JR's Korner of BillyBob's Garage

WHAT'S NEW is a chronological listing of updates to the BillyBob site.

TRUCK LINKS including vendor sites for old parts, custom parts, and tools as well as sites for classic car and truck organizations

STORE Operating in association with Amazon.com, books, recordings and tools can be purchased.

PLANNING for the restoration including project schedule and cost estimates.

TRAVELS WITH BILLYBOB With apologies to Steinbeck, this area of BillyBob's Garage will be used to log the trips BillyBob and I make together.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS is the restoration of parts of BillyBob that I can accomplish without a garage.

PRE-RESTORATION includes log entries of minor repairs and adventures between time of purchase and the time when I started restoration, a piece at a time.

JR'S KORNER JR's Korner is the history of BillyBob before I got him authored by my brother, Wm. C. Kephart.

BILLYBOB MAINTENANCE Ever changing detailing, oil change, lube, etc. maintenance routines specifically developed for BillyBob, including required tools, materials and procedures.

PARTS SHOP The Parts Shop is a repository of How-To articles. Things that I have done over and over enough times to have developed a procedure. This gives me a checklist and saves brain cells.

STEALTH SHOP Urban residence design with large integrated shop and separate living quarters for a relative or renter.

15. Six days on the Road . . . or, at least a few hours

My friend, Tom, developed a liking for Jeeps. When he was between wives he sold his early seventies Dodge D100, a noble vessel worthy of its own history, and purchased a CJ7. During this period Tom also acquired a '68 CJ5 basket case. The CJ5 caught fire when the former owner attempted to start it after priming the engine by pouring gas down the carburetor. Come on, we've all done it. The fire rendered the Jeep non functional and so the former owner bestowed it upon Tom who readily accepted the gift. As Tom lived in a residential neighborhood, he purchased a custom fitted cover and parked in an inconspicuous location so as not to offend the "an old vehicle destroys property value" crowd. And that's where the CJ5 stayed until Tom remarried.

After the nuptials Tom came to realize that passing the CJ5 on would be the wise thing to do so one day Tom called and offered it to me. All I had to do was to get it from his place to mine, a distance of approximately fifteen miles. Fortunately, the truck had a homemade bumper made of a C4-7.25 steel channel with two quarter inch tabs welded on to form a hitch. The tabs were drilled to accept a standard ball hitch. All I needed to do was rent a tow bar and go get the Jeep.

On the appointed day, mild sunny Saturday I believe, I went to the local U-Haul franchise to rent the tow bar. "What can I do for ya" came from the guy at the counter. "I need a tow bar" said I. "What are you towing and what are you towing it with?" came response. I said "I'm towing a '68 Jeep CJ and I'm towing it with that" indicating the truck that was clearly visible through the large, plate glass window. He looked skeptical. He opened a note book and begin to leaf through the pages. He stopped and read a few passages as preacher might read citations for his next sermon. At length he looked and asked if truck had a hitch on it. "Sure" was my response. He seemed relieved. "Let's go look at it".

We go out to the truck and went around to the back to look at the homemade hitch. He jumped up and down on bumper and did the same on the hitch. "Looks like it will hold" was his comment, "but the ball is too small" he continued. "I have to sell you a new one." Over the years I have had to tow things three times. Every time, every single time, I had to get a new ball because the one on the truck was not the right size. I believe the consumer towing business is operated by a splinter group whose origins lie with the Garage Owners Association mentioned elsewhere in these chronicles. I don't know this for a fact but I guessing that trailers, tow bars, etc with all the hitch sizes are available and the one they rent you is not the same size as your ball. Another, non value added enterprise.

He installed the new ball and got the tow bar. "Ya know how to hook this to the bumper?" "No." I responded. For the next twenty minutes he carefully explained in great and excruciating detail every part on the tow bar, its purpose and the proper usage. I didn't hear a word that he said. "got it?" he asked. "Yep" I said with authority. How tough can this be? We put the tow bar in the bed and went inside. and filled out the paper work. I paid the deposit with cash and was on my way.

When I arrived at Tom's place he had the cover off the Jeep. "Just back the truck in here" Tom said. The Jeep was positioned beside his house toward the back. There was a narrow level strip of grass then a drop off on the left side going down to the back of the neighbor's house. It took me several tries to carefully negotiate the strip and back up to the Jeep. The strip was just wide enough for the truck and if I had had a few Irons (Pittsburgh beer) I probably would not have made it.

For those you who may not know, the CJ5 has a bumper formed as a channel that attaches to the frame rails. The tow bar attachments were wider than the frame; the tow bar would attach to the bumper tips, so to speak. Tom and I got the tow bar out of the bed and laid it on the ground in front of the Jeep's bumper. Tom asked "How do you put this thing on?" "I haven't a clue!" I offered having forgotten everything I was told. There were two claws on each end of the tow bar. Obviously two claws went on top of the bumper and two claws went on the bottom but beyond that we were lost! After much trial and error, and an Iron or two, we did finally get it attached in an acceptable fashion. We were, after all, both sailors in our souls and Sonarmen to boot. Like the Lizard King we could do anything.

Tom said "I'll follow you home to make sure you make it." I responded with "Are the front hubs locked out?" Tom assured me that they were. With that I jumped into the truck and headed out of the yard into the street without mishap.

Between Tom's house and mine is a short stretch of interstate highway. Just after you enter the on ramp the highway goes down a long hill, then up another long hill, then down and up again. I pulled onto interstate with Tom behind me. As I started down the first hill a light came on in my brain and, as the cockroaches ran for the darker recesses, I decided that the thing to do was to put the hammer down to build up momentum at the bottom of the hill. The momentum would then aid in climbing the next hill. So that's what I did. I hadn't done anything to the suspension at this point so the steering was just as loose now as when I bought the truck. Down went the hammer!

The truck and Jeep started to pick up speed. As I passed 65 mph directional stability became a real issue but with my precise steering corrections I as able to keep the truck in my lane, half of the passing lane and the berm. No matter, I
 was in this to the end so I kept the gas pedal on the floor. If I'd had a radio Dave Dudley's "Six days on the Road" would have been blaring out of the speaker. That song would have been perfect for the moment.

At the bottom of the hill I glanced at the speedometer which read around 80 mph! That's the fastest I had ever had the truck going. As I went up the next hill the speed dropped and the engine temperature rose. Pulling the Jeep was tough work for truck's wore out engine. The next hill I repeated the procedure with the same results. By the time I got home the truck was running real hot and real bad! My house was on a hill so I pulled up the street and stopped. After a few minutes Tom pulls up, jumps out of his CJ7 and runs up to me. "What the hell was that!!" he exclaims. "You were all over the road. I thought the jeep was going to roll over a couple of times." "Desperate times call for desperate measures" is all I could think to say. Thank god for clichés. "Have an Iron."

With the Jeep's parking brake set and a rock under one rear wheel, I disconnected the tow bar from the ball then tilted it back over the Jeep's grill. I got in the Jeep and pressed the brake pedal; the brakes worked. Tom kicked the rock out, I released the parking brake, drifted the Jeep down the street and coasted into the drive way. I would let the truck rest for several hours before putting it in the drive way as well. It was a well deserved rest.

The next task was to remove the tow bar and return it to U-Haul. Removing the tow bar revealed that the Jeep's bumper had broken off on one side and cracks were visible in the other side. The Jeep had almost broken free! Good thing I didn't live twenty miles away. While removing the tow bar I noticed that the front hubs were locked in. I had drug the front differential as well as the rear differential requiring the truck to pull a tougher load. Verify, Verify, Verify!

The job finished, Tom and I enjoyed a few more Irons and regaled each other with various sea stories. After a while Tom went home and I started to ponder what the hell I was going to do with the CJ5 other than annoy my neighbors with my ever expanding collection of un-restored classics generally seen by the uninitiated as junk.

As my brother would say, I had a severe stupid attack when I filled out the paperwork to obtain the title for the Jeep.
 Honest idiot that I am, on the form where it said sale price I put $0.00 and where the form said mileage I put unknown. BIG MISTAKE! The highly skilled, independent thinking bureaucrat that dealt with my paperwork chose to do nothing in as much as a free vehicle meant no tax income. It took nine months and required the aid of my local elected state representative to get the title. Honesty is the best policy but not when dealing with the government.

Over next several years I replaced the Jeep's front fender and tail gate, got the motor running and replaced the rear cross member. The rear cross member was connected to the frame ends by round head rivets, four to a side and four in the middle. I removed these with a hacksaw, cold chisel, hammer and electric drill. I use what I have and seldom purchase a special tool for anything.

Just as I was finally getting the Jeep road worthy I too decided to get married and like Tom before me I saw the wisdom in disposing of the Jeep. I sold it to a fellow who was going to use it on his farm and have heard nothing of it since. So ends the story.

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Issued Tuesday December 21, 2004

Updated Monday April 23, 2018

copyright © 1998-2018 William Craig Kephart all rights reserved