{"id":155,"date":"2014-12-20T12:14:16","date_gmt":"2014-12-20T18:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stevebriscoe.wordpress.com\/?p=155"},"modified":"2026-10-31T22:11:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:11:34","slug":"the-object-of-my-dejection-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justal.net\/loqui\/the-object-of-my-dejection-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Object of my Dejection Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you read “The Object of My Dejection<\/em>” posted a few days ago you discovered it was a two part narrative. I have been told that, as a way to bring readers back, to leave the audience hanging. Not sure who said it and not sure if it works.\u00a0\u00a0 Regardless, here is part 2.<\/p>\n

I purchased my \u201946 Dodge from my cousin this past summer and transported it to my house. My brother helped me with the move and I will mention here he put himself out while doing it because he was pressed for time; so was I for that matter. In effect we moved the truck from one garage to another. I do not regret making the purchase nor will I regret any amount of money or time expended on the project. However, the fact is I have little to no room in my garage to do this project any justice.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4281\"<\/a>
I have about 18 inches of available space on either side while in the garage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To do this right requires the body to be removed from the frame; essentially stripping this truck down to the bones and then some. Several scenarios went through my mind in an attempt to plan this out using a methodical approach.<\/p>\n

I am mechanically inclined to a point. I am not, however, so mechanically inclined to do this right but I could not let the opportunity pass to rekindle the life of this precious truck. So, after a couple of months of thinking I came up with what I thought to be the perfect plan. So long as the truck stays in the family and is rebuilt to showroom condition I will have met my goal. So I decided to give the truck to my younger brother as I knew he would give the project the attention it deserved; plus he had the room and the tools to make it happen. Along with this I would be willing to expend most of the funds needed throughout the project.<\/p>\n

\"Within<\/a>
Within a few days of purchase Tim was tearing into his Dodge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I decided I would call him the next day and work a plan to get the truck to his place in Virginia. Alas, within an hour of making this decision I got a text message from him stating he had just purchased a \u201946 (or maybe it was a \u201947) Dodge truck as a project. I was floored. Had I made the decision the instant the thought came to mind all would have been well; but I waiting too long. Story of my life.<\/p>\n

I still do not regret buying this truck and I still plan to bring it back to life. But I am saddened by the fact that it will set for an unknown amount of time before I do anything with it. I will never sell this truck. One way or another, this truck will always be in this family in honor of my Grandfather who, by his actions, taught me much.<\/p>\n

At present I have no plans set in stone to start this project. I refuse to start until I am assured I can complete it. My initial goal is to get the truck running. I do not see that as a major accomplishment because the engine was re-built about a year or so before it went into storage at my cousin\u2019s house. It will require a bit I\u2019m sure, but do not, at present, see a need to tear the engine apart. The problem is the wiring and the body.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4282\"<\/a>
The engine was rebuilt a couple years before going into storage in my cousin’s garage; about 20 years ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The body is in very excellent shape considering the life it led. Back in the day all county roads were tarred and rocked each year so every car that drive those roads had a thick undercoating of tar which kept corrosion to a minimum.\u00a0\u00a0 My first step, which I hope to accomplish this winter, is to replace tires, brakes, wheel and master cylinders, brake lines and brake linings; might also replace the drums if needed. As mentioned the body is solid but the rust around the windshield is extensive and will need some serious attention to reinstate some functionality\u2014a body man I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n

The wring is the real problem. By that I mean I am not an electrical guy. The electrical components on a \u201946 Dodge are not particularly complicated but all will certainly need to be replaced. Have yet to decide if I will convert to a 12 volt system or maintain the 6 volt configuration. I\u2019m not wise enough to outline the pros and cons of 12 volt verses 6 volt.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4284\"<\/a>
Virtually every part is present, but not all work. All gauges need replaced and the floorboard will need replaced.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, back to my original premise of, \u201cThe Object of My Dejection.\u201d I have a classic truck to rebuild; plus #1. I have my grandfather\u2019s truck; plus (major plus) #2. I have a place to store the truck without too much inconvenience; plus #3. I do not have sufficient space to work on the truck; minus #1. Most tools needed to accomplish my tasks are on hand; plus #4. I really do not have the time to give this project the dedicated time it deserves; minus #2. The original parts for this truck may be hard to find and very expensive; minus #3.<\/p>\n

Of all of these plus and minus comments we can actually remove a couple from the list. For example I can remove the expense comment because I have always known a project like this would be expensive. \u00a0I have also always known this would be a time consuming project so that one can go away as well.\u00a0\u00a0 This leaves me with 4 pluses and 1 minus; so where is the dejection?<\/p>\n

Maybe there\u2019s not one. By definition \u201cdejection\u201d means sadness, and lack of hope due to great disappointment. If we use that as a foundation then I am good to go because I am not sad, nor do I lack hope. I am disappointed that I missed an opportunity to pass this truck to someone who would give it the attention needed, but in the grand scheme of things there are more significant acts from my past that are truly disappointing.<\/p>\n

I think I will re -title this from \u201cThe Object of My Dejection\u201d to \u201cThe Object of My Optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4288\"<\/a>
Considering the life of the truck it is in very good shape. We can only guess as to why one turn signal is higher than the other.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m also thinking this is part 2 of a very long series on my blog. I\u2019ll need to give the series a new title. I like \u201cThe Object of My Optimism\u201d but I don\u2019t ring. I\u2019ll need to work on that. Any suggestions for a title that is befitting the refurbishment of my Grandfather\u2019s \u201946 Dodge would be most appreciated.What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you read “The Object of My Dejection” posted a few days ago you discovered it was a two part narrative. I have been told that, as a way to bring readers back, to leave the audience hanging. Not sure who said it and not sure if it works.\u00a0\u00a0 Regardless, here is part 2. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[17,25,30,33],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-46-dodge","tag-46-dodge","tag-classic-car","tag-dejection","tag-family"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t