Colorado Melons

As some of you are aware, at the end of each quarter, we match whatever our boys have managed to save from their allowances. Not only does this simple practice encourage them to save and promote their understanding of how money & credit work (something that should be a regular course of study in American elementary and high schools; but sadly, most college graduates and adults don’t even have a grasp on), it has also allowed the opportunity to engage them in the practical application of some life lessons.

The most recent case in point would be this morning when my 8 yr old banker reminded me that it is the end of the last quarter. Who would’ve expected? :) So off they went to get their banks and figure out how much they have earned. Continue Reading »

There is a simple ethic well known in traditional gift-exchange societies: The recipient of a gift is more its custodian or steward than its owner. “The gift must always move” is the old wisdom, meaning that what we have received from others must eventually be passed along.

It’s the way the world works; whether its the “flow” in “cash-flow” or the sharing of experiences, knowledge and ideas. Unlike the individual hoard who creates coagulation and stagnation, collecting more and more but growing less and less, withering away in their own little cocoon.

Gifts that move in a circle differ markedly from simple two-person exchanges. Once the circle appears, no one will necessarily receive a gift from the same person to whom he or she first gave. Something may come back to the donor, but there is no way to guarantee that.

Giving anonymously is a good way to open the circle outward as well. It diminishes the chance that recipients might feel embarrassed, subordinated or obligated; and it helps a donor stand aside from praise and blame.

Gifts that are passed from one generation to the next also open the circle. If your parents once dedicated themselves to your well-being, or someone more experienced helps you along your path, you may thank them for that; but when it comes to concrete expressions of gratitude, it seems better to direct them toward our successors.

We cannot teach our teachers; we must teach those who follow after.

Leigh and I were just sitting and remembering when we were running our first bootleg, Linux-based server out of our basement in Malaga, NJ. Our first site was called, originally enough, TheBasement.com and it was like the AM days of the Internet; we just hacked our way in and were broadcasting. When I went to bed, we’d shut down. That name has long since become some pseudo music site once we let go of it.

Continue Reading »

Although I’ve still been going at it, there’s just not too much exciting to post. I’ve been doing a lot of sanding lately inside the cab and some pictures are updated in the gallery. In addition to working the compound inside curves of the ‘B’ pillars, I’ve filled the dash holes that will not be used any longer and now have the modified brake pedal mounted.

The ‘58 originally had pedals that went through the floorboards and the newer chassis with power disc brakes uses pedals that swing from under the dash. In the later model truck, the brake pedal would swing down along the right side of the steering column, but due to space constraints, I had to mount it along the left side of the column.

This placed the brake pedal a little too far from the accelerator for my liking so I stripped it all back out and modified it. As of tonight, it has been remounted and works like a charm. While there, I also mounted the (modified) brake light switch mounting bracket.

Now I get to sand the dash some more and repaint it. ;)

In an earlier post, I showed the construction of a portable lifting frame for my chain hoist.

Today’s job: Lift the 13′ dump bed back onto the truck. I don’t know
the weight on this bed, but even with it’s dual 10 ton hydraulic rams
and 6″ channel frame it must be less than 3 tons because that’s all my
chain-fall is rated for. ;)

Frame Assembly (it all just slides together)

• Stakes in front of the feet
• Upper chain and chain-fall ready
• Rope attached to top of frame and truck

Lifting the Frame Into Place

Turn the Feet 90 Degrees to Stabilize (and chase Orville out from his shady spot under the bed)

Enjoy!

Mr. Potato Head: How did I get stuck with you as a moving buddy?
Rex: Everyone else was picked.
- Toy Story 1995

It probably doesn’t look too different from a lot of the previous
posts other than paint on the front end, but there’s a lot of things
getting done that nobody will ever notice.

For instance, if you look at the front of the truck in the previous
posts, you’ll notice an ugly cut-out on each side of the radiator.
Evidently one of the previous owners were unable to get to the top of
the front body mounting bolts and had a torch that was a little too
handy.

With the grill in place, these holes were mostly hidden from plain view, but the cuts went through the front sheet metal and the radiator support. Now’s the time to fix it:

You can click the picture on the left to see it as I started to fix it. The one on the right shows the completed patches.

Each front fender also had a good size hole
rotted out in the rear from the drain holes being plugged for too many
years. No big deal, I know. But progress isn’t slowing. It’s just
somewhat more detailed.

FWIW, as you look at the pics, know that the pieces that are fully attached. No more mock-up with a bolt here and there.

Progress continues.