Posted by Matt B on Monday, December 10, 2001 at 9:32AM :
In Reply to: 51 Dodge Power Wagon in the Crick...Pictures! posted by danbob on Sunday, December 09, 2001 at 9:39PM :
Thanks so much danbob for showing such lovely pictures to all!
I had intended to soon make a post about simply getting the truck successfully up to the cabin (about 30 miles)...then I do this a week later.
All honesty, I'm not too unhappy...except for the "large wad of cash". I expect if I were to pull a similar manouver 10 times, I would have the truck on its roof about 7 of those, and that really would have sucked!
In this case, the truck appears to be absolutely undamaged...except that I may have wasted the starter jumping it with 12 volts, but that had nothing to do with the incindent except that I had left the ignition on overnight killing the battery. The truck looks as good as ever. Came smack down on rocks, trees, and dirt on the front bumper, and I think if I clean the dirt off, there won't be so much as a scratch in the rust! The truck drove fine the rest of the way to the cabin after being extracted.
Hats off to the fellas that yanked it out! They did a fantastic job, and I think the $270 they charged me was more than fair considering their hour and a half drive each way, their good judgement in getting the truck clear of the culvert it was hanging over, and just the use of such a nice outfit they brought up. Two guys, the truck, and 3 1/2 hours (including their drive time) for that kind of money is money well spent in my book!
Safety things to fix (in order of priority) asap in hopes to avoid a similar situation:
1) Install a damn light under the dash so I can see all the levers immediately. I would probably have been fine if I could have found the brake and/or the transfer case.
2) Put a rubber pad on the clutch pedal. The problem was that it was in 4WD, and although the rear tires lost traction, the fronts just kept grinding their way forward after my foot fell off the clutch....which after doing a quick 180, ended up grinding me right into the drink.
3) Fix the damn door so it doesn't fly open. 'nuff said there.
4) Fix the brakes. I had them working when I drove it up to my cabin, but hadn't rebuilt the master cylinder yet. About 5 miles from the end of that drive, I stepped on the brakes and they went "sqluessshhhh" and all the fluid fell out of the master cyl. Now I know what CW McCall was talking about when he said "sorta like stepping on a plum" in his Wolf Creek Pass song.
Anyhow, all's well that ends well. No harm to me, my dog, or the truck. Just a little pride lost and the pocket book is just a little thinner. But its over now, and we can all look back and laugh.
-Matt B
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