Ham's 48: "Say Good Night Gracie"

As was said in a TV series a couple of years ago: “Winter’s Comin’”.

Late the week before last, we had a 60-degree day, no wind and overcast – a perfect day to give the truck a bath before I put it away for the winter. At the last car show we went to, we got caught in the rain. It was one of those “one minute it’s just cloudy, the next minute it’s like someone turned on a shower head” rain storms. The rain wasn’t so bad, it’s just clean water – but rain makes muddy puddles and mud puddles make a mess. Yuuck!

I gave the underside a good scrubbing and then the topside. Since it was overcast, the water didn’t dry too fast and I was able to towel it down without a lot of water spots and it was ready for winter. Late last week I had a sunny dry day, so I took it out for the last run of the year around the country roads. Since the trip to Toledo, the truck has really wanted to run. I don’t know what the difference has been, but I did change the transmission lube before the Toledo trip and something has made a real difference in get-up-and-go. (Same weight lube, just different stuff).

We made about a 20-mile loop around the corn and bean fields. Of course we got waved and honked at – it’s just how life is in an Old Jeep. On the way home I stopped at Auto Zone and bought a big jug of Stabil for the winter storage. I wanted Sea Foam, but it was out of stock, so Stabil it was. I put a slug of it in the gas tank and drove back home to let it mix and get up into the carburetor.

Then, it was bedtime. I had bought a truck cover last summer, but hadn’t used it yet. I got the full-size cover and a 1948 Jeep truck isn’t a full-size pickup by any means. But, the good news is that there is plenty of room under it, I can open the driver’s door and get in to start the truck without having to pull the cover off. (Of course I’ll pull it off the exhaust pipe when I do that). When everything was done – it looks like it spun a cocoon and went into hibernation.

So – “Say Good Night, Gracie”.

Put mine down last week. Some Staybil and under the cover, in the heated garage!

"Put mine down last week."

That makes it sound like it broke a leg and you had to shoot it.

Hahaha! Love that cartoon. No down for the winter not for the count. You know how peeJ is, not allowed out in the winter.

No need for a fancy cover or a heated garage for the Heep. Even with the night time lows in the lower 30s, and the highs in the mid 50's to mid 60's, it's always is a good day for a Heep ride.

Yea I got my prepped and covered for the ohio winter. Did squeeze in one last ride on a warm day we had this month. Kinda bummed, got her up and going good this fall and had to put away for winter. Sunny days only rule. Lol. Funny cause it spent a lot of years racing in mud and water, no prohibited. I'm like a kid waiting on Christmas , but I'm waiting on spring to uncover and go cruising. I check on it every other day, my fine lady makes fun of me. Hey I take care of ya both I tell her. Wish I was in southern states states so didn't need to mess with winterizing.