Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Chugiak, Alaska

Chugiak, AK Car Consumer Discussions

Re: . [steve_]

by xwesx on Tue Sep 29 16:21:36 PDT 2009

I am not quite following this.... is the car in the middle passing the one on the right or vice versa? And, more importantly, who initiated the pass? I will often pull to the shoulder to allow faster moving traffic to pass me (regardless of whether there is traffic in the opposing lane) if I am driving something that is going well below the speed limit, such as when I brought the '76 Ford up from Chugiak with my '69 Chevy. But, I initiate and allow the other vehicle to pass. The person in the middle is not the one "forcing" the driver on the right to hit the shoulder!

Re: . [Mr_Shiftright]

by xwesx on Fri Dec 01 11:20:14 PST 2006

Good find fintail, one of the best deals yet you've posted! Much agreed. When I saw it I thought, "Wow, that might actually be something worth buying at the asking price!" Good to know it can still happen.... You know sometimes a man has to take a deep breath, unscrew the license plates, chisel off the VIN, call the city refuse department, and walk away. This reminded me of my holiday weekend trip down to my grandparents' house in Chugiak. I was supposed to help my grandfather diagnose and fix a bad oil leak on his '76 Ranger, but it was miserably cold (-15F is quite cold for that area, this time of year) and he had the carbeurator off so I could not start it to observe the leak. There is so much oil grime on it that it is otherwise impossible to tell just by casual observation. My first suspect (and still prime) is a valve cover gasket, which would be an easy one to replace. Anyway, getting back on track, I spent a few minutes looking the truck over in more detail since I had never inspected it real close and I am to "inherit" it this coming spring. I was disappointed to find that the cab of the truck has much more rust than I had previously supposed. It is not a lost cause, necessarily, but the rust points are tough, complicated spots to repair (most notably the lower front corners of both door jambs literally rotted through). When I get ahold of this thing, I am really going to need to scour it carefully to determine if it is worth putting any money into it (like the flat bed, licensing for highway use, etc) At least the mechanicals are in fairly good shape on it - I will probably need to rework the brakes, but the engine (390), tranny (auto), transfer case, and plow hydraulics are all in good working order.

Give me some feedback on '69 C20

by xwesx on Wed Nov 02 11:15:54 PST 2005

Okay, I know this post will generate more talk about the Galaxie 500 in the backgrounds than the C20, but I'd like some feedback on this old gal as I am going to restore it once the house is finished. My plans do not include a sale at any point, but as there are so many enthusiasts/experts here, it is always good to know how deep I am likely to get before the end! Out of laziness, I'll post links to a few photos of the truck first: C20 with original 11' cab-over camper front/side view Passenger side view, doing some work Doing some REAL work! Original 307 2bbl, 4-speed, step-side long bed. This truck is a C20 custom camper conversion, originally built in Canada plant and shipped directly to Beryl motors in Pennsylvania where an 11' Banner cabover camper was built for it and mounted prior to the owners taking the keys. They drove it around the lower 48 before taking it back to Chugiak, AK. They put about 27K on it that first summer, then used it two years later for one trip to Homer, then two years later for another trip to Homer. After that, the owner parked it in his yard and left it. In 1997, I purchased it from his wife after he'd passed away. I had to cut down a small forest (literally!) to get it out, but it cleaned up nicely and is nearly 100% original as it stands - including the hubcaps and rims! The mileage when I purchased it was 29,029. Current mileage is 69,684 and it runs/performs exceptionally well. My plan for "restoration" includes only repairing the few minor dents, cleaning up any surface and eating rust spots, repaint to original color (canary yellow, as seen!), replace the wood in the bed, and pulling the engine to replace the gaskets, seals, etc., to bring back up to par. Oh, and replacing the steering wheel with a replica due to shrinkage cracks. Since the day I purchased it (including the purchase), I probably have about $2K invested in it. My guess is maybe putting another $5K into it for the project, and no, I am not valuing my labor. What are your thoughts? Would you hold it or fold it?

Re: A head shaker [pf_flyer]

by xwesx on Wed Jul 13 16:14:47 PDT 2005

I do not see that very often - at least not from vehicles that do not need to swing wide to make the turn..... but you have reminded me of something that I DO see all the time (and I am sure most others do as well). Two-lane roads, with narrow or no shoulders. Regardless of speed limit, one driver slows to turn left, and everyone else just files around this vehicle (sometimes all the way in the ditch) without so much as even slowing down. I find this to be incredibly dangerous and presumptuous, but I see it so frequently that it seems to be more the norm than the exception. During my trip to Anchorage over July 4 holiday, I was driving on the Old Glenn Highway between Chugiak and Eagle River.... This is basically a dilapidated remnant of a road, mostly used for local traffic to access housing and a few businesses left scattered along the road. Main traffic use was diverted to a 4 lane median-divided "interstate" equivalent built 20-30 years ago. This thing is pitted, cracked, heaved, has no shoulders, and is windy as can be with very short sight distances. The SL is 45 on it and it is frequented by child pedestrian/bicycle traffic - especially near Chugiak (~ 8 miles between Chugiak and Eagle River). .....going about 40 or so through the last mile of roadway approaching and passing through Chugiak. Shortly before I turned (left) off this road, a big 4-door, 1-ton pickup hauls up on my rear and camps about 4 feet off it. In the rear view, I could not see the bumper or the top of the grille - I got a real appreciation of the artistic beauty of the Ford logo... have you stared at a Ford logo lately? ;) Apparently, I was in this driver's way because he'd recently purchased this strip of road - nobody bothered to send me the memo. As I turn on my left signal and slow to turn, this fella whips to my right and passes me at an all-out run about 3 inches off my mirror and kicking up rocks from the ditch. I'm glad he did, though, because that 3 seconds he saved really made a difference. There is no way that he could have seen my signal with how close he was driving, so I am curious whether he would have passed even if I did NOT make the turn.

no title

by xwesx on Tue Nov 23 13:47:52 PST 2004

Cummins is definitely the best engine. It's really too bad they are imprisoned within Dodges. What was the Powerstroke in the '97 F350s? 7.3L? Those, despite the excessive noise, are darn good workhorses. I help my grandfather move his 32' cabincruiser once or twice a year and he hauls it on a quad-axle gooseneck with his F350 auto crew. This truck pulls that boat (all 8? tons) at 65-70 mph all the way from Chugiak to Seward. I guess we'll see about the long-term reliability of the engine, but we do not have to worry about the rest of the truck.