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.

10. Hutchinson Roadtrip Day 4

SITREP

Getting caught up with two dispatches took a lot of time. I only got a couple of hours sleep. The Hampton Inn had a hot breakfast offering so a biscuit and gravy along with artificial eggs and coffee perked me up a bit. I was right on the edge of where the weather channel thought heavy storms may hit so I wanted to get going but it was about 9:30 before BillyBob and I finally got moving.

Tuesday, May 20th 2008
Day 4 PRE Check

Checked all BillyBob's fluids (oil, tranny, diffie, brake fluid, coolant, steering gear and battery). and tire pressure. I topped off the steering gear box with STP again, the diffie with gear lube and the radiator with coolant (it was down 'bout 3/8"). Engine oil is only half a quart low. I set Mother in the direction of Tulsa and didn't tinker with any of her parameters. I'm thinking of stopping off at East West Auto Parts in Tulsa to return the flywheel that Ken Freeman sent me. Thinking of doing this before Hutchinson because after Hutchington would put me in Tulsa on Decoration Day when the place will probably be closed.


1.	Date and Time	May 20, 2008 9:30 AM
2.	Odometer	30,151
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	Mount navigator, setup GPS tracker

Engage

Mother put us on a U.S. route of divided highway thru more rolling hill country. At the first gas stop, I was limited to E10 ethanol again. A Kenworth driver on his way to Nebraska stopped to talk about BillyBob for a minute and I forgot to check the wheel temperatures. BillyBob was grouchy when I started him up at the Hampton Inn . . . didn't seem to have any strength for the first ten minutes but he was ok now.

Crossed the line into Mississippi sometime after noon. Still on divided highway here. Took a pic of some rail yards while passing thru Corinth. I don't know when we passed into Tennesee. I didn't see any signs. We were headed for Memphis and traffic was picking up.

Mother was leading me into another gauntlet again, this time leading to the big river crossing in Memphis. I know there's not much choice. You can't span the Mississippi for a county road. BillyBob ran well with the traffic. I was thankful we didn't have any hills to climb. When we crossed the river I was surprised at how narrow it is here. Seems to me the Ohio is wider up in Wheeling. It was a bit anti-climatic after shooting the traffic rapids thru the city.

We were on I40 now, mostly flatland. Farm country. Lot's of big rigs coming up behind me and passing. It's a constant parade. At my first gas stop in Arkansas, I remembered to check the wheel temperatures. The driver rear is still warmer than the others but not hot like yesterday. This divided highway driving is not much fun and I'm having trouble with the drowsies. I gave up and checked into a Holiday inn express in Lonoke, Arkansas a bit short of my goal of 350 miles for the day and 20 miles east of Little Rock. I hope Mother takes me back to two-lane blacktop tomorrow.