Service vehicles

[Larry Fisher]

Hi all, 

Over the years I've tried my fair share of rigs to go to Mr. and Mrs.
Pianoowner's house.

69 Honda 350 Dream Cycle ..... great gas mileage, lousy in snow, doesn't
carry much, and everything that had a screw thread ..... came apart.  You
couldn't carry a grand action with this thing, but then I wasn't getting
much grand piano traffic in them days.

2 Toyota Corollas ......  total waste, not very snow worthy, doesn't carry much

51 Buford $150  half Buick and half Ford P/up.  Nice ride, carried plenty,
couldn't find parts for it and it looked funny.  Sold $200

68 Ford LTD  $350  ......  carried plenty, rode nice, lousy gas mileage,
expensive to fix, ignition switch failed.

75 Jeep CJ5  $5K new  ......  cold, not water tight, doesn't stay upright in
the turns (rollbar a life saver), doesn't do very well in snow, great ground
clearance,doesn't do a 4 wheel drift without the insurance company finding
out about it, rough ride, contents not secure with rag top, noisey, 15 MPG,
can't carry a grand action without taking the rag top apart somewhere, and
then you risk damage due to exposure.  Adding headers to a straight 6
cylinder was an eyebrow raiser on this one.  I think the frame cracked when
I did some serious rock jumping with this one.

Datsun 510 .... fun to drive, doesn't carry much, parks anywhere, decent mileage

Datsun p/up   ..... two of them  $1200 and $6000 .......  good runners,
cheap to fix, cheap to run and insure, one had a camper shell .... both were
gutless.  Carried lots and went pretty good through snow when fully loaded.

76 Buick Electra Park Avenue Limited Edition   $1750......... WHAT A PIG!!
Sure rode nice, and you could carry a fallboard assembly in the rear window
sill, and still see out the window through your rear view mirror. A complete
grand action could be loaded in the trunk (the hood for you Brits) with the
lid closed.  I was told there was a full service casino in the rear seat but
I never found it. A most definate PRAIRIE YACHT!!!  Every time I stepped on
the gas, I was reminded of flushing the toilet.

82 Chevy S10 Tahoe 4X4   ......  nice, fairly good power, and when it was
fully loaded with all my goodies  (organ repair included) it went like a
snowplow ......  through anything.  The engine spun a bearing at 90K
climbing the roller coaster out of Denver  (I 76).  It never was right after
that.  I got a good resale on it.

86 Dodge p/up 4X4  5/8 ton  ......  goes through anything, but when it
starts to slide, say yer prayers.  It don't stop on a dime, and it ain't
built fer 90 MPH.  14 MPG can't complain there.  I still have this truck
having bought it new, and at 125K it's a hard working piano haulin' mule.
Everyone pretty much gets the hell outta muh way when I'm hooked to a 12'
trailer with this rig.  $12K orginally, one engine replaced, and I'm
presently on my third set of tires.  For what it costs me for one tire for
this rig, I can buy an entire set for the Honda.

Pickups in general are a pain to crawl into and look for materials and
supplies, especially in the dark when it's 40 below with a good strong wind
howling  (they're leaky)  Ya also can't take a decent nap in them unless you
crawl into the box.

82 Honda Civic wagon ....... now there's a rig.  It carries everything I
need when I need it to.  It has terrific ground clearance for the occational
joy ride down a jeep trail through the woods ......  critter chasin'.  It
will carry a grand action, a player piano action, all my player supplies, a
drill press, welding goodies, bales of straw, 5 humans, (no, not all at
once) and with the 1752 CC engine I put in it a while back, it can lay a
patch on drive pavement most any day of the year.  That's when it squeeks a
bit.  It presently has 252K and smokes a bit.  I quit smokin' and it
started.  It's cheap to fix, cheap to run, cheap to insure and when I hit a
deer with it a few years back, I drove away, the deer just layed there.  She
got a real close look at my headlight ....... that never broke.  5 engines,
a tranny, a host of small goods all for less than $7000 total including cost
of car to go 115K in 8 years.  Cheap transportation compared to the Buick,
but then so is a bulldozer.

WTB Honda Civic Wagon ......  drive train trashed? no problem.

Lar



                                    Larry Fisher RPT
   specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff
      phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com
         http://www.pacifier.com/~larryf/ (revised 10/96)
           Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water