So after paying the bill and leaving them scratching their heads, I set off down the highway in my newly purchased old truck. I had driven it prior to buying, and noticed a slight pull to the left when braking.. As my trip progressed however, I noticed that the pull was more radical than previously noted.. During emergency braking situations, the driver front wheel would lock up completely. This would result in a radical lane shift. This was not helped by the manual steering/brake combo with full inch of slop in the steering wheel. As i ventured further down the road, I began to question my own decision to drive this death trap.. But I was committed at that point, so I mastered the art of anticipating and correcting for the Kamikaze dive.
I made it to Forrest City to find that my cousin was out of town. I couldn't get to his house anyway due to ice on the roads... Apparently Arkansas had a fairly significant ice storm the night before i drove out. The National Guard had been activated for emergency relief in Western Arkansas where my cousin was stuck.. I found this out when I finally got ahold of him. He told me I should probably wait a week or so before coming out.. Thanks, but too late.
Faced with my options I decided I might as well make a run for the border. By this time I had figured out the brake situation and was doing ok. I threw on a carhartt overall set, another jacket and headed East bound and down. By this time my father had given up all hope for rational decisions and was along for the ride.. Behind me in a car with heat.
After the sun went down I realized there were some nice sized cracks in the corners of the windshield weatherstripping that allowed fresh air into the cab! The hits just keep on coming.. I've survived a lot of things in my life, from college to combat. Now I'm starting to think I'm going to die in East Arkansas in a ditch because I either ran off the road or froze to death inside this green coffin. Either I'm crazy, stupid, or a mixture of both, but my determination would not let me quit willingly.
Finally we make West Memphis, AR and pass back through Memphis with no issues.. Sidebar--I deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in 2005 for a year. The insurgents shot mortars at us daily. I lived in Memphis for two years as a kid.. I would rather live in Ramadi.--
After leaving Memphis things were going well.. We'd been driving down the interstate at 60-65 mph with no issues. I was having a blast. I really wanted a three speed column shift, manual steering/brake setup. Power brakes take the feel out of the pedal, which I believe takes a lot away from the driver in connectability with the vehicle. Some manufacturers do a good job at balancing the boost assist, but overall I hate a spongy brake pedal and power steering box.
So things are great... Until my engine seized just outside Jackson, TN. It started with a miss which rapidly progressed to a wild bucking and billowing smoke. According to the spectators behind me, the smoke exiting from beneath my new old truck was manipulated by the spinning drive shaft and resembled the WW2 footage of fighter planes spiralling to the ground as they were shot down. Needless to say, my trip was halted... 40 miles from home. A tow truck pulled me off the interstated before the highway patrol could have a field day with me. I returned the next day to the tow-in lot to collect my ride. My father has vowed to NEVER go with me to purchase a vehicle again...
Hitching a ride the last few miles home..
Garage at home
