Bobacuda

Jackalopes aren't near the problem they used to be since the invasive snowbirds migrated in and decided to stay. The jackalopes undisturbed habitat is rapidly becoming filled with houses and more snowbirds.

Here's my truck in front of Luckenbach General Store (bar in the back). The bust on the granite is of Hondo. The dancehall (Engel's Hall) is to the left, behind my truck.

OK, you guys have made me feel guilty for not facing the winter weather in my truck. With a soothed conscience at stake, I braved the 76 degree weather and headed out. I drove out to Luckenbach, one of my old hangouts (I only spent money there, never made any ). Anyhow, there was always more to the place than just the record. I got to see Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, JJ Walker, Joe Ely, George Strait, Alvin Crow, Rusty Wier and lots of others, as well as drink lots of beer and generally make a fool of my younger self. I knew Hondo Crouch (owned the place) and the lady that ran the bar for him, Marge Ottmers. Hondo was an Olympic swimmer, coach, poet, actor and a self described "Imagineer." Look up Luckenbach Moon online for one of his better musings. I will load a few more photos of my perilous winter journey to Luckenbach for my fellow Pilothouse pilots in the "Off Topic" section.

We've hit the 20's about 4 times this year, and I enjoyed going to a seafood restaurant on one of those days . I'll take the 100 degree days down here over your frozen food days.

The D100 tags were probably put there to hide a very common rust area around those large rivets on the fenders. The light in the door way is a previous owner's engineering. I have only seen clearance lights on heavy trucks, unless someone just liked the looks of them - blame a previous owner. My B4B is Equador blue, and it is blue inside and outside of the cab. Most pre-B4B's I have seen have black beds, running boards and bumpers. I have seen some with matching color beds, but not very many. Look on your bed in the hard to paint areas to see what color you find. I have never seen that shade of green on a Dodge truck, so I would say that your truck was most likely blue with a black bed prior to the previous owner painting it.

I have told this story before, but here is the Cliff Notes version. When I removed the wiring from my B4B, I did it individual harness by harness, putting a tag on the end of each wire to remind me where they connected. I then mounted each on a section of chipboard (two harnesses per 2'x4" piece of chipboard). I used the wiring harness available in the tech section and then I measured each of my wires to determine the length and connectors required. Once I had all of that, I bought the colored, cloth wires and connectors from Rhode Island Wires. I built my harnesses one at a time, measuring then cutting one wire at a time. I would solder the ends, then I would slip the shrink tubing on, crush on the appropriate connector, resolder the crush on connector to the wire. slid the shrink tube in place and shrunk it. I would build all the wires for that harness, then I would match their length on one end to the original harness (the other end will automatically be correct) and I would tape the wires to match the original, creating a new harness. Built all the harnesses, then installed - it all worked like it was supposed to.

Another bit of info, Osiris had imbedded itself in over 460 (or was it 640?) sectors in the register. It had to be rooted out of all of them or it would have re-activated. I am not a PC Nerd, so that level of "imbedding" seemed pretty damn devious to me.

The SOB's wanted 3.5 bitcoin (about $2,645) to release my files. I finally went for professional help. They used a multitude of programs to root the ransom ware out of my computer, but all of my Excel, Word and Power Point files were permanently encrypted. The vast majority of my photos were encrypted, as well. Once the pros were finished, they told me that restoring to a previous time would not help and that it might remove the programs used to oust the Osiris ransomware. Once all of the work was done, I ran "DiscDigger" for file recovery and was able to get a few photos back, and I confirmed the Osiris ransom ware encrypts every file, including the ones you cannot see, that it can find. So, I am rebuilding my lost business files and will be backing stuff up in the future.

Before you read this, yes, I have the ability to back my computer up and I had not done it recently enough. And yes, I need the info on the machine. Had an email on my computer yesterday from a "Mary Cummings" (or Cunningham, can't remember which) that had a tag line concerning an invoice and follow up I have been waiting for. I opened the email, and WHAM! Ransom ware on my computer, telling me all of my files are encrypted (they are) and giving me directions on how to get them decrypted and what it will cost me - in untraceable Bitcoins. From what I have read online, its going to cost me at least $500 to get them to decrypt my files. There are two different anti-virus programs on my computer, this damn ransom ware got right by both of them. Apparently, it does not register as a virus. Hopefully my misfortune will help someone else avoid this.

Are there another set of "boxes" like that under the back end of the truck? Those two almost look like brackets for slide-in ramps. Or someone put them there to help steady the spare without having to tighten it all the way up against the frame.

Good point. I said it is flat glass. I should have specified it is laminated flat glass, which is still not that expensive.

Dang, I got all of my windows cut and installed (vent & door windows in the frames) for about $350 - windshield, corner windows (originals) and rear window installed at my house (about a 50 mile round trip for the glass shop. And, a windshield cracked, so they came out and replaced it on their dime a month later. It's flat glass, which is not expensive. Check the local glass shops. I found this shop by asking a guy that restores old Fords for a living.

According to history, Westinghouse and Tesla were friends. JP Morgan and Edison, on the other hand, would be scheming a way to get their hands on the patent. It was not the most difficult job on the truck, but it was time consuming and required more organization than I usually have to get it done right. When I finished, no smoke and everything worked. Made me feel the 80 hrs was well worth it.

If you can build and install proper harnesses, matching your old ones, with color coding, soldered, crushed and insulated connectors in one weekend, my hat is off to you. I worked on my B4B's for about 80 hrs, removing the old wires and tagging each wire on the end where it went, cutting open the old wire harnesses to match the new wires to the old harness to keep it the same, correct 6V wire, slip on the shrink tube, solder the end of the wire, put the uninsulated connector on, crush it in place, re-solder the connector and wire, pull up the shrink tubing and shrink it, then tag the ends to match the original harness. Build all the wires in a harness, use the old harness for the model and tape the wires to create a new harness that is the appropriate length (get a helper or two to hold the wires), and finally, once all the harnesses were built, install them. If you can do that in a weekend, you are kin to either Westinghouse or Tesla Don't be shocked if it goes a little slower than you think.

Restraint Brent, restraint!

Don't know about car grommets, but a while back I found these for my B4B. They had LOTS of sizes and shapes to choose from. Cableorganizer.com Inc. 6250 NW 27th Way Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 866-222-0030 Part number: (SKU) OMAR-0545 Description: 3/8” x 1/8” x ½” x 5/8” x 13/32” rubber grommet $0.81 This is the one the oil line goes through (truck) Part number: (SKU) OMAR-2872 Description: 1” x 1/8” x 1 3/8” x 1 3/4” x 1/2” rubber grommet $4.13 This is the one the wiring goes through (truck) These two grommets fit great.

Here's a set on a mini-bike for you to consider as you tour the swap meet and hum the tune to "Easy Rider."

What it the engine on that thing...and when are you adding the "ape hanger" handlebars?

Stream ecologist (biologist) currently working on the habitat for 9 endangered aquatic species . MS degree has allowed me to work in my field since graduation 36 yrs ago. Unfortunately, at this point in my career I have to deal with more of the Engineering Firms and developers, so I spend less time in the field and more behind a desk.

A friend of mine told me that when he was about 4, his grandfather gave him his first dog. As they were playing and having fun, his grandpa called him back and said, "I want to apologize right now...I've given you your first heartache." My friend said that 15 years later, he thought that was true, until he realized his grandpa had really given him his best friend and some of his best memories. I am on the 8th dog in my life, and I still remember each fondly. For a bit of healing, watch the clip for an upcoming dog movie (A Dog's Purpose). https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=a+dog's+purpose+youtube&view=detail&mid=4AFA867362972708C0FD4AFA867362972708C0FD&FORM=VIRE

Temps ranging from 50 - 60? Here in Hill Country Texas our temps have been ranging from the occasional 50 (with lots of humidity) in the morning to high 80's - low 90's (much less humidity...usually...mostly...sort of) in the afternoon. Since my family would not let me paint my truck (such little faith), can't wait to see how yours turns out. The pieces look good. Bob

Looks like HIlltop Hot Rods bought out Sanford & Son.

But Brent, you forget. Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

JB, if I could still stand and bend enough to touch my fingertips on the floor, I wouldn't need a lift

I am about to contract for a shop with a 2-post lift (did not think of that when I built my current shop 20 years ago) to help me with my old vehicle addiction - and when I do the family vehicle oil changes. To avoid future regrets, I have a few questions for those of you with 2-post lifts. 1. Is symmetric or asymmetric best? 2. How much clearance, floor to ceiling do I need to avoid putting the truck in the ceiling? I would really like to hear a real measurement from someone that has their truck up on the lift. I have been told 12' - 15'. I don't want the space to be too small nor do I want it to be too cavernous. 3. What brand of lift would you recommend and why? Thanks in advance.