The hardest thing about searching, shopping for cars and parts is the logisitics, at least here in the sticks, where we don't have a big metro area where used parts abound close by. For me, "local" shopping is anyplace within 250 miles....it's not like there's a lot of used toploader 4-speeds or early model big block Ford engines available here in Dinkytown, pop. 5,000, so I have to travel to get the deals. Problem 2: You drive 100 miles to get that hard-to-find treasure you found on Cragslist, and the next day, week or whenever the opportunity arises (IF it ever does, with today's hectic schedules and lack of free time), you make another 100 mile trip for another part, because of the different areas and different sellers, who live on different schedules, it's almost impossible to combine several pick-ups in one trip,....add to that whatever things you need to have ahead of time to facilitate it. Well, I pulled off a miracle.....three items, two Toploader 4-speeds and a 70 429 engine,....three sellers, all over 100 miles from me, one a hundred miles from the other two, and one day to do it. Seller #1, 130 miles away, was available til noon. The 4-speed, bellhousing, flywheel and shifter would fit in the bed of my friend's truck. Get there just before noon, checked out the trans, made the buy, and continued on. Seller #2: 107 miles from seller #1, available from 3-to-5 p.m. We brought a small trailer to carry the 429 engine.....seller didn't have a hoist, but could borrow one, so we don't have to lug a cherry picker around with us (all of which had to be discussed and planned before we ever left the house). We got to his place around 4, checked out the motor, made the purchase, loaded the motor and tied it down, on to Seller #3, who, fortunately, lives in the same area as #2, available til 5.....it's 4:50 when I call him to get directions, he's at his shop, and will wait for us. We get there at 5:20, check out toploader #2, make the purchase and start on the 140 mile trip back home. 11 hours, 400 miles, 20 texts, 14 cell calls and $1,375 later, I'm back home. Oh, did I mention we found out 20 minutes before we had to leave my friend's truck had a leaky water pump threatening to let go at any time?....We chanced it....the car-guy gods smiled upon us and the water pump didn't puke, just drooled a bit. The upside, that's two extra 200+ mile round trips avoided, and two days saved that I'd have spent on the road running after parts instead of at home putting them together, or just hanging with the wife and kids. (and gas money for one trip instead of three) Was all the stress from extra planning and scheduling worth it?...... Now my Falcon gasser has a motor and trans (the 429 and toploader #2) and my Maverick is FINALLY going to get some long-overdue attention now that I've got a toploader for it too. .
That's true, but this trip was all Missouri. We live close to the MO/AR border, and Springfield is actually closer and quicker than Little Rock, plus, there's a lot of mid-size cities/towns in-between whereas there's not much going on between here and LR. I'm really surprised how much cool stuff is for sale from the Branson area.
Gamaliel is just "down the road a-piece" from here. We love the area. My wife and I were both born and raised in SoCal, but both our Dad's were from here in Arkansas. When we decided to get married, we figured if we were going to own a home before we were too old to enjoy it, we'd better get out of Cali. We came out in '86, bought a big old house on 5 acres for a 1/4 of what a tiny place with a patch of grass for a back yard would cost in CA.
