So, as I sit here staring at the blank page my thoughts are leaning not towards my unfinished “old” projects but to newer vehicles. Specifically diesel trucks.
     The lease on my 2005 Dodge Dakota is at its end and though the truck was fine in many ways, it lacked the towing capacity needed to haul our new-to-us 24-foot car hauler/rolling retail space. We got the trailer for a couple of reasons. First, we were tired of putting up and taking down tents at outdoors shows while also constantly worrying if a sudden wind storm or rainy day would turn our magazines in to soggy, destroyed recycling. This trailer has a concession door so we can roll up to shows, park, open the door and get down to business. If it rains, we won’t panic, we’ll just chill. (Yes, if you’re nearby you can duck in to avoid the rain). Secondly, my delusions of grandeur include one day having a show worthy or even 1/4 mile car to haul with us to these shows. The trailer came to us at the right moment for the right price and we took the plunge.
     The trailer was in Strathmore, AB and I scheduled pick up for the same week as the Radium Hot Springs show. (See feature in last issue, Vol 4, Issue 4). I took the CHR ’82 Suburban to pick it up, figuring this would be a good test for the 3/4 tonne beasty I’d finished refurbishing just months before. I purchased the trailer from Don & Gayle Cooper at Street Rod Corner and they were gracious enough to let me spend the night before leaving for Radium the next day. Don was tinkering on a customer’s ’34 Ford coupe and asked if I’d mind putting it in the trailer for the trip to Radium. No problem. Another good test.
     Well, sadly, I quickly discovered the 350 was no match for the trailer and cargo.  

     Deep down I knew this, but I hoped for the best. Hope disappeared as I started to climb Hwy 93 to Radium. The small block and Turbo 400 started to complain. On steeper grades 60 km/h was all the Chevy could muster. We made it without overheating or any damage, but I knew I had worked the drivetrain very hard and a few more trips like that could lead to some catastrophic failures.
     I contemplated building a 383 stroker tow motor, but the more information I gathered on diesel motors, the more sense it made to step up to the big league torque these 6 cylinder engines can produce.
     I asked around and found that the 5.9 (359ci) 24 valve Cummins engine was one of the best on t he market. At 2,900 rpm, the 5.9 produces anywhere from 235 to 325 hp but the important number is the 460-610 lb-ft of torque it can produce at just 1,600 rpm. As many people told me, you won’t even know the trailer’s behind you with one of those.
     I searched the Truck Trader and online sources, but soon found a 2005 Dodge Ram 3500, loaded, with just 72,000 kms at the same local dealership, Woodgrove Chrysler, I’d leased the Dakota from. The doom and gloom plaguing the auto industry didn’t really factor into my thoughts when I started looking for a vehicle. I figured I’d do my part to help it out and with just 8 months remaining on the Ram’s warranty, I figured if Chrysler did go bankrupt it wouldn’t be within that time range. (I know, I could still be wrong). While I don’t have any experience with diesel pickups, I soon learned there’s a premium when it comes to the price tag. Even used, a diesel engine seems to add $5,000 to $10,000 to the price of a truck in comparison to similarly optioned gas engine pickups. 

     Well, the gas mileage when towing should be better and the towing performance will definitely be better so I justified the cost difference pretty quickly. After a few weeks of navel gazing and a few back and forths on price, I’ve made an offer and should know if it gets approved before this magazine hits the press in a few hours.
     Of course, I’ve been told a diesel service is a little more pricey than a gas engine service. I know there’s almost double the oil  — 10 quarts — and that fuel injectors can get very pricey. Then there’s the turbo. Kind of funny that my first turbo vehicle — and therefore practical chance to examine the mechanics up close — will be on a pickup  truck.
     Next thing you know I’ll be buying Diesel Power magazine and joining the Diesel Hot Rod Association. I’ll keep you posted. 

                          * * * * 
     Have to use some of this space to apologize to the 60 or so subscribers who had the delivery of Volume 4, Issue 4 delayed due to a error on the address labels that originated at our printer in Quebec. Seems that several copies, and so far it seems mostly in Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan, had the subscriber name, city, town and postal code on the label, but only a portion of the actual address. Some smaller Canada Post outlets took the time to forward these magazines anyways. Other outlets in bigger centres simply returned the magazines as undeliverable.
     The way it works is that two weeks to a month or so after a mailout, Canada Post sends me electronic notification of “undeliverable addresses” so I didn’t know about the error for quite a while after the mail out. I think we now have it under control and we’ve mailed out issues to all those Canada Post indicated were affected. Again my apologies.