I can almost smell the oil dripping!!!

This is where I am being forced to work now. Beautiful Sedona. Pure torture. These balloons fly every morning over the job. Wow.

Look at the sweet steering wheel I got out of "The Rings' Ol' V.W. Shoppe". Nice. You can also see the new shifter, but you can't see the "speed shifting" kit underneath. Just imagine the theme song to "Speed Racer" in the background........'Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, GO!!!!

Yep, I am working out of town again. Looks like maybe a month in Sedona. It is a project that has several different aspects to it. One of which, we have never done before. So it will be an adventure. (Again.)

I am very fortunate to have a loving wife that lets me come home on the weekend and tinker around on my old bug. So here comes another installment of "The Rust Rocket Rides Again!!"

DAYS 4 and 5: Over the years, I have scrounged up parts for my rides from around the yard. Well, it is getting harder to find the parts I need. Simple things like the proper nuts and bolts. Monica and I spent the better part of Saturday driving around trying to find the right ones. Hardware stores, Auto parts places, even Copperstate Nut and Bolt. Twenty bucks later, I still was short one bolt!! Brian and I even toodled around in a "You Pull It" junkyard. No bugs, but I got a couple of things for the Trooper.

Sunday, I decided to put on what I managed to get together. As I was bolting things on, I was digging through a box of hardware and I found the exact bolt I spent all day yesterday trying to buy!! Unbelievable. So, the tranny is in and ready to go. I also put on my crusty old steering wheel, and installed the shift linkage and shift rod with the "speed shifting" kit. Oh yeah, she is going to be a rocket!!!

I took the engine to a guy to start the machine work. He sounds really cool, and he is going to give me a pretty good deal. It will take a couple of weeks, which will give me a little time to save up some of that green stuff. It is all coming together.....Woo-hoo!!

Incredible Trout Adventure

Road crossing Haigler Creek--(where the trout did not stand a chance!!!)

Trooper crossing the creek. I had to roll up the windows because the trout were practically jumping in!!!

Bryan wrestled this whopper, and many more, out of the creek over the weekend. He was using a brown and white spotted rooster tail in faster waters. He was like a Grizzly bear scooping salmon out of raging rivers. Well, kind of. (He is hoping to get sponsored by Mepp's so he can drop out of Lineman School and fish full time.)

Here are some members of Bryan's class at Lineman School. They had their spikes and they were honing their skills in the trees. I left out their names just in case A.P.S. or S.R.P. sees this photo.


Awesome weekend!! We went to Haigler Creek and had a really good time. We caught a lot of stockers, but could not get the grandpa fish to bite.

Bryan invited some of his classmates, and we had a really wild time. They seem to be a good bunch of guys, and they are very eager to get lineman jobs. At times, we were laughing so hard our faces were hurting. It was great.

The best part was when Bryan and I drove down to Alderwood and checked for some good fishing spots there. We did some hiking and found some really cool narrows, where the creek falls into some beautiful deep pools. These are typical along this stretch of the creek---here, just upstream from the campgrounds, and up at Fisherman's Point. I thoroughly enjoyed this time I had with my brother, and I look forward to more opportunities this year.

Getting closer!!

Before: Shade built and ready to go!!

After: Tranny on the ground!!

DAY TWO: Remove transmission. The case on this one is broken, so I will have to replace it with one from The Rings' Ol' V.W. Shoppe.

As you can see, I had to set up a sweet shade to work under. It worked awesome!! Denver and I got extremely dirty climbing around the bug; cleaning it out and jacking it up. I really can not think of a better way to spend an Easter afternoon. Well, maybe hiking up on the Rim and fishing for some trout would be a little better.

We are under way!!

This is the '56 oval-window bug that will be gracing the road in a "rat rod" style instead of its more glorious fully restored condition.

Dillon giving me a hand---even though it looks more like he is just watching!!!

DAY ONE: Complete engine teardown to get parts ready for machinist. Over the years, I have always gone to Tom Bowman for my machine work. Since my last rebuild he has passed away from cancer. He was a very cool dude, did amazing work, and always treated me right. I will miss him and I am at a loss as to where to go for my machine work.

Yep, we will be a "V.W. Family" real soon. Since the bus needs so much work, and the '56 oval window bug will never be restored in my lifetime, I have decided on a new route. While I am restoring the bus, I will be driving the '56 oval in its natural unrestored state. That's right. Dented, rusted, parts missing-----all natural baby!! I have been dying to drive a V.W. lately since it has probably been six years. OUCH!!

Well, there was the one time when I was trying to get the white '66 bug back on the road a couple of years ago......

Its motor had died and I had a hard time getting things rolling on it. I happened across a used motor and plopped it in. The family was very anxious to go for a trial cruise, so we jumped in and tore down the road!! At about 15 miles per hour. There was something wrong with the used motor, and that was all the faster she would go. The wife was shaking her head, the kids were laughing, and I just slumped low in the seat and limped her home.

Today is a new and exciting day!! I completely tore down another motor to start from scratch. (I believe this motor has better Karma.) Monica even lent a hand. She helped with some motor-lifting skills. She gave me a fudge popsicle at one point. She made me lunch. That's true love.

When I get it back together, it shouldn't be long before we are cruising in our dusty, dented, decrepid, devoid of paint 54-year old car. Yee-haw!!

I am finally done!!

Have you ever seen a house made out of big storm drains? Now you have.

I thought this was a great windmill picture with all the saguaros behind it. It is also the first one that I have seen that was made in Tucson. (You have to look at the tiny little lettering on the tail fin.)

Yep, I am finally done in San Simon!!! San Simon is about 40 miles east of Ajo on the Papago Indian Reservation. My family has been missing me, so maybe I will get a job in Phoenix for a while. That sure would be nice. It has been an adventure living in an old mining shack. The front porch table was an old door laying across a rusted out bathtub!! Awesome!!

Well, I guess we will see what happens.........