Travels with BillyBob Log

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 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.

7. Macungie Run

Day 18 SITREP

Had a nice send off breakfast at Jo's house and got an early start at the same time she went to work. This is the front of their house in Raleigh. I told "Mother" she could use highways in her calculations for the leg to Morehead City since my cousin Sue was taking the day off and I didn't want to spend all day getting there.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Day 18 PRE Check

No maintenance checks were made on BillyBob today 'cept for a cursory visual inspection.


1.	Date and Time	June 26, 2007 8:00 AM
2.	Odometer	23,719
3.	Comfort Supplies	Cellphone, AAA+ membership, reading glasses, my lucky WWII Army Air Corps mechanics cap, cheap aviator sunglasses, small cooler with water and trail mix
4.	Roadtrip Supplies	Inventory
5.	Prep	pack up, mount navigator

Engage

At gas stops I go thru a routine of lifting the hood to dissipate heat faster since BillyBob can be a hard hot starter. Then I gas up and record mileage and gallons of gas added. If I need ice or trail mix, I lock BillyBob up as best I can and go into the convenience store. Then I get in BillyBob, pull the choke 3/8" and try to start BillyBob. If he has cooled enuf and the starter catches a tooth, he usually starts on the first try. I put the hood down, push the choke back in and motor on. Don't ask me why the choke helps a hot engine. I don't know why.

At the only gas stop today, a potato chip truck pulling in beside me and blocking my exit disrupted my routine. When I got around the potato chip truck, Mother took me on a sixty-two mile run of divided highway. When I finally came to a stoplight, I noticed BillyBob's high idle . . . Damnation! The choke wuz still out and the gas gauge was already down a quarter tank! There goes the mileage calcs.

About half this leg was on two-lane blacktop thru some nice areas of the North Carolina countryside. I am really enjoying seeing America off the beaten path despite the hot humid climate. These roads really suit the spirit of the BillyBob roadtrip.

Started hitting more bodies of water as I neared Morehead City. The town is on the coast near the Virginia border. The beach area has a similar flavor as Key West or Cape May and there is a Confederate fort nearby. I don't have time for the attractions this time. I've seen both before but haven't tired of seeing them. Maybe next time.

Day 18 POST Check


1.	Date and Time	June 26, 2007 12:00 PM
2.	Odometer	23,891
3.	Mileage	172
4.	Elapsed Time	4 hrs

Pulled into my cousin's household 'bout noon. Cousin Sue was taking care of her grandaughter, Annagrace. The arrangement of toys and make believe environment of Sue's living room reminded me of my own happy childhood, much of it spent at my maternal grandparents in the same manner. At three years old, Annagrace is a real charmer. I'm glad I'm not a three year old boy growing up in this town.

Travis was really interested in BillyBob, as was his grandfather, Corky. We took a ride around the neighborhood. I would stop at a stop sign to explain things. Travis would keep casting a nervous glance behind us. I had my eye on the rearview mirror but was having a little fun and acted oblivious to my surroundings, what one of the guys at the truck show termed my shellshocked look.

At some point, I coerced everybody into lining up for the obligatory BillyBob photo shoot. Left to right is Janet, Travis, Annagrace, Sue and Joe. Sue is my 1st cousin and firstborn of Corky and Marcella's children. Joe is her husband. Travis is their son. Janet is Travis' wife and Annagrace is their daughter. Sue works for the Post Office. Joe and Travis do custom woodwork for residences and yachts. Travis sometimes captains fishing boats and Joe donates a lot of his time to the Volunteer Fire Fighting Company. Janet teaches school (elementary, I think).

Sue and Joe went to too much trouble for dinner and I think I hurt my tummy trying to stuff too much into it. Joe cleaned a mess of fresh shrimp and sue fried it up. We had taters and green beans and hushpuppies too. There was more but that's what I remember and ate the most of. Had another good night's sleep on a full belly.

Sue went back to the Post Office the next morning but I hung out with Joe at the house until he had to get ready to attend another fire fighter's funeral. He was an oldtimer who died of natural causes. Joe is a history buff as am I. He told me his fire company is putting together as much of its history as they can dig up. He told me of the company's first horse, "Gibbs" (I think). It being a volunteer group, operating funds were always short. They could not afford to keep Gibbs in the stable waiting for a fire. He pulled the town trash wagon as well. If Gibbs was in hearing range of the fire bell when it rang, he would head to the station whether his driver was on the trash wagon or not. Joe said that, more than once, Gibbs would be the first volunteer to arrive at the station.

When the funeral time approached, I fired up BillyBob and headed for Whitesville to see ole truck enthusiast Tom Caperton but that story is for the next episode.

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