We know that news has been slow on Project Goliath as of late but that’s really because there’s been no news! We’ve been waiting through an intense New England winter, saving pennies for parts and installation costs, and working to get the truck registered in the draconian Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The good news is that we’ve made progress on all fronts.
To start, the truck is now legally registered and insured in Massachusetts. We were fearful of the process as we bought the truck out of state and had no title or previous registration papers. Through the assistance of some great folks at the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles, we got the paperwork we needed to wade through the Massachusetts system and within just a couple days, we had license plates and a valid insurance policy.
Working off of that momentum we checked our piggy bank and discovered that we’d pinched enough pennies to order the replacement panels to repair the floor of our C50. We called LMC Truck and literally ordered every part of two pages of the catalog. You’ll see why in the photos below.
We then picked up the phone and got the green light from Jon Sandahl to drop the truck off at his shop in Hanson, Massachusetts, Tube Chassis Designz. Jon and his band of merry metal shapers will install the floors in the truck for us. Farming work out? Blasphemous you say? Hey, you’ve got to know your limits, skill set, and time table. Could we booger weld the panels in? Yes. Would it take us virtually the entire summer and cruising season? Yes. Do we want to wait that long to enjoy the truck? Hell no. That’s why the pros have their mitts on it now.
We slapped the plates on just this last Friday and after the kids went to bed, took a ride to the local gas station just to make sure the wheels were not going to fall off and explosions were not imminent. That ride went fine, as did the 12 mile trip to Jon’s shop the next day. The big truck was a blast to drive as we lugged along the road. People were doing a lot of pointing and smiling, which was cool.
We were totally getting pelted by dirt, and other debris due to the fact that there were gapig holes in the cab floor. Also, the cab was held up on the driver’s side by a 2×4 we slid under the floor after jacking the cab two weeks ago. The problem was that the cab has sagged so far to the driver’s side, the clutch linkage was whacked and the truck physically couldn’t be shifted in and out of gear. The two-by fixed that issue in a totally hill jack manner.
Check the photos below to see the big guy in the wild, how awful the floors are, and our parting snap shot from the front of Jon’s shop. Once we get the truck back, we’ll do a full update!
