Well, what a
long and very hard day this has been. On the happy/sad side, my driveway now
contains only one car…mine. I realized last night that I needed some extra
paperwork in order to sell El Burrito. So, I waited until AJ and Haley got here
before leaving for the licensing place, just in case Bob (the purchaser)
arrived before I got back.
First off, I got in my car and
the battery was dead. I shouldn’t have been surprised because Magic Toyota told
me a year ago (or more) that I needed a new one. Amazingly, in the latest car
review, Magic told me the battery was fine.
So, they were just a little off with regard to my need for a replacement
a year ago.
AJ
was a bit impatient and I ended up in tears. I didn’t sleep well last night and
the tears were just begging to fill my eyes and roll down my cheeks. How could I possibly be so emotional about a POS
that hasn’t run in decades? Anyway, Haley drove me in her dad’s truck (I sat in
the back for Coronavirus safety purposes, plus we sanitized our hands every
other minute.) to the license office. I got the necessary paperwork and then
she took me to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts for a new battery. We returned home
and Bob was here.
It
took about five hours to get everything together and for El Burrito to be towed
away. You see, it came with all the pieces and parts John had purchased over
the years in order to restore it at some point. It wasn’t like the parts were
stored in one place. There was a stack of boxes in one area, the 350 cubic inch
motor and extra transmission were tucked under the work bench. They were,
though, on wheeled beds, so not much in the way of lifting. Bob brought some
kind of device which jacked up the engine so it could be placed in the back of
his wife’s truck. She also ended up with a variety of car parts.
Bob
happened to spy a shelf on the north side of the garage which appeared to have
car parts. And, lo and behold, it did, so he pulled them out of there and they
were added to either his wife’s truck or the El Burrito. Hopefully, he didn’t
think I was trying to hide them from him. And, who knows, there may be other
pieces that will surface as the clean up continues. I told Bob I’d call if I
found anything else.
Then,
there were the extra doors, tailgate, another transmission, a variety of parts I couldn’t
identify if you paid me, as well as pieces of glass for the canopy which was on
the roof of the garage. By the time Bob got El Burrito on the tow bar, the truck
bed was stuffed with parts. It was also
obvious at this point that El Burrito would need a different set of tires on
the rear if it wasn’t going to drag as it was being towed.
Bob
and his wife left in their respective vehicles and returned a while later,
having unloaded the first cargo of stuff at their house. Bob also brought
different tires which he put on the back of El Burrito. While they were gone,
AJ and Haley figured out how to get the canopy off the garage roof. They had
barely set it down on the driveway when Bob returned.
Between
Bob, AJ and Haley, everything else that hadn’t been loaded, was loaded and Bob’s
El Camino hooked up to the tow bar. AJ and Haley had their photo taken standing
at the front of El Burrito and AJ took some photos of El Burrito as it left the
neighborhood for the last time. Bob’s wife followed him as a safety precaution.
I
have to admit that Bob was very excited to get El Burrito. His smile stretched
ear to ear. He told me he had already planned his day for tomorrow. He’s going
to get El Burrito running and then check out the brakes. I hope he achieves his
goal. El Burrito was a great El Camino in her day. I hope she will be again one
day soon.
Had
to smile through the tears…El Camino towing El Burrito away…somehow most
fitting.