Is this the end of the road?

Well, I have pretty much exhausted all my options. I'm not the kind of guy who has a lot of friends around him. In fact, you could quite accurately call me a lone wolf kinda guy.  Not for any particular reason, but it just seems to be that way and has been most of my life. 

But there comes a time when we all need a bit of a helping hand, and right now, I am kinda thinking I have exhausted all my avenues. The final straw came today when a guy I had been communicating with for about three weeks was scheduled to come down to help. Well, the difference between the bullshit talkers and the real workers occurs when you lay it on the line and say you need their help now, so put down your phone and come and help. Shit, I was offering him what he asked; ie fifty bucks an hour. 

But, no show.

I had a guy turn up here two weeks before, and he was so full of attitude and aggression, I immediately went on the defence. No way this bastard was going to get anywhere near the truck.

Christ, we've already gone through the ordeal of David McC*** and his Surreal Custom experience. 

I've already lost thousands due to him. 

And now I have an engine in a workshop and they never bother replying. Ten weeks later!

Am I getting pissed off about nothing?

Maybe, but I am totally over this truck and totally over getting stuffed around by bastards.

My last bastion of hope lies in a smash repair shop down south. I sent them some photos and a story and hoping these guys can work some magic.

Will I be here beyond this?

Time will tell...

July 2024 update: things have stalled

 Well, it has been two months since the engine has gone in to get rebuilt. I hear the shop is having some staffing issues. At least I am not waiting on the engine to get rebuilt in my daily. Just a little peeved that in the last five calls I've made to them I am told they will get back to me, and they never do. Looks like a visit in person next week.

I've managed to pick up two months of near full-time work which will keep me occupied until late September. Certainly could do with the extra cash. This truck has been eating into my savings at a rapid rate. 

The person who said this hobby was for rich men wasn't joking!

Anyway, I've pretty much reached the stage where I need some extra help with the body as far as lining up panels and smoothing out the cabin ready for paint. I have a new guy coming this Friday, so hopefully he can give me some guidance and help get these panels into better shape.

A few important things have happened: Joined the Dapto Classic Car Club and am looking forward to attending a few of their runs. A little premature, I know. But it's probably a step in the right direction.  Who knows? There might be someone in the group who can help me, and vice versa.

Haven't been spending too much on the truck lately. Apart from purchasing a few rubber products, fender welt, cowl to fender seal, cowl vent seal and cowl lacing. Doesn't sound much, but that little lot tallied well over $100!

I've redone a couple of areas as far as welding goes. Made them a little prettier as my skills improve. 

Knocked up a couple of cowl inspection plates and fitted them up. Came up a peach!

Had a brainwave the other day as I was pondering how to attack the driver's side of the truck which is almost hard up against the brick wall of our garage. Dunno why I didn't think of it before, but realised I could move the truck from side to side using a set of wheel dollies. And once that idea hit me, everything seemed inconsequential. Once I am able to move the truck, I can tackle the problem door and it's basically accessible for painting in our garage. 

Stay tuned! August sounds like it could be a very productive month! Let's hope so! We're getting closer to our deadline of 18th April 2025 for the Australian Street Rod Nationals!

Will we make it?