In praise of truck simplicity

My truck has side mirrors mounted on the front of the wings and one got bumped or vibrated loose so got the cute little set of wrenches my buddies gave me as a “truck warming” present. I repositioned the mirror and tightened the top nut (while holding the other nut on the underside of the wing).

While doing this I was struck by the zen-like simplicity of this simple task. My MINI (which is in a better place now) had the standard electric gizmo that lets you adjust left and right mirrors from the comfort of the drivers seat. Pretty handy. But what, I wondered, would it cost to fix/replace that gizmo if it ever broke?

My truck has become the focal point for my efforts to simplify my life. As of tomorrow I will have had the truck one month. I still find myself looking for excuses to drive it (“Hey, Hattie! Want to ride down to the mailbox?”)

Leaky cap fixed

One of the first things I noticed when I started checking fluid levels in The Truck was small amounts of brake fluid around the cap and on top of the reservoir. Mechanic George tried several things and we wound up ordering a new cap. Turns out the problem was the rim surface under the cap/seal (red line).

George files and sanded that rim smooth which allowed the cap to screw in tighter for a better seal. No leaks so far.

Jeep and Land Rover

After listening to me talk about the mythical Land Rover for 15 months, some of boys at the coffee shop were wondering if it was real so I’ve been eager to get a parking spot out front.

That sweet Jeep belongs to one of the regulars. Did the restoration himself. Not a military model as it turns out. A civilian CJ (1947) that was made for the Corps of Engineers.

Old Pickup Trucks

The MINI is gone and I’m fully committed to making The Truck my daily driver. But the day will come when the Land Rover is out of commission for a few days (longer?) and Barb has made it clear I won’t be borrowing her Lexus. So I’ve been thinking about a back up ride. Something that will get me to the coffee shop and the catfish place and back. The more beat up looking the better. Would love to find something like one of these (with the exception of the last truck).

Turns out these are difficult to find because everyone wants one. And if you do find one, it ain’t cheap.

Fire Extinguishers

In 50+ years of driving I’ve never kept a fire extinguisher in my vehicle. Passed a few cars that had been on fire but never needed one. In my limited experience, views on fire extinguishers for vehicles fall into two camps. The “Why Bother” guys argue that you don’t know if the thing works without trying it and even if it does it won’t be strong enough to put out a ‘real fire.’ The “Why Not” camp (me) use the NRA logic of “Better to have a fire extinguisher and not need it…”

I purchased one for my truck because I’d hate to be standing there watching my truck burn up with my pecker (Pecker is a cheap brand of Chinese extinguisher) in my hand when I might have saved it.

I went for the H3R Performance HG100C HalGuard Chrome Clean Agent Fire Extinguisher. This little rascal (1.4 pounds) fits nicely in the small cab of the truck.

Bye bye, MINI


It was a nice fall day (October 7) in 2011. I was in St. Louis for some reason with a little time to kill so I stopped in at the MINI Cooper dealership. Just window shopping. I was handed off to a “Motoring Advisor” (see below) and the next thing I knew I was writing a check for a new car.

 

I sold the MINI today to my friend George. It was a good car and fun to drive. But anything more than an oil change meant a trip to the nearest dealer…in St. Louis. And I don’t think I ever got away spending less than a thousand bucks. But the big reason is there simply isn’t room in my life for two vehicles so it was time to say goodbye to the MINI.