On Saturday, September 6th the Missouri Football Tigers played their home opener against Southeast Missouri State. It was not a contest. For the second straight week, the Tigers scored 52 points en route to victory. A perfect day in Tiger Town, wouldn't you agree? It would have been except for the fact that my beloved 1975 Ford F-250, the truck that I hand painted to be the magnificent tailgating truck that she was, died quietly in my driveway Saturday morning.
The truck that served dutifully as tailgate party headquarters at Mizzou home football games, as a royal carriage for my sister Karah who was Queen Soya in last year's Homecoming parade, as a fishing boat puller, and as our only means to escape the snow and ice that would have otherwise trapped us in our primitive driveway during the last two winters unceremoniously ceased to function. Oh, the engine still runs about as well as it ever has since I replaced the plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, fuel filter, and had the exploded AC condenser removed and had the carburetor and brakes rebuilt. All those repairs held up fairly well. On Saturday, however, the 33 year old four-speed transmission gave up the fight.
After I picked Alex up from school on Friday in the Big Black Truck, I smelled something unusual when I parked it in its spot beside our barn. It had not overheated, and I had just checked all the fluid levels a few days earlier. This was a new smell. Apparently it was the smell of a dead transmission. On Saturday morning I could shift it into any gear, but it simply wouldn't move an inch. I can only surmise that the main gear ring suffered a terminal failure which in truck owner's terms means "she blowed up."
I figure the tow bill to the nearest transmission shop would be at least $100 and a rebuilt tranny another $1000 or so. I don't think I can justify the expense on a vehicle that could find another 100 ways to die in the near future. Therefore, "Old Seventy-Five" has most likely seen her last tailgate party. Now I suppose the rusting hulk will sit beside our barn for the next few decades as a bittersweet reminder of what once was. If you want to pay your respects, I will leave the bottle opener mounted on the bedside of the truck and we can down a few brews while we sit on the bumper and remember the good times she provided. She would have wanted it that way.
1 comment:
Are you sure your beloved would have wanted to become a yard ornament?
When you get a new truck, rent a tow dolly and haul her off to the junk yard. Most salvage yards will give you $150.00 for a vehicle.
This should at the least cover the cost of the rental and gas and take care of clutter around the house. They may even come and haul it for you subtracting the tow from the $150.00 (thats what I did)
However you choose to remove the beast....scrap some of the truck yourself, the hood, a door, the dash, a tire and rim, whatever… and make some art with it.
Display it in your garage, home, or yard.
If she has to be an ornament...at least do it with style!
~Martin
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