Exhuming Ol' Jack

Sure hated saying goodbye to my faithful '54 F-150. I put a
Buick 322 CID V-8 in it. It was a screamer.

In 1972, I was preparing to leave home and attend Colorado State University in Fort Collins. I decided that my old Ford pick-up needed to go, and that what I needed was a van that I could live in for a while if necessary. I started looking, and found a 1959 VW micro bus (Transporter) in the paper. The owner had converted it into a camper (perfect). The bus was only 13 years old, and was in reasonable shape. I purchased a book about maintaining it called "How to keep your Volkswagen alive, with step by step instructions for the complete idiot!" The book has since turned into a classic. I still have it, and use it to work on the little '66 beetle. Well I bought the bus for $750, changed the oil, adjusted the brakes, loaded it up and headed east.

Here I am shortly after purchasing Ol' Jack. Nice hat huh?

Fast it was not, and in fact, I started thinking that I should have heeded a neighbor's sage advice after he saw my new purchase. "looks like you have good wear left in two of those tires" he said. "You should buy two new dirt tires, and put them on the right side to help maintain control, while you're driving on the shoulder to let traffic pass!" Needless to say, the 40 hp engine went at it's own speed, with the "pedal to the metal" at all times other than a good long down hill run.

Heading up the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, the effect of altitude started to take it's toll as well. As the air got thinner, the bus went slower. Eventually I was unable to hold fourth gear at all, then third, and as I neared the continental divide, I was in low gear at about 15 miles an hour. Low gear in the old bus is not "synchronized" like all modern manual transmissions are. It is a "straight cut" gear, and it howls quite noisily. Honestly, I wasn't sure I was going to make it as I frantically kept waving traffic by on my left. "Come on Jack, come on Ol' Jack, you can do this!" I found myself muttering, as the semi trucks shot by at 65 miles an hour, shaking my little bus in their wakes. Well, all I can say is that "we" made it, and after that my bus was known as "Ol' Jack". I figured that must be his name, as he responded so well and didn't quit before we made it over the summit.

It got down to 20 below zero in Fort Collins. Jack always
started right up. Wish he'd had a better heater though!

This was on our way home to get married in 1973. Had to do
some field maintenance, change oil and adjust valves. You
probably can't tell it, but that is my "idiot's Manual" there
on the ground by my left foot.

In 1976 we had him painted in San Luis Obispo.
 I did all the sanding and prep work, then we took him to
"Otis's Body shop". Oh yea, I also overhauled the little engine.

Ol' Jack is still in the family. I quit driving him much in 1983 when we left Pollock Pines with little Baby Viola for Oregon State up in Corvallis. When we settled in Yreka after graduating, I ferried Ol' Jack up and parked him in the back yard. Then when we moved to Some's Bar, I ferried him down river, and we used him to haul our garbage to the dump. That is where a bear decided to pry off a window to see if there was anything good to eat inside. Finally, in 1996 we moved here to the Sierra Valley. Once again, I changed his oil, adjusted the brakes, and headed out with my ferry permit in hand. I used Jack as a ranch truck for the first several years here. Then, when I finished overhauling the little '66 Beetle, I needed a small part for the throttle linkage. I "borrowed" it from my friend Ol' Jack, and he hasn't run since.

Jacks wheels roll for the first time in 13 years.

I covered Jack with a tarp, and told myself that someday I would restore him to something resembling his past glory.

Yesterday, with a beautiful spring sun high in the sky, I decided to exhume Ol' Jack. One tire had gone flat, and the other three had sunk up to the rims in the Sierra Valley silt. It was a long and laborious process, but I got out some blocks of wood, a hydraulic jack, and extended the hose on my air compressor to reach Jack's resting place.

As I jacked up the left front and got it aired up and blocked up out of its hole, Jack seemed to be climbing out of the grave. I got the right front tire above ground and it looked like he was reared back and getting ready to jump up and out of what had been his parking place for the last 13 years. Finally, I had him completely back on his feet (I had to use the spare for the one tire that had given up the ghost completely).

A little more body damage than I expected (remembered).

I wanted to roll him across the yard over next to my tool shed so I could begin my long promised project at last. I chained his front bumper to the tractor, and very slowly pulled him across the yard. I pushed him the last several feet to the shed, and set the parking brake.

Now the fun truly begins. There is more body work to do than I remembered, but he has been neglected for a long time. I don't have a project schedule, maybe I should. We'll see how busy this fire season is. Perhaps I can at least get him running again before the cold season hits. Then he will get an honored parking place in the barn (he will still need a tarp to protect from bird poop!)

The front seat was a real rat's nest (literally). The old original
Bilstein screw jack was put to good use!

It will be great to get behind this wheel again! 

Spare tire removed, Ol' Jack sits by the shed awaiting
his makeover! Notice the license plates?

So, we shall update you as the project progresses!

That's All!