Tinkering with Deerslayer

DEERSLAYER LINKS including vendor sites for parts and tools as well as sites for old truck and hot rod organizations

TINKERING WITH DEERSLAYER chronicles the day-by-day maintenance and improvements episodes for Deerslayer, a '37 Chevy farm truck hot rod.

CRUISIN' WITH DEERSLAYER Roadtrips, cruise-in's and truck show stories and tall tales.

TONY'S DUNGEON Tony Pascarella's forum entries at OldGMCtrucks.com regarding Deerslayer, particularly the 302 GMC engine build in his farmhouse basement.

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

PROJECT NAILHEAD Chronicles the rebuild of a 1954 Buick Roadmaster 322 nailhead engine as a future replacement for Deerslayer's Jimmy 302.

27. Creature Comforts

January 22^nd 2013 Haven't done much in the past couple of weeks. The credit card I use for most shop-related purchases cycled a few days ago. I sent a big payment and ordered some pending shop items (tube lights, lift parts) and Deerslayer service items (racing oil, filter, tune-up parts). Been going to cruise-ins and a show on sunday but didn't get the camera out. When I arrived at the sunday show, my friend Eugene, who was DJ'g for the promoters, guided me to a nice spot in the shade. I put down Deerslayer's tailgate, fired up a cigar, and took root. Later, between songs, Eugene yelled out over the sound system that "Larry has room beside him on the redneck love seat for anyone that needs to sit down." Then he said "You ladies hold on to those raffle tickets. There is a special drawing for you. First prize is a date with pickup Larry. Second prize is two dates!"

January 28^th 2013 Not much activity last week 'cept for cruise-ins on sunday, tuesday and thursday nites. Saturday was the River Ranch Rod Run. The Deerslayer engine has been missing a bit during startup and under load which is the truck's way of tellin' me it wants new spark plugs. I woke up at 4:30 saturday morning and gapped a set of plugs and installed them. At a quarter to six, I was sitting at a Shell station just east otf the Hillsboro / I-95 interchange in Deerfield waiting for buddies Eugene ('64 Impala SS) and Rich ('66 Studebaker Commander Pro Street) to join me. As soon as they did, we pulled unto I-95 northbound and waited at the side for friends Bill ('50 Chevy custom), Hank ('32 Ford hiboy roadster) and Rhett ('32 Ford deuce coupe) who were coming up from Lauderdale.

When they came by, we were able to merge in behind them. Weather was perfect and it was a nice cruise up to Fort Pierce where we stopped for a Cracker Barrel breakfast and met up with Carl and Jeane in Carl's '32 Ford deuce coupe. The Deerslayer was running good with the new plugs. After breakfast, we hit the Florida Turnpike and cruised to YeeHaw Junction where we gassed up and then continued west on Route 60 to River Ranch. Carl had trouble restarting his deuce but eventually got it running and had no further problems with it until the next time he tried to start it at the show.

River Ranch is a dude ranch with lots going on besides the car show. There were about 380 rides at the show and most were rods and customs with a smathering of muscle cars. Plenty of old trucks too. I took my pictures early, then headed over to the vendor area. None of the vendors had any of the elusive parts that I would be interested in. Later, I met up with Eugene and Rich again and we retired to the saloon for a few draft beers.

The show was over by three and we were on the road again. After getting Carl's ride started, we went east on 60 to the Turnpike and stayed on it until we got to Jupiter, Florida where we switched onto I-95 again. Eugene and Rich and I stayed on I-95 until we got close to the saturday nite cruise-in at Jake's Wayback Burgers in Coconut Creek which lasted until 9pm. Over 300 miles were run under the wheels and the Deerslayer did good 'cept for some speedometer fluctuations. It's not the cable 'cause the odo was workin' fine. The next day, sunday, I went to the breakfast cruise then laid low until the sunday nite cruise at the bowling alley. This was a special nite because Eugene was holding his "Philly - New Jersey Shore Reunion" Good Live Doo Wop, Mummers in costume, Ragtime and beer. I had too much fun. Now, I'm broke 'til the first payday in february.

February 4^th 2013 No shows or cruise-ins this past week due to lack of funds. The eight foot tube lights arrived from 1000bulbs.com on a Fedex truck in the middle of the week. On saturday morning, I transported them to the BillyBob Shop in the Deerslayer's bed. When I first leased the BillyBob Shop over two years ago, about a third of the light fixtures were burnt out. Having no way to reach the high up fixtures, they continued to go out, one-by-one. By the time I bit the bullet and sprang for the fourteen foot step ladder, I was down to three tubes in sixteen still putting out some light. It was dark in the BillyBob cave and not conducive to working on the trucks.

The first fixture I tackled had one tube still lit. I replaced the blackened tube with a new one and there was no change ~!@#$%^ Replaced that new tube with another new tube and still no change dbl~!@#$%^ Dragged the ladder to the adjacent fixture which had both tubes burned out. Replaced both tubes and . . . nothing! Damnation! Dragged the ladder to the next fixture, cursin' all the way. While I was climbing the ladder to work the third fixture, the new tube in the first fixture finally flickered on. I got lights on in the rest of the fixtures. The second one never did come on so it's probably the ballast. Okay. Fourteen out of sixteen tubes is good and I'm bathing in the new aether glow.

On sunday, I puttered around in the shop more, now that I could see what I wuz doing. Performed some needed maintenance on Deerslayer and started cleaning and reorganizing some of the tools in the BillyBob Shop.

February 11^th 2013 With the improved lighting in the BillyBob Shop, I'm trying to get some work discipline going again. Last monday nite I spent an hour cleaning a couple of my "Homer" tool boxes and reacquainting myself with what tools were in them. Tuesday nite was the Delray cruise-in and I didn't get any shop work done. Wednesday nite, I put up two flags on the fronts of wardrobe units for display. I used Uglu tabs "The strength of superglue with the convenience of tape" to attach the flag fabric to the plastic wardrobe facing. It worked for a whole thirty minutes before the flags fell off. Damnation! It's back to the drawing board. Thursday nite was the Pompano cruise-in at the Hog BBQ and friday nite I went with my friend Eugene to a fifth-year anniversery party at a place in South Fort Lauderdale. On the way down, I put two and two together and discovered we were going to the Kreepy Tiki Tatoo Shop at the five points bar. This was the old Saints-n-Sinners Monterey Club hangout and several of my former car club brothers were there. Eugene had never seen the traditional hot rod and custom car scene like this before and he loved it. We got home about one. Saturday was a Lighthouse Finders Day Car Show, and later, country music concert and fireworks. Eugene wanted to stop off for one on the way home at the Baja Cafe. I was getting toasted and tried to beg off a tequila shooter when the Latina barkeep, Robin, yelled at me "Don't be a pussy, Larry". I was backed in a corner, I downed the shooter and headed home. Made it to the sunday morning breakfast cruise-in at seven but didn't get much done on sunday in the shop.

February 13^th 2013 Monday nite, I tidied up the BillyBob Shop some. On tuesday nite, Deerslayer and I cruised with my friends Eugene and Nye to Paster Jim's house to hang out in his garage. He is currently putting some restoration touches to his '63 T-Bird ragtop and we fiddled around with that for awhile. When things started to wind down, we sat outside with cigars and beers. Today, the UPS guy arrived at the Krash Lab with the results of an eBay auction I won: a 1936 Chevrolet glove box door with optional clock and ashtray. I read somewhere (probably on the H.A.M.B.) that this was a bolt-in on the '37 truck dash. These things have been going for $350 to $400 in the auctions I've seen to date. I wanted it for the ashtray and when this one showed up with broken clock and "cosmetic blemishes", I decided this was my best chance. I got it for $234 and shipping. Still more than I wanted to pay but . . . I just had to have it. The two-post lift will have to wait another month for installation now.

February 14^th 2013 Last nite, the new (to me) glove box door was installed on Deerslayer as soon as I got to the BillyBob Shop and got some Buddy Holly going on the shop sound system. I was not misinformed. It was a direct bolt-in. The only thing that slowed me down a bit was the latch. The latch on the '36 door was different from the '37 truck latch on Deerslayer and they were incompatible. The '37 button mechanism did fit the '36 door, however. It had to be shimed 'tho and I did not have a washer that fit. I improvised for the time being with a keychain ring from a key fob and it worked well enuf that the door would close and hold. I can feel the spirit of my Dad riding on my shoulder and chastising me for spending money on accessory baubles. Life is good.

I finished out the evening by feathering the nest some. I pasted some graphics up on the shop wall. There's a guy on the H.A.M.B. who goes by the moniker "Kiwi Kev" and he has turned his back yard into a old time speed shop. It is amazing and he is my inspiration for making the BillyBob Shop more comfy. Kev's shop is in an old residential neighborhood with a two-car garage and carport bay on the back of the house. It is fenced in and access is from the alley. This pic is what he has made it into.