Almost Ready To Leave

Well it seems I just can't catch a break with this trip. After crushing the oil pan on Christine, I resigned myself to the fact that trusk just was bound and determined not to go to Colorado, and that I was forced to take the Ram. I worked 12+ hour shifts all week and had not done any packing or prepping. I needed to change the oil on the Ram and I decided I would swap in a new steering damper to see if that would help on the highway. What started out looking like a fast job turned into a several hour long nightmare. I got the oil drained and started unbolting the damper, and couldn't break the stud free from the tierod. I busted a tierod end puller trying to get it off. While I was laying under the truck in utter frusteration, I looked up and noticed the lower radiator hose was touching the frame. Me thought "this no good". Sure enough it had almost rubbed through the hose. @#$%^&*!! It was also pretty spongey and I knew it had to be changed. As it turned out it was splitting and cracked in another place too, that I had not originally seen. I doubt that lower hose would have made the trip without blowing. I checked the upper hose and it wasn't much better... so off to the store to get two hoses, more coolant, and a pitman arm puller for the steering damper. Now... here is a word or 20 about the factory OE springy hose clamps. I ended up reusing all but one of them, because I wanted to save a few bucks and they seemed to still be tight enough. I want to melt them all down, cast them into bullets, track down the Sombich who invented them, and then shoot him with the bullets!

I was in tears just about, trying to put the hoses back on with those clamps. I ended up having to remove the serp. belt, and the alternator in order to get them all back in. Bolted the damper up, refilled the radiator with coolant (by the way - the cooling system was JUST flushed about a week ago and I'm very not happy about having to replace brand new freaking coolant), throw in some engine oil and the Ram was done. I also decided to get a bed cover installed today. $420 and change installed for some-other-brand-or-whatever soft folding bed cover. Its a real nice one and I really like it. Lifetime warrantyso ya can't beat that. It has tension ajustments, no snaps, and a really neat clip lock system that latches it in place. I figured there was no better time than now to get one installed than for a long road trip.

Anyway -I'm half packed, I still have some last minute stuff I need to pick up at the store, and I should be set to leave some time tomarrow. I'll be stopping overnight some place - depends how far out west I get, I don't feel like rolling into lone duck at 4 am.

I'll let everyone know when I leave. I gotta say I hope this trip is worth it, because I really need a vacation, this month has been nothing but Bull-S and problems for me... at home, at work, and in general.