This is Paul. Paul just bought the Safari. Paul handed me $3,000 in cash and never even started the car. He'd been ripped off twice in a row, the second time, by a guy who sold him a van without "Cadillac converters." So it wouldn't, couldn't possibly, pass smog. Paul's served hard time twice and now spends all of his time and effort in service of God, in service of others.

I'd listed the car for $4,800 initially, and I'd lowered it to $4,200. When he called -- and there's another story -- I asked him what his budget was and he said $3,800 and, having heard the first tidbits of his story, I told him he could have it for $3,000. But now he's paying me a substantial chunk of the $800 he saved to me, to install an inverter and a simple sleeping deck, procuring a charger and an inverter, blacking out the side windows -- he'll be sleeping in the van -- and other things.

Paul was the only person who called about the Safari. The. Only. Person. And when he first texted me, frankly, I thought he was another scammer, and I asked folks here what you thought. @WilliamsSW , @AestheticsInMotion , @Shop-Teacher all said the guy was likely legit and I should ping him back. I gotta thank you guys.

Paul left me with his $3,500 in cash, never having even started the car, and he's off to DMV to register it. I avoid discussing it here, but I will say that I subscribe, all-in, to a worldwide organized Christian faith, and this was definitely something that, as Paul put it, "had God in the midst," and that we had "found favor." Simply an amazing experience.

@BicycleBuck @HammerheadFistpunch

I posted about this earlier. Wound up giving $7,200 for it. The very first thing we did with it was drive to the airport (SFO) to pick up my mother. The previous owner is going to receive a bill for my $6 toll... Mom said, "This thing is a tank! I'm going to call it Sherman!" Works for me.

Truth is, I've always liked big cars. My grandfather -- our Pappy -- always drove Chrysler New Yorkers and Newports, and his other car was always a big GM pickup. So there's a nostalgia element for me driving this big Chrysler. It's a Grampa SUV and I love that. I love that.

Sherman gets the same gas mileage that the Safari got. Remarkably similar, though I'm sure it could get way less. And the Safari won't drift.

Power delivery is very smooth, and the ride is quiet. The sound system is Alpine-badged, though I'd rate it above typical over all, and not astounding. But definitely adequate. The steering is light and kind of touchy; this was a criticism in the reviews of the Aspen when it was new.

DMV was a breeze today. Hayward, California, DMV is like the worst DMV office in the state, but it was desolate today and my transactions went smoothly: transferring the MEEPZOR plates to Sherman, registering Sherman, and getting new tags for the Safari. Piece of cake.

So Rusty is very happy with Sherman, the new Family Truckster. Let's hope Sherman winds up being a dependable conveyance.

Particular thanks to @Long_Voyager94 for his input. He's my go-to MOPAR guy on this board.

@ttyymmnn
@Shop-Teacher
@sony1492
@Just-Jeepin
@Snuze
@drVanTraveler

I don't have a speedometer yet, so I motor doped using my Wahoo app and made a 16-mile round trip. First time I've had it on the freeway, since the fuel system, up until now, has amounted to a fuel can strapped to the floor in place of the passenger seat. Mrs. Vandura forbade me from driving on the freeway in that configuration. The original fuel tank has been dipped and coated inside and out and has a new sender and new soft lines, as well as a new fuel pump and fuel gauge.

The cooling system is revamped with a renovated original (factory ordered oversized) radiator, water pump, thermostat and hoses. The original externally regulated charging system is upgraded with an internally regulated alternator and the crusty old points-based ignition system is upgraded to HEI.

And instruments, as seen in the YouTube video. This is a preliminary, prototype setup to get me going. There's a GPS speedo, a tach, an oil pressure light, turn signal indicators... Oh, yes: currently, all I have is brake lights.

I think it still needs a degree or two of timing adjustment, but the front pulley has apparently slipped and the original mark does not line up properly with the quadrant, so I have to use a digital timing light that I can adjust to bring the mark to a useful place for reference.

The front suspension, whilst thoroughly greased, still feels like it wants to fall out, and the exhaust, which was a poorly executed Midas sort of affair, is about to rust through, and I am looking forward to having that replaced.

This is my report! Five and a half years since I bought it.

That slide is circa 1974. Our parents divorced and we spent Christmases with Mom each year in the Chicago suburbs. One winter there was a great snowing and our flight home was canceled and Mom just took us back to her home on Castle Street in Sandwich, Illinois, where @Ttyymmnn and I hung out for three days while Mom went back to work. We led the unexamined life and emptied the cupboards and refrigerator. The horn Ttyymmnn's playing in this photo, I believe, belonged to Mom's husband.

Passenger seat: installed, with lap belt. First destination: Walmart. Big day for Rusty and me!

You know, I always expected Rusty to be fun. But it's much more than that. Working on Rusty, thinking about working on Rusty, making plans to work on Rusty, it's my Happy Place. Rusty is an expression.

My church congregation adopted several local families for Christmas and put out a list where we can volunteer to provide specific things for the families. One of these was a request for LEGO for a girl. So I ordered this:

This is Rusty, the '71 GMC Vandura. 250 straigh-six, three-on-the-tree, purchased from the original owner at 80k-ish miles. Special ordered it, they did, with windows and a second-row seat, which is long gone. They towed a camping trailer with it, the old guy said.

Rusty has a column-shifted, three-speed manual transmission, a three-on-the-tree. The black pin shown holds the shift lever in place and won't stay put; when driving and shifting, the pin wants to back out. I wanted a permanent solution.

I bought this flange bolt and accompanying nut. For $3.00! The closest shaft size to the existing pin is this 6mm bolt in Gr 8.8. But it was a wee bit too thick, like 5.8mm and needed to be 5.4mm. Also, if you look closely, you can see that I changed the profile of the flange.

Once turned, there wasn't enough thread left for the nut to purchase, so I put the nut in the giant machinist's vice -- $40 at a yard sale 30 years ago -- and squashed it a little bit. I had to file down the nut a little bit also...

BUT I HAVE NO LATHE! So I used the drill press and a couple of flat files. I was surprised at how well the chuck held the bolt.

@ttyymmnn @CobraJoe @Shop-Teacher @pyroholtz

Banana spice cake, vanilla custard, cream cheese icing and candied pecans.

When I bought Sherman, the '08 Chrysler Aspen there were no steps nor boards. Ingress is not easy with all the ground clearance. I shopped and chose this iBoard kit from Auto Anything dot Com. Free shipping.

Packaging was very proper.

Parts quality struck me has excellent. The boards are aluminum and lightweight. The brackets are stout and nicely powercoated.

Istallation was pretty breezy, but the plastic expansion clips on the trim strip almost all broke, inspite of my care.

The top bolt is received by an iBoard-provided rivnut and iBoard provides a torque specification: "Tighten until additional resistance is felt." (Rusty's translation: use the 3/8ths-drive ratchet.)

Every automobile hobbyist -- and professional -- mechanic's toolbox has a claw hammer, right? @AMGtech @Shop-Teacher

The excessive generous ground clearance -- Sherman is 2WD, but it's exactly the same truck otherwise -- made installation downright fun. And I think they look great. Anything factory-installed I've seen is ugly as sin.

FOR THE WIN

It's time to move on. I've made my goodbyes and I am moving on to other pursuits. Maybe read the Economist more.

@curators, will whoever has the necessary juice please place my account in the Sven bin?

I am at rustyvandura@gmail.com if anybody asks.

Peace out.

Rusty

@Urambo-Tauro said in It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day:

Post your favorite Rs

Short conversations, pirates must've had.

Ask @ttyymmnn about Burno.

@Ad-absurdum-per-aspera said in The Birb:

@Rusty-Vandura -- I'd have just let him have his moment of being a rootin' tootin' chicken hawk. The challenge having been met, though, I think you handled it well.

I wonder what he thought he was going to achieve anyway. Nothing against the Soul, a competent enough little car in a useful shape that always makes me contented enough for the price when I draw it at a rental lot, but that commercial with the hamsters was pretty accurate regarding its performance.

Thank you. And as I mentioned in my post, it was the rousing sound of the Soul's engine that spurred me to put my foot into the throttle position sensor on Sherman. For a 5,000-pounder, that Aspen will move. I love driving that car the most of anything I've ever owned. I channel my grandfather and his 440-powered Chryslers from 50 years ago.

@kiltedpadre #halfadogwide

@Chariotoflove said in When you think YOU had a bad day at work......:

@Rusty-Vandura said in When you think YOU had a bad day at work......:

@Chariotoflove said in When you think YOU had a bad day at work......:

@Rusty-Vandura
Sorry you don’t like my humor.

It's not humor. It's ugliness and decidedly, it's not excellent.

I honestly don’t know what you’re on about, but it’s entirely your choice to be offended.

Weak sauce, Yo.

I am not offended. But your initial reply was an affront and was a good example of the ugliness that has begun to seep into this place. Curators who high-and-mightily proclaim themselves to be the guardians of probity, then write gross things later. I am not offended. I am disappointed, and you seem to me to have become, or were all along, jaded.

@Chariotoflove said in When you think YOU had a bad day at work......:

@Rusty-Vandura
Sorry you don’t like my humor.

It's not humor. It's ugliness and decidedly, it's not excellent.

@BJ said in The Birb:

@Rusty-Vandura my go-to is the thumbs up. It's genuine or sarcastic, depending on how it's received. I too have given up on giving people the finger (unless they ask, hey-o!).

One exception. If I'm crossing the street at a stop sign with my kids in my own residential neighbourhood, and you "rush" us by taking off from the line while we're still in front? You'll get it from both barrels, and I'll stop in the street to ensure the kids make it across before you can continue. That shit doesn't fly with me. (Also, people don't have guns here.)

You're not supposed to drive through a crosswalk if anybody's anywhere in said crosswalk. People don't realize that or don't care, too often.

@jminer said in May Have Made a Huge Mistake:

@ranwhenparked this thing looks awesome! Almost as easy as not towing anything and easy setup.

I've been dreaming of a teardrop lately but this is cool.

We look at teardrops often on the road, but we've dismissed the idea because they look like we'd feel claustrophobic inside one.