Cool McCool's Garage

In case you wonder what a real man tows a vintage trailer with, here’s the answer.  No wimpy, comfy, cushy, air-conditioned SUV, no sir.  Real men tow stuff with a TRUCK, as shown at left.  Granola crunching, eco-concious, climate change worried, environmentally aware tree huggers look away now, this thing is everything we should NOT be driving in 2012. 

It’s 454 gas guzzling V8 delivers enough torque to the 4.56 rear gears to pull a house down, while the huge, thick pack of rear springs with overloads ensures no amount of weight on the hitch or in the box will make any difference in ride height (although admittedly, a ton of weight in the box DOES improve the ride quality!).  12 mpg empty, loaded, uphill, downhill, head-wind or tail-wind, it’ll get the job done like we did it in 1976.  

 The GMC is about as done as it’s going to get, although I may put a red pinstripe on the white wheels, and some to accent the body’s character line, but it’s pretty much finished.  I spent the morning reinforcing the hitch, as I was concerned it would flex with a load on,  then went and got the Spartan, seen here obediently trailing along behind.

I’m very happy with how it looks.  It runs great, drives MUCH better with the new, modern radial tires in place of the bias ply, Nylon cord 10 ply rated original (!) tires, and best of all, it’s paid for.  All kidding aside about fuel economy (I was kidding, really, I’m probably more eco-concious than most rodders), I can pour a LOT of gas in it before it would out-weigh savings in dollars as compared to a new truck (hey, it’s only got 18,000 miles on it), and I can sleep better at night knowing I’m recycling on a grand scale.  Besides, it makes me smile every time I get in, turn the key and hear the 454 thunder to life.  How often can one re-live their youth with the same vehicle they bought when they were young?

Now that it’s done, I can start in on the Diamond T again, and hopefully get that pretty much done by summers end.  I’m going take a little time off from projects first, and enjoy some summer fun with some of the things we’ve worked hard to have finished. 

So, till next time, I’ll see you at the gas pump!

Brian