This, a brief but necessary entry. We pulled into Ford this morning and expected the worst. We waited for the shop to warm up for about 30 minutes, and then we pulled the truck con camper into the shop. Brant had a close eye on the mechanic, a different one than before, to see how the problem would be solved.
Kevin pulled out his dolly and an air chisel, laid down under the truck and began tap-tap-tapping at the bolt. Then he got up and went to the back, and we could hear him sharpening the tool. He came back and resumed the position, increasing the power of the air chisel little by little. Brant, watching from above, saw the bolt move.
"Didja see that?" Kevin asked.
"Yep," Brant replied between held breaths.
Tap-tap-tap. The bolt moved again, half a turn, and then Kevin reached up and unscrewed it by hand. Shouts went up in the shop. Whoops and hollers of joy commenced. Fireworks started going off in the background. OK, maybe not fireworks, but the elation could have warranted them. Kevin had a new trick. And that one worked. He had used the air chisel to cut a notch in the skirt of the bolt, and then the combined pressure and tapping had freed the threads. He bolted in the new cam sensor we had bought from them the week before, and the yellow carbon copy we took with us testified to the $32.50 his trick had cost. The relief was tangible, as you can imagine.
The Evil Bolt, released.
It's 10:30am now, and we plan on finishing off the repairs and modifications to our rig, (thermostat leak, fan switch, vent covers, etc), helping Charles and Mary with their plight as best we can, taking another exploratory journey through this incredible area, then heading out either tonight or early tomorrow back towards the snow.
Alleluiah. We aren't quite ready to put the snowboards away yet.
