Travels with BillyBob Log

UPDATES:

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

RESEARCH:

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.

HISTORY:

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.

MAINTENANCE:

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.

Day 19 SITREP

Click to display large 377Kb image in separate windowGot a good mid-morning start. I told "Mother" to avoid highways and head for the Holiday Inn in Whiteville, North Carolina. For the first part of the leg, she took us south along the coast. It was already getting hot again but not as bad as it was yesterday farther inland.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Day 19 PRE Check

No maintenance checks were made on BillyBob today 'cept for steering gear and engine oil.

1. Date and Time June 27, 2007 10:00 AM
2. Odometer 23,893
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

Click to display large 288Kb image in separate windowThe coastal road is a really nice route. I'm enjoying the sights and letting Mother keep track of where we are. I passed a bank sign that said the temperature had climbed to ninety-five. Kept drinking my water. At some point the road I was on became "Freedom Way".

Click to display large 395Kb image in separate windowI understood why it was named Freedom Way when it carried BillyBob and I past the main entrance to Camp Lejeune. The fence on either side of the entrance is covered with "Welcome Home" and "Well Wishes" signs. I'm glad Mother brought me this way so I could see these signs.

Click to display large 488Kb image in separate windowSince Whiteville is a village inland from the coast a bit, Mother took me on some nice country roads near the end of this leg. Lot's of small farms and homesteads in this part of the country. I arrived in Whiteville a little before check in time. Had to wait a few minutes before my room was ready. Had a beautiful view of a warehouse wall. Checked my mileage calcs. That tomfoolery with the choke yesterday had brought my mileage down to 14.88 mpg for that segment.

Day 19 POST Check

1. Date and Time June 27, 2007 1:45 PM
2. Odometer 24,048
3. Mileage 155
4. Elapsed Time 3 hrs, 45 minutes

Click to display large 694Kb image in separate windowCalled Tom Caperton, an old truck enthusiast from the oldchevytrucks mailist. Arranged to go to his house at five for some BBQ burgers and a few cold ones. Got a chance to record Tom's first encounter with BillyBob's pristine engine compartment! As you can see, Tom was overwhelmed. That's Tom's front yard in the background.

Click to display large 421Kb image in separate windowTom has a '47 2nd Series Chevy he has named "Red Chief". Red Chief has a later model Chevy 235 engine. Tom has built a forty by forty shop on his property for his automotive and woodworking projects. It's a beautiful building and I'm sorry I didn't get any shots of it for this log entry.

Click to display large 611Kb image in separate windowTom cooks a mean burger and I'm going back to my hotel room fat and happy again. This roadtrip is actually improving my health. I'll probably make some adjustments in my daily routines when I get home. This last photo is pretty neat. Here you have the very first of the Advance Design models in Tom's '47 2nd Series "Red Chief" and the very last in my '55 1st Series "BillyBob".

I had a great time. Thanks again Tom. Time to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is the run to Savannah.

You can email me at  webmaster@laroke.com

Issued Saturday July 7, 2007

Updated Monday February 20, 2017

copyright © 1996-2017 Larry Robert Kephart all rights reserved