Back in 2008 I had a heart attack, followed up by open heart surgery and SEVEN bypasses. That put an end to my Deuce driving for a while. When I finally got around to wanting to drive it again the batteries were dead and would not take a charge. Things were still pretty busy around here, so the Deuce just sat - for three years.
I finally decided it was time to get off my can & get the Deuce running again. I picked up a set of replacement batteries and installed them today. I had a friend, whom I will identify only as "Soldier B", helping me to get her going. My 13 and 15 year old sons were also there, but they provided mostly moral support. My 11 year old was absent, he was at a friends house for the weekend.
Soldier B, who is younger and stronger than I, took care of installing the batteries while I checked out lights, coolant, oil, tires, brakes, etc. When all was ready, I climbed up in the cab, pulled out the engine stop cable, turned on the accessory switch and performed my hydrostatic test. Hit the starter button and she cranked right over. Now for the moment of truth - I pushed in the engine stop cable and hit the starter button again. The engine cranked about 1/2 turn and fired right up!
In about 10 seconds I had 60 bs of oil pressure, the air pressure was rising and all the guages were working! I waited a minute or so then blipped the throttle lightly a couple of times just so I could hear that beautiful "C" turbo whistle.
Soldier B, who had no prior experiences with Deuces, was standing on the driver's step with eyes like saucers. The expression on his face was like a kid who just discovered a pony under the Christmas tree. "How long Has this been sitting?" he asked. "About three years" I answered. "This sure runs great" he said.
I couldn't be happier. She started and ran like she had just been run yesterday and everything worked, even the turn signals, which have always given me trouble. All I need now is insurance so I can get back on the road!
I finally decided it was time to get off my can & get the Deuce running again. I picked up a set of replacement batteries and installed them today. I had a friend, whom I will identify only as "Soldier B", helping me to get her going. My 13 and 15 year old sons were also there, but they provided mostly moral support. My 11 year old was absent, he was at a friends house for the weekend.
Soldier B, who is younger and stronger than I, took care of installing the batteries while I checked out lights, coolant, oil, tires, brakes, etc. When all was ready, I climbed up in the cab, pulled out the engine stop cable, turned on the accessory switch and performed my hydrostatic test. Hit the starter button and she cranked right over. Now for the moment of truth - I pushed in the engine stop cable and hit the starter button again. The engine cranked about 1/2 turn and fired right up!
In about 10 seconds I had 60 bs of oil pressure, the air pressure was rising and all the guages were working! I waited a minute or so then blipped the throttle lightly a couple of times just so I could hear that beautiful "C" turbo whistle.
Soldier B, who had no prior experiences with Deuces, was standing on the driver's step with eyes like saucers. The expression on his face was like a kid who just discovered a pony under the Christmas tree. "How long Has this been sitting?" he asked. "About three years" I answered. "This sure runs great" he said.
I couldn't be happier. She started and ran like she had just been run yesterday and everything worked, even the turn signals, which have always given me trouble. All I need now is insurance so I can get back on the road!
