Christmas items at the Old Stuff And Oddities space at Cobwebs in Plano

Just took a few Christmas items (and items that could become Christmas items if you are into giving thoughtful gifts this holiday season) up to the Old Stuff And Oddities space at Copbwebs Antiques in Downtown Plano TX.

Click on pic to see full size.

F-100

I bought my first F100, a 1966 model, back in 1990. It was "running and driving" when I bought it. I drove it for ten years, fixing it up along the way. On thing to keep in mind is that fixing up an old truck in the days before the internet meant something totally different than it does today, for obvious reasons. Finding the information necessary to obtain the optimum results from any given repair or upgrade was not an option at that time. Researching the best course to take with repairs and upgrades was limited to asking / calling around. All too often, the information I would receive was biased by unhealthy doses of negativity and bad attitude. For instance, when the machine shop guy was too lazy and / or stupid to order the valves necessary to rebuild the head, he told me "parts are not available, so it is not possible to rebuild this head, your need to swap out an entirely different engine". The valves he was talking about are available online, today for $34. When the guy at the radiator repair shop didn't like the idea of dealing with a young person who was heavily tattooed (remember, this was the 1990's, before every sorority girl and basketball player was tattooed) his knee jerk reaction would kick in and he would send me on my way with my old radiator which was "beyond repair". You get the idea, it wasn't easy making things happen back then. I did the best I could, for the time, with all the repairs and upgrades I did to the truck. It was a sweet ride (as sweet as I could make it considering the limitations that were in place at the time). It took me lots of great places over a ten year span, and I really have missed owning and driving that old truck.

The idea of filling the void left by my original 1966 F-100 aka "The Magic Truck" (Mama said it would take me anywhere) is one that has been in the back of my mind for some time. Since I also take effort to replace newer lower quality items with older better built items, it was an easy decision for me to create Magic Truck v.2. I discovered this 1960 F-100 at my neighbor's garage sale. It had been sitting inside my neighbor's garage since 1994, untouched since her husband made his exit, leaving her and the truck behind. The truck was abandoned in a state if disrepair, with the carburetor in a coffee can and the steering box locked up. However, it was in otherwise unmolested condition. It had been stored in a closed garage for the past 16 years, which was a big plus compared to the usual condition of a "field truck" of the same vintage. With the help of my friend Kirk Moffett and the use of Kevin Dickerson's (Dicks Rod Shop) car trailer, I was able to move the truck (with 3 flat tires, no brakes, and a locked up steering box, in late August) the half mile to my house. This was the initial step in what would turn out to be the year long task of getting the Magic Truck v.2 on the road. The second step was to sell my newer Ford Ranger, which would (1) force my hand in refurbishing the F-100, since I would be without a truck until it is on the road, and (2) provide the cash necessary to refurbish the F-100. Yep, I sold the daily driver to finance the project truck...

There are many approaches to fixing up an old truck, many of which are lacking in effectiveness and / or value. We have all seen the guy who gets his hands on an old truck, and immediately disassembles it in preparation for the big build that never happens. We have all seen the guy who puts a bunch of body work and a paint job on a truck that is not even close to being road worthy. We have all seen the monster V8 install on a truck that has about 1/3 the brakes and gears to handle a sloppy V8 installation. Of course, there are variations and combinations of these basic themes, with no limit on the ways to mess up a good old truck. With this in mind, I wanted to refurbish the 1960 F-100 "Magic Truck v.2" in a way that avoids the basic levels of dumbassery. I wanted to get this truck in road worth condition, keeping in mind the things that did and didn't work on my previous F-100.

Step one was to leave the truck in "as-found" cosmetic condition. Usually, a 50 year old truck would have either 50 years of wear, or even worse, several re-paints. This truck had 34 years of visible wear and tear when it was parked in 1994, so it was kind of a "time capsule" when I discovered it in 2010. Believe it or not, there are people who pay money to re-create this effect with "fake patina". So, until I am ready to do proper body work and paint job, the truck is going to look like this.

Having refurbished several old cars over the years, I have figured out that it is best to do a comprehensive repair of all the mechanical elements up front. Patching up mechanical elements one item at a time creates a never ending sequence of working on a truck that never runs right, which can destroy the motivation of a project like this. If you have ever wondered why there are so many unfinished projects for sale on Craigslist, this would be the reason. With this in mind, I set out to repair, replace, and refurbish everything the truck would need to be road worthy. In a stroke of good luck for me as far as this truck goes, the previous owner had upgraded the original 223 inline 6 engine to a later model 1967 240 inline 6 engine. The fourth generation Ford 240 / 300 "big six" is a very durable engine known for power and economy, and is a much more sensible upgrade than the poorly done V8 conversion that we have all seen. Plus, I just happen to like the Ford "big six". After locating all the pieces to the carburetor, I was able to rebuild it. I wired up a hot battery, and the truck fired right up. Upon confirming that a good running engine was in place, I felt good about moving forward with this project.

With so much work at hand, I had to decide where to jump in. Remember the bad steering gearbox I mentioned earlier? It is near impossible to find a replacement, as the 57-60 Ford trucks used a pretty specific box that doesn't really leave room for any alternate / retro fit box. My good friend Layne Nelson just happened to have a few 57-60 Ford tucks in his pasture, so with his help (and the help of the boom on his service truck) we were able to "borrow" one from a 1957 one ton telephone truck. Show stopper averted, and time to move on! With the existing wiring somewhere between general disrepair and just plain missing, I took on the task of completely upgrading and rewiring the truck. Coincidentally, as a part time antique dealer, I happened to have a bunch of NOS automotive electrical components. Other than the new push in fuse panel and battery cables, I was able to rewire the entire truck with wire, switches, and connectors that I already had on hand (including NOS 1963 Chevy Impala tail light lenses). My friend Darren came over and replaced the U joints and shocks while I removed the old wiring system. Next up was a complete brake system rebuild that included upgraded dual reservoir master cylinder, wheel cylinders, shoes, turned drums, NOS bearings, NOS hardware kits, brake light switch plumed in to custom built hoses & lines. The clutch master and slave cylinders got replaced, along with a new custom hydraulic line. Cleaned and lined fuel tank, new lines and fuel pump deliver the gas. Fresh radiator, fan, water pump, heater core, thermostat, and hoses keep everything at the proper temperature. All the major repairs, along with all the incidental repairs, took me right at 12 months (working on the truck as time / weather would permit) to complete.

The truck now runs and drives as it should, with everything mechanical and electrical functioning as it should. I have been driving it around, and it drives great. It does have 3 pieces of cracked glass and a worn out paint job, which I may or may not change in the future. For now, I will be driving and enjoying the truck for what it is, with thoughts of the Ford Ranger never crossing my mind.

Click on pic for a full size view.

We're From Texas

This week, the song “We’re From Texas”, by my band Eleven Hundred Springs, debuts on the Texas Regional Radio Report. Along with the debut on this radio chart comes the designation of “most adds” and “highest debut”. For those not familiar with the band Eleven Hundred Springs, the current music scene in Texas, or songwriter Matt Hillyer; the following is an explanation of the song “We’re From Texas” (originally written & recorded in 1994, re-recorded and re-released in 2011).

When Matt first wrote and began performing “We’re From Texas”, Gas was $1.12 per gallon. The “Texas Singer Songwriter” movement, and the Monica Lewinski scandal wouldn’t be happening for another 4 years. What is now known as the “Red Dirt Music Scene” was over a decade away. The year was 1994, and with Matt’s “head start” years out of the way, his foray into the world of music was in full swing.

I will keep the history lesson and yarns of the “good old days” to a minimum, but here is a little background. Matt & Myself (Steve B., co-founder and bass player in both Lone Star Trio and Eleven Hundred Springs) have been playing music together since 1992. In 1993, while Matt was still in high school, we were already working hard with our band Lone Star Trio. In fact, our first tour to California started while Matt was technically still in high school, with me (& tattoo artist Sam C.) getting a head start in the van and Matt flying to San Francisco after leaving his last day of class at Arts Magnet in Dallas. By 1994, Lone Star Trio was doing very well in Texas and California. We rode the wave through most of 1995, but by 1996, things with Lone Star Trio managed to unravel. Perhaps a case of “too much too soon”, but it really doesn’t matter because it only took about 2.5 years for us to begin working on our (now) longtime project, Eleven Hundred Springs. (Side note, in the downtime between Lone Star Trio & Eleven Hundred Springs, Matt would write 2 mainstays of the Eleven Hundred Springs set list, “Thunderbird Will Do Just Fine” and “See You In The Next Life”.)

Ok, so now you have some idea of where Matt was coming from at the time he penned “We’re From Texas”. When first written, the lyrics were a true statement about Matt's (and my) life at the time. Collectively, we didn’t give a shit. This was a time when “normal” people weren’t (what was then considered to be) heavily tattooed. This was before cable television shows made everyone an expert on fabricating and building old cars. This was before a time where the mere participation in a talent show would ensure stardom. This was a time when a Guitar Hero was a person, not a video game. This was a time when month long tours happened without cell phones, GPS, internet, or even pagers (remember pagers?). In short, this song came about long before mainstream America co-opted (and watered down) many of the edgy elements of Me and Matt's lifestyles at the time. Does this mean that we own the copyright to everything that is (or was) edgy, cool, and earned (rather than Google searched)? Of course it doesn’t. The basic theme of this song rings true today. Enjoy doing things your own way. Enjoy and cherish the good times that you create during your youth. Embrace the things that make you unique. Be proud of where you are from. We’re from Texas, and damn sure proud of it.

So, is that all you do?

In the course of my day to day encounters with random people, meaningless small talk sometimes morphs into the random person asking me something to the effect of “So, you play in a band, is that all you do? I mean, what do you do for a full time job?” I do understand why a person who works the standard 32-40 hour per week job would not understand what goes in to being a self employed entrepreneur. Cloud the issue with thoughts of “the music business / playing in a band” and there is just no way in hell that the random person is going to be able to comprehend the long answer to their short question. The random person probably assumes one of 2 things. Their first assumption would be that I work a “normal” job during the week, at some kind of shipping / receiving warehouse, or installing cable. You know some type of low paying semi-unskilled job where everyone who works there smokes and is on probation. The second assumption would be that my lifestyle consists strictly of age inappropriate elements and behavior that would indicate a stunted emotional growth. There may be variations on these assumptions, but the general theme is “this guy is 40 years old and says that he plays in a band, so there must be something really wrong with him.”

Well , “Random Person”, guess what? I don’t have a day job at some irrelevant receiving warehouse. I don’t smoke, don’t drink, and am not on probation. I don’t live with my parents, I am not on grandmother’s trust fund payroll, I don’t have a roommate. My non-existent roommate is not a waiter, bartender, or drug dealer. I don’t own a futon, I don’t eat ramen, and I sure as hell don’t live in an apartment. Smoking weed & playing video games, also not on my to-do list. I don’t make a living with (insert random activity here), go to Wednesday night rehearsals with a group of burnouts, and use that as a qualifier for my “dude in a band” status. Anything else that pops in to “Random Person’s” head while they attempt to give thought to what “dude in a band” does with his life, probably does not apply to me.

Considering the fact that anyone who would ask me the “So, is that all you do” question (1) Doesn’t deserve my valuable time necessary for an honest answer, and (2) wouldn’t understand the answer anyway; I will often times just answer with “I work at a print shop during the week”. Yeah, I know, that is a pretty weak lie, but hey, it does put an end to yet another irrelevant encounter with a random person.

So far, I have given a general description of the lifestyle, or at least contributing elements of said lifestyle, that I do not have. If you have read this far, then you may wonder: if this guy doesn’t sit on a futon watching mixed martial arts and smoking weed, what could he possibly be doing with all the free time that he must have? Allow me to break it down…

The band I play with is has been functioning as a business since 1999. The 90 min spent on stage 2-4 times per week is the fun part, a rewarding creative experience that I would do for free. Everything else that goes into keeping the wheels rolling (literally and figuratively) involves a certain amount of work. A brief description of my duties as managing partner of the business would include: financial manager, online systems manager, online store manager / operator (including all duties from merchandise design concepts to shipping product, and everything in between), warehouse manager, travel coordinator, booking coordinator, vehicle & trailer mechanic, and a host of other mundane / non-glamorous administrative activities. This behind the scenes weekday job consumes 20-30 hours of my time per week.

When the weekend arrives, I become the tour manager, main driver, and on premise merch guy. On a typical weekend, leaving at 10am on Friday and getting back Sunday morning, a minimum of 40 hours is spent on the road with the band. If the band is booked for Thursday and / or Sunday, add that to the minimum 40 hours spent on a typical Friday & Saturday out with the band. As you can see, between my weekly admin / manager duties plus the time involved traveling and performing with the band, a minimum of 60 hours of my time each week is devoted to the band. The time that I spend on the band is financially and creatively rewarding, so I am (for the most part) happy with the balance that presents itself as it relates to everything that I put in to the band.

I seriously doubt that “Random Person” would understand my situation as I just described it, so let me introduce a few more variables…

As an offshoot of my participation in what is regionally (and beyond) considered a successful and desirable band, I have been lucky enough to secure a weekly position as co-host of a live radio show, every Wednesday. The weekly radio show is broadcast live, 7pm-9pm every Wednesday on 95.3 FM KHYI (in the Dallas TX area). The live broadcast takes place at a popular restaurant / music venue in Grapevine TX. In addition to the 2 hours on air, set up, prep time, audio editing, and everything involved in making this happen each week, I spend at least 10 hours per week on the radio show. This is a really cool 10 hour per week part time job!

Completely unrelated to my participation in the music business, I am co-owner and property manager of a rental property. Lucky for me, I was able to refurbish the property and (through my realtor friend, Smitty) rent the place to a nice young couple. On the other hand, I have spent many 10 hour days starting at 6am on Sunday, remodeling the property, as well as the occasional early morning repair visit to the property. Managing a rental property isn’t bad, but is still a responsibility that consumes my time, often at the worst possible time.

Also unrelated to my participation in the music business is my part time antique business (Old Stuff And Oddities dot com). I have been selling on eBay since 1999, and will be launching my own vendor space at Cobwebs Antique Mall on the downtown square in Plano TX, this June. I have the luxury of spending as much or as little time with this endeavor as I choose. At the very least, I may spend 6 hours per week buying, and 6 hours selling. This is a really enjoyable distraction from the music business, and it also satisfies my gambling desires (selling a $2 item for $150 gives me a bit of a rush.)

Heck in addition to the min 80 hours per week that I work at any of my 4 part time jobs, I have the “normal” issues of the never ending repair and maintenance of my own home (which I can never catch up with), as well as the abstract / creative aspects of being a musician that often slip through the cracks. Never mind that my hobby of old cars gets little attention, and that my small circle of friends rarely even offers the trips to the gun range or baseball game anymore, because they know that I will decline the offer (even if they don’t fully understand why).

With all this said, do I have the time or the desire to explain to the lady at the bank “what I do for a living”? Probably not.

brand new blog

I have been thinking of doing a blog for a while, so today I signed up for one. I will be using this as a place to share some of my interests, like cars, guitars, painting, music, etc.

I may even get into documenting lone roadside shoes, and the way my neighbor throws trash in front of my house.