First things first...the shell comes off!  Note to self: next time you remove a camper shell, get some help.  That sucker is made out of steel and weighs a ton!  After it sent me rocketing straight down to the driveway on my hands and knees, it followed me, effectively trapping me inside.  Fortunately, it has a door.

The next worry was an old one - the tires.  Fortunately, the junkyard around the corner had some used ones with at least some tread on them.  So, for 20 bucks, I threw four tires in the bed and the guys at Big O put them on for me.  They're a little bigger than stock, but they aren't going to go flat!

Next stop, the car wash.  It's much cleaner and the 40 years of accumulated hay, straw and chicken feed is now officially gone!

Here's part of the problem with the interior.  Remember, Grandpa used this as his everyday work truck from 1964 until the early 1990's.  From about 1996 until we drove it home, it sat in a dusty barn with the driver's window rolled down.  Mice heaven!  So, the upholstery is pretty well worn out.  Fortunately, the headliner is A-OK.  In fact, most of the interior work is just clean up.  All of the dash lights work, but the speedometer doesn't.  Even the cigarette lighter works!

Disaster strikes!  Or does it?  After a quick two mile drive for tires and a wash, the engine won't start!  After a lot of head scratching, wire pulling, plug checking, point filing and other sundry tasks, I realize that I've made a big mistake...

There is still 7 year old gasoline in the tank.  It looks like gas, sloshes like gas and smells like varnish.  So, next weekend's project is to drain the gas tank and put some good gas in.

In the meantime, here's a nice view of the engine.  It's a 225CI slant six.  The big, round black thing on top is the oil bath air cleaner.  The two hoses leading back to the firewall go to the dealer-installed heater.

Again, there's a lot of dirt and grease in here and, as you can see, a little surface rust, but, overall, everything is very sound.

To finish up this week's tour, here's a picture of the back of the truck.  Yep, Grandpa was a dippin' man.  Hopefully you can see that the body is straight, with very little rust and no dents.

I was surprised to discover at the car wash that none of the windows or door seals leak.  Even with the high-power pressure wash, no water got inside!

Also, in front of the truck, you'll see the ten-ton camper shell from hell.