Rob

We're loading up. Boy there just ain't a lot of room in the car. We is gonna need to have the windows all the way down due to no air conditioning except highway airflow. Not even any room for pillows but I'll rest my head on Momma's belly rolls when daughter is driving. Check in later tonight. Rob

Getting ready to head out but man how much shit does a 300 pound woman need to take with her for a week????? Geez, think I may have to ride in the trunk cause she wants to take three suitcases, three large boxes, seven, (yes seven) pairs of shoes, and three gallons of non homogenized milk in the cooler!! There is only so much room in a Dodge Aries and it's gonna be tight!! Momma has her stash of back up emergency "bladder bags", and I a couple of spare colostomy sacks so we don't need to stop for cleaning. Daughter Nikki has her emergency spill kit, (just in case). I didn't get no "Superdogs" for the past couple of days but little does the family know about my cheesy taco salad with hot picante sauce I had for lunch. My belly is just starting to warm up and I'm ready to take the "smells of home" with us. Should be an interesting trip. Planning to depart around 6:30pm instead of midnight. By Mapquest, the trip is about 870 miles. As long as my ears hold out from the upcoming rackett, and my shoulder from the resounding impact cause my hearing always decays when Momma starts to bitchin, we'll keep moving. Rob

Well that's alright. I needed some "extra" beauty sleep so we are gonna get rollin about 6:00pm this evening. Prolly gonna roll straight through to Raleigh but we'll see cause you know how easy it is to cover several hundred miles in the car with two females nonstop....... Rob

We, (Momma, daughter, and myself) will be departing central Illinois at about midnight on the 17th-18th and attempting to drive straight through to Raleigh. My class starts at 7:30am on Monday morning. We will be staying at the Comfort Suites in Raleigh which is very close to the school. I'll have my cell phone on the entire time and there should be time available to visit and run around if Momma's pesky little bladder problem doesn't rear it's ugly head. Hopefully daughter Nikki will have her stomach settled by then also as she has twice this past week blown groceries in the car. Rob 309-219-2070

Upon a second look I'll have to agree with Fiat. They were a dying breed when I was coming of age here although plentiful in Europe. Rob

What the hell is the first truck hauling there, Simca automobiles? Simca, (a Chrysler owned french subsidiary) built pretty good cars for what they were, but could not gain a foothold in this country. The engines were in the rear like a Corvair, but they were water cooled. They were another that on a quiet day you could hear them rust. Rob

Just another day in paradise as they say. Rob

Nah, I don't have nuts anymore. Momma done got to em with her butcher knife. Only time I squirt is when my prostate has shrunk back to the size of a grape rather than a grapefruit. Usually have to negotiate normal life with my other "sack" hanging on my side. Rob

We took my father in law to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes ( he is 78 ). We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors - green, red, orange, and blue. My father in law kept staring at her. The teenager kept looking and would find him staring every time. When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked: "What's the matter old man, ain't you never done anything wild in your life?" Knowing whom she was speaking to, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response as I knew it would be a good one! In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid ………… "Got stoned once and screwed a peacock. Just wondering if you were my daughter."

Damn, that looks to be about the caliber of my ass and with about a hundred pounds of black powder I could prolly reach low sub earth orbit. Rob

No Tarp??? I couldn't have accepted the load without a proper tarp job. Rob

Hi Fred, wouldn't the insulators be about beat to snot to allow the plates to rattle? I've never heard the sounds mentioned but sure have a lot of driveline noise. Rob

Yes, but the question is for how long without a/c in the summer, little heat in the winter, no p/s, about 220hp, (on the high side) rigid seat mounting, little to no sound insulation, spring suspension, etc. Gotta admire the "old timers" who got it done. Nice truck by the way. Rob

Sounds more like driveline noise rather than suspension noise. Check the drive splines in the driveshaft, dust/debris collars on the shafts for broken welds allowing independent rotation, and loose/dry universal joints or yokes. Rob

Hi Brad, which vendor are you referencing? Rob

Yup, that will work quite well as I can now drop the Peterbilts from a greater distance, and will be able to triple stack of them without being overheight. This will save me great amounts in crusher rental fees and we know these days: Every dollar saved, counts. Rob

I've had good luck and prices from www.truckchrome.com. Rob

Hi Mike, your photo is of a "Cannonball. The "Crackerbox was a cabover truck. Rob

I just looked up a few of the names and you are correct. I didn't check anything for accuracy in this one, just forwarded it. Pelosi!! Rob

Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947 , a little over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell , New Mexico . This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations. However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born: Albert A. Gore, Jr.. Hillary Rodham John F. Kerry William J. Clinton Howard Dean Nancy Pelosi Dianne Feinstein Charles E. Schumer Barbara Boxer See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses? I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for you. It did for me. No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens! Rob

I always called them "runners" so I could at least sound athletic. The elastic leg bands stopped all that. Rob

sounds like too much of a good thing? Rob

Naw, really don't like the taste of em. Instead Momma mixes my morning juice with about 50% flaxseed oil so I don't get constipated. It is just a little overwhelming when we place mexican food into the mix. Rob

You must be speaking of the 1956-1959 timeframe of IH trucks. The Cummins motors of that era used a split manifold that yeilded a sound that was definately their own. Under a hard pull they would actually glow red. The rear most cylinder was a separate pulse into the exhaust manifold making the characteristic sound you remember. It was most prevelant in the IH trucks due to exhaust routing of the chassis. My uncles have spoken of that exact "sound" numerous times. Rob

Now that's just about on par of what happed to me on the 4th. You'll remember the chilli injected "superdogs" Momma, and Momma's Momma was makin for me over last weekend? I suppose I ate too many cause on my bike ride home after the fireworks show, and sneezing at 70mph, I damn near exploded past the elastic leg bands used to contain body discharges of my rubber underpants while dodging rain storms. No real problem though. Stopping the bike, dropped my pants, and simply sliding down the grassy embankment alongside the hiway did a fine job of cleaning up. Utilizing the benign benifits of hypo alergenic properties of my undergarments, I was once again on my merry way for the next 75 miles to the conclusion of the trip.Rob