Well written TJ, keep us posted!
rikk
-----Original Message-----
From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]On
Behalf Of Timothy Smith
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 1:07 PM
To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
Subject: [MV] TJ visits the Wizard of OZ
Hi list.
I haven't posted anything on the progress of my Scout project for a while, I
thought I would bring everyone up to speed.
Our weather here in Texas turned to crap in the blink of an eye. One day it
was 80 and dry as a bone.....the next day it was 40 and soaking wet. In
fact, the lousy weather has continued. This of course has got me thinking
about the "off" season for MV restorations and has lead me to making plans
for that eventuality since work on the Scout MUST continue!
Since space at the Last Chance Garage is always a major concern I am always
reshuffling things to make way for the next project around here. Many of
the larger body parts from the WWII ambulance have been on a rack in the
back of the carport since I don't know when. Eating up more space under the
carport is the welder (on a small trailer). To make way for the Scout
something had to go and the welder was definately NOT going out. So the
decision to move the parts was easy and they are to be moved to a 8' long
airforce flightline trailer I just picked up for cheap (and of unknown
vintage) where they will be covered from the weather. The trailer will
allow me to move the all those parts around as the need for space requires.
I considered telling Amy I was acquiring that M725 just for use as a storage
unit (heh heh heh) but I don't think she's that gullible (remember the
blueberry yogurt thing?)
Back to the Scout project......
The money finally started rolling in again and I took my brake parts out to
be overhauled. Two guys were behind the counter....an old guy, who was
undoubtedly standing right there when the place was built (they probably
erected the walls around him) and a young guy with his shirt tail trying to
get out of his pants. The old guy just stood there and looked me over as I
walked in balancing two boxes of parts. The young guy waltzed right over
and said (famous opening line with Gomer Pyle accent) "Whatcha got there?"
When I told him his eyes kinda glazed over and rolled back in his head and
he shivered briefly, then got real still, like his brains just came to a
grinding halt. (Damn, what's wrong with THIS guy?!) The old guy (probably
a former Navy Chief judging by the permanently crooked arm with heavy
porcelain coffee mug growing out of the weather beaten old fist) kinda
wandered over and stopped a few feet from the two of us and looked the young
guy up and down like he was trying to decide how he was gonna get this
young-un's brains un-fried. Then, while looking me right in the eye, said
to the young fella in a low growl, "I got this one." Well, suddenly the
lights came back on in junior's skull and he retired to a respectable
distance to observe THE MASTER. The old guy didn't raise an eyebrow when
I told him what I had and what I needed. In fact, he never broke eye
contact with me. THE MASTER placed his hands on my boxes and spoke,
"Commmme Baaaack Fridayyyy." (THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ HAS SPOKEN!) Jeez,
I'm standing there feeling a lot like the Tin Man and definately NOT in
Kansas any more. Things were going so well that I figured I couldn't lose
if I'd ask if he'd like to take a crack at my Hydrovac. THE MASTER spoke
again, "Brinnnng Itttt Innnn." WOW....(and he didn't even ask me to return
with a witch's broom!) I left feeling like I had just had a close
encounter of the mystical kind.....weird....but pleasant.
Keep em Rollin'!
TJ
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 01 2000 - 21:37:42 PST