Oct. 31, 2025 – Halloween

Well, Fall arrived with a blast of about a week of rainy, cold and damp weather. I have moved my torpedo heater back into the shop and filled the tank with fresh diesel fuel.

Diesel? Yep. Here in Kentucky, diesel is more than $2 cheaper than kerosene. For the difference, I’m happy to put up with the smell of diesel.

Now the two east-facing overhead doors have been open since …March or April. To get them closed, I first had to pull the 1956 Plymouth into the garage more by about a foot. The Plymouth started after cranking on it, but then it sputtered and quit. Judging by the fact it wouldn”t restart,, I assumed it was out of fuel.

After adding 5 gallons of fresh fuel, she started right up. Pushed the “D” button and hit the throttle …. she tried to pull forward, but a brake was engaged — the right front brake seemed stuck. I began adding throttle until the brake broke loose. The car lunged forward a short distance, but far enough so the fins and bumper cleared the door track.

With all the doors down, it was good to have the heater up and running.

TAMMYS JEEP HOOD REPAIR. I was planning on repairing my wife’s hood this week while she’s on a trip with her cousins, but I decided not to. There’s time for that. I’ll have to pull the Chevy out to pull her car it to work. The Dodge truck is blocking the other door, at least until the truck is running.

I have the materials I need now — a quart of paint, a gallon of urethane thinner and a clear coat. Since I never broke through to bare metal, I basically need to prep the rest of the hood with 1000 grit, clean it and tape it off prior to shooting it.

Right now I plan to paint the entire hood, then a couple coats of clear.

CHEVY WAGON PLANS. My next project is to renew the driver’s side door — new glass, new fuzzies, new rubber, etc.

After the window, I’ll work on door panels. I have all the materials I’ll need. The next interior project will be side rear seat panels and then carpet.

56 PLYMOUTH NEXT? Yeah, I really, really want to get back on the Plymouth bodywork. Of course, I’ll need to move it back to where it was. I’m also going to make some cribbing to raise the car higher than the QuickJack will.