These are your kind of people

[Kevin Mienke]

I desperately wanted to have my disc brakes and lockout hubs installed on Fenway for the rally, but it's looking as if that won't happen, not because of time constraints, but rather, due to financial matters. I have the Helitool kit on the shelf but need to purchase rotors and calipers. There are a few other things that I would like to have had completed, but the dollar totals add up. None of these issues will keep the truck from starting, driving or stopping but I really wanted to have everything done for this one, THE BIGGEST EVER.
As I lamented that my beloved truck would not be "complete", Momma reminded me that the rally is about seeing friends who love the same things as I do and seeing their unique trucks in all state of repair or disrepair. It's about putting a face with the names we see here daily. It's about exchanging ideas and stories with people who will understand.
Momma, Colt and I have been to the last two rallies, albeit for short periods of time (baseball tournament conflicts) and without the truck (in boxes on the shelf) but we enjoyed every minute. I was able to meet a few of the people who provided inspiration and information when the scope of my project seemed huge. A reminder to all, as Momma reminded me, come as you are, bring your truck as it is and enjoy the company. These are your kind of people.

[JimmieD]

Couldn't agree more, Kevin!

If it's all about going to see neat rows of perfectly restored Dodges/Power Wagons with every nut, bolt and detail like it just rolled out the doors of the factory then it's sorta ho-hum in a way. Most of our trucks are a work in progress, and financial ability varies, so even if it has to be towed in with a rope and a mule it's good to go!

Sure wish I could have made it this year, but my own finances and responsibilities wouldn't allow. I'll be there in spirit to haunt though ha haha!

[Bruce]

Maybe next year for me? I couldn't agree w/you anymore, these are "Our Kind of People"!

[Gordon Maney]

Kevin, you have brakes on the truck now. They are perfectly fine; just as Dodge intended.

Do not lament a thing.

Some really clever conversion work is done so that you can't even tell that the change occurred. We will tell people that you did it so that it still looks original, it still looks like drum brakes, even though it is a disc setup on the front now.

[Kevin Mienke]

Couldn't agree more, Kevin!

If it's all about going to see neat rows of perfectly restored Dodges/Power Wagons with every nut, bolt and detail like it just rolled out the doors of the factory then it's sorta ho-hum in a way. Most of our trucks are a work in progress, and financial ability varies, so even if it has to be towed in with a rope and a mule it's good to go!

Sure wish I could have made it this year, but my own finances and responsibilities wouldn't allow. I'll be there in spirit to haunt though ha haha!

You're right, everyone's truck is unique with its own look and its own story. Some old Dodges are able to tell their own story, such as a truck whose 50 year old door graphics have been preserved enough to be ledgible.
I enjoy seeing them all, whether they are perfectly restored to factory specs, completely untouched or modified in good taste.
I think the truck that has made the greatest impression on me personnally is Tom Petroff's WDX. It is his truck that inspires me to have everything complete. True to the theme of this thread, Tom is good people

[Kevin Mienke]

Kevin, you have brakes on the truck now. They are perfectly fine; just as Dodge intended.

Do not lament a thing.

Some really clever conversion work is done so that you can't even tell that the change occurred. We will tell people that you did it so that it still looks original, it still looks like drum brakes, even though it is a disc setup on the front now.

It is the drum to Disc brake conversion taught at the University of Okoboji.

[MoparNorm]

Is the University near the Lake? ....= )

[Kevin Mienke]

Is the University near the Lake? ....= )

Norm, If you are interested in the Okoboji disc brake conversion, Dr. Gordon Maney of the Okoboji Power Wagon Club and myself will be speaking at the Iowa Rally on June 6-9. All or none of your questions may be answered at that time.

[MoparNorm]

Ha!Ha!
I have In-laws in Okoboji.....

[JimmieD]

Hah, small world, I used to play there when I was kid! Wasn't there a place called 'Arnold's Park' there? Oh, but we had good fun as barefoot boys there, in the sweet innocence of youth...

[Kevin Mienke]

Yes, Arnold's Park is still up and running. I spent a few days there myself as a kid and take my family there now. My Granddad's farm was a short distance from there in Emmetsburg, Iowa. You may be surprised to find out that the park hasn't changed much since the sixties. Going to Arnold's park is like stepping back in time.

[JimmieD]

Thanks for the pic, Kevin, that really jogged the memory. Funny, we may have already bumped into each other many years ago, maybe along with several other Iowans here on this forum! I could go on for hundreds of pages about the midwest and its fine people. Folks don't come much better, far as I'm concerned.