"Something in the Orange"

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When I pulled the rear main late that summer I found the bearings were badly worn and the seal was in bad shape. The crank seemed polished rather than scored so thinking that i may have put the shells in backwards (hole for oil on the wrong side) I put another set of bearings in. Unfortunately this was all done with the motor still in the car and replacing the oil pan was pretty frustrating. I'd like to say it was the last time I ever had a "rigging fit" but I must have let out a few obscenities loud enough that my little old lady neighbor came over and snuck her head in my garage and asked, in the sweetest voice; "is everything ok honey?" I never felt so bad....
 
Read the first post or two awhile back, just came back to catch up...I like the format, fun to ride along! And You're obviously having a blast in a really nice car!
 
B-i-n-g-o said:
Read the first post or two awhile back, just came back to catch up...I like the format, fun to ride along! And You're obviously having a blast in a really nice car!
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I don't know, I might would trade for a convertible in the Carolina's just now! I have another two months of wet weather ahead.... I'll be watching your front brake project as mine is due for another round and it maybe time for some upgrades.
 
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I went ahead and welded the old exhaust anyway. I wanted to see if my jury rigged gun would work and could use the practice anyway.
 
September 3rd 2012, I had another 500 miles on my relatively "new to me" 340 after the 2nd set of bearing shells. I stopped at a log scaling yard and weighed the car. It's the only time I remember doing that and I need to do it again. It was 3,431 pounds with no one in it. I also took my girlfriend to Port Townsend and even Leavenworth in it but the motor was starting to make the noise and leak oil again. At this point I wrote getting it to the track off for the year and tried to concentrate on hunting the high buck season in the Cascades. That was the year of the Wenatchee Complex Fire and my spot in the Entiat was burning (so were 2 of my back up spots!!) Quitting the cigarettes then wasn't going very well either. It was shaping up to be a pretty crappy year....
 
At the same time some post grad from NC State, pouring over growth rate spreadsheets of progeny test site material, tells me to establish more of this one species of tree out here. I had been selecting from 7 different species for various site conditions, had developed relationships with about as many nurseries from Eugene to Campbell River, and I had planted about 21 million trees here. His boss was an accomplished fiduciary analysts in the industry and I used his equations to show how much it would cost the company to grow these new trees where, in some cases, "the sun doesn't shine". I got a new job.... In research.... In Florida.
 
like_A_pike said:
At the same time some post grad from NC State, pouring over growth rate spreadsheets of progeny test site material, tells me to establish more of this one species of tree out here. I had been selecting from 7 different species for various site conditions, had developed relationships with about as many nurseries from Eugene to Campbell River, and I had planted about 21 million trees here. His boss was an accomplished fiduciary analysts in the industry and I used his equations to show how much it would cost the company to grow these new trees where, in some cases, "the sun doesn't shine". I got a new job.... In research.... In Florida.
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Are you a forest manager?
 
I was until 2013. I managed about 175,000 acres on the northwest tip in Washington. After that I helped managers from Ocala Florida, up to Roanoke Va, out to Antlers Oklahoma and the lost pines of Bastrop and back to Coos Bay Oregon, grow timber.
 
like_A_pike said:
I was until 2013. I managed about 175,000 acres on the northwest tip in Washington. After that I helped managers from Ocala Florida, up to Roanoke Va, out to Antlers Oklahoma and the lost pines of Bastrop and back to Coos Bay Oregon, grow timber.
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I went to school with several folks who became foresters and forest managers. I'm only still in touch with one, a former roomie, who left the business long ago. I was in wood products engineering, but never worked in the field.
 
A lot of talent in that area is migrating toward cross lamination timber and carbon these days. Very interesting time in the industry but Im a dirt forester/ tree nerd.
 
I just read the thread. Cool ride I love the thrashing! Let me know if you ever get to the north side of Seattle, Id love to check it out your 68.
 
clementine said:
I just read the thread. Cool ride I love the thrashing! Let me know if you ever get to the north side of Seattle, Id love to check it out your 68.
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Absolutely, thanks! Ever come out for a "clam dig", especially with your rig, we're sorta on the way; stop by!!
 
My girlfriend of 15 years can’t decide if she wants to move to Florida. Sometime just before Christmas I loaded up my pickup, after fighting about it, and lit out before dawn. I stopped along 101 at the last beach on the Pacific and snuck another last cigarette. Got back in the truck and aimed for the rising sun…
 
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I didn't see the car until July that next year. The first thing I did was yank the 340 out and take it to Gary John's in Jacksonville for a line hone....
 
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I picked the crane up from Craigslist already mounted on a receiver for $90. I was renting a hunting cabin on the St Marys west of Hilliard because A) I was still paying for a mortgage B) it had a two bay barn C) no HOA D) I could target practice in the back yard E) I thought it was kinda cool. However the entire drive and the floor of the barn was sand. So a rental cherry picker was not going to roll around into position very well and I got a lot of crap about using a come along into the oak tree...

My mini starter showed up at this point.
 
Florida has a safety inspection required for registration. Having a horn never occurred to me, with everything else going sideways. Except the car ran great. I don’t know why I came up with this….

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Issues with the switch will be an ongoing problem but usually only around re-inspection time.

This was supposed to be temporary I think- it’s still in there….
 
like_A_pike said:
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I picked the crane up from Craigslist already mounted on a receiver for $90. I was renting a hunting cabin on the St Marys west of Hilliard because A) I was still paying for a mortgage B) it had a two bay barn C) no HOA D) I could target practice in the back yard E) I thought it was kinda cool. However the entire drive and the floor of the barn was sand. So a rental cherry picker was not going to roll around into position very well and I got a lot of crap about using a come along into the oak tree...

My mini starter showed up at this point.
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Nice ride ,
 
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The hood was not going to cooperate any longer. A talented and patient bloke at Seldomridge body shop in Hilliard cut and welded new bits without disturbing the paint on top.

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It took a couple months but I couldn’t wait to drive it. I battened down the hinges and registered it without a hood!
My folks lived up in Blackshear Georgia and I remember cruising back and forth for those holidays that year. (hoodless) Surprised that pop actually dug my ride. We would alternate weekends between his motorcycle or orange car for awhile. Glad to have had that time with him.
He was on a destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf in the early days of the war. I think he was there in ‘66 ?? If he hadn’t come back I never would have happened. Here’s one to those folks with loved ones that didn’t on this Memorial Day! Thank you!
 
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Dave 74 Dart said:
Really enjoying your story. Damn, that color is perfect !
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It doesn't have the "down in the trenches" feel like the true build threads. It's kind of just a story for now and not really unique. I'm learning there are a fair few threads with a back story. IM JUST REALLY LATE! Thanks for following along.
So I used to say that I bought something to put in the garage that reminded me what the sun looked like. (Forks Wa. is the rainiest spot in the lower 48) I have been tempted to change it and really straightening the body is in the car's future but I think it may just stay. Allot more paint manufacturers are making a pearl orange now days too. Time will tell I reckon.
 
Winter and spring 2014 there was not allot of working on it going on. I was all over the country at work and driving this thing or fishing when at home. I took it to Fernandina Beach quite a bit but I loved opening it up out between St George and Fargo Ga and up to Waycross. I posted one story of a drive to Waycross in this thread;
like_A_pike said:
Dustin off this fossil.....

So I'm driving home one summer evening in Waycross Georgia and trying to catch up with an old tea bucket. When I finally do, we're side by side at a light. The driver is prolly my age and he's got what I assumed was his teenaged son next to him. The kid is thoroughly burried in his smartphone and hadn't noticed....well anything else really. I rev it hard and the kid puts the phone down. The light turns green and we light 'em up!

All I remember was the smile on that kids face and always thought that we hooked him forever. You're welcome Waycross dad!

L_A_P
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My only ticket (knock on wood) was in Folkston Georgia just after crossing the St. Marys for my window tint and I took it to the Amelia Island car show too. Well just to park it in the lot really, but it didn't go unnoticed.

Then I started having trouble with those after market upper control arms. A couple of members helped me identify what the previous owner put in there and I got some great customer support from the manufacturer;

like_A_pike said:
Conclusion:

So first of all I have to thank Bill Reilly at RMS for some of the best customer service I've received...ever. I sent a message to the "contact us" link on their web site and had a response in an hour and a half. After hours on a Friday I think! Very Cool!

What happened to the original? It looks like the metal sleeve was too long and hung out beyond the bushing. so the individual that installed the UCA "created" a spacer to deal with it. Their choice was to cut the ends off of the old rubber bushings and then used whatever washers they had to fill the gap between that and the frame. Only of few of the supplied washers were used. The result was movement. Back and forth at first against that rubber I suspect. Then up and down as the bushing got egged out, until one of them disintegrated.

I admit the car felt a little sloppy for some time, but only when I passed someone and crossed the crown in the road at speed. The clunk at intersections on the last ride was the coup d'grace to get me to investigate.

lastly, keep receipts ya'll! identifying aftermarket stuff is hard and going to become increasingly difficult. Things wear out even when installed correctly. No more going to a parts counter anymore.

dw
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...then back out on the blacktop!!
 
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