Went to the one automotive junkyard on the island today. Wanted to see if I could get the dome-light socket for my truck. I have one, but there’s a modification I want to do and I need a second one to do it. Given how common my truck is and how many parts went into various models, it was likely I was going to find at least one.
The 2nd truck I poked my nose into was the winner. I got the light socket and then I started noticing other bits-&-bobs I wanted. The latch-mechanism to the glove box because the door on mine closes but doesn’t latch. And then it was the glove box light that my basic-model truck didn’t come with — and in truth the glove box is so shallow, like a lot of people, it really doesn’t need one. And then I saw that there was a support bracket for the stereo, which whoever monkeyed with my truck before apparently saw as unnecessary and removed it — gone — bye bye! I also saw this under-hood light thing and some Sony dash speakers, but I need to conserve money right now and not nickle-and-dime myself on splurges.
So I got all these bits and bobs and their accompanying screws and my few tools and headed for the door — to find out that they were closing. I asked what I owed them and planned to pay quickly, but they said (essentially) ‘For that, don’t bother — come back when you need a real thing.’ COOL — THANKS!
Got in my truck, put my parts down, got my keys in the ignition, and then went to put my (prescription) sunglasses on ….. no sunglasses. Not on the collar of my shirt, not on the seat, the dashboard — NO WHERE. OOPS — I set them down in the cab of the truck I pulled the parts from! I hopped out of my truck to see that the last employee was leaving — the front desk lady who was covered in the requite junkyard-front-desk-lady-tattoos. I quickly explained the situation, she even more quickly handed me the key to get back in the yard. I ran in hoping that I was not wrong and actually HAD left my (prescription) sunglasses in the cab of the junked truck and didn’t just make a jerk of myself (because I had already been having one of those forgetful days).
SUCCESS! Run back out, lock the gate, hand the keys back, hop in my truck, sunglasses on like Detectives Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice, and Away I GO!
IT WAS A GOOD DAY AT THE JUNKYARD!!!
… now I just wonder if I should have grabbed those speakers and that engine light thing?
And if you ask why I put that in here, it’s to boost the visability of my sites on the web. But seriously, if you don’t know about my book — now you do!
Once I got this truck and started going over it, I found the wet and stinky floor and the rust. I got the flooring to be not wet and the cab of the truck to be not stinky — then I started working over the floor. I exposed all the rust and even found a few pin-holes in the process. A car-guy friend patched the holes and told me what to do to kill the rust, how to paint and further seal the cab floor. This would have been nice to work over during a summer but things haven’t worked out that way. Why summer? I could work outside, it’s warm and dry, and venting fumes isn’t a problem. Right now I’m figuring out if I can work over the floor in the off season. There are some tricks to it though…..