Clements BBQ Road Trip

[Merle Coggins]

One more week and I’ll be on my way…. 

 

I finished up the last of my maintenance check list this morning. The Ol’ Dodge should be ready to go. I fired it up and backed it out of the garage, so that I could clean up a bit. While it was out I gave it a good dusting with my California Duster. I was going to wash it, but it was only 30 degrees this morning, plus the weather forecast for next Saturday is mid 40’s and rain. No sense getting it all pretty just to drive through that and get it all slopped up. At least I got the majority of the winter dust accumulation off of it. I also cleaned the windows so I can see where I’m going. 

 

The plan is to have everything packed and loaded by Thursday evening. Friday evening we’ll go to Good Friday service at our church, then Saturday morning I’ll hit the road. For the first time in a long while I won’t be around family for Easter, but sacrifices must be made. The long range forecast for Sunday and Monday, across Nebraska and through Wyoming, is 50’s and sunny. I’ll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast as D-Day (Departure Day) approaches, paying special attention to the weather through the mountain states. Nothing scary looking so far, but as you all know, weather is subject to change without notice. 

 

I’ll use this thread to blog my trip, so stay tuned… 

[Merle Coggins]

OH NO... Two days before D-Day and it may be over before it starts...

 

I was putzing around yesterday, getting the last few things all set and I spotted an oil puddle by the left rear tire. Wheel seal leak... @#$%$!,  I just replaced that one over the winter as I had noticed it leaking last fall. What went wrong? It was fine until I backed it out of the garage on Saturday, then back in. Somehow that movement caused it to start leaking again. 😠 I was all ready to go, and now this... I feel deflated now. 😞

 

I stewed over it all night. I can't pretend I didn't see it now. When I replaced the seal a few months ago there was no grease left in the bearing. The leaking oil had washed it all out. Apparently it was surviving on that leaking oil to lubricate it. The bearing was still OK, but I can't expect the same results on a trip like this. Smoking a wheel bearing half way across the country would be very bad. There was a slight groove on the axle shaft, so I installed a Speedy Sleeve with the new seal. It all went together well so I had no reason to believe there was a problem with the installation. I had purchased 2 seals, expecting to do both sides, but the right side was good. I just packed a little more grease into the right side and called it good. The right side still appears to be good. 

 

I dug out the other new seal this morning. I guess I'll be tearing it apart tonight after work. Hopefully it's nothing serious and I'll have it back together quickly. I don't have time to be ordering parts. 

 

 

[ggdad1951]

C'mon Merle, you got this!  I have all the stuff ready to share the road back with you!

[48Dodger]

You got this! Just a minor inconvenience! 🙂

 

48D

[Brent B3B]

Bummer, Bigger question….. where was Michelle during this discovery? 🤔

 

Edited April 2 by Brent B3B

[John-T-53]

Those inner seals are tricky, and can easily be damaged even when reinstalling the axle. The bearings in my truck were lubricated with gear oil for years until I finally opened it up and replaced the seals and packed them with grease. I did this right before a trip to the BBQ a couple years ago too.

 

EDIT: link to the seal replacement in my truck, 2022 (below). At the time, I could not find a speedi-sleeve that would fit the axle shaft at the inner seal. 

 

Also, Merle - could your housing end be filled too high with oil? The level shouldn't be touching the rubber seal when at rest. If it's leaking while sitting it's probably getting past the interface of the metal seal retainer and axle housing.

 

Edited April 2 by John-T-53

[Merle Coggins]

23 minutes ago, Brent B3B said:

Bummer, Bigger question….. where was Michelle during this discovery? 🤔

 

 

Probably in the house... 

FYI... She's leaving Saturday too. She's flying to LA to spend time with her son's family out there. Quality time with the grandkids... They are planning to come up to Lodi after school on Friday, and they'll come to the BBQ on Saturday, so I can get some time with them too. 

[Merle Coggins]

Crisis averted… when I pulled the drum the seal area was dry. It wasn’t a workmanship error on the seal install. It turns out that it was a brake fluid leak. This explains why it didn’t show up until I moved the truck and applied the brakes.

 

When I pulled the backing plate for the seal job the adapter fitting for the upper brake cylinder turned when loosening the brake line. I had to get another wrench to hold it, to get the brake line loose. There’s not much of that fitting protruding from the backing plate to get a wrench on for tightening. Apparently I didn’t get it tight enough. With brake pressure applied it would drip brake fluid down the inside of the backing plate and drip off the bottom. Luckily it didn’t contaminate anything. I ended up removing the cylinder so that I could clean and retighten the fitting. Reassembled, bled the brake, and all is good now. It’s all back together and ready to roll again. I can sleep easy tonight now. 

 

Back on schedule and ready for D-Day Saturday morning. 

 

7 hours ago, John-T-53 said:

Also, Merle - could your housing end be filled too high with oil? The level shouldn't be touching the rubber seal when at rest. If it's leaking while sitting it's probably getting past the interface of the metal seal retainer and axle housing. 

 

 

It is filled to the bottom of the fill plug, with the wheels on the ground and level. I also checked the breather when I replaced the seal, so I know that’s good too. But as stated, it turns out not to be a seal issue after all. 

[Merle Coggins]

One more sleep... as we say for the little kids. 😎

[48Dodger]

Rock and Roll!

 

You got this buddy!

 

48D

[Merle Coggins]

Well, how about that… I’m in Lodi already. That didn’t take as long as I expected. 
 

Oh, wait a minute… this is Lodi, WI, hometown of Tom Wopat (Luke Duke), not Lodi, CA. I still have over 2000 miles to go. I better keep moving. 
 

Edited April 4 by Merle Coggins

[Bobacuda]

MC -

Thinking of painting my 51 green, so I’m considering different shades. What is the type and the shade of the green paint name on your truck?

[Merle Coggins]

Road Trip Day 1, April 4th. 

Menasha, WI to Sioux City, IA. 509.2 miles recorded on the odometer. My Garmin GPS recorded 530.0. That's 4% off. My speedo is 6% off, so that tracks.

 

I left home around 6:30 this morning. It was around 34 degrees with light rain. The heavy rain overnight had blown through, but there was still a lot of water in the air. I stopped at Kwik Trip on my way out of town for the first of many gas fill ups, then I headed East... for a few miles. I then got onto WI-55 and followed that south along the east side of Lake Winnebago. This allowed me to bypass the Appleton/Oshkosh metro area with a more scenic country drive. 55 connects up with US-151 which wraps around Fond du Lac on the south end of the lake. 151 at this point is 4 lane semi-limited access divided highway, and once past Fond du Lac the speed limit jumps up to 65MPH. Light rain continued for most of the morning, but traffic was light.  When I got to Columbus I jumped off and took WI-60 west to bypass MadTown (Madison). Hwy 60 is one of my favorite routes through southwest Wisconsin, especially on a motorcycle. I followed 60 through Lodi (see previous post) and on to Spring Green. In Spring Green I took WI-23 south and picked up 151 again in Dodgeville. By now the rain was getting lighter, and by the time I got to the border the roads were starting to dry up. I crossed the Mississippi River into Dubuque, IA and picked up US-20 West. It had been rather windy so far this morning, but once I got out of town, into the open countryside, the wind was very noticeable. 

Not too far west of Dubuque I jumped off the highway in Farley, IA. This town only has significance to me because Farley is my mother's maiden name. I have many Farley cousins. I don't know the heritage of Farley, IA, or it's connection to my Farley relatives. Maybe someday I'll research it and find out. Anyway, the reason I exited Hwy 20 here is because it was the route to my next stop... The Field of Dreams Movie Set. I've been near here multiple times but never stopped, so I figured this would be a good day to check it out. It was cold and windy, so I didn't spend much time there. Enough to get a couple pictures and check out the gift shop. 

I jumped back on Hwy 20 in Dyersville and continued west. I was bucking a 20+ MPH headwind, which greatly limited my speed, and reduced my fuel mileage. I was basically pedal to the floor to maintain 60-65 MPH. 

I arrived at the hotel in Sioux City, IA at around 5:00 PM. 10.5 hours total on the road. Not a bad day. The truck ran flawlessly, even with the lack of umph against the wind. 

 

Hwy 60 winds along the Wisconsin River in SW Wisconsin. As I said, it's one of my favorite roads in SW Wisconsin. The Windy Road sign is loved as a motorcyclist. In a 76 year old truck it just means more work, but still enjoyable. 

 

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi and entering Iowa. 

 

The original house used in the Field of Dreams movie. 

 

The original ball diamond used in the movie. No corn in the outfield this time of year. the large structure in the background is the MLB ball field, built a few years ago, used for certain exhibition MLB games. It appears that there's more construction work happening on it. I didn't ask what was being added. 

[Merle Coggins]

34 minutes ago, Bobacuda said:

MC -

Thinking of painting my 51 green, so I’m considering different shades. What is the type and the shade of the green paint name on your truck?

 

I have no idea what it's called. Back when I was building it the DEPTCA site was fully functional and they had some files of the paint chips from back in the day. I believe it was just Dodge Truck Green for '48-'50. They were Duco paint codes which were obsolete. However, my paint guy was able to make a call and get a cross to a modern DuPont code. I also brought my glove box door in and he was able to look up the DuPont number in his book and it matched my paint sample. He mixed me up a gallon of Imron Industrial paint in that color. It's nothing fancy, but it looks good enough for me, and it was easy enough for a novice (me) to paint. 

I believe in '51 the Green color changed a bit and it wouldn't have matched my truck. 

Edited April 5 by Merle Coggins

[Bobacuda]

My 51 family farm truck was originally blue, but I already have a blue 53.  When my stepfather’s family bought the 51 new, the dealer only had a blue one, but they liked green as well.  So, I’m looking at shades of green.  Need not be an original shade. 

Edited April 5 by Bobacuda

[48Dodger]

Wow....just....wow.

 

Your on a trip of a lifetime! 🙂

 

48D

[Plymouthy Adams]

13 hours ago, Bobacuda said:

My 51 family farm truck was originally blue, but I already have a blue 53.  When my stepfather’s family bought the 51 new, the dealer only had a blue one, but they liked green as well.  So, I’m looking at shades of green.  Need not be an original shade. 

this is the shade of green I chose for the little truck I am building....as a home blended paint.....I call it Willow green....this is the grille mocked up for install later....after Easter, will shoot the cab exterior in color.   Picking a color when not going back factory can be a bit interesting...so much to chose from....why I mixed my own....am sure there is a color out there like it or so close you can say it is the same....good luck, have fun, as dad would say, win or lose be a good sport.

Edited Sunday at 05:54 PM by Plymouthy Adams

[Merle Coggins]

Road Trip Day 2, April 5th. 

Sioux City, IA to Torrington, WY. 467.8 miles recorded on the Odometer. The Garmin recorded 487.1. 

 

Today was a much nicer day. It started off a little frosty, at around 34 degrees, but warmed up nicely. There was, conveniently, a Casey's gas station right across the street from the hotel, so I topped off the gas, got some drinks, and hit the road shortly after 7:00. I jumped back on US-20 West and a minute, or so, later I was crossing the Missouri river into Nebraska. Yes, this is the Good Life. 

 

Once I got out of the Sioux City metro area the road slimed down to a basic 2 lane, although the speed limit remained at 65 MPH. Every 10-15 miles we'd roll through a Small Town, USA and the speed would be reduced, but otherwise we cruised along at 60-65 most of the time. The wind was calm this morning, compared to yesterday. As the sun was coming up behind me, and occasionally blinding me in a mirror, I was able to chase my shadow for a while. 

 

A little bit west of Laurel I caught up to a mid 60's Plymouth Fury. (sorry, no pictures) He was going around 55, so when I got to a passing zone I went around him. He then picked up the pace and followed behind me for the next 20ish minutes. He eventually turned off when we got into Osmond.  

 

My previous experience with Nebraska is driving across I-80 and seeing nothing but corn, or bean, fields. Large prairies, or fields, with center pivots is all I picture when I think of Nebraska. But today I drove through some nice rolling hills, which seemed to be primarily cattle  ranch pastures. After a while it opened up a little and there was an occasional hay field with a center pivot, but it was still all cattle ranches. I rather enjoyed the drive today. 

 

Once I got the the western end of the state I dropped south on NE-87, towards Alliance, where I came to today's roadside attraction. It was built by an ancient people and it baffles many modern scholars... Or maybe it's just someone's attempt at a recreation... I present to you Carhenge. A rather interesting collection of cars stuck into the ground, trying to replicate Stonehenge. There were some other interesting sculptures make out of car parts scattered around the park. 

 

 

When I went to leave there I started the truck, as usual. I let it idle for a couple minutes while I plugged my next destination into the GPS. It then stumbled and died. It would not restart. I assumed a vapor lock type situation so I switched on my electric pump, but nothing happened. No pumping...??? I opened the hood sided to vent the hot air under the hood and tried starting it a couple more times. Eventually it got gas pumping again and it started up. It took a little bit to clear up and idle smoothly again. After I got checked into the hotel I had a little time so I went out to troubleshoot the fuel pump issue. I got out my volt meter and switched on the pump and immediately I heard it clicking away. Hmm... I guess it does work. Maybe I should have crawled underneath and tapped on it. Maybe it was just stuck? 

 

Anyway, back on the road. As I was driving through Alliance I spotted this guy posing as a business sign. Poor fella's had a rough life. 

 

From Alliance I dropped south on US-385, then cut over on NE-62A to pick up US-26 through Scottsbluff and on to Wyoming. My apologies for the blurry spots on the windshield. Even though my weather app showed the temp to be 47 degrees, it felt much warmer. I was driving most of the afternoon with the window down. Apparently it was warm enough for the bugs to be out. Taking a good look at the front of the truck, and the windshield, shows the remnants of many Kamikaze bugs. 

 

 

I rolled into the hotel in Torrington, WY at around 3:30 Mountain Time. That's about 9.5 hours on the road today. It felt easier than yesterday too. Maybe because the weather was so much nicer. 

Edited Monday at 11:53 AM by Merle Coggins

[Merle Coggins]

Pre BBQ cookout... 

In an attempt to save some $$$ on meals, and to better stick to my 'mostly' meat diet, I brought along a little gas grill and a cooler full of beef. Tailgate burger patties anyone? 

Mmm, mmm, good. 

 

[Veemoney]

I'm enjoying the trip so far. Like those roadside attractions

[ggdad1951]

I'm so looking forward to the return trip!  Looks like you are having a blast!

[Merle Coggins]

Day 3. April 6th.

Torrington, WY to Steamboat Spring, CO. 263.6 miles recorded on the odometer. Garmin shows276.4 miles for the day. 

 

Wyoming wasn't so kind to me today, although I can't really blame Wyoming for my troubles...

 

I left the hotel shortly after 7:00, fueled up at Sinclair next door, and hit the road. As I got out of town and tried to pick up speed the truck would buck and cough. If I eased out of the throttle it would smooth out. It was like it was starving for fuel. Did I get some bad gas? I also noticed my tach was acting goofy. Ignition problem? 

I managed to limp it down the road to the Fort Laramie Historic Site. I checked things over and found that my new fuel filter was full of rubber. I just installed this inline filter because my Carter bowl filter leaked due to a chipped sealing surface on the bowl. This inline filter was sold as a K&N, but I suspect a Chineesium knockoff now. It has a clear glass tube with a removable filter screen inside. Apparently the end gaskets don't like gas. They started deteriorating badly. I cleaned it out and reassembled it, but that didn't seem to help...

 

I took a pause from the fuel issue to tour the Fort. It was an interesting site to see.

 

When it was time to leave my GPS route took me on WY160 out of the park towards the southwest. This is a very washboardy gravel road. But I couldn't get up much speed anyway. The truck would loose power, like it was running out of gas, even under even modest loads. I stopped and checked the filter again, and a few other things. I just couldn't get it to run under load. It would start and idle fine. I thought maybe my fuel pump was getting weak. I also discovered that my electric fuel pump is indeed bad. It only pumps when it wants to. I know I have a spare pump, but I couldn't find it in my truck. I'll have to look again in the morning. Otherwise it's still at home on the shelf. Not an ideal spot for it. Anyway, I have a rebuilt mechanical pump residing under the seat. I pulled it out and swapped it in. The pump swap went well, but didn't fix the problem After messing with the fuel system for a while and getting nowhere, I remembered the old saying, "If you're absolutely sure it's a fuel issue, check your ignition." Well, the tack was acting strange this morning. I disconnected the tach to see if it was somehow affecting the ignition. Nope... Could I have a failing Pertronix module? It would start fine and idle, just no power and acting like it was starving for fuel, but maybe... I have a spare module, but realized that I don't have the electrical connectors to wire it in properly. However, in the box that the fuel pump was in, is my old points distributor. Out with the electronic ignition distributor and in with the points one. I left The way I wired in the Pertronix I made it so I could easily switch back if needed. Unfortunately that didn't solve the issue either. I was at my wits end. The family that lived down the driveway where I was parked, working on the truck, came home and offered help. I thought maybe I needed to blow air through my fuel line. Maybe there was a blockage of some sort that I could push out. They did have an air compressor, but it didn't work. I decided to try to limp it back into the town of Fort Laramie. I wasn't sure what I'd do once I got there, but at least I'd be closer to civilization if I needed to call AAA. As I was getting into town I decided to to check the float needle more closely. I had pulled the top of the carb off a couple of times, and everything looked good in there, except that the fuel level was certainly low if I shut it down right when it was chugging. I pulled out the needle fitting from the carb and sure enough, a few small pieces of rubber had got into it and were plugging the needle orifice. I cleaned it out and reassembled it. The Ol' Dodge runs like a champ again. 4+ hours lost messing with all of that. Now I opted for the faster route to Laramie, vs. the back roads route that was initially planned. This meant heading west on US-26, through Guernsey, to I-25 South.  I had hoped to stay off interstates on this trip but sacrifices must sometimes be made. 

 

I jumped off the interstate onto WY-34, just south of Wheatland, and followed that to US-30, which brought me into Laramie. I knew I was pushing the limit of my fuel range, but by the time I realized that there were no gas stops available anywhere. I pulled into Laramie and probably should have gone right to a gas station. But I spotted an O'Reilly's.  I stopped there and got a better inline fuel filter. I then went next door to True Value to get some hardware and electrical connectors for future roadside repairs. I also got some 3in1 oil as my speedo needle has been bouncing for the last couple of days. I figure it may need a little lube. When I was leaving the hardware store The truck started, then died after idling for a short while. It would not restart. It would try, but wouldn't start. It would not pump fuel. Did I run out of gas? It seems so. An older gentleman was checking out the truck and saw me  struggle to get it started. When I announced that "I think I'm out of gas", and asked where the nearest gas station was, he offered to drive me there. I grabbed one of my gas cans (I should have had them full. I'll remedy that tomorrow) and we rode up the street a few blocks to the gas station where I filled the can, and he brought me back. With a few gallons of gas in the tank I finally got the pump primed and it started. Off to the gas station to fill it up... then a quick stop at Wyo Tech. 

I am a Wyo Tech alumni, graduating from there 40 years ago. They have an all new facility now, from when I attended there. The old school site is now the Laramie Municipal buildings. I had considered calling ahead to see if, as an Alumni, I could get a tour of the new facility as I was passing through. But I was worried that it may make my day too long, so I thought I'd just 'play it by ear' and see how much time I'd have by the time I got to Laramie, and then just go in and ask at the main office. Due to all my issues earlier in the day, I only had time to pull in for a picture. 

 

 

Now I'm off to Steamboat Springs... I took WY 230 out of town. When it crosses into Colorado it becomes CO-127.

 

That took me to CO-125 south into Walden. there was a pretty hard climb on the way to Walden. I had to drop down to 3rd gear for part of it. We got up just over 9200 feet. Altitude and steep grades are not friendly to a carbureted engine. In Walden I followed CO-14 to US-40. Now another hard climb starts. Now there is snow along side the road, but the road itself is fine. At around 9300 feet I had to drop down to 3rd again. We got over 9500 on this pass. 

 

Coming down the other side was 7 miles with a 7% Grade warning. WHEEEEEE!! And we get to climb back up this next week. 😟

 

I rolled into the hotel at 7:00PM. A 12 hour day that should have been 5 or 6. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow should be better... 

 

[Veemoney]

It's not what breaks or when but how we recover. Nice job.

 

[ggdad1951]

Get all the bad crap figured on the way out please!   

 

But good job on the fixes!  That's what the adventure is about tho right?

[Merle Coggins]

Getting loaded up and ready to go this morning and I realize that I’m over 1200 miles in so far. I’m now closer to Tim’s house than my own. Might as well continue on… 😁