Island Girl
Well-Known Member
















Getting things shipped here has turned out to be quite a challenge . . . The ocean freight handlers are still swamped from all the stuff still coming to rebuild after the 2 cat 5 hurricanes a year ago and stuff makes it to the warehouse, but then seems to go into hiding for a week or two, and that's after it clears customs.
So finally, after 3 weeks, they finally found my little gantry crane and I got it picked up and back home. I unpacked it and checked the parts and it's all there, even the hardware bags are not torn or missing for a change . . . I picked up the trolley and chainfall almost a month ago, and everything was ordered at the same time . . go figure . . .
Looks like tomorrow is going to be a fun day of insert tab A into slot B, secure with bolt C and nut D and so on . . .
I ended up getting the crane, as the donor for the BBC engine is a very much jacked up 4X4 on 40" tires, which is wayyyy to high for my cherry picker engine hoist to be of any use.
I'm pretty sure it'll also come in handy for setting the body in place, multiple times, I'm sure . . .
As it turned out, I had a small boat trailer, actually a single jet-ski size trailer, languishing in the yard under an old inflatable dinghy. The dinghy was destroyed after hurricane Maria, and I finally cut it up and took it to the dump to get at the trailer a few weeks back.
I mention this as I want to repurpose the trailer as a body dolly, so that I can move the fiberglass body easily and have a dolly to store it on while working on the chassis and drive train.
Today I took the wheels off, replaced the rotted tire valves, (thank you Amazon for the tools and valves), and cleaned up the rims where the tire bead seals.
Both seem to hold air quite well, although with the old, dry rotted tires, they will probably go down over time, but still be usable.
Just have to get some new hardware and 2X6's to make new bunks, and it'll be good to go.
I think I mentioned in another post that the 700R4 transmission is here. I coughed up the $$ for a TCI Super Street Fighter series with a 3000rpm stall converter. Probably could have gotten something cheaper, but for what it costs to ship here, (not to mention the time it takes) I figured it was worth going with a top tier name brand.
As I believe I also may have mentioned, the tires are here, MT S/R 33X22r on the rear and 26X8r on the front.
The rear wheels, . . . Weld Prostars, 15X15, have been here for about a month, the fronts, (15X6 Prostars) on the other hand, shipped a couple weeks after the rears from Summit, and somehow, the ocean freight company didn't get them on the friggin' boat a couple weeks ago like they should have, and so now they won't make it on the boat 'till Thursday . . . . At least I got the mess figured out and they'll be here by mid October . . .
Strangely enough, the transmission jack I ordered a month or more after the wheels, is already on the boat and should be available possibly by next Friday, but more probably the following Friday.
Well, . . . That about wraps up my tales of adventure, living out here on a small rock in the middle of a big ocean.
Will post a few more pics as the next items finally make it here and find there way thru the customs and warehouse maze . . .
Darlene



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