UPDATE: Click here to read Steve’s Report on the whole weekend, including his personal adventures
I may not be the smartest cob in the corn patch, but one thing I do know, it shouldn’t require gloves to start a M-677 Forward Control Jeep. But, I quickly learned that Steve’s FC isn’t your ordinary vehicle. It really does require gloves, because it has a manual choke. And by manual, I mean he uses his gloved hand. Ordinarily, I like this bit of ingenuity, but after a couple rotations of the engine, fire exploded out the carb, making all four of us — me in the passenger seat, Steve in the driver’s seat, and Jeff and Mitch in the rear spots where there should have been a rear bench seat — nearly jump out of the vehicle. Fortunately, Steve had everything under control. I could tell this by the way he immediately pulled off the glove and beat out the fire with it. No, this wasn’t a ride in an FC; it was a ride more akin to Mr. Toad’s Excellent Adventure. 🙂
It all started with Mitch stopping by the house this afternoon to join me on a drive in Biscuit to Tacoma to drop by the FC Get Together. I neglected to mention to Mitch that this was Biscuit’s first drive on an interstate. I figured it wasn’t that important. Given the confidence he already felt in the jeep after it wouldn’t start right away (loose positive cable), I figured we’d test it on the interstate before I mentioned the ‘Hey, did you know this was the first time I’ve driven Biscuit on an Interstate?’ factoid. Fortunately, Biscuit behaved well throughout the journey.
Upon arriving at the FC Event, Mitch and I were warmly greeted by Blaine, Steve, Dave and others. Mitch already knew several people as he owns a couple FCs, more for property decorations than actual use I think as they remain future projects — a status held by many FCs it seems — but none-the-less beloved by him. But, whom am I to talk, as I have plenty of future projects of my own ….
Not long after arriving, Blaine and I enjoyed some fun trading war stories from the relationship and dating fronts. Between the two of us there were plenty of “what was I thinking” and “should it really be this hard”. Once we finally dissected the female pysche and concluded we had no chance against such formidable opponents, he suggested I take a look at a flat fender model jeep he made in his early teens from cereal boxes. It was pretty cool, so he has promised to send pics (don’t forget Blaine!).
Soon, everyone’s attention turned to the repair of a fuel line. Most of us gathered around the FC-150 like a bunch of lookie-loos. Some of us pressed against the front windows looking at Jeff install a fuel filter to provide cleaner fuel to the carb. You’d think with our goofy smiles we were kids all lined up , leaning on a glass counter trying to decide on the flavor of ice cream we wanted; it was a pretty funny site, not lost on the folks behind us snapping pictures. Of course, I was at the glass too, staring inside the cab when the repair was declared successful. Mission complete, now for the next challenge.
The next challenge didn’t take long and came in the form of Steve’s M-677 that sports a 289 Pontiac (?). You’d think I could tell you what the engine was because, due to the lack of an engine cover, I was staring right down at it, with the fan blade just a little ways away from sending me to the hospital. Fear not, for it was all part of the adventure I told myself.
As mentioned, there was fire, but Steve got that fixed and we were on our way. It turns out that a V8 powers a M-677 really well. As Jeff and Mitch held on in the back, Steve showed us that the old truck still had life in it, accelerating pretty quickly despite a flat spot in the carb. As Steve chauffered us, passersby were injuring their necks, craning them as they wondered what type of unearthly vehicle it was. As for the passengers, I don’t think any of us stopped laughing the entire time. For Mitch and I, it was only our second FC ride ever and, at least in my case, the best one! So, many thanks to Steve for taking the time to give us a ride.
Shortly after the ride was over, Mitch and I headed back for Biscuit’s 2nd time on the Interstate. We had fun and look forward to next year’s get-to-gether. Apparently, it will need to be at a new location, so if anyone has any ideas for next year, please send them to me.
Oh yeah, the Get Together lasts through Sunday, so you still have time to check it out if you are in the Seattle area.
Below: This was before we all lined up to ‘help’ fix the gas line problem.
And last, but not least, is Steve’s fire breathing M-677. The ride was quite literally a blast! Thanks Steve.
