"Jackur" 2003 Ford E350 Diesel 4X4 Build.

[dwh]

The van is back in my driveway after two years.

Unfortunately Lost…Again, the owner has past away, a victim of a biased, relentless judicial process that stripped him of fatherhood for no reason at all other than the imagined fear of a vindictive almost ex-wife and her bulldog, man-hating lawyer. Tom took his own life rather than face life as a felon after 33 years of honorable service and numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Who would think that trying to see your boys after 13 months time and just a few miles distance could lead to an FBI SWAT team raid on your house (lived on the NH Vermont border, crossed the state line), and an eventual sentence of 14 months in a federal prison. Rising from an enlisted man to a Navy Captain is meaningless if the local police wanna-be's think that your being a veteran Explosive Ordnanceman with a whiney wife equates to the uni-bomber. The restraining order was issued based on his "special skills" and not a single incident of abuse.

And I'm betting not a single incident of blowing things up either.

I'm not going to dump all over your thread by getting into the fascist police-state conspiracy theory aspects of this - other than to say that I'm hoping it'll ultimately come to a military and LEO led coup rather the general uprising and eventual revolution that I actually expect is going to happen.

Enough on that, but I just spent a year fighting in court to keep the ***** from getting the van. Tom left it to me in his final E-mail and a signed (but not with two witnesses) statement.

Good for you! Probably the only tear she shed, other than crocodile tears in public, was the fact that she wasn't able to steal *every single thing* he owned.

Sucks that it probably cost you more than the van was worth in dollars. Though there are other measures of value.

Here's to a Mustang!

And a quote from a Navy ring-knocker:


"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.

Specialization is for insects."


— Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love



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Moving on...

So the Partner stove idea didn't work out as well as I imagined it would? (I'm very interested because I was planning to do the same on my next truck.)

 

[shachagra]

So the Partner stove idea didn't work out as well as I imagined it would? (I'm very interested because I was planning to do the same on my next truck.)

I think it did work out but the stove is one of the few things that didn't get to me with the van, and as I have the webasco, I'm going to use it.

I too am a huge Heinlein fan- and speaking of a gallant death... Tom was mater-of-fact until the end. He said he wasn't going to prison, and wasn't going to run. He wrote an E-mail to his friends explaining his actions, drove to the hospital, put a sign around his neck not to resuscitate, but to collect his organs, and put a bullet through his heart. As close to Hari Kari as it comes. He wasn't going to live in shame.

 

[ujoint]

Small world- you must have done the lift she's sporting since I last saw her. it looks great. During the court proceedings his wife mentioned that he had spent money on a "U-joint"
That must have been you.

We didn't lift it, just gave it some new wheels & tires along with converting it to 8 on 170mm which may be good info for you in the future! No more propietary Quigley parts as far as the brakes & unit bearings are concerned.

 

[philos]

Really very sorry to hear about your friend. Sounds like he was an amazing person, and that makes it so much heavier to bear.

 

[ben2go]

I am saddened to here of his ordeal and passing in such a way.I was once put in that position and his plan was my plan, if the truth hadn't come out on the other side.It makes me sick how some people will destroy someone in such ways just to satisfy their twisted need to win.

 

[guidolyons]

What a day to stumble upon this thread. Condolences, admiration, and amazement. The journey continues.....

+1 condolences and admiration.
I was not expecting that!

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[thjakits]

Hey Shachagra,

HOW is JAKUR doing these days? ....what are you up to?

Your builds are awesome - we need more!:sombrero:


Cheers,

thjakits