1958 F.W.D.

I yanked a few folks out from mud bogs that day, so did the guy with that huge Walters and the radial aircraft engine on the back, and also that guy with the GMC Heavy Wrecker........

I say we pimp out Ken's trailer: 12-person hot tub up in the nose, mahogany bar, pool table, disco ball with a deluxe sound system, and plush sofas along the walls, and OD brings the Women of Winfall.

I see what Freightrain is saying. My parents were never the healthiest people- Dad of course was an owner operator through the late 60's, 70's and 80's- eating unhealthy truckstop food and sitting relatively inactive in a drivers seat for hours on end....during a period of time when physical fitness and watching what you ate just was not a concern. So yes, bad habits certainly passed down the line. I remember Dad taking me to McDonalds every saturday morning for breakfast- it was "our" thing to do. I would ask for a second egg mcmuffin and he would buy it for me- when he should have said "No why dont you pass on that." Up to the time I was 17 or 18, he weighed as much as I did when I was my heaviest- about 385. Thats when he had a heart attack and it scared the piss out of him enough that he lost 100+ pounds through diet and excercise. One of the things that made me decide to have the operation was remembering when he had his heart attack- I figured I was headed down the same road, only I might not be as lucky and could very well become dandylion fertilizer, so I said "yeah better pre-emptively strike." Whenever my own kids make poor decisions or ask for more food- I say "do you want to become fat like Daddy used to be?" And when they say no, I say "Good- now run outside and kick the soccer ball around for an hour." Nowadays, with all the education thats out there readily available to anyone and everyone- anyone who allows their children to become morbidly obese (nevermind severly overweight) is an asshole in my mind.

What the HELL is that?

DOUG: make sure I get your cell phone number and when I get Vlad to the show on Friday I will call you and we can all hook up to meet. I'll be picking him and his son up at their hotel in Allentown in the FWD on Friday and taking them to the show and to the family barbeque. I will also be getting them to the show on Saturday as well.

TK is located in Allentown, just off I-78 at the Lehigh Street exit- same exit for the Mack Museum and Queen City Airport. As-the-crow-flies mileage from the show....I would say 10-15 miles at least. Vlad and his son will arrive in the area on Thursday afternoon, he has a hotel in Allentown, we have tentative plans to get together when I get home from work on Thurs, and also tentative plans for me to pick them up and get them to the show on Friday. So yes a Thursday evening meet at the TK may be in order- his 12 year old son's eyes will be big from his first trip to America, we may as well pollute them with visions from the TK show the young man the meaning of capitalism and the young ladies working their way through nun school.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the comments......Not what I was out for- As Ben said.....I'm just in this to help others. I know what its like to be morbidly obese (the proof is in the pictures!) and I know how hard it is to "step off the cliff" so to speak.....If my testimony helps one person to make the decision and carry out the plan towards a healthier life, I will be happy. I dont mean to preach but this is something that I have become passionate about- especially with firefighting, which has been my life. I am now absolutely, positively convinced that one cannot be a firefighter if they are obese. Cannot do it, period, Not even driving. Sure, an obese person might get away with driving, but there is still the stress of an emergency scene to deal with- along with the high blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke. Heart Attacks are the number one killer of firefighters in the United States. A loud, obnoxious, oil-dripping, smoke-blowing two cycle mechanical asshole lawn-boy wanna be in my beloved F.W.D. ???? I rather think not. You have a better chance of seeing me get fat again.

Correct however THREE boys now- Large, Medium and Small. AKA "The Three Stooges."

Unfortunately as far as my career department I will not be able to get back on, and that includes many career departments as well- most of them around here have a maximum age of 35-38 years old. Part time here and there is not out of the question though- I would just have to get my EMT Certification back which is something that I am not exactly rushing to do anytime soon. I am, however still a very active member of my volunteer department in the suburbs of Philly. Up until recently I was pretty much doing driving/pumping only, but late last year I got re-certified as an interior firefighter and in fact this past sunday we did some annual burns at one of the drill schools and I spent the better part of the morning in full gear with a bottle and pulling hose and drilling the new kids into the ground- running circles around them may I add......LOL

I have been heavy for most of my life- since the age of 12-13 or so. In recent years my weight caught up with me creating all kinds of headaches and nightmares. I tried every diet and gimmick out there. I could lose weight, but keeping it off was the big trick. When I was a paid firefighter and had to go to the gym every shift, it was a little easier to do, but re-occurring back problems (which my obesity contributed to.....) forced me to resign as a career firefighter, albeit among other reasons. My heath was in rapid decline. I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, back problems, high cholesterol, and the worst one of all- type II diabetes. However my family Doctor sat me down and had a heart-to-heart with me in the late summer of 2011. He looked me straight in the face and said "By Christmas of 2012, you WILL be an insulin-dependent diabetic giving yourself shots every day if you don't clean up your act. He suggested weight loss surgery. So the wife (who is a cancer nurse) and I discussed things and in November of 2011 I attended the first of many, many office visits and tests and evaluations to see if I was fit for the surgery. This is just not something that you go to the surgeon and say "Lets do this." No it doesn't work that way- it's more of a "Lets test you and prod you and evaluate you and make sure you wont fuck up after we work so hard to rebuild you" kind of a thing. There is even a mental evaluation (which surprisingly I passed....go figure.....) We discussed the options- the gastric sleeve, the gastric band, or a full-blown gastric bypass. I originally had wanted to do the gastric sleeve, however the Doctor studied things and recommended the RNY Gastric Bypass because he felt it would be the best option with the greatest chance of success for me. And finally in early May of 2012 I was placed on the schedule for Wednesday May 30, 2012 at St. Lukes Hospital (Allentown Pa.) The surgery was a complete success- went off without a hitch from the Doctor's standpoint. Me on the other hand, it was the first major surgery I ever went through and I had quite a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. what should have been an overnight stay and home by noon the next day turned into a two and a half day stay. Everything else went fine however. In October of 2010 (see the pic below) I was at my heaviest, about 385lbs. The day of the surgery (5/30/12) I was 327. And on 5/30/2013 I weighed in at 197.6lbs. See the pic below of me at a recent retirement dinner at my old firehouse, the gentleman on my left was working his last shift- was the senior man who cut my teeth as a rookie firefighter when I first got on the job. I will be 40 this November and I am in the greatest shape of my life. My diabetes is in COMPLETE REMISSION. High blood pressure- GONE. Sleep Apnea- GONE. Back problems- GONE. So anyways, you guys may have to look twice at me next week. Tell your wives and girlfriends no drooling on me, either. Just kidding. What I did want to say though was that life is just so much better and easier when you are somewhat physically fit. I am still by no stretch close to the definition of the term "physically fit" but I am of course MUCH better off than I was a year ago. For those of you who are morbidly obese, take it from someone who has been there- the grass IS green on this side, but you have to work to get here, and you have to work to stay here. Any schmuck can undergo weight loss surgery, but it takes someone of strong will to stay here.

Who is "they" and it may also have to do with what is legally an "antique" and a "classic" in your state.

Hahahahah got my choice phrase "Mechanical Asshole" for Detroits from Darnell- earlier in the movie when Arnie pulls Christine into Darnell's building for the first time.

The 1958 FWD *should* be there if I can get the damn clutch master cylinder on and bled and back in operation by then....But I have make some cuts with a grinding wheel to the casting of the new master cylinder where it bolts up to the firewall....Same hole pattern but the casting is larger than the old one and it wont bolt flat against the firewall because of the ribs, and I dont want to cut those....So out comes the wheel and some polish-american engineering to be done.

Ooooooo I guess I shouldnt say then that my 1998 Toyota 4-Runner was one of the best damn vehicles I ever had before my darling wife decided to total it with 187,000 miles on it.....And not one single solitary problem with it, either.

Since Slpwlkr doesn't like Bow Ties, I made an improvement. Sorry, no Mack or FWD logos of an appropriate size, so something else as equally classy is certainly worthy.....At least it's not a blue or red oval.

To polish steel diamond plate: 1. Using sandpaper, wire wheel or other mechanical means, scrub/buff current paint until large chips are removed and edges of thicker sections of paint are feathered evenly, or remove all paint entirely. 2. Mix three parts RustOleum "Aluminum" and one part RustOleum "Flat White." 3. Apply one coat, allow to dry 12-24 hours. 4. Apply second coat. Polishing is complete.

Actually what you SHOULD do is drain out all the crankcase oil, adjust the governor until you can maintain 4000rpms, start it and let it run up and hold 4K until the problems solve themselves. Then install a 300 Maxidyne. Problem solved.

Thats because something's bent outta whack from all the drivers over the years closing the doors on their fingers (on purpose) to keep their minds off the noise of the weed eater under the hood....

Vlad I dropped the ball, I was supposed to look into the Hawthorne Suites for you a few weeks ago, I totally forgot. I will call those hotels closer to Macungie and see if I can get you something closer for a reasonable price. The further away from Allentown you are, the better....If you know what I mean. And yes here in America every passenger must have his/her own seat with a seatbelt. I can pick you up on Friday morning in the FWD (it will be a bit cramped but we can do it.) I plan on attending the barbeque/banquet on Friday Night, which I did sign you and your son up for under my name, it's no big deal if you don't attend. My wife and youngest son will be there as well. When we leave Friday night, we can give you a ride back to your hotel in the car, I leave the FWD there overnight. Saturday morning my father and I can pick you up in his car and get you there. Saturday night we go out to dinner at a local pub with some truck friends including an author friend who has written several books about American Truck Builders- you are of course welcome to have dinner with us if you'd like. Remember when you get to the states to locate and buy a pre-paid cell phone. I am going to private message you my contact information so that you have someone to call in case if you get into trouble and need help!!!!

Ho boy.....Having images of my career firefighter days.........

Yup- completely foreign concept to me as well. I have read many many stories about how someone does not pay the "subscription" and the calls the FD when the shit hits the fan, the FD shows up and says "Oh sorry you didn't pay, you're shit outta luck" and then watches as the person's entire universe goes up in flames- I for one could never live with myself if I were a part of something like that. Duty calls, I do what I have to do to get the job done in and efficient and orderly military manner.

Did someone say FWD?

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/338308/346/Vietnam-vet-truck-driver-marks-Memorial-Day-with-rolling-tribute THIS IS AWESOME!!! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!! And thank you to all who gave the supreme sacrifice, whether it be in the name of the 13 colonies, the CSA, or the USA.

Just take your time doing the shifts, you can't be in a hurry, as you said, no "stabbing." Drop the clutch, bring her out of gear. Drop the clutch again, then feel for the next gear and smoothly slide her in. In a few years when you get used to it and you get to know your machine, you may even be able to shift without clutching at all!!!!! And remember that all tractors ride rough bobtailing.

Plenty of hotels nearby, the cost of the room would prolly be the same to run the tractor back and forth. If you need help with transportation let me know.