.
Bout another 5 miles, I come to another station and air pump. This is where I am going to have to make my stand. Its a long ways to the next air, and I want concrete where I put the jack.
Climb out, find a big scissor jack, 4 way lug wrench and jack handle in the back behind the front seat.
Its hot. Humidity about 98%, have driven through two thunderstorms, another on the way.
3 minutes after I start loosening lugs, my shirt is soaked through. Since I thought it was going to be a simple drive, I am wearing my office clothes. White shirt, brown slacks.
Off comes the shirt. Glad I lost the weight now, I don't look half as stupid. The tires are probably 10.50 31s, the spare is a regular street tire.
I lower the jack, still cannot line up the studs.
I need to kneel down, bad hip and all, but I don't want to ruin my slacks................
What the heck, its Florida. Plus I just put on a clean pair of briefs this morning.......
So, here I kneel in my tighty whiteys next to the side of a major 4 lane highway, changing a tire.
Get it on, tighten up and the jack out. I am sweating like two pigs, staggering a little, and there is no way I can get that stupid flat on that spare holder.
I can hold it up by hugging it against my stomach, but I cannot line up the studs.
I'm too hot and POed to try for long. Plus I am running out of time. So I open the rear tailgate door and stuff it in there.
Slam the door, get in still 90% naked, and back out of the parking space I was in. As I do, I run over the filler spot for the gas station tanks. Not a problem, just a couple of bumps.
Just before I hit the highway, I remember I left the three lugs for the spare on the back bumper.
Get out, only one lug nut. Walk back to where I hit the bumps, sure enough there are the other two.
Walking back to the Jeep, I see a deputy coming from the way I am headed cross the meridian and pull into the parking lot.
About the time he sees me, another deputy coming from the way I was pulls in. Pretty sure its the one from my last stop.
First deputy has that look in his eye, and is getting out starting to come my way. Second deputy sees me, sees the tire dirt on my stomach and chest, and the sweat.
Says something to the first deputy, and he stops.
Second deputy gives me a slight nod, I give a small wave back and head out.
Call Baitfish2, tell him to just wait for me at the store. Call the store, tell him I will be about 20 minutes late.
He says he will wait for me.
By this time, I am having a ball. A 45 minute trip is going to take almost 3 hours, but I am kicking the butt of everything thrown at me.
That is the way it used to be.
Just as I get into the outskirts of town, it occurs to me that I am about to pull into a store and get out wearing nothing but a pair of underwear briefs carrying a rifle.........
Maybe not such a good idea.
So, I pull down a short dirt road and put my pants back on.
No shirt though.
I'm in a mood, and if other people have a problem with my shirtlessness, that is their problem.
Roll into the store about 20 minutes after their closing time, Baitfish2 is waiting, so is the store owner.
He shows me where to put the Jeep, and takes the keys to lock them up.
I thank him for waiting, climb in Baitfish's truck.
He shakes his head at my bare upper, and says "Well, at least you aren't naked!" I grin and tell him he has no idea.......
Got home late, tired, dirty, leg hurts, Wonderful day!!
Here is the air pump with the panel sprung open enough for me to fix the problem.
And here are some of the screws that did their best, but could not stand up to my awesomeness........
