Friday, April 8, 2011

Racing the Storm and the Raider Won...

The day started off with a fairly soft surise... Some strong weather that was forecast, was just trying to crawl itself over the mountains to the west...

I had already planned on waiting till Monday morning to go after the truck... figuring it would be repaired by that afternoon or today (Friday)...

'course, shortly after I organized that plan... the phone rang and Mary, at Classic Motors up in Richfield told me the truck was done! ... and still a few hours before the storm was forecast to arrive...

Flexibility is an attribute... right? How come being Flexibile is such a piece of work? :)

Anyhoo... Changed gears... decided to take advantage of the "weather window"... geared up and pointed that Raider away from the the coming weather...

mmmm... mmmm..... mmmmm.... The country East of here, rolling up Hwy 12 is puuuuuuuurty! and a sweet road for a biker too.

Just east of our camp, a very few miles... you come out to an overlook, with the road running out below...

*Utah Hwy 12 winding up below me*

Leaning through the rocky Northern End of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area... I dropped down and started climbing back up the other side to a Hells Backbone kind of road... the land falling off on both sides...

The kind of road that makes a bikers heart thump... and a giggle escape inside his helmet... :)

*Utah Hwy 12 Twisties*

For those of you, that have never straddled a scooter... this picture says it all... you lean into a good right, leaning back over immediately into a hard left, come out into another left, and back into a right... Like dancing on asphalt with two wheels... Suh-wheet! :)

The whole time, I was looking up ahead as the road went straight... well sort of :) ... toward snow covered mountains.... the quiver of apprehension tickling my liver...

... and yup... those mountains were... snow covered.

*Threatening Utah Storm*


... and threatening to get MORE covered...

So... what do ya do?

You climb back on... and Twist the right grip! Put your knees in the wind... and outrun that wind! HooYa!

Yup... Springtime in the Rockies... Ya gotta love it!

*Springtime in the Utah Rockies*
Well... That Raider done just that... Outran the wind and storms in the Utah Rockies...You can just see the Blue... as we got ahead of the weather... and got to Richfield to bail out the truck from Classic Motors.

I don't know if they're the only Dodge Dealer in Southern Utah... but they get my vote... Told me they couldn't LOOK at the truck until Thursday... and got it in the shop... on Tuesday... had it FINISHED Thursday... (takes a bit to get parts in a small dealership)

Now a lil' aside... I'd been advised by some folks to go with a FASS system lift pump... to replace the factory pump that has a history of trouble... well... I did that... Last Spring!!! Yup... the FASS system pump failed and was Overfueling the injector pump... and causing trouble...

so... I went, this time with the Dodge/Cummins correction which is a pump placed in the fuel tank... we shall see... I would think Dodge and Cummins have the best ability and the strongest interest in correcting what had proven to be a faulty design...

Here's the odd thing... coming back... I got the best fuel mileage ever with this truck... which indicates to me... that the FASS system pump was causing trouble with the injector pump... right from the start...I'm hoping that FASS will do something in relation to their "Warranty" to compensate me for having to replace their "Improved" pump... life is waaaay to many lessons... ain't it? :)

Now... wanna see some genuine American Iron?

*Superbird*
*Roadrunner*
Oh Baby... Remember these? I remember sitting in a Roadrunner... when I was 18...

The guy who owned it put a $20 bill on the dash... and told me I could have it... if I could reach it...

I reached for the $$$$ and he punched the throttle... I got slammed into the seat... and couldn't get my hand on that bill... for a long, dang ways...

Finally, laughing, he reached over and snatched it... as he came off the throttle... Awesome Freakin' Hot Rods!!!! HooYa!!! :)

Yup... good mechanics at Classic Motors... Good service... Mary drove my truck down the street a ways to a place she knew... so I could load the bike with a truck shop loading ramp... and ...

A fine taste in Vintage American Hot Rods!!!

If you're in Southern Utah... and need work on your Cummins... give 'em a try!!! Tell 'em Brian sent you!!

I still had to get back right?... and I came over the same mountain... a bit windier and colder...

*Back over Boulder Mountain*
To tell the truth? I wasn't sad that I was inside the cab... and not... Knees in the Wind! :)

Back in Camp... and Waiting for the Weather to Pass
Brian

Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

8 comments:

Handmade Crafts Done While RVing Blog said...

What we will do for a $20 bill? how funny... Brrr snow! In Rufus, OR where we are right now there was snow on the hills but never got to us... To see here in April is wild... Beautiful pics as always!!

Evielynne

Anonymous said...

Great post! Beautiful country and that road looks like fun, even in a big truck. Those muscle cars are pretty neat too. Hope the fuel pump fix works. I agree, Dodge and Cummins ought to know what works best. Funny, usually it's not enough fuel that's the problem.

Brian said...

Thanks "Handmade"

... Flyfish... in a weird way... it was not enough fuel...

The FASS pump was over fueling/over pressuring the injector pump... and jamming up a "diaphragm" in it... which in effect I guess... cuts the fuel off... not being a mechanic... and not wanting to be... my understanding is "weak"... the thing is... it ran the best ever... coming back!!

Mike said...

We rode that same road last summer. I'd have to say that it's one of the best motorcycling roads I've ever been on. Going over the "mountain" was a cool ride even in late June.

Glad the truck is running again. I'm sure it wasn't a cheap repair, but at least you didn't have to buy an injection pump.

Adios!

Gaelyn said...

The twisties do like fun! On dry pavement.

Love the muscle cars. I once owned a 1968 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet and the 428 could blow the doors off every car in HS, except the Shelby.

Janna and Mike said...

Glad it all worked out, Brian.

john said...

brian this was the fuel pump not the injector pump,,,or are they the same thing..its in the fuel tank,not in the line near the engine ,wow that must be a job to get to ,,ok good to hear all is wel ,better fuel mileage also or just running better????? ok ttyl and pedal down andor wrist cranked..

Brian said...

Mike Shhhh!! :) or that Murphy'll hear that it wasn't the you-know-which pump! :)

John; the diesels have two pumps. Lift and injector... the lift supplies the injector. Factory was in the engine compartment... but it has a history of unreliability... the factory "Correction" is a different pump moved to a location in the fuel tank... actually the physics of it makes sense...

Mike and Janna; Thanks... glad to be home in that COLD country? :)

Gaelyn: Had a girlfriend one time... she'd had a 428 Cobra Jet put in a Ford F100... BAD Truck!!! :)