RE: M109
Home Again! After four solid days in the car me and the deuce are home. Left Tampa Saturday morning and headed north with a quick stop in Gainesville to pick up spare tires and get a look at Steve's deuce and then off to Atlanta. Caught torrential rains and construction for a good portion of the trip through Georgia and made it to Clint's house to pick up the cylinder heads for Joe. Budget was kind enough to give me a good deal on a one way rental but not sure that they planned on me taking three deuce tires and six cylinder heads. I had to be close to the cargo limit on that thing. After staying with a friend in Atlanta I was off again in the morning headed to Indianapolis. The stretch though the mountains from Knoxville to Lexington convinced this flatlander that the western route through Nashville was the way to come back with the deuce. Arrived in Indianapolis Sunday evening and could not resist going by to take a look even though the shop (R&S Fleet Service, good folk) was closed. Monday morning I was headed South with a new deuce. First impressions of the truck were favorable, tires, engine and overall look were good. As the day progressed I found that my right rear hub was a bit warmer then I would like but I kept an eye on it and it was not getting overly hot so just something to think about. It looked like my only problem would be a dead speedometer. Then Murphy decided to play a practical joke! I was cruising along at about 50 (using mile markers and a clock to figure speeds for different RPMs) when I look down at the gauges and my engine temp is pegged out at the top! I was right at a rest area so slammed it in there and shut her down. I took some time to clean up the rear of the truck including the desk that came with it and to open the tool box. She came with the triangles, air hose, fuel spout and a very nice bottle jack. After 90 minutes I turn on the electrical and the temp is still pegged. Hmmmm says I, that is not right. The engine was cool and I could open the radiator so something is wrong. It seems that the last time I had checked the oil that I must have loosened the connection to the thermostat just enough that it vibrated loose but not off. As soon as I pulled that off and plugged it back in, Presto! a cool engine and a nice rest brake. Off to Chattanooga. After one nice 6% pass that had me crawling by the top and white knuckled on the way down it was clear sailing to Atlanta. Got into a hotel around 3 a.m. for six hours of sleep and then morning maintenance to get back on the road. From Atlanta it was a nice easy drive into Tampa and the truck held steady and sounded comfortable at about 2,400 RPM and give or take 53 - 55 MPH. So at the end of the day a long but successful recovery. If you are looking at a vehicle at Stout Field in Indy, and they have a whole lot of them, I was pleased with the folks at R & S Fleet service who picked mine up and did a full service on it for a very reasonable price. Lets see, I have owned it two days and put over a thousand miles on it, wonder how long the next thousand will take.
