Augie is having back surgery today so we are praying for a full and speedy recovery.


P.S. Don't tell him I spilled the beans He would kill me or unfriend me.

 

Best wishes Augie!

 

Prayers for a Speedy recover Augie!

 

Best wishes for a fast recovery....

 

Augie,
Prayers to you bud for a speedy recovery,

Been there had one back in 1987,

The hardest part was not driving for 30 days afterwards.
But that was back in the dark ages.

Jim

 

OK guys - somebody fill me in here and tell me *** is going on? Augie took some broad shots about being a little 'noid about all of the noises going on with his ride. He posted a few posts of astonishment, drops off the face of the earth months ago and now we hear that he is still in communication with at least some of you? Can somebody please PM me - i kinda like Augie and I miss some of his posting.

Cheers!

Mike

PS: Good luck and fast recovery to you Augie.

 

Best wishes for a well performed surgery, and a fast recovery!

 

Well that's awesome. Augie will need his feet washed regularly for a few weeks as he recovers, as he won't be able to reach them till he starts his Dr prescribed pt.

I'm sure he will appreciate you volunteering to help him out.

 

Mike,
Augie and Mark live close enough to each other, they hang out on occasion.

 

Hey TMAn! Ummmmmm - I kinda liked Augie, not quite that much though Hopefully he will have good home care for post surgery heeds.

Oliver- Thanks for filling me in on the connection.

Cheers All!

Mike

 

Yeah... They drink beers together at car shows. Usually one guy brings the beer, and the other glomms them off of him.




But then he sends the beer supplier free auto parts through the USPS.

 

Well, I guess I should post up to thank MKnittle for his thoughtfulness, and in response to Mike L, to let status of truck be known.
First off, yes, I have been in close contact with MKnittle over out trucks and our lives in general. When I first met Mark last December, I was healing up from a lower lumbar surgery, just a lamenectomy discectomy( disc clean up from touching any nerves). At that time, it had been my third back surgery, and thought I was fixed all up. I went back to work after exactly 12 weeks off.
After a month back to work, it felt like I was always walking in mud...thick mud, with accompanying pain. So I go back to my Dr and he suggests an MRI of the upper spine, thoracic levels, just to see how things ar holding up. 2 months go by before i get the MRI, and almost a month goes by before I get the call to meet and discuss his findings.
His call to me was urgent; meaning, he needs to talk to me NOW over a possible surgery. When I see him and the MRI photos, he shows me 3 levels of discs so badly pushed out onto the spinal cord, the cord looks 80% pinched off. He then says that an emergency surgery is scheduled for the following week. In shock, I asked him about work and such, and he produces a letter and said today is your last day. He did not want me on the freeway for my four hour commute to work. One accident, and he feared permanent paralysis. So, 3 days ago I went under the knife for hopefully my fourth and last one. It's going to be about a 5-6 month heal time for this one, especially with all the bracketry and bolts he threw in there.

As far as the truck goes, that thing was on the jack stands for 6 months. After I replaced the front end in its entirety, that metallic flapping noise led to a dropped transmission and transfer case. Then a dial indicator showing I was at .045 end play on the crank prompted me to drop the oll pan, which, by the way, is an ordeal with our trucks. An entire back half of my flexplate, along with the engine adapter plate, was scuffed up badly due to the end play.
So I found in the oils pan, one of the ears of the thrust bearing. So, I replaced all crankshaft and rod bearings with new Cummins brand. All seals to the rear of the engine, including that pesky freeze plug at the rear with a billet plug. While I had the transmission and transfer case out, I replaced all the leaking seals and painted everything. Had my DTT torque converter rebuilt, while it was out. Installed a new, thicker, SFI rated flexplate from PRW. I popped out the valve body to swap out the shift detent ball bearing and spring for that upgraded bullet style and spring( shifts at the column so very tight now).
While I was under the truck, I saw and understood why my entire drivers side block was moistened with oil- tappet cover leak. Rather than go back with OEM, I sourced a billet cover, made with an O- ring seal to the block, and comes with an optional catch container and two stainless braided hoses to vent the crankcase, w/o the driveway drip. I looked at that tappet cover fix as an opportunity to resealed the vac and power steering pump, and paint everything along the way.
The final touch to it all, was a billet intake plate from Crazy Carl's turbos. I've always wanted to reseal the intake manifold area from its 23 year old seals, and while searching the web found CCT intake plates, designed to flow more air to the #1 and #6 cylinders. Well, we shall see in about 8 weeks when I can drive.
So, how I left the truck before going under the knife, was to still flush out the coolant system, adjust ATF levels, check for any oil leaks, and any adjustments to the shift cable still needs to be done, and the idle needs to be raised a touch. When I finally got it started after bleeding all air from the fuel system, the engine was purring quietly. Everything just sounded so tight. All that clacking and ticking noises all gone.
Anyway, so that's where I'm at. I took pics of almost everything, along with step by step notes, so if anyone is interested in parts and part numbers, procedures and steps, ask away,

 

**** Augie!
Hang in there old boy and best wishes on a speedy recovery.

 

That's some snowball effect goin on there. I think I'd be afrade to put those Chevy? wheels back on there.

 

I've stashed some $$ over the years, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. As soon as I am able to drive, it's going in for all its dents and bruises patched up, then a pain job from Vice's Auto Body. Somewhere in that stash of cash I hope I have enough for one of those custom beefy grille guard bumpers from Buckstop.
I've hung onto a bed shell from another dodge that the new owner didn't want, and my body guy says he can repaint over the factory gel coat. This things gonna be looking like Mr. Jim Laynes rig, except in two tone black n gold.