Lee,
Assuming you still pay attention to the thread, Thank you! It was a great read. I decided to start working on my own rustbucket (known to my kids and I as simply "The FJ") and figured I better find some solid rust repair tech, stumbled onto the thread and let it sit as an open tab on my phone for a month or so before getting around to reading it. I finally decided that I needed to stop "being too busy" and just get down to fixing my rig or it would never happen. Started reading your thread and then poured over it for the last couple weeks.
On a side note, I kept seeing people post "just caught up and now waiting for more" and I kept thinking to myself, "suckers, this is why I only watch tv shows on netflix - late to the party but I never have to wait!" Well, that idea didn't quite work out for me this time but it has still been well worth it.
40 tech content - my 40 has been sitting in the garage for the past couple years (wouldn't start). A friend of a friend of a friend...you get the idea, called me out of the blue to ask if I still had it and if it was for sale. We set up a meeting for him to come see her and on the morning of the meeting I went out to clean off cobwebs and unload junk from the back - we're not going for nice her, it won't even start, just for not hoarder-style crap. I decided to just turn the key, almost as a joke, and the engine cranked!!! It hasn't even tried to turn over in almost two years. I've never been sure what tech is in these old 40s but mine have always had some self-healing properties. The gentleman came and looked and seemed to love it (maybe not too excited about the level of rust repair needed). HE had driven from out of town and I was starting to get that feeling, you know, the sense of dread that he might make me an offer. When the time came, he said he wanted to think about it. Turns out, I couldn't take it. He said he'd check back again in a month or so on his next trip through town and I just kind of blurted out that she wasn't for sale.
Whether or not he was really interested barely matters. I love the old truck. When I told my wife and kids, they were all just a shade on the angsty side that I had even entertained the idea. My daughter (11) wants to drive it and my son (9) wants to fix it. Neither wants it sold.
Anyway, after that is when I found your thread. I have since pulled some parts and started the repairs. Slow but steady. I was really struck by something you said about Army not being real happy with you using his good name to allow for procrastination, then you made a post almost immediately after. That is what I needed to read. No more excuses, I gotta get it done or my kids will be old and moved away, I'll be old and grey, or I'll have passed on beyond this life.
Knowing full well you haven't posted to this thread in nearly a year, I hope you see this: Thanks again for the story. I'd love to hear the rest but I'm certainly happy with what I have received.
My rust has gotten a bit worse than pictured here.
Louis
- (one of these days I'll get my hand bloody again back there to pop the bulb holder snugger into the socket - of course, it's the right one where the parking brake is in the way 
)
