Car problems are multiplied in a vehicle that has been sitting unused for years as was my 1959 GMC pickup that had, among other things, a dry vacuum advance hose, old spark plugs and wires, and other neglected parts that could affect it’s driving performance. Plus, the body was ravaged and the hood and doors would not stay shut.

Worse, I knew nothing and had very few tools.

Here is an account of a single drive to school during morning rush hour.

At the time I was attending school in a western town and the truck was replacement for the failed Fiat 850 Sport Spyder.

It had a little trouble with idling. The sketch was drawn and the account was written more than 40 years ago. Were the me of today transported back into then, the outcome would have been very different and the story might never have happened. There certainly wouldn’t have been any bad language and I would be able to enjoy the sound of that superb motor purring reliably.