RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

(Photo album links are above right, or, for archived pictures click on the "Places Visited" button above left)
(Blog entires are from the May 1, 2009 entry below up to the most recent entry)
This page has been archived. Click "Home" above then "Freedom Ride 20XX" for current adventures.

May 30, 2009

I got the repaired horn ring, directional switch, horn switch, and steering wheel back together and bolted onto the steering column shaft.
Then, I turned on the starting battery switch and low and behold no horn honk even when I moved the wheel back and forth. I didn't take
a drive since there are a couple of other things I need to do first. But, hopefully, all is well with the Folly randomly honking her horn while
driving down the road issue.

Another project I have been working on is a set of McLean Spoke Wheels that were in rough shape due to severe brake dust buildup
and exposure to road salt. I found chrome cleaner, oven cleaner, WD 40, steel wool, and a whole lot of manual labor were necessary to
get the wheels back into respectable condition. I've never seen wheels like these, 15" 5X8 with 52 gold color spokes, so I wrote McLean
to find out exactly what they are and when they were manufactured.

Can't believe June is just around the corner. Where in the world does the time go? If all goes well, we should be headin' out on the road
for another RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride soon.

May 26-29, 2009

Forgot to mention the speedometer repair I performed the other day seems to have worked. We shall see what happens in cold
weather. The horn honking on its own going down the road issue needed attention. So, I pulled the steering wheel off the shaft to
expose the workings inside. Everything showing looked good so I removed the directional switch mechanism. On the underside of the
directional mechanism is a ring that had a worn out rubber like material that would ground out in certain positions...causing the horn to
activate while moving the steering wheel to those positions while going down the road. Of course a new part, either the whole ring or
the rubber part, is not available. I mixed up some JB Weld and coated the affected surface areas and let it dry. See the pix above. I will
smooth off the surface and hopefully reinstall it today.

May 21-25, 2009

Took Folly in to the Truck Shop in Cary, NC for surgery on her rear brakes Tuesday morning. The wheels had to come off, the axles had
to be removed, and then the brake drums removed to expose the braking system. Sure enough the automatic brake adjusters were
turned down, as if new brake shoes were installed, and were frozen solid. Apparently the last shop I had work on installing new
bearings and checking everything else out just put in the bearings and slapped everything back together. In any event Jim Matthews set
his sights on getting things right.

All the brake shoes had to be removed. Then, the fight to free up the automatic adjusters was won. However, the parts of the auto
adjusting system were wrong on the drivers side, something else that was fudged along the way I guess. And, if the driver side
adjusters HAD worked, the way things were set up, they would have adjusted the wrong way, leaving Folly with one real wheel braking
while the other would not brake at all.

Geoff at Alretta Truck Parts has the adjuster kits in stock for our 1974 Dodge Travco, the last known kits in the country that he had
bought about 12 years ago, but the price was $240 for each kit, and since I would need two, the ding would be about $500. This would
be a hard pill to swallow as Folly would probably bring only $1,000 to $2,000 if she was put up for sale. I spent some time with Jim
discussing what could be done in lieu of buying the very expensive kits. The solution. The self-adjusting mechanisms were removed
and a spring was stretched across the adjusting wheels to hold them in position after a manual adjustment is made....just like the set
up used years ago (see the pix above). Hence, no more auto adjust. But, all I will have to do is to manually adjust them every 10,000
miles or so, or when the brake pedal gets to be too low for comfort. By late Wednesday afternoon everything was put back together and
my low pedal issue, the reason I came into The Truck Shop in the first place, is solved.

I was about knocked off my feet when Jim said I came in for a brake adjustment and that is all he will charge me for. I imagine there
was 9-10 hours of labor involved in fixing Folly's brakes. Do the math on that amount of labor at any truck repair facility and compare that
to about the one hour I was billed for. Bottom line, if RVers or truckers are in the Raleigh or Cary, NC area and need service or repair of
any kind, I wholeheartedly recommend The Truck Shop as the place to go. Jim Matthews is the own-operator and their phone number
is 919-469-2515. Or you can shoot them an email at: truckshop@nc.rr.com. You can't find a shop like this one any more.

May 17-20, 2009

I got the parts from Alretta Truck Parts on Saturday and called Jim Matthews at The Truck Shop on Monday to see when we could come
in for Folly's surgery. Tuesday morning it is. In the meantime I discovered a tailpipe hanger clamp that had broken so I replaced that.
Exhaust hangers are available anywhere thank goodness. Another surprise occurred when I took Folly to get gas. The horn would honk
randomly now and then while making a turn. Folly gets enough attention going down the road without honking her horn at everybody ....
lol. A wire must be touching metal somewhere in the steering column so I will check that out while waiting for the truck doctors to fix the
rear brakes. Seems some of the back roads we traveled in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina really took a toll on the old girl
this Spring. Nothing that can't be fixed though and the bangs and bumps are worth it as experiencing the people, sights and sounds off
the beaten path is such fun. And, that's what our Freedom Adventure Ride is all about.

May 13-16, 2009

We had a nice visit at Camp Durham, NC. Jim and Michelle's home there, very close to Duke University, is looking good. They built their
home from the ground up several years ago and the since last time we were here they have made some wonderful improvements.
Most noticeable is the landscaping. A retaining wall is now in place to cure drainage issues and shrubbery is said to finally be of a
variety that is deer proof. It was fun to catch up with all that's been going on in their lives and plans for the future. The hosts treated their
aunt, uncle, cousin and her manfriend to a grilled chicken dinner with home made wheat cornbread, baked beans, salad and baked
goodies for desert ..... mmmmmmmm soooo good!

I bled Folly's brakes and power boosters but still have a low pedal. So, it was on to The Truck Shop in Cary, NC to get the rear drum
brakes adjusted. Jim Matthews is a very nice guy and is genuinely interested in helping us make sure Folly's brakes are safe. He
asked one of his employees to jack the rear axle off the ground and manually adjust the brakes. But, alas, the adjusting mechanisms
on both hubs are frozen. Seems unusual given all four wheel cylinders and linings were replaced about 3 1/2 years ago and Folly has
been driven regularly for 1 1/2 years of that time. Something is amiss but we won't know what until the wheels and axles are removed
so the drums can be removed to expose the braking system for inspection. Jim insisted we purchase new rear oil seals before the
axles are removed as he never uses the seals a second time due to leaks that will most likely occur. Well, after searching around we
found the seals for our 1974 Travco at NAPA and Alretta Truck Parts located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Geoff's price was slightly
lower and with his vast knowledge of the old Dodge trucks we are assured of getting the right quality parts. I have purchased a master
cylinder and a power booster from him in the past and found his service to be outstanding. Alretta shipped the parts and we should
receive them by today. One way or another, we will make sure Folly's brakes are in tip-top condition before we continue down the trail.

May 11-12, 2009

Weather and RVs need to be looked at as one, at least for us. Various weather patterns full-time RVers find themselves in require folks
to be able to adapt quickly to local conditions or move on to camps that are more in line with what they are comfortable with. Generally,
we move south in the winter and north in the summer as we don't like the cold, below 32, or hot, above 70 at night, temperatures.

Traveling around the southeast meets our needs. South Florida and the North Carolina mountains and places in between have been
our home(s) for over a year and a half now. Considering Folly's age and the price of fuel, the quality of miles we travel is much more
important to us than quantity of miles traveled. And, even after a year and a half of living on the road in just the Southeast USA area, we
have only scratched the surface on places to see and adventures to experience so far.

Weather the last several days here in Raleigh has been all over the place. From the 90's with high humidity to the 40's and dry, rain,
sunny/overcast skies, very windy and calm, and about a dozen tornadoes touching down....one about a mile from where we sit. By the
time the tornado went over us, the funnel was just above tree level and had no debris in its grip. What a thrill and sight to watch it
heading our way and passing overhead. Truly fascinating.

In any event, repairs on Folly have came to a screeching halt due to all the rain and storms. With sunny skies and temps forecast to be
in the 70's today and tomorrow, I hope to get back to bleeding the brakes on Folly. Being free to do what we want when we want is an
adventure in itself.

May 10, 2009

Continuing, I removed the instrument panel and disconnected the speedometer cable. Moving the cable and spinning the speedometer
independent of each other by hand indicated the noise I have been hearing is most likely the cable is worn and is rubbing somewhere
along its length. I put a few drops of machine oil into the speedometer mechanism and some 3-in-1 oil onto the cable. We shall see
how that works out when we get back on the road. Now for the low brake pedal. I inspected the wheel cylinders, boosters, and brake
lines and found no sign of a leak anywhere. I will start with bleeding the master cylinder first .... maybe today or tomorrow. And then the
power boosters and wheel cylinders on Monday or Tuesday. It's nice to have the time to attend to these tasks while comfortably parked
in Raleigh rather than off the beaten path somewhere.

May 1-9, 2009

Been catching up with our daughter and enjoying a little rest and relaxation. Also, there is a ton of mail to go through and then sort, file,
and address any issues that need attention.

The trip from Florida over a few bumpy and quite hilly back roads through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina put a bit
of stress on Folly. The speedometer needs to be checked out due to strange noises from within. The choke gasket blew and caused a
few wires running along the top of the intake manifold to burn. The brake pedal seems a bit low. The Edelbrock carburetor acted up.
And last, a new noise from around the starter area of the engine block has appeared.

So far .... I removed the choke assembly to replace the blown gasket. In the process, the head of the two bolts holding it on broke off.
Had to drill out the remaining studs, re-tap, and then install the assembly with new bolts using high temp copper RTV. Then, I replaced
the burned wiring. On to the carburetor. I removed the air horn, cleaned out the bowls, cleaned the jets and needle valves, and set the
float level at the toe to 5/8" from 1/2" as gas was dripping down from the carb into the intake manifold when I would shut the motor off
and also for a bit upon restart. Next up, I will bleed the master cylinder, power boosters, and all the wheel cylinders. And then, I will
address the speedometer and the new engine "noise". I expect this to keep me busy for several more days.

In the meantime, we are looking forward to visiting with my niece and her husband, as they are driving here tomorrow, and my nephew
and his wife for dinner at their house in nearby Durham, NC. Never a dull moment RVing full-time in a 35 year old Travco!