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Well...after nearly a year since Dennis lost a leg in a motorbike accident, he's back! He tried returning earlier, but it was too much for him. For now, he's going to work 4 or 5 hours a day as he gets back into the swing of things. As for the truck, just a few small things left to do. Pics show Dennis working on the protective covering for the power steering fittings. We still have to set up some type of windshield washer system as these things never had them. Space is tight under the hood so we will have to figure that out. A little bit of work left on the underside of the bed and that will happen when body is pulled apart. It seems like I am always saying we aren't far from that. But we really aren't...lol
honestly I'm glad you are patient with him you are a nice person for that alone and he is so good to do right by you not just slap it together.lets toast you and him together lets all get to meet and hear the roar of the beast and take a ride .thanks for the update i have been following this thing for a while now so hats off to you.i did a 57 f100 in my garage and it took 5 years with some help from people but mostly myself.shame i had to get ride of it we have over grown the cab of it.but man we had an awesome time when i was done with it.so hats off to both parties for hanging in there.
Thanks T65fury3. The guy that really deserves recognition is James, the owner. He sat with him in hospital as no family lives anywhere near, helped him out financially while waiting for insurance to kick in and held his job for him all this time. For sure, I had to be patient all this time as shop was understaffed. They did bring a guy in to do all the wiring and Kevin worked on it as much as time allowed. They don't do insurance work like most of the shops in town. They have a steady set of clients who bring work in on a regular basis so it has meant mine gets left to the side for stretches. But I knew that going in and I was given the option of going elsewhere when Dennis got hurt. Only maybe one other shop in town that might have been interested but I never considered it for one moment. You stick with the guys you trust and have gotten to know over time. Every build always takes longer than you plan for...unless you have really deep pockets. When all is said and done this will probably be on the road almost a year after I had thought. But, like you say, the build and anticipation are all part of the journey and will make driving the finished product that much more special.
Wish him the best. I myself have a BK prosthetic left leg.. The first year or two is the hardest to deal with as your leg keeps changing .. My accident was back in 1967 .Mine was also due to a MC accident - TOTALLY my fault...
Haha...not cheap. If the part had been out of sight, I would have left it plain. But given the modification required for the steering based on the chosen frame, the part can be seen so we thought we would make it look nicer.
Marty
Wish him the best. I myself have a BK prosthetic left leg.. The first year or two is the hardest to deal with as your leg keeps changing .. My accident was back in 1967 .Mine was also due to a MC accident - TOTALLY my fault...
I will. I remember the day of the accident and heard the sirens. It was just a block away from my home. Also saw footage from the accident taken by a friend. I remember asking the friend if the guy was dead as it was such a horrific accident. He was travelling on the highway when somebody in a van turned left right in front of him. He never had a chance. I didn't even know it was him until I stopped in at the shop the next morning to check progress on the truck. It certainly is something that takes time and he is doing pretty well. He was damn lucky just to have survived it.
One thing I have learned through all this is that things never move as fast as you like. There are always delays. Prime example are the name plates in the picture. Finally here after waiting 13 months...lol
One thing I have learned through all this is that things never move as fast as you like. There are always delays. Prime example are the name plates in the picture. Finally here after waiting 13 months...lol
Well, still no progress as of late. Shop swamped and Dennis is not able to work more than half days. With his new leg he is somewhat limited as to what he can do. Already had one nasty tumble. Shop is still looking to hire another full time employee but there seems to be a real lack of experienced people in our small city...so I just have to be patient. Something I am getting better at all the time...lol. As an example, the picture is of the cowl lights. They took 14 months from date of order to arrival. Hurry up and wait.....will keep you posted.
Haha...thanks...you guys are too complimentary. Good and bad news today. Bad news is Dennis has left the shop. He was getting too frustrated at not being able to operate at 100% and do the things required. He is OK though and won't be destitute. He will receive partial disability payments and at some point he will also receive a payout from the insurance company. Those things take time what with the back and forth of the lawyers, but at some point he will get his due. Good news is the shop has hired another guy and is contemplating bringing in a third person on a temporary basis. I will probably jinx myself, but the plan is to finish up a truck that is in the shop by the end of the week and start taking apart mine next week. That is the plan...lol...now I have jinxed myself. By next week, Kevin will be back from Vegas. He has been the lead guy on my truck doing all the custom fitting and fabrication. Side note, He saw a beautiful 46 PW in Vegas that has been customized into a crewcab and has a $500,000 price tag on it. Someone has deep pockets...lol. So...if all goes according to plan I'll have some pictures next week sometime of the truck being pulled apart. Or...lol...I will be explaining any further delays.
Well...quick update. Another one week delay...situation normal. Pull apart of truck supposed to begin next week according to the word from the shop this morning. Not sure if they like to keep my anticipation level up...lol. Hopefully I will have some pics late next week on progress...hopefully.
Sorry I've been slow in posting. Retired...and my ex employer keeps calling me back. Staff shortage so I'm effectively working 70% right now. Oh well, it'll help pay for this project. As usual, there have been delays, but this morning the truck got moved back to the main shop which has been cleared of all other work. Lol...been moving around to different parts of the building the last month. Anyway, couple of minor welds to do inside the cab and then it's time to pull her apart. Probably won't get too much progress over the next two weeks with the holiday season, but it will get started. And seeing as it is in the main shop it should now get priority treatment...as long as the money holds out...lol
Stopped into the shop this morning to drop off a Christmas bottle. Tear down has started. Merry Christmas and all the best in the New year to all you Mopar fanatics.
Cab off. Lots of work getting it ready. Hope the one picture is clear enough to see the work required on the roof alone. Engine and tranny coming off the frame today. Just dropped rad off to have the neck reworked to take a 16 lb. cap. Never knew that the old rads couldn't take a newer cap. The original cap is rated for 7 lbs. Just an added expense. Lol...at this point I have resigned myself to never fully retiring. Oh well, it has been a real experience since the project rolled into the shop one year and nine months ago. I can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel. Hope it's not a freight train.
I'm guessing there's going to be some sandblasting going on.🤔
Man!! They still let you guys Sandblast out in those parts? Out here on SO-CAL we would get locked up for doing that.. lol
We have to "Media Blast" and save the environment....ppffsssttttt...
