Tag Archives: George Tergin

And then there were two

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Gonzo Mechanic George Tergin went with me to “take a look” at the old truck I’ve been trying not to buy. It’s a 1977 Ford F150. Straight six engine. Manual 4-speed in the floor. Beat to shit, but in a good way. The current owner got it from a guy in Colorado who was, I think, the original owner. It looks…lived in…but that’s a topic for another post. Mechanic George saw nothing that alarmed him and gave me the green light. We tried to dicker a little but I had my checkbook in my hand, so…

Now I have two trucks. The pickup is called Minty Fresh (by the guy who sold it to me) because… it looks like mouth wash? Once it’s got plates and all that it will live in a storage unit from which Barb and I will retrieve it it for hauling, yard and garden work, or — god forbid — when the Land Rover is in the shop.

Don’t know what the original owner did with the truck but the bed is beat to shit (“distressed”). Driving this truck will up my Testosterone Index by five or ten points. Watch this space for updates.

Four-Wheel Drive: ENGAGED!

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Shortly after getting the Land Rover in late August I discovered I was unable to engage four-wheel drive. There’s a plunger-like doodad (with a bright yellow knob on it) you push down to switch from two-wheel to four-wheel drive. Mine just never worked and I had visions of owning the only Land Rover in America without 4WD (sob!).

My friend (and wizard mechanic) George Tergin investigated and determined some of the linkage in the transfer case (look it up) was worn so we ordered replacement parts. Since some of them had to come from the UK, it took a while but today he fixed the problem. After which we took the truck for a drive on the Tergin Motor Sports Off-Road Test Track (a field behind his shop)

Turns out it was a combination of worn parts, wrong parts and improperly installed parts. And he let me look over his shoulder (and occasionally assist) for three hours, patiently explaining what he was doing and why.

We’ll eventually get a big snow in mid-Missouri and I’m ready now.

1954 GM Motor Coach

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What’s better than being an interesting person? Knowing interesting people. Like my friend George who is all tingly about finding and buying this 1954 GM Motor Coach. He plans to restore it and — if I understand correctly — live in it. I don’t know the full history of the bus but I think the interior had a factory conversion but is no long in good shape. Looks like a big project but George wouldn’t want it any other way. The bus had been sitting (Sedalia, MO?) for a long time but George managed to get it running and drove it back to Jefferson City. To be continued.

Fluids

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From the day I started thinking about an old Land Rover, people have been advising (warning?) me about fluids. “You gotta watch your fluids” and “These things leak like crazy so keep an eye on your fluids.”

In the 50+ years I’ve been driving I’ve the water level in a radiator; pulled the dip stick a few times; and unscrewed those little caps on top of the battery. But checking fluids has been something I left to the dealer’s service department. For the Land Rover there is no dealer within a hundred miles. So I’ve committed to check fluids weekly.

Oil: check; coolant: check; clutch fluid: check; wiper fluid: check; brake fluid: a little low. So Mr. Wolf, Charlie, and George Tergin gave me a little lesson in brake fluid. (It eats paint) All are on the weekly-check list but I’ll probably the brake fluid a little more often until we know what it’s low. The tire pressure was a bit low as well. Okay for off-roading but I’m mostly on paved or gravel roads so I used my little portable air compressor gizmo to take them up to 38 psi.