The Dodge Truck Rebuild

Well here we go again, This will (I hope) chronicle the rebuild of a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.2L V-8 now owned by my stepson Nick Balsbaugh. This truck has come to us as a family "hand me down" and I have hopes that we can do the repairs justice and Nick can carry on a love with this truck just as its previous owner did.

Years ago my cousin Tricia White purchased this new 1994 Dodge Truck. At the time this thing was the vehicle to have! To Tricia this was her "baby" and it was a beloved member of her family. This was the first year that Dodge had produced this retro body style and she, along with allot of others, loved it. Unfortunately several years ago Tricia crashed her truck and was subsequently heart broken by the mishap. Due to other issues the truck had been sitting for quite sometime until recently her brother Bill White had some transportation issues. Tricia generously allowed Bill to take her child (broken bones and all) as a replacement means of transportation until a time as he could make a decision on other transportation... WELL..... The accident that Tricia had crunched the driver side front fender as shown to the left, Bill's accident unfortunately creamed the passenger side... Needless to say there was not much hope for the truck at this point without a real investment in either time or money. With that in mind I showed Nick the truck and asked if he was ready to tackle this challenge? He agreed he was up for it ready to hit it head on, he now owns the truck. Just after Christmas 2008 (December 28th to be exact) we started to work on the beast. On that day we were able to (in a matter of about three to four hours of tinkering) able to get all of the body panels removed. From that point I really felt like we were making progress. Since that time, Nick secured two fenders from a local junk yard at a reasonable price. The passenger fender has a small "ding" in the well, center line of the wheel arch and will require some minor body work. As for the drivers fender everything at the moment looks OK, even the color matches! As of January 6th 2009 we now have both left and right fenders installed and aligned. The passenger fender was white in color and we had to paint the interior before installing it.... So far so good. The new front bumper has arrived along with the new front billet grill assembly. We are still waiting on all the final hardware to finish assembling the truck. You can check out more pictures here.






Well its Friday January 9, 2009 and we made some nice progress tonight. The Headlight buckets, headlight assemblies, bottom bumper trim, and lower bumper inserts have still not arrived. Tonight the Front main bumper assembly was installed with only minor issues. On initial installation the main attach brackets appeared to "sag". After some inspection and a little brogan maintenance we found that there is quite a bit of adjustment in the attachment of the main bumper supports. The secondary side supports were mangled during both crashes but Terah and I were able to "make like new"! It did involve a torch, a hammer and some umph, but after some gentle persuasion it all came together. Bren stopped by for his two cents worth and he informed us that we had installed to bumper too high. So



again, Nick is ob his back with a wrench in his hand... Even after this discovery we have opted to wait on all the additional bumper trim until we receive the new light buckets. There is some minor concerns that when the headlights are installed that we may have some clearance issues. I think some is this is simply due to our inexperience.

The next part of the project to tackle was installing what on initial inspection is a cheeze piece of chromed plastic. The new grill was installed without any real problems. The original grill had certainly taken it toll during its mishaps but the new grill from LMC Trucks looks great! Luckily all the necessary hardware was still on the original grill support and it was undamaged! The installation took some time but after the process was over with it really wasn't that bad and it looks great. Nick has ordered new lower bumper inserts to replace the factory original grey plastic inserts. These new inserts will have the same look as the new grill. The ole girl is really starting to come together.



Here's Nick feeling pretty good about himself! Great job Nick!











Terah looks to be happy cleaning up 15 years of grime! Terah is a pretty good sport and great help around the shop!













She's coming together nicely! New Chrome bumper and grill. There will soon be some euro headlights, chrome top bumper cover and lower valance to complete the rebuilt front end!








This truck is over 14 years old and looks like new inside!








Notice the new Airtex intake - installed by Terah Cash (with some guidance from Mr. Miyagi...







Mr. Miyagi say "Make like new"! Thanks for the Shades Tricia they make a nice addition at no extra charge!





Again, thanks for stoppiong by and taking a look at our progress. We are hopeful that we could be complete with this project inside a week. Nick should be able to transfer tags and pay his taxes on this truck next week and he has contracted a local paint and body shop to do the final color matched factory colored pait job.


You can check out more pictures here.


Kirk Lewellen
Regional Sales Manager
Monterey Boats
1918 Cliffview Ct.
Murfreesboro, TN 37128
Cell - 615.207.1108
Fax - 615-896-6635
http://www.montereyboats.com/
http://www.kirklewellen.com/

Dad's Potato Leak Soup with Nana's "Souper" Cornbread

Well it seems the potato leak soup has been a hit. I thought I would share it whomever might like to know what it contains and how to put it together. The Soup reicipe came from my father from years gone by. This soup is always a hit and not difficult to make. I don't really think you can screw it up. The cornbread recipe came from my mother in law that scavenged it from somewhere. She and I made it for the first time during Thanksgiving it seems to now be the preferred bread accent to several of our meals lately. It is hearty with some yummy goodness inside! Check them both out you won't be disappointed!

Potato Leak soup

1 Bunch of Leaks
3 Carrots
2 Med. Onions
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 16 oz. Cans of Chicken Broth
6-8 Med. Potatoes
3-4 Stalks of Celery
12 Oz. Country Ham
8 oz. Sour Cream
1 pt. Heavy cream

Cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and Leaks in olive oil (just a little). While that is cooking, cook and chop the country ham and add it to the Onions and carrots. Add one can of Chicken Broth and continue cooking. Peel and grate more than half of the potatoes (if you use 6 potatoes grate 4) chop the other two into bite size pieces. Add the grated and chopped potatoes with the second can of broth to the pot. After all that gets “rollin’” turn down the heat to a simmer and add the sour Cream and Heavy cream to the mix and that’s about it…

The Cornbread is not hard either….

1 – Can cream corn
1 Med. Onion
1 cup of Sour Cream
2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese (more or less)
1/8 – ¼ cup of milk
2 Cups Cornmeal
1 cup Flour
Pinch of salt
2 – Eggs
½ stick butter

Heat oven to 400 deg. Place your cornbread pan in the oven with about ¼ cup of oil. Mix Cornmeal, flour, salt, with the onion, cream corn and milk enough to make cornbread consistency. Pour that mixture in a heated and oiled cornbread pan. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour the butter over that mixture. Over that layer 1 cup of sour cream (more or less, I have found it easier to thin the sour cream with a little milk to spread easier) I have also found that too much sour cream can be over powering, more is not better in this instance. Over THAT layer the Cheddar cheese and bake for about 45 minutes! Yummy Goodness!

Hope you enjoy


Kirk Lewellen
Regional Sales Manager
Monterey Boats
1918 Cliffview Ct.
Murfreesboro, TN 37128
Cell - 615.207.1108
Fax - 615-896-6635
http://www.montereyboats.com/

http://www.kirklewellen.com/

 

I have had an inspiration

1-3-2009



With my recent loathing of any television programming as of late, I have to admit that for what ever reason I have been inspired! The DVR taped the latest New Yankee Workshop program I watch occasionally. This program started almost elementary in discussion but I too was made again aware of things we get sloppy and sometimes impatient doing. The explanation was excellent and not too "dumbed down" to remember the basics. I can envision a total novice with a band saw and a teaspoon of gumption completing this project with no problem!


As a wood worker I "grew up" with my father in his shop. I learned wood working by osmosis I enjoy it, I can do it, it's creative and I find it entertaining and fun! I too have a small shop in my garage that I occasionally "play" in. This most recent program went back to the roots or at least to me, seemed that way. Some of the first things I remember my father creating were tables, parson benches, pie safes and the like. This program reminded me of those times. So with that, I have been inspired to build some desperately needed Adirondack chairs for the yard.

I can't say at the moment I have fully examined this project but I'm thinking.... Mahogany or teak?

Well I found a chair that I think will work nicely for a pattern. It will involve disassembly, that won't be an issue considering there was no glue used in its original construction just a few screws and bolts. After disassembly and a light sanding to cleanup the parts I should be ready to start production. this chair was purchased from Harbor Freight and is constructed from a light weight Fir (I think). It has been somewhat maintained over the years but it is starting to show its signs of wear. This chair is about three years old. It is stained with a simple, old, cheap, red wood stain which worked very nicely. For the new chairs I am still leaning toward a Teak or Mahogany and a more natural finish... Well, something else to think about...

Keep your eyes peeled and see if anything develops, spring is right around the corner.


Kirk Lewellen
Selling fun and lifestyle
Monterey Boats
615-207-1108
http://www.kirklewellen.com/
lewellenk@comcast.net