A good ol' truck

Well, it is official. My sister and I are now farmers, let there be no doubt about that. For years we heard our uncles and aunts talk about repairing equipment using bailing wire and chewing gum. After moving here, more of these stories were heard. We knew farmers had to do whatever they could to keep the machines in the fields to grow the crops, and never really put much thought into the stories, thinking they very well may have been just that - stories. I bought a pick-up truck at a government salvage auction shortly after I moved here. It was designed to run on either natural gas or unleaded gasoline and I got it for a really good price. I was somewhat concerned that perhaps that would present a problem, but it has not. The engine still purrs like my cats and the truck runs like the Energizer Bunny. Except for that incident with the pack rat, I haven’t had problems with it. (If you missed that chronicle, let me know and I will post a repeat.) The problems I have had with the truck have mostly been with the doors. Shortly after I got it Dad and Earl replaced the door handle on the passenger’s side, mostly because they got tired of waiting for someone to open the door or rolling down the window to get out. The next door problem was on the driver’s side and it was a bit more complicated. When it got to the point that the door would no longer stay closed at all, we broke down and took it to the repair shop. Once we got over the shock, we paid the bill. Over the years the truck has suffered many abuses. Rick backed it up one day forgetting the little trailer was attached and put a dent in the rear fender. Numerous trips to the dump have left it scratched and battered. Only 3 of the tires match. One of the wheels has a lug which is obviously not an original like the others. Earl’s trip to Denver towing his Mustang gave the trailer hitch a whole new perspective. It remains askew, but functional, to this day. In spite of all of this, the truck has been a faithful servant with only regular oil changes and the addition of fuel and new tires occasionally. The passenger’s door was the most recent problem, as the armrest came loose and has been getting progressively worse. Although we made a valiant attempt, it could not be put back into place. We have been using the truck a lot recently, and yesterday we finally got to the point where the armrest had to be fixed. Simple enough to do, except for a few minor problems: Problem #1: Phillips screwdriver available was the wrong size for the screw. So we drove the truck over to the other garage for more tools. The power screwdriver had a bit the correct size and we finally got the rusty screw out and managed to get the armrest completely removed. Closer observation easily revealed what needed to be done. The armrest had two little plastic hooks which needed to fit into the pre-drilled holes in the door panel. No problem. Problem #2: The plastic hooks and the holes did not come anywhere close to matching up. Perhaps if we put the screw back in part way it will help. Nope, that doesn’t help. Ok, how about a hammer? We have one of those…it didn’t solve problem #2. A coping saw to cut off the little hooks will easily solve the problem. Problem #3: Even with the modifications, the armrest won’t fit correctly after the screws are put back in the door. Not a problem as that was why duct tape was invented. Problem solved. Well, not really. The duct tape only worked as long as you didn’t try to close the door using the armrest which is about the only option other than rolling down the window to grasp the door. Problem #4: There is no junkyard close by to look for used parts. It is ludicrous to put NEW parts on a truck that is already over a decade old, and if they are even available are probably out of our budget. Dilemma: What can we do now to fix this problem? SOLUTION: Suitcase handles. We still have a box full of them which Dad got from Uncle Harry years ago. We have used several of them on our home built, portable animal cages to make them easier to move. We simply screwed the suitcase handle into the door where the armrest previously resided and BINGO, the door is easily closed. It is JUST A FARM TRUCK, after all (but please don’t tell the truck).