The Price Is Right

So, a whiles back I did a post about thejeepjunkie and this olelongrooffan doing a little long distance shopping for a windshield frame for his CJ2A. At the end of that post, I posted that if any of my fellow Hoons happened to stumble across a door for a 1973 Jeepster Commando, the "Charles Barrett Special", to let me know about it. Well, early on Saturday morning my massive communications system in my Taj Mahal wakes me up.



 It turns out it was my brother, thejeepjunkie, on the other end of the line.

"Whatca doing longroof?"

"Sleeping in on a rare Saturday off. What are you doing jeepjunkie?"

"Just got off the phone with a guy down in Orange City who has a pair of Commando doors. His number is 555-1212."

"I'm on way" was my response.

So this olelongrooffan drags my sorry ass out of bed and climbs into my Comanche and head down that ass beating warped as hell concrete Highway 92 towards Orange City, Florida.

I arrive and this is what I see as soon as thejunkjeepdude and his kid, thejunkjeepson of course, let me in their back gate. That M38 in the foreground is thejunkjeepson's daily driver. He proudly started it up for me and trust me my fellow Hoons, it purred. Well as only a Hurricane motor can.



thejunkjeepdude had more parts and pieces of old Willys and early Kaiser Jeeps than you could shake a stick at. I mean that is a rare half cab (although my brother Bus-Plunge has one on his 2A) leaning up against what little remains of a 69 Commando. Just beyond that German Shepherd, a thoroughly well behaved pup, is the CJ it came off of. Now that CJ is currently drivetrain deprived but thejunkjeepdude and thejunkjeepson certainly tried to convince this olelongrooffan that the Hurricane Kaiser era motor they had installed in an even worse condition CJ adjacent would work in this one as well. Even though the motor in that old Jeep wouldn't crank and the battery tender they had needed charging so it wasn't of any help. Although that didn't stop us from trying.



Just beyond that sans drivetrain old CJ was the shed as shown above. Sorry for the blurry image, unlike our Finnish Hoon friend who has a camera that makes night time look like high noon, this olelongrooffan is still sporting my elcheapo ebay camera. But know this my fellow Hoons, that shed was filled with all things Willys and Jeep. Seat frames, new mud tires, suicide gas tanks, flat fenders, radiators, grilles, windshield frames (no 2A ones though) and I don't know what all. Just a bunch of shit that this olelongrooffan is certain thejeepjunkie will kick himself for not cruising down here with me to check out.


Out yonder, just past the stall of that shed was this cancer free frame for a '58 Willys station wagon. As this olelongrooffan is now in search for four brake drums for the "Charles Barrett Special" (yeah, that's a whole nother story) I was tempted to buy it but I wasn't sure if it possessed the 11" drums needed. But thejunkjeepdude sure tempted me with his Buy It Now price of Fifty Bucks. With a little research, it may ultimately be mine. But, as always, where to store it?


So, thejunkjeepdude and thejunkjeepson escorted this olelongrooffan around the corner to the next stall of that backyard shed and, lo and behold, there is a damn straight Jeep CJ6 with a full steel top. Hoons, this 6 is even more desirable than any other Jeep or Willys known to exist. Well, maybe with the exception of this one or maybe this one.  Alas, thejunkjeepdude and thejunkjeepson remarked that this one is slated for restoration later this year and it's not available for consumption by thejeepjunkie or this olelongrooffan. Too bad cuz the roof is just long enough for me.



Just outside of that everything Jeep desired shed was this 1973 Jeepster Commando, nearly identical to the "Charles Barrett Special" this olelongrooffan owns. I was lusting after it from the moment it was sighted. It has everything I need the most, that specifically being a passenger door and the hood and hood springs. Yes, I was nearly in nirvana over it.


While was a bit more rodded than my tastes tend to be, it did have the correct tailgate and I surely wanted the door, hood and tailgate for my ride. Unfortunately, thejunkjeepdude informed me it was unavailable as it belonged to a buddy who is in the process of fixing it up. No parts available off it but there are doors for a different Commando available, Now this olelongrooffan gets this idea but the last time this buggy was licensed here in the Sunshine State was 2000. Me thinks I'll be giving this dude a call in a few months to check on the status of that 6 as well as this "Charles Barrett Special" wannabe.

So, anyway, this olelongrooffan got to haggling with thejunkjeepdude and thejunkjeepson about that door needed for the "Special". Turns out they had both the driver's and passenger's side doors and really wanted to move them both. As all I needed was the passenger door, I was reluctant to purchase both until they mentioned what they wanted for the pair. 75 bucks. Yeah, my fellow Hoons, what are the chances of finding a door for a '73 Commando anywhere close to me down here in the World Center of Racing? So this olelongrooffan snagged both of them but I did have thejunkjeepson load them in my oldbeaterpickemuptruck. And on the way out of their backyard, I snagged this image


of thejunkjeepdude's cool assed M725 Kaiser Jeep military ambulance as I headed out. It is much like the pickup the Bus-Plunge owned around 20 or so years ago when he was in his military vehicle phase. Just after the Volkwagens and just before old stovebolt trucks and airstream trailers and S10 pickups and pontoon boats.



 So anyway, this olelongrooffan now possesses the rust free replacement door for the passenger side of the "Charles Barrett Special" and it is now one step closer to a meeting with thepaintdude. 

So....anybody needing a driver's side door for a 1973 Jeepster Commando, just let me know. I got one.

Oh yeah, between my Taj Mahal and thejunkjeepdudes house are two u-pull-it junkyards. Guess how this olelongrooffan spent my Saturday afternoon?

Just Another Afternoon Stroll, But With A Mission

So, a couple weeks ago this olelongrooffan lightly tapped the rear bumper of a newish Range Rover with the front bumper of my Commanche. (Green means go, dammit! But, yeah, ultimately, I'm the dumbass who smashed into a 50K vehicle with my $800 Jeep.) Anyway, the upshot of it was no damage to the pissed off dude's fancy SUV but the front bumper and bumper brackets on my beater pickup truck were mangled. And those Counting Along With Me know what that means?

Why a trip to my local U-Pull-It, of course.



As I usually try to do, this olelongrooffan searches out the coolest old shit in that junkyard which seems to turn inventory every few months or so. Last spring, there were a bunch of pretty cool older imports but they have gone to that great junkyard in the sky and there was a whole bunch of new stuff for my viewing pleasure. That motorhome in the first image is the first of its type I had seen at this place and can anyone tell me a better place for an Aztek than in a location such as this?



This truck cracked me up the moment I saw it. The owner basically took a one ton GM truck, cut the frame at the cab, welded in a couple sections of 4 inch box tubing to extend it, and then welded in some angle iron to rest the plywood deck on. Absolutely no idea why and the quality of the build was sketchy, at best. Might be from Gib-Town over Tampa way but who knows.



This orange Riv was at the end of the row farthest from this olelongrooffan but I had to go check it out based on the color alone. Now down here in the Sunshine State, red cars tend to fade but this one is in no way a faded paint job. A Gator fan maybe?



And just to pay kudos to the Hooniverse Asks Truck Thursday over on hooniverse.com question earlier this week about pickup trucks.



Based on this picked over new Bug, I'm guessing spare used parts for one of these are somewhat difficult to come by.



And while I have owned several Volvos in my lifetime, it sure appears to me this one is fairly new to be resting in a U-Pull-It yard. But then again, I am the olelongrooffan not the newishvolvofan.



It seems to me that one of my compatriots on hooniverse did a post recently about a 525 in his homeland. Just wondering how scarce parts for these things over there are. Can I send you a few bits and pieces? Hell, a couple years ago I parted out a junkyard attained World War II era Ford Jeep and sent more than a few parts to Europe.



I'm pretty sure this is the last year of this generation Nissan 300 ZX before this body style was retired and the newer, and more desirable to me, 300's came along. God, I would do almost anything for an early 90's 300ZX 2+2 in mint condition.



And since I have owned 3, count them 3, 325's in my life, I had to capture this one. It was identified as a 323 though. Can that be correct?



And there is nothing like a vintage Town Cow to make my day.

But hey longroof!! We are looking for a front bumper for a Commanche, get the hell out of the other sections and head over to the Chrysler area to see about a bumper, and don't forget, look at the Cherokees also.



I can tell you, finding a Commanche still around in a U-Pull-It these days is quite a task but today I found not just one



not just two



but three different Commanche pickups in various states of pickedoverness. And there was not a good front bumper on any of them. But this olelongrooffan has this to say about that, in the last one I looked I found a pair of, as I later found out, operable interior lights my old beater truck was missing. A couple snips of the yellow handled wire cutters I had in my tool pouch and those lights are now installed in the truck parked curbside here in the Birthplace of Speed.



A look see at all of the similarly bodied Cherokees turned up a couple possibles but the bumper I ended up grabbing was this morning attached to this Wagoneer. And know this, if this olelongrooffan could figure out how to wire that Wagoneer grill and headlight/turn signal assembly to my old Commanche, I would be out there grabbing it tomorrow.



But, as it stands, that flashy chrome bumper has now replaced that crumpled, rusty old painted bumper and all is cool in my world this evening.



But hey, I got a bunch of cool swag for the Taj Mahal and that, along with that shiny new bumper, really helps this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.

What I Saw Today

So this olelongrooffan was out and about trying to find a driver's side mirror for a 2005 Chevy Tahoe for a friend of mine.  $410 at a junkyard.  Ouch!!

Anyway next door to that junkyard was an old time Muffler Man and I thought you Counters out there might like to see it.

That's it for today but know seeing this rare sight sure lets this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life!

Another Day At The Busted Knuckle Garage

One of the things that needed to be replaced on my new to me Jeep Comanche pick up, The Indian, was this piece that holds the ignition chamber on the steering column.
So, one day last week, this olelongrooffan spent a day at The Busted Knuckle Garage and headed out to my local U-Pull-It to find one.

I spotted a 1986 Jeep Cherokee and figured I would put thejeepjunkie's new steering wheel puller on it and get that piece.

This olelongrooffan even took an image of the interior of it so as to remind me of how it all went back together.
After a return trip to check out the repaving at the Daytona International Speedway, that blog is currently in draft form on By The Numbers, this olelongrooffan returned to the Taj Mahal and put The Indian in the garage.
thejeepjunkie stopped in for a quick visit before heading out to do a bit of work on his trailer and I mentioned this olelongrooffan would be over in a couple hours. I removed the original steering wheel and this is the sight I saw. All was expected though.
Once I removed all of the components necessary for the installation of that new piece, this olelongrooffan determined that sometime during the production year for the 1986 Jeep products, engineering determined that a redesign of this piece was necessary and that new piece did not accept the turn signal indicator lever into its design.

All kinds of notsogood.com.

So, I decided to reinstall the existing piece with the wiring I had acquired from that junk Cherokee.

Well Counters, let me tell you it was easier said than done. The d*mn ignition control switch was not going back in the way it came out and this olelongrooffan could not understand it.

thejeepjunkie calls and asks where I am and I told him my dilemma. He shows about an hour later and commandeers my position under the dashboard.
Well, after about an hour of doing the same thing I had been doing for 4 hours, I commented it seems that if this bracket were to be bent into this position, it would work. "Did you bend it, longroof?" No. "Then it doesn't need to be bent, we just need to figure its position out," he says as he cusses both Chrysler and AMC!

Well, we can't figure the damn thing out so thejeepjunkie bends that bracket almost 90 degrees and everything just slides together and our job at The Busted Knuckle Garage is postponed for another day.

But know this Counters, that stock steering wheel was replaced with the sport wheel I got for eleven bucks and for that reason,
this olelongrooffan can

Celebrate Life.

Bert's Car

This olelongrooffan's neighbor here at the Taj Mahal is Bert Crow and he is 88 years young. The best part is that he is a retired fertilizer and animal feed salesman from The Ozark Mountains area. The day I met him is the day I came over from Slocala to inspect the Taj. The aforementioned career was disclosed and I mentioned my upbringing on Haven Lee Farm, Halltown Edition. This olelongrooffan was sure I was approved to move in as when I left his company, he said, "It'll be good to have another Missouri boy around."

He has been here for the 8 years since his wife went on to join Mom and TheGentlemanFarmer. Bert has been the defacto manager for the owner who lives down in South Florida. The first time the owner, after I moved in, drove the four hours one way to trim the bushes around the Taj Mahal, I told him I could, and would, take care of that duty. And slowly Bert's responsibility has been redelegated to this olelongrooffan.

A couple weeks ago, Bert had minor surgery and his daughter was lamenting his after surgery care. She commented that Bert was having difficulty stepping over the side of his tub and she asked me if there was kit to convert that tub to a shower. There is and they are around $400 but told her I could remove the tub and tile the area where the tub was so it would be, effectively, a walk in shower. She was elated! I mentioned to her I would talk to the owner and get his approval to do this. I had, after all, replaced Bert's water heater last year.

And yes, I ruined the twelve dollar heating element on that brand new water heater by turning on the power to it prior to bleeding the air out of it. Yeah, I know, Dumb*ss.

So anyway Bert went off to surgery and this olelongrooffan hooked up with Manuel Labor and commenced to tearing out that tub. I had mistakenly thought it was a case iron tub, the removal of which merely involves busting it up with a sledge hammer. Unfortunately, it was a metal tub and the extensive use of these were involved.

But it got done, turned out real nice and Bert is especially grateful and mentions to this olelongrooffan all the time how much he appreciates the things I do for him, you know stuff like get his mail from our remote mailbox station, pick him up some Preparation H, set out his recycle bin. Small stuff for this olelongrooffan but big stuff to 88 year old Bert Crow.

But as this olelongrooffan relates every time he mentions that, "Bert if we were neighbors on farms up in the Ozarks and you needed some help, I'd be doing the same thing."

Last winter, Bert decided to hang up his driving gloves and his rusty 1992 Toyota Corolla went off to his daughter's home for use by one of her sons. It recently developed a knock in the front end and she was going to have it hauled off, much like my olewreckedragtop.

Bert and I were chatting it up on the expansive veranda of the Taj Mahal last week and he mentioned his daughter was coming by to pick up he title for that transfer. This olelongrooffan mentioned that, "H*ll Bert, I'll give her a hundred bucks for it."

He responded with "You want that car?"

"Yes sir."

"Well John, it is yours and you are not giving us any money for it."

So now Counters, this olelongrooffan is the proud owner of a NUMMI built Toyota Corolla and that knock in the front end? A 40 dollar CV joint, as diagnosed by thejeepjunkie.

So, for 40 bucks and a couple hours labor I got this:

In the above shot, it looks pretty good.

thejeepjunkie and this olelongrooffan picked it up tonite after Happy Hour from the daughter's home about ten minutes north of the Taj Mahal, Beachside. We got it started and thejeepjunkie was driving down the street toward the Atlantic Coast trying to field diagnose that knock. He stopped at the end of the street at A1A and got out. "I'm pretty sure it is the CV joint. But hey longroof, if it dies and I pull off to the side of the road, we are not parking it, we are abandoning it."

But believe this Counters, it is definitely "pre-rusted."
Yeah, it is pretty bad all over.
The paint on the roof, much like the hair on the head of this olelongrooffan, is getting pretty thin.

The interior doesn't look to bad until
you look a little closer.
It is a one owner, one driver, adult driven 188,000 mile bearing olerustbucket.
Plus, it has the standard cracked dashboard for pretty much any car here in The Sunshine State over 15 years old.

And yes Counters, it will always, at least to this olelongrooffan, be known as "Bert's Car".

But it is knowing Bert is happy for finding a way to repay me and this olelongrooffan has a $500 Craigslisting just waiting to happen, allows me to

Celebrate Life.

Just Living And Having Fun As I Celebrate Life

This olelongrooffan can only suggest if you Counters Out There decide to stick around, you should refresh that cold beverage and find a comfortable seat as I ramble on about another day in the life of this olelongrooffan.

Several months ago this olelongrooffan needed to change the broken carrier bearing mount for the drive shaft in my oleragtop. thejeepjunkie was kind enough to allow this olelongrooffan to utilize one of those hydraulic lifts down at the shop where he wheels and deals sells tires and service. While it was in the air, after the heat shields were removed between the muffler system and the drive shaft, his boss, Mr. Happy, comes over to take a gander at what was up and mentions the "rag gasket", shown on the rear of the bottom two images here, attached to the rear of the transmission is shot and it needed to be replaced as well. I mentioned to him that the chances of anyone in town having this part for the 22 year old oleragtop in stock was minimal. He told me to get on the horn with Beachside Auto Parts and get one ordered and they could have it here first thing in the am. I asked if I would be able to utilize that lift another day. "Of course longroof, you are part of the family." I love it when he takes his meds.

So I got that "rag gasket" from my parts friends and installed it and the oleragtop runs like a champ. However, (you knew there was one coming) when I removed those heat shields and bolts I placed them in the cluttered trunk of that oleragtop. The next day while I was doing the reinstallation, two bolts came up missing. Mr. Happy checked in and, upon realizing my situation, directed me to several plastic coffee cans full of errant bolts and nuts on that heavy duty, winch bearing work bench nearby. I was able to find two similar, but not exact, replacement bolts and fastened that heat shield to the unibody of my oleragtop, dropped it to the ground and washed up with that killer grease removing gel thejeepjunkie keeps around just for that reason.

And all was well.

For about a month.

All of the sudden every time I would drive my oleragtop at low, sustained speeds an enormous racket emanating from beneath the *ss of this olelongrooffan while driving my oleragtop would fill the otherwise tranquil air that was the experience of piloting my oleragtop. I figured those two bastardized bolts were the culprit but I hesitated doing anything about it as it would mean imposing on thejeepjunkie to, once again, use that lift or to perform a repair in the parking lot at the Taj Mahal (not a choice alternative given the condo commandos' overbearing presence round these parts).

In the meantime, this olelongrooffan emptied out the trunk of that black beauty and found those no longer missing bolts and preserved them for future application.

So there is that.

In the interum, this olelongrooffan has been ebaying some diecast in my collection, nothing from the traveling collection Bus, and using that paypal debit card to meet some monthly financial obligations. I have a pretty good realization of the running balance on that plastic means of survival so I was surprised when I stopped at a mainland based petrol station and swipped my card to get some fuel for my oleragtop. The LED screen at that station which, for 2010 at least, sponsors the car driven by the husband of the lady I spent some time with on The World's Most Famous Beach a few weeks ago, told me this olelongrooffan needed to see the cashier inside.

And I did.

She told me it was an issue with my service provider and that station did not recognize it. Okaaay.

I then returned to the drop top and head out....without replacing the untethered gas cap on my oleragtop. I realized this upon returning to the Taj Mahal to double check my paypal balance and did a serious falm palm when I realized a trip to my local U-Pull-It would be required to replace that wayward gas cap.

It seems at that particular station, when using a debit card, they request $75 committment from my financial services company and, as my balance over there was around $45, and that precipitated the declined use of that card that day.

Another mystery solved.

So earlier this week at Happy Hour this olelongrooffan mentioned to thejeepjunkie that the installation of the period correct factory installed bolts was required so the next owner of my oleragtop would not have to do so. I mentioned this olelongrooffan was heading up to TomP's home to perform the weekly, and paid, ritual of mowing and weed eating his, prior to joining TheGentlemanFarmer and Mom, home. I mentioned I would take my floor jack and put the oleragtop in the air with it and perform that installation.

Well Counters, Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Be Flexible. Late last week, this olelongrooffan received compensation from out Californey way and it was deposited into this special account for hiding cash thejeepjunkie has. As it turns out, that check cleared on Tuesday and as my cell phone provider and my internet connection provider were looking for compensation of their own, this olelongrooffan decided to head down to thejeepjunkie's shop to get his plastic card and get the hard earned Benjamin's I had earned and make good with those wireless firms.

Upon arrival at thejeepjunkie's shop, I immediately headed to his roaming tool box and got the keys to his ride to get that card and headed next door to get those Benjamins.

When I returned he inquired if all was well and my response was in the affirmative.

thejeepjunkie asked this olelongrooffan what my next step was?

"I would love to pull my oleragtop into one of those rare empty bays you have, put it in the air and replace those not stock bolts standing up rather than on my back under a floor jack, unattended, up at TomP's place."

"Have at it," was his response.

And I did.

A mere twenty minutes later that oleragtop was on the ground and that loud racket was silenced thanks to thejeepjunkie, a couple ratcheting box end wrenches and a little sweat perfusing from this olelongrooffan.

"Done already?" was thejeepjunkie's response when I was spotted after another application of the aforementioned gel.

"Yeah, jeepjunkie, I told you it would only be twenty minutes and, by the way, thanks a ton, it was a breeze."

"Now whatcha doing?"

"I'm gonna head out and satisfy those liens proffered by the wireless companies I utilize to stay in touch with my family, friends" and You Counters.

"See ya at Happy Hour," was his response.

So this olelongrooffan jumped in my oleragtop leaving, for possibly the last time in it, thejeepjunkie's shop and headed out to my voice and, yes now, text provider's local establishment to cover my obilgations and then to compensate the corporate giant that provides my ability to contact You Counters and also allows them to sponsor the racing series that allows NASCAR to meet payroll each month.

Once this olelongrooffan had fulfilled those obligations, it was realized that my local U-Pull-It was less than a mile away, just beyond that Eisenhower Highway System interchange and this would be a good time to snag one of those untethered gas caps for the next owner of my oleragtop.

And I did.

So, this olelongrooffan, after checking the skies for potential rain clouds and pulling up the top on that black beauty, strolled past the squadron of wheelbarrows waiting for their time in action and stepped up to the entry counter. I plopped down two Washingtons, signed my life away and entered that bastion of male testosterone, also known as a junkyard.

Well as it seems with many aspects of the life this olelongrooffan has, at the first BMW I came to, I flipped open the gas filler door and, EUREKA, there was a genetically identical twin to the gas cap missing from my oleragtop. I calmly put it in the pocket located on my thigh in those bush jean type shorts this olelongrooffan acquired from a local clearance outlet for the measly sum of $5.00 per pair.

Now What?

This olelongrooffan had just spent two of my, very few these days, dollars to get inside the electrically charged perimeter and having been there for less than fifteen minutes, most of which was spent walking back to the "import" section, I was bound and determined to get my two bucks worth.

So Counters, guess what this olelongrooffan did?

If you guessed that I whipped out my trusty, elcheapo twenty-eight dollar ebay provided digital camera and commenced to getting some images of some old imports in that junkyard, please accept a hardy cyber provided congratulations from this olelongrooffan.

There was an old XJ6 I spotted but this olelongrooffan had forgotten where it was so settling for this Vanden Plus, much like the one this olelongrooffan swiped the medallion off around Christmas, was the best that could be done.

From the front, it looked in relatively good shape and most of its body parts had yet to be cannibalized.

I took a gander at the interior and it looked, as most Florida junkyard cars do, in tatters. Once an owner quits armouralling the cr*p out of a leather interior down here in The Sunshine State, it quickly begins to look as this one does.
Then I headed around the rear to see what terminal damage, other than Lucas Electrics, caused the demise of this species of a once great and luxurious means of Royal Transportation.
Sure enough, that damage to the driver's side rear quarter panel would have provided the justification necessary to offer a quick death to this once proud Jaguar. But how the h*ll did it happen with no apparent damage to the trunk lid? That, Counters, is a mystery this olelongrooffan will never solve.

And while we are in Britian, let's check out this rubber bumpered MGB offered by British Leyland. Much like our own General Motors is now, British Leyland was, at that time, owned by its government. At the time, BL was struggling with the superior quality of the upstart offerings of The Land of The Rising Sun and, ultimately, did not survive that onslaught.
This one was pretty picked over and will soon head to China to be transformed into, literally, a boatload of Harbor Freight Tools.
But this olelongrooffan has this to say about that: I am glad I was not looking for a gas cap for an MGB as that gapping hole just to the right side of the driver's side taillight will attest. FAIL.

Just a few rows down, I spotted another rare British Leyland. This pint sized offering of the MG family is a MG Midget.
This version of the Morris Garages output appeared to have lived a significant portion of its short life in either the snowy, salt loving northeast or in parts of the coastal southeast given the abundance of body rot showing along both sides of this short lived wonder of the British Leyland empire.
This Easter egg blue ragtop appeared to not have been completely pilfered of its goodies as had its older brethren and will probably not be seeing that slow boat to China anytime soon. Any Counters Out There needing a pair of taillight lenses for a rubber bumper era MG Midget, just drop this olelongrooffan an email.

As this olelongrooffan checked out the skies just out the passenger side window of this late
60's Mustang, I realized that it probably be a good, dry idea to head on back to the oleragtop and continue on with the adventures to be enjoyed this day.

But, of course, I had to stop and get a couple images of this German icon of the sixties in its final resting place.
Similar to its short in stature British brethren, there were a few goodies to be resurrected for another life remaining on this Type II and, also like that blue shorty, cancer appeared to have shortened this ole hippy mobile's active lifetime also.
And Cheech and Chong need to be called upon to ascertain the exact purposes and locations of the wiring that was formerly beneath the dashboard of this generation of the original forward control civilian people transporting machine.

This olelongrooffan will bet a princely sum there are still traces of cannabis in that ole bus.

While I was heading down that long stretch of open air pavement toward the exit of my local U-Pull-It, this olelongrooffan spotted the center section formerly covering the lug nuts on a wheel of an AutoUnion desendent lying there neglected and trod upon by the masses looking for replacement parts for an early 90's Neon seen in the background of the blue, vertically challenged offering by the Queen's own car producing company.

Of course, the only thing this olelongrooffan saw was GarageArt and it was promptly rescued from a definite demise in an open air 20 yard dumpster and relegated to a prominate location in the Taj Mahal.

Upon arrival at the only electrically safe entry and exit points of this facility, this olelongrooffan walked up to the check out desk and the future Hoon behind that window looked at my AutoUnion possession and said, "We're good."

Thanks man. And I beat it out of there.

Now, as I am heading east toward the coastal area of the region this olelongrooffan lives in, I decided to drop the top and lower the windows in my oleragtop for what just could be the final ride driven in it from that local junkyard.

So, the oleragtop takes me back under that Eisenhour Highway System's bridge at US 92and I-95 and I realize the Daytona International Speedway is rapidly approaching my traveling environment.

Well Counters, this olelongrooffan determined that an update on the repaving process at the Daytona International Speedway was in order.

I started by heading south on Williamson, past the private entrance where this olelongrooffan had gained an illgotten entrance and circled around to see the temporary asphalt batch plant that has been erected behind the backstretch grandstands.
The significant amount of gravel necessary for the repaving of that two and half mile speedway can be seen in the following image, just to the east of that batch plant.
I then returned to International Speedway Boulevard and proceeded to the parking lot of the home of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and parked under the rare shade tree. This olelongrooffen hoofed it across that parking lot to the entrance of the Daytona 500 Experience.

Yes Counters, I walked across an entire parking lot to get to that entrance because in Florida, especially in a black ragtop, a parking space is determined by the amount of shade provided, not by the proximity to the entrance of an establishment.

Unlike my last experience, the Oldfield Grandstands were open and this olelongrooffan headed up into that rarely attended grandstand to check out the action down on the track.

It turns out the paving crew was working on the backstretch, out of the prying eyes of this olelongrooffan and all that could be seen that day was the result of the efforts of the demolition crews.

They did leave some equipment lying dormant for we few spectators to observe and get images of.
The paving crew had totally removed all of the asphalt from turn 4 exposing the limestone subgrade put in place some fifty years ago. You can see it exposed in the following image.
Also in that image you can see the temporary road constructed outside the barrier wall that will be utilized by the equipment needed to stabilize the paving equipment while repaving the 33 degree banked turn. Also note the lack of catch fencing around that turn.

Looking through the still remaining catch fence, beyond the palm tree adorned infield, it can be seen that the pavement on turn 3 has, thus far, escaped the wrath of those pavement destroying machines.
Although it is a bit difficult to make out in the following image due to the reinforcing cables running horizontally within the catch fence, that horizontal line just below those bright orange pylons is the remaining surface of that 6" thick pavement installed in 1978.
And smack dab in the middle of the exit of turn 4 is this huge pile of future subgrade material for that soon to be installed surface. Notice the portolet in the background? This olelongrooffan has by personal knowledge there are three fully functioning bathrooms within 100 yards of this location!
So, by now this olelongrooffan has been out in the wonderfully refreshing mid August Florida sunshine for just about long enough so I reversed my entry process through the Daytona 500 Experience, hesitating long enough to get an image of the temporarily delayed Richard Petty Driving Experience promotional race car, and get back to my oleragtop.
Incidentally, the Richard Petty Driving Experience, which normally operates at the Daytona International Speedway year round, has temporarily relocated its operations to the speedway down in MickeyMouseLand at Disney World.

As I was headed up Nova Road to clandestingly swing by thejeepjunkie's garage and gather up his handy dandy weedeater, I spotted this cool old pick up truck and had to get a shot of it for the Bus.
I then returned Beachside and entered the Taj Mahal through its massive entry door
and remembered that, by now, it is
so I fixed one up for this olelongrooffan and commenced to sharing my day with all of you Counting Along With Me.

And in doing so, this olelongrooffan is able to

Celebrate Life.