The Thank You Series, Part 3 of 7

As I type, spring is about 19 and a half days away, due to arrive in the early evening of March 20th. I decided to mark the occasion this year with the Thank You Series, in recognition of those whose help along the way has been a critical part of making this amateur's dream happen. And happen it will this spring, as all that's left before we can go down the road is a finished brake job, a new battery and a visit or two to the DMV. These posts will go up on Sunday and Thursday until March 12th, with the seventh appearing Friday March 20th, the day spring arrives.

Part 3 of 7: Hilton
This is one of the things I love most about this adventure. Complete strangers who know what it's like and are willing to lend a hand. Just a few days after we got the truck running, I went out to see if it would start without help. As I pushed the floor button to engage the starter, it snapped off. It had obviously broken at least once previously and been quickly welded back together. Thinking that having it welded yet again wasn't the best idea, I set about trying to find the entire starter bracket.

I couldn't locate the part in any of my catalogs and didn't think to try ebay, probably because I wasn't even sure how to identify it. "Starter thingy?" "Foot doohickey?" Pretty sure that wasn't going to get me anywhere. I decided to post about it on a message board where I was a member, begging forgiveness for my ignorance and describing the part as well as I could. A wonderful gentleman from Canada named Hilton responded, and we ended up speaking on the phone. Turns out he's a custom/restoration guy with his own shop, who regularly turns out projects that go for six figures. He ended up pulling the part off one of the trucks outside his shop in Manitoba, boxed it up and shipped it to me, completely free of charge. It bolted on easily and has worked perfectly since.

Thank you again for your kindness and generosity, Hilton. I'll never forget it.


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