First modification to The Truck

A few of my pals chipped in to buy me a Junior Mechanic Tool Set which I used to make my first modification to The Truck. The tiny tub has a couple of seats in the unlikely event you find someone willing to ride back there. I removed one and the bench is the perfect size for t little tool box where I keep the tools, jack, jump-starter kit, etc.

The Truck: Day One

Friends have been asking, “So, how do you like the truck?” All I can provide at this point are first impressions. A Series model Land Rover would not be everybody’s cup of tea. It is just so different from modern vehicles. And, unlike all of the SUV’s on the highways, this is a truck. More farm implement than car.

I’ve got the GoPro camera set up now and will share video in coming days. And it will be more video than audio because it is loud inside the truck.You’ll hear me if I shout but I won’t be making any phone calls while driving (more on that in the next post). Which is a good thing.

Land Rover Zen: Keys

To start my Land Rover you use a key. Not a fob. Not an electronic gadget that looks like a Star Trek Tricorder. A key. It doesn’t have a batter so it will never stop working. And I can take it to a locksmith and have a duplicate made. (Yes, a villain can do the same)

But the best part is there is a different key for locking/unlocking the doors on the Land Rover. And once the door is locked, you need the key to unlock it. You can’t reach through the open window and open the door with the inside handle. Nice. I can leave the windows open when it’s hot.

The truck arrives (8.25.18)

A few friends joined my in the parking lot of the local mall to welcome the arrival of my new/old Land Rover. It arrived in perfect condition and started right up.

It was no exaggeration to say I’d have to learn how to drive all over again. No power steering; no power brakes; I’m in 4th gear by the time I’m doing 25mph. No more zippy corners like in the MINI. I’ll have to work at it to make this my daily driver but that’s the goal.

The truck does fit in the garage with maybe a couple of inches of vertical clearance. The adventure begins.

Mr. Wolf’s Bon Voyage Video

The first 7 minutes of this almost 11 minute video is a tour of the instrument panel and the engine but if you stick around for the final four minutes you see the truck on the road and pulling a hill not unlike the one leading to our house. If you’ve come this far you’ll want to watch this video.

Tracking the truck


3:00 p.m. Friday, August 24 – Land Rover just left Tulsa. ETA between ten and noon tomorrow (Saturday). Transport truck will arrive at the Capital Mall parking lot in front of Dillard’s. At least that is the plan.
6:40 a.m. Friday, August 24 – Texas! Put the beer on ice!
9:20 p.m. Thursday, August 23 – Past Albuquerque. Less than 1,000 miles to go. Maybe this weekend?
7:15 p.m. Wednesday, August 22 – Just north of Phoenix. Headed this way.
7:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 22 – Crossed the border into Arizona
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 21 – Barstow, CA
3:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 21 – Truck on the move.
6:00 p.m. Monday, August 20 – The truck hasn’t gotten far since leaving SF Saturday.  Somewhere near Salinas. He still has to go to SoCal & AZ for his last two pickups & then everything on the truck goes to MO.

Land Rover on the way


At long last the truck is on the way. No delivery date yet but it should take less than a week to make it to Jefferson City, MO., depending on the number of stops en route.

Don’t know if I’ll get any lead time or simply get a call from the driver saying “come get your truck.” I have a few loyal supporters who have been with me on this journey and say they want to be on hand for the un-trucking.

I’m sure Mr. Wolf was happy to get the truck out of his shop. Space at a premium.