I had an epiphany

[Mike]

I spent the day helping my pal Brian move into his new house. (He worked me like a borrowed mule, too! ) He always had a problem getting things in the proper chronological order and this was no different. He had bought a really nice piece of ground 3-4 years back. He had a new conversion truck and race car trailer he didn't want to leave sitting outside, so he went ahead and built a shop on the new property. As soon as the shop was completed, he put his house up for sale, figuring he would build a new house when the old one sold. Well, the old house sold straight away, so he and his wife have been living in the conversion truck for the last 19 months. I don't know about you, but I don't camp. Ever. And the thought of living in that truck all those months makes my teeth itch.

He had rented an old freight trailer to store his household goods in, so yesterday we were moving stuff from the trailer into the new house.

When people ask me how the T-Bucket is coming along, I tell them I can't even make up my mind as to what color I want it to be, much less what motor and trans to use. Should I use gray upholstery for the seat insert pads with black carpeting? Or should the seat pads be black with gray carpeting? I drive down the street, trying to decide what color car catches my eye, so I can get a hint as to what color paint I should use.

Yesterday, we moved some mattresses out of the trailer and there sat a coffee table that had been covered with an old Indian blanket, to protect it from scratches. Suddenly, I could see the colors in that Indian blanket jumping out at me. I need to shop for a couple of blankets in this color to make seat pads. The carpet will be a light gray and the color of the car will a bit more blue than the darker shade of purple. Amazing how I went from being incredibly indecisive, to suddenly seeing exactly what I want.

 

[RPM]

My idea of roughing it is having to stay at the Econo Lodge instead of the Marriott. 19 months in a camper no thank you.

Those colors would look great on a car.

 

[barnbikes]

Every week when I wonder through the local second hand thrift store I stare at the blanket area and tell myself some day when I get that far I have the seat already covered. $3-$4 a blanket I can make a lot of seats.

 

[EX JUNK]

My idea of roughing it is having to stay at the Econo Lodge instead of the Marriott. 19 months in a camper no thank you.

Those colors would look great on a car.

For me it's a black & white TV at a Holiday Inn. I HATE camping!!!

I agree on the color choices also, Mike.

Jim

 

[Mike]

In all fairness, his conversion truck is pretty much a motor home, but still...

If you check into the motel and discover the remote will not operate the TV, that is camping.

If you realize you have to go to the lobby to use a phone to make a long distance call, that is roughing it.

When I was still traveling with the car, Brian raised the topic of doing a conversion truck. I explained after spending the entire day at the track, I had absolutely no intention of spending the night there, too. I'm not a big fan of staying in a motel, even. My first trip to Scotland, I stayed at a small B&B in Bridge of Allan, on the north side of Stirling. This place was T-I-N-Y. Two people could not fit into the kitchenette. In order to open the door, I had to fold up the futon I slept on. I am tall enough, if I sat on the toilet, I had to open the shower door to make room for my knees. Give me the wide open spaces.

 

[ellis8500]

Hey RPM,

Is an epiphany that some sort of thing like the light bulb going on over your head? As far as motels and camping, a motor home ain't camping! It's a mobile motel room or suite. A pop up or a tent .... that's camping. Ya can buy a lot of nights in a motel for what it costs to own a motor home.

 

[Northstar T]

I had an epiphany once, but a bottle of that pink stuff cleared it right up by the next day.

The wife and I find that as we get older it gets harder and harder for the body to tolerate "roughing it"....

But some places just don't have a Motel 6, so without a little pain, we would surely miss the experience of places like this:

We still find it worth the effort.

Russ

 

[VegasBruce]

Nice colors Mike. I did mine with the same type of blankets, but in Orange.

For me roughing it is Motel 6, but I travel by motorcycle when I can.

 

[Francis Blake]

Russ that's beautiful scenery, I have spent many nights with nothing but a thin sleeping bag between me and the soil. Boy that morning coffee sure tastes good. Hope to get back to it next year after I get a new knee joint installed.

 

[Whiplash]

:thinkn: Well Guys,I must be dumb as I had to find the dictionary and look epiphany up to understand what it meant,and I know it has something to do with a Christian festival held on the 6th January,I'm still wondering what it has with moving from temporary housing into a new home or colour schemes on T Buckets,so I am prepared to learn something new today please someone.

 

[RPM]

Roughing it in the wild.

 

[Mike]

:thinkn: Well Guys,I must be dumb as I had to find the dictionary and look epiphany up to understand what it meant,and I know it has something to do with a Christian festival held on the 6th January,I'm still wondering what it has with moving from temporary housing into a new home or colour schemes on T Buckets,so I am prepared to learn something new today please someone.

An epiphany can also be a realization or discovery of something profound and truthful.

The Christian holiday is celebrate the discovery of the Baby Jesus by the Magi.

I suddenly discovered the color patterns I want to use on my T and after considering it for so long, it was a profound discovery for me.

There are so many choices and decisions to be made whilst building a car and I struggle with the decision-making process. :wacko: The obvious engine/trans selection would be a SBC/TH350, but I often march to the beat of a different drummer. Brian is now casting blocks and head castings for the race car and I am thinking a 90° V-6 with splayed-valve heads might have a bit more visual impact than just one more SBC. Since the castings are all raw, it would likely take a small fortune to do all the necessary machine work, but the visual impact has me considering it more than I should. At least I now know what color combinations I want to use, so the necessary decisions are getting narrowed down a bit.

 

[jesse]

Like to tent camp,sold the popup. last year camped 3 days on the Blue Ridge Parkway. camped in Yellowstone.and camp locally. love the outdoors.

 

[ellis8500]

Mike.....the obvious choice for a Ford car is a SBF/AOD combo. I see your in Lafayette, IN. I spent the bettter part of five years there at the college over on the west side. That was about 40 years ago.

 

[Chief-T]

Roughing it in the wild.

Ron, You have the right idea. I did the tent thing, bought a conversion van, upgraded to a motor home, then started renting condos, and now we do cruise ships or a condo. Age does change your idea of roughing it.

 

[RPM]

Ron, You have the right idea. I did the tent thing, bought a conversion van, upgraded to a motor home, then started renting condos, and now we do cruise ships or a condo. Age does change your idea of roughing it.

That picture was taken at Paradise Island off the coast of Mexico. This is the exact same place that they make the Corona beer commercials for TV.

 

[Mike]

Mike.....the obvious choice for a Ford car is a SBF/AOD combo. I see your in Lafayette, IN. I spent the bettter part of five years there at the college over on the west side. That was about 40 years ago.

Aha, we've at least one Boilermaker on board. You need to come back for a visit and see how absolutely everything has changed. I was recently at the Elliott Hall of Music for the first time in decades and it still looks the same. Slater Center is still the same. Other than that, it seems as if everything has been changed.