ranchhopper

Well looks like I got the old truck bought did some trading and some cash but wont get much done on it until winter I need to do some extensive rust repair on the cab or maybe find a replacement cab. Just wondering if the newer square hood RD cab may work as a replacement the cowl lines look the same but probably couldn't get that lucky..

I spoke to the owner this afternoon Im going to try to get off from work early enough to check it out in the next couple days I have been looking for one of these for a while.

I see that superliner running down 25 through elgin quite a bit.

I found a set on ebay they worked perfect.

I may be able to help I live 12 miles north of aurora.

Looks like a GM engine the distributor is at the back looks almost like a 70s caddy engine I had a 500 CID out of a early 70s caddy I sold it on ebay way back.

I never served in the military either Nixon ended the war the year I got out of high school but this is my way of paying them back for their service also when you do these events you are always with like minded people these events are like liberal repellant. I had an older guy come up to me telling me how when he worked at UPS they bought him a brand new F model truck another guy was telling me how he used to drive a RS back in the old days you get a lot of guys telling their story of driving these old trucks back when they were brand new.

I was asked by a friend who runs TPC if I would bring out my truck to his event today honoring WWII and Korean war vets I said sure that's what its for so my friend brought his deuce and we parked them out front in the park the marines did a depiction of the flag raising on iwo jima they are very good at this they didn't move a muscle they looked just like the statue even up close. They were photographed a lot today they had lots of ceremonies today there was hundreds of flags in the park everyone of them had the name of someone from Illinois KIA in the Iraq war then they fed everyone brats and whatever anyone wanted at diamond jims in Dundee the entertainment was my friends the legacy girls in all a pretty good day. My fathers a Korean war vet so him and mom came down most of our neighbors and lots of friends were there a pretty good way to spend a Saturday afternoon now off to the steam show for most of tomorrow.

The only thing that's a pain in the ass is spreading a load of gravel if you have it in a low enough gear not to spin the clutch while taking off the bed goes up way to slow.

That schambach 6 wheeler was built from a 67 semi tractor I complimented him on it when I was loading it last summer it still has the old style PTO where the higher the gear the main box is in the faster the box goes up.

The only reason they let that water get away is so they can get it designated a superfund site and collect more government money makes sense doesn't it using their way of thinking.

Bumper is different too.

I had to go over to the brother in laws a couple weeks ago and eradicate a bald faced hornets nest in one of their trees they wouldn't go near it when I went right up to it and sprayed it down they thought I was crazy that's why my oldest niece and I get along well because Im her crazy uncle who isn't scared to try anything at least once.

I don't think the kid running the locomotive liked running the silver pilot he told me he wanted to run the one we were in maybe the operator has a choice of what he going to be running all day. He had an attitude like he didn't want to be there anyways I put in the paperwork three times volunteering to work in the diesel shop Im sure I have at least one skill that could be helpful but never heard a word back from them oh well.

I was busy running all over that place today the military vehicle club I used to belong to was there today some followed me there who didn't know the way always good to take the old truck out for a drive. I don't like riding in high hood locomotives much I was kinda disappointed they unhooked the silver pilot from the rest of the consist and hooked up to the old I believe is a SD24 today I like riding in the old E5 much more. Hopefully my truck is finally done it ran good stopped good and I don't have any complaints Im going to wet sand the lower part of the driver door sometime this fall and reshoot it the paint never did lay out good on that door for some reason.

Sorry I missed you I spent a lot of the day riding in the locomotive pulling the Nebraska zephyr.

I loaded that valuliner quite a few times in the concrete yard poor old girl has seen her better days for sure.

They have painted all but one of our R models so far there is one other RD Ron uses it to haul pipe it was repainted a couple years ago its a pretty nice looking ride the one they are doing for me is one of our straight trucks used to haul septic tanks with no miles on it. It has a computer controlled engine which Im not happy about I would rather have the mechanical myself it will have a full chassis and cab paint job they are going to put a set of polished alcoas on it because Im one of the few that will take care of it.

Yes for welch they are rebuilding me a newer RD so this is my summer driver the paint is really bad needs a good buffing and they don't want to put the time into it so I drive it around dirty kind of embarrassing but there is no sense cleaning it up when as soon as it drys it looks dirty again. Its really a pretty good truck but the mechanics bent the bumper backing it into the shop and the previous driver smashed the hoist oil and fuel tank in and everything is dented or scratched its a shame really it could be brought back to looking good again but Im told when Im in the other truck this will be a spare.

Im driving an old faded out RD the only one hauling gravel with a 24 foot galbreath aluminum trailer.

I saw some of you guys out there this morning while hauling stone from Hampshire to elgin saw the white CH with the live floor trailer backed into the paver when going through the intersection.

I probably wouldn't have done the rears but my parts truck had aluminum budds hubs on the rear all I really needed is the longer inner nuts for the thicker aluminum wheels.

Yes a bit of chrome and polishing up the aluminum makes a big difference.

The spoked Dayton wheels are going to where I work for spares for our R model fleet so the scrapper wont get them Im going to bring them the Dayton tubeless rims they are like new too.

I finally got the hubs and aluminum wheels put on the drive axles of the truck now its finally done until next summer I will probably do some interior work heres a before pic which the purists will probably like better and the three I took today after finishing up.