BACK TO REALITY…..
3 weeks in America gone in a flash.
https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...023-road-again
My planned trips completely aborted and rewritten.
Saw some of what I planned and saw, a lot that I had not planned and saw made this a much more rewarding trip.
Only did about 3800 miles or 6100km but that was enough to keep me very busy and out of sleep.
Driving 500 miles to buy a 1934 Ford, with an 81 year old veteran driving the tow rig, sharing many stories, only to find after loading the 34 that nobody remembered to bring the pile of cash sitting on a shelf in a garage in St Louis must be the stuff of road trip movies.
Driving 360 miles to go meet strangers, then another 40 miles to have dinner, followed by taking them back home and then driving many more miles before settling in possibly the best $80.00 motel in all my road trips for the night before heading to Pete and Jakes in Peculiar, ending up with 800 miles for dinner…. More great memories.
Driving 350 miles to Fayetteville to visit friends Clem and Kim, only to call a scrap yard in Rogers, Arkansas (go Google BB Gun history) who said they have a few Astro vans, when nobody so far had even one in their junk yards……. Seriously?? Then getting there and finding a 1995 face lifted model with the right dash piece I dreamed of having….. for $20.00 -PRICELESS.
Yup, the trip was different to the plan, but it was delivering like the goose laying golden eggs.
Once again life was kind to me, in a curved ball kinda way.
The kindness of complete strangers always amazes me. (Admittedly, I have done the same kind of thing many times before as well, but it always humbles me)
While I was there in Arkansas, a member “Opelbits” from AstroSafari.com forum reached out and offered me an original steering wheel for the van, FREE for the taking, should I want it. I do not like taking stuff just because it is there, but I prefer the original to the sports steering wheel fitted.
Logistics seemed a slight problem as he lived some distance on the other side of St Louis, same state as Dennis, but still a long way away……
I accepted the offer of a free steering wheel, offering to pay shipping etc. supplying him with Dennis’ address and contact number.
Turns out, Tony, who had offered the wheel, likes to drive his Mustang as well, and unbeknown to me, he and Dennis agreed to him driving all the way to Dennis’ place to hand deliver the wheel…….
As if that was not enough, he came with a load more stuff for Dennis and me.
What Tony brought…..
Treasures.
TOTALLY (relatively) UNOBTAINABLE GM MAINTENANCE MANUALS.
Every possible fault, identified, cross referenced and then answered between these manuals.
I cannot even describe how Dennis went on about the amazing value these three books add to owning one of these vans.
And of course the original NON-AIRBAG steering wheel, which I love the idea of fitting back in the van.
I absolutely love it, and it is an immaculate example as well.
Along with repairing the dash…..
What a win.
One more thing he brought from his personal treasure stash ( I love this stuff) was an original steel, embossed Disabled Parking sign.
I had been looking for one for Andy the welder, my repeat lodger whose wife is ex-military and disabled through service.
But Andy will not be getting this sign…… I decided to give it to Dennis, as it goes much better with his replica Gas Station and the age of his collection, so we traded a newer one for the original. The one Andy will get, was left with Dennis as my baggage was on the limit, well, over and I had to swap out some stuff at departures, so it may come back next year, should I make it there with having to find a new job and start saving up vacation etc.
So that brings us back to today, back in the U.K.
I am looking forward to seeing if these parts all fit my van, and then of course fitting them all.
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