My part in this build started on April 1st of 2014, and has a story to go with it. My grandpa bought this truck long ago and I have fond memories as a kid riding in it with him and my grandma on camping trips. He used it to pull his 5th wheel and fishing boat during his retirement years. Around 5 years ago he passed away and my uncle got the truck. Whether they were just hard on it or the truck was just getting old the poor thing was showing its age. It put out blue smoke, AC sorta worked, and many other quirks. Honestly it made me sad to see it in such shape. Then about 4 months ago my uncle decided he was done using (abusing?) the truck and it came into my parents possession. I was ecstatic and immediately told them the truck is mine when they are done using it. They needed something to haul dirt around, loads to the dump, etc... since they had a big yard and the truck did the job well. They proceeded to sink 3k into it for new tires, exhaust, AC tune up, and various other things. The motor still smoked but pulled strong. I imagined getting the truck one day and restoring it to its original glory until.... A few days ago just after 8 .m. when my parents left for work, a driver of a SUV who was on drugs or alcohol ( or both) was going fast north on 400 West near our house when he veered off the road for some reason and crashed through our neighbors fence, our mailbox, and the big green electric-company box, and then smashed into the driver's side of our truck that was parked in the driveway. You can see from the photos that the SUV pushed the truck nearly to right angles with the garage. The SUV had no plates; and, of course, the driver had no driver's license and was not insured. He got out and ran around the fence into our other neighbors' yard. That neighbor saw him--she had heard the crash and was coming out to see what had happened. She followed behind him and saw him climb over their fence in the back of her yard. The driver behind the one who hit our truck saw everything happen and called the police, who arrived in just a few minutes, found the man cutting through yards, and arrested him. He is in jail now. The electricity was out for several hours while the power company brought in a new green box and installed it. My parents were at work until nearly 6 p.m. and came home to find the mess.

Thank you to all our volunteers yesterday who came together to dismantle some structures up American Fork Canyon. It was a great evening up the canyon with pleasant temperatures and fresh air as we made our way up the hiking trail to the first section of structures. Some worked on dismantling the structures, while others lined up the logs to be cut up and dispersed the cut logs. Another group also hiked further up the trail to find additional structures that had been reported to us. The first few structures were dismantled and starting to be cut up when the hiking group returned to report 2 more larger structures up higher. We split the group with some going up to begin dismantling the upper structures while some stayed at the first site dispersing the cut up branches. After finishing at the first site, the rest of the group hiked to the upper site which had been dismantled and ready for cutting. By this point we had worked out a pretty good system and had the logs cut up quickly and dispersed. During this project there was also a bag of trash collected, and two large steel sections of piping removed from the area. The tools used on this project were purchased using a State OHV Fiscal Incentive Grant. These grants are funded by OHV registration, and are used only for projects that benefit OHV recreation. We are grateful the state has these grants available, and for the tools that allowed us to quickly and safely complete this project. Thanks again to our great volunteers who knocked out this project! Til' Next Time!

Have you ever had something you thought was really neat, but didn't have the time to look into it so it sat dormant in your mind? Thats how it was for me with a photo of a trestle bridge along the Tintic Range Railway(AKA Eureka Branch Rio Grande Western Railway). Over 10 years ago i was wandering out in the desert when i came across a tunnel i could drive though. What a find i thought, and what an awesome experience to unexpectedly stumble across something like that! Well that tunnel turned out to be Tunnel 1 of 3 along a section of the Tintic Range Railway even though i didn't know it at the time. Years later a photo was shared of a amazing "Double Circle" trestle bridge with 4 trains in the picture and a statement that it was from that area. This piqued my interest, and i told myself to keep an eye out in the area for a spot that looked similar to where it was taken but i didn't devote much thought to it. Finally a few weeks ago the thought crept back into my mind about the train, and things sort of fell into place for me about where i suspected the location was. I jumped on google earth, drew out a map of where i suspected the route was and the tunnels based off the terrain, made a guess where the photo was taken, and headed out to see if my assumptions were correct. For this trip i managed to con my wife and kids to assist me along with my friend Coy. We started out by parking Coys truck down near tunnel 1, then all piled together in my Jeep and headed up to the suspected photo location. Coy and i hiked up to the spot and took dozens of photos while trying to guess exactly where the original photographer was standing. We took a bit more time than intended, and my kids were getting a bit restless so we all went and hiked up to the second tunnel area to get some of the kids energy burned off. Afterwards we all took a drive up the canyon to the north end of Eureka where Coy and I were dropped off to begin our 6.7 mile hike following the grade i had conned him into. This section of the railway was constructed in 1891, and after a hike down the canyon a ways we came to the area where Tunnel 3 was located. This tunnel was closed in 1924 after a fire damaged the support timbers causing stability issues and the track was re-routed around the hill. We followed the original route and hiked up and over the tunnel. At the top there was a slight cave in of the tunnel, and i started climbing down in but it was turning into quite the squeeze and the surrounding rock didnt seem entirely stable so i backed out. Our journey continued on to Tunnel 2, which lead to some neat photos due to its dramatic cut through the mountain. This tunnel was also collapsed/sealed on both ends, but as we climbed over the top it too had a cave in but a much larger one. Even though the rock seemed a bit unstable here as well, we decided to climb down in and check it out. Inside it was relatively the same as Tunnel 1 in dimensions, but there were piles of rock scattered about where sections had come down over the years. Nearing the "back" of the tunnel now made into a cave, Coy spotted what looked like fiberglass slivers strewn about. Upon closer inspection we determined the slivers came from larger fibrous clusters that appeared to be "growing" on some rocks. At the time i wondered if it was a type of fungus, however we later discovered it was natural asbestos. With that in mind i highly recommend bringing some sort of mask if you plan to enter Tunnel 2, or just look in from the outside. After leaving Tunnel 2 we had an uneventful hike down the rest of the grade, through some more neat cuts into the mountain, passed the photo location, down to tunnel 1, and back to the truck. All along the route we came across old spike, metal plates, building foundations, and other railroad items pulled up and left behind which kept you always on the lookout. Overall it was a great adventure and nice to finally have knocked it off my backlog. The next time you are looking through old photos and one piques your interest, maybe seeing if you can track it down will lead to your next adventure! Til' Next Time! Further Info: The original photo i used was taken by Charles Roscoe Savage. I found it on the BYU digital collections library page. Their site has tons of historic photos and is quite interesting to browse through. I highly recommend it. Photo source - https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/Savage/id/1187 Courtesy, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 There is quite a bit of information around this section of the train grade, additional sidings along the route, ownership changes, and tons more easily found on the internet. To keep my post short(ish) i have left quite a bit out but recommend reading up on this interesting piece of history if you have the time.

What a fantastic day to be on the trails in Eureka this morning for this months ride! We were fortunate to have the mayor of Eureka take the group on a guided tour of various mining sites and related historical areas surrounding Eureka. Each stop we were treated to a history of the area, stories, and experiences all with a beautifully scenic backdrop and great weather. After the tour those who were interested met up in town for a late lunch at “B’s” and some even tried the “pickle bomb” among other tasty foods. Thank you to everyone who were able to attend. This was definitely one of my favorite trips to date and an unique experience. We would love to see any pictures you took from the trip and any stories from the day you have to share. Til’ Next Time!

Due to the popularity of the Eureka Mayor trip we setup this second trip 2 weeks later for those who weren't able to attend the first one. Nick(Mayor of Eureka) was great again as our tour guide of the area showing us historical sites and sharing the history of the area. Since i had attended the previous ride i expected to hear the same stories, but although some of the core stories were the same he also shared other stories, experiences, and history i hadnt heard before. I was also able to bring a recording device and capture the audio from the tour which i hope to be able to share with everyone at a later time. Thanks again to everyone who was able to attend. It was another great day on the trail, and another fun lunch at the local diner with the Mayor where we discussed a future unique tour that we will be sure to post up about. Til' Next Time!

Thank you to all who were able to come out to this years clean up of 5 Mile Pass! We had 78 volunteers sign in, and over 100+ participants coming together to enjoy and give back to our public lands. I want to give a special thanks to Aj Swenson and Northridge4x4 for sponsoring the event, providing breakfast, raffle items, and joining in on the cleanup/trail ride. Its great to see local businesses getting involved directly in the sport, and public lands. Thanks also goes to all the great clubs and groups who make this event happen. In particular: -Wasatch Offroad who lead Sidewinder -M.O.O.R. Members Only Off Road who lead Constrictor -Crawlnder for leading Rattlesnake, with Crawler Ready gunning -Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association for donating gloves for participants. -Red Rock Crawlers for filming the event, and Computune Certified Auto Repair for providing them transportation -Utah State Parks Off-highway Vehicle Program for providing trash bags and support each yeah through their volunteer and trail host program. And of course our thanks to our great volunteers from BOAR handling the general event management, breakfast cooking, and trail guiding. I also want to thank At Your Leisure - AYL for attending and filming the event for an episode of their television show, and look forwarding to seeing it air. Its great to have a show that shows the positive impact we can all make by giving back some of our time to the areas we enjoy. As a group we were able to fill a dump trailer with trash, which totaled 980lbs removed from the area! Thank you all for another great day on the trail with great friends for a great cause. Til' Next Time!

BOAR returned again this year for the 4th year of the Wasatch Wigeon Outdoor Youth Fair. Our members have been supporting this event since its first year and we had another great time showing kids that there is tons to do outdoors that is load of fun. This year we brought back the roof top tent for kids to climb in, s'more making station complete with campfire, ATV simulator courtesy of the DNR, and of course lots of swag items and balloons which were a hit. Despite having fewer vendors this year due to a scheduling issue with the park, there were more kids than ever and we were quite slammed keeping up with the rush. The event topped off with a large raffle where practically everyone won some great prizes. Thanks again to the Wasatch Wigeons for hosting this event again. We love that this event is free to the public, family oriented, and is geared towards getting folks outside. Til' Next Time!

We had a great time kicking off our summer season of service up AF Canyon. Our group met up at the horse transfer station and divided with one part tackling repairing and installing new signage on the station kiosk, while the other part installed and repaired fencing. Near the end of last season the brand new horse transfer station kiosk was vandalized and the signage smashed into pieces. If you have ever wondered how your donation money to BOAR is used, in this case we volunteered to purchase the replacement sign panel and materials needed for the kiosk repair using donated funds. This alleviated the burden off the Forest Service budget and freed up their funds for other things. The group was able to quickly repair the sign, and moved on to cleaning up trash from our adopted FR-085 trail along with scouting out future project needs along the way. The second group had quite the adventure installing fencing. Although the rail repairs and installs were handled quickly, the various post holes that had to be dug were through some of the rockiest dirt ive seen up there that might as well have been straight stone. Every few inches we were battling bowling ball sized rocks needing to be removed, but the group didn't give up and achieved the goal for the day by building an offset fencing opening on a walking trail to allow hikers access while deterring unapproved motorized use in the area. Both groups then met up by Tibble Fork reservoir and repaired a section of fencing that was falling apart. 2 posts and various rails had to be cut and installed. A member also found the speed limit sign that had fallen down into the bushes, which we were able to reinstall. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend this project. It was a blast and we are looking forward to our future projects together! We also are excited to announce that this year we have a fun new volunteer sticker depicting our Boar character with a Sasquatch. These stickers will be given to those who hit 10 hours of service this year, which will include the hours accumulated during the government shutdown service projects at the beginning of the year. Til' Next Time!

Had a great time tonight at the Tiny Tim’s Toy Factory tracing patterns and assembling the wheels for the cars. It was humbling to hear Alton share the story of how he got started making these toys, and all the places these cars go to locally and around the world including The Road Home Shelter that we donate to during the Chilly Willy’s Charity Drive each year. Thank you to all who were able to make it. This is truly a great charity making a big difference in the world. Til’ Next Time!

We enjoyed another great welding class this month, and at a new location with CompuTune in Provo hosting the event along with their welder teaching. This larger shop space allowed for the use of multiple styles of welders, and different welding scenarios such as axle tab welding, exhaust welding, flux core, and gas welding. We appreciate being able to use this great facility and look forward to future classes.

The 2019 Salt Lake Off-Road Expo has ended and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out to support the expo, and stopped by the BOAR booth to say hi. It really is an awesome experience to have so many great off-road related groups and vendors all coming together. I want to give a special thanks to all those who volunteered their time to run the booth and make the event a success for our group. It was great hearing you share your experiences in the club and the passion you have for the outdoors. As you know the event was incredibly busy and we absolutely could not have managed everything without your help. We look forward to seeing many new faces joining us on our adventures, and have made some great industry connections for future events that will be coming up. On a personal note it was an honor again this year to be asked to speak on an off-road club panel alongside some truly great folks that I look up to and respect. Thank you to those who attended the panel, asked questions, and learned how to get involved along with some insight into how our sport has evolved over the years. We are already looking forward to next year and appreciate the opportunity this event provides us to connect with great people. Til’ Next Time!

Had a great time on today’s group trail run. Was an awesome mix of vehicles with Jeeps, Toyota’s, full size trucks, and land rovers(which now I kind of want). The day started out near 5 mile where we met up and talked about the trail. We expected it to be covered in deep snow or a complete mud bog, so we were shooting to make it down to the hot springs by 2 or so. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and the trail mostly mud free except for a few short low spots. One new experience for me was a section of the trail being completely covered in tumbleweeds so deep we didn’t dare drive through them. I’m also told the “Beware of attack llama” sign was in fact not a joke, but I’ll leave that story to our tail gunners to tell 😀 We made excellent time and reached the springs around noon, where we were entertained by a gentleman showing us the art of proper hot spring operation. At this point some of the group headed out for the day while the rest of us continued on up the nearby volcano, and took a short hike up to the cone. Despite having been there many times before, the group discovered some heat vents still letting out warm air from below that I’d never noticed before. Once we reached the volcano base again, some in the group headed over to nearby Topaz mountain, while the rest split off and headed for home. For those of us taking the Eureka route, we came across a Las Vegas rugby team whose van had a flat and they didn’t have a good enough jack to change it. Despite the pouring rain, the group had it swapped out and them on their way in no time. It’s hard to pass through Eureka without stopping at Porters Place for some great food, so a pit stop was made. While there the mayor of the town swung by to see what all the 4x4s were up to, and shared history of the area along with trail rides we could check out. The owners of Porters even shared pictures with us of the train trestles we were discussing. Talk about service! Keep an eye out for a future guided tour in this area! Thanks to everyone who was able to come out today. It was a fun day with good weather and great friends! Til’ Next Time!

Lots of fun today on our February trail ride. This month we took a backroad past Nutty Putty Cave into the Little Moab area. After meeting up at the gas station near the trail head, we were on our way. We passed through many ranches and the longhorn steers were out in force, with some of them a little uncertain what to make of the group. We hurried on our way doing our best to not mess with the bulls so we didn’t get the horns. A short time later we arrived at the mine tailings area, but last nights snow had unfortunately covered most of the colorful piles up. It was still a good place for a chat and drone pic, and an interesting experience walking around on ground that felt just like playdough in places. Continuing on along the mountains base, soon our tracks were the only ones in the snow. Each of the typical low water collection spots on the trail were frozen over, but not enough to hold the weight of a vehicle so you ended up breaking through. One such pit swallowed the trail leaders rig, but the group was quick to get it pulled back out in no time. I think that’s the second run in a row he’s got himself stuck while leading so we may not invite him again :) We then passed by nutty putty and those in the group feeling daring took the steep hillside back way into little Moab while the rest circled around to meet up with them. While at the hillside a gentleman walked up who had got his car stuck on the road ahead. Those of us circling around the mountain got him pulled out of the ditch using some ingenuity with a tree strap and got him on his way. Once at little Moab, those who had to leave headed out while the rest of the group voted to take the winding tree lined connector road between there and the train tunnel. The drive was pleasant and at times very scenic with the snow capped mountains along the way. We arrived at the tunnel and passed through without incident, after which those who wanted to air up did so and we parted ways. Thanks again to all who made it today. The weather held out and made the day perfect for the run, and it was cool seeing all the different types of rigs on the trail from right hand drive diesel Toyota’s, to full size trucks and suburbans. I look forward to our next adventure Til’ Next Time! P.S. Most photos were borrowed from Marty Wallace

A quick thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to our year end get together last night. It was a fun evening with food, contests, games(including some serious looking ping pong rounds and Mario kart sessions), give aways, and a brief recap of the groups impact during the year. Thank you to everyone, and every group, who made the year such a great success! As usual I failed miserably at taking pictures so if you happened to snap some please share. Til’ Next Time! P.S. - To those who re-gifted your koozies to me, I will find you.

It was great seeing everyone who made it out to the end of year snow bash today. As usual I managed to get hardly any pics, but I did manage to get 2 drone pics of half the group in the black rock meadow and it shows the cloud we were in most of the day, and my wife captured a couple others. If you got some pictures from the day definitely share them 🙂 The morning started out a bit cold but thanks to some portable fire pits it was tolerable and allowed folks to hang out and chat. Stickers were handed out as we spoke about the days plans and backup routes, then the group rolled out. The railroad grade only had a few inches on it, but we could see the mountain was covered in clouds which promised heavy snow. Most of the way up to the meadow went smoothly, however past the meadow the snow became waist deep and the last climb proved a challenge. Rather than attempt to get everyone up it, and take the risky route down the backside, we headed back down and circled around the mountain. It was crazy coming back down to the valley where it was sunny and warm, while the mountain was snowing/cloud covered, and cold. We decided to attempt the mountain pass to eureka since it was still sunny over there. Things went fine, but some vehicle change ups in the lineup unfortunately put most of our mildly built rigs near the front. Again the final ascent was just too much snow with it coming over the front of the trail breaker rig on 37s. Also the storm had now come over us and it was snowing again so we decided to call it quits and head out through little Moab. It was definitely the most snow I’ve seen in this area in a long time, and with the recent snow fall we were breaking fresh tracks the whole day which is always an adventure. Speaking of adventure, there were steering issues, linkage problems, 4WD systems that wouldn’t engage, a winch and bumper that got ruined, a split tcase, and other odds and ends but the group kept a cheerful can do spirit that got everyone off the mountain today. I look forward to our next adventure together. Til’ Next Time!

With the government shutdown still ongoing, there were some concerns about the upkeep of facilities in AF canyon. Today a small group of us checked and emptied trash bins in the vault toilets, along with restocked toilet paper. For the most part the lower day use sites in the canyon were in decent shape, however the vault toilets at Tibble Fork Reservoir were all out of TP in both locations along with a fair amount of trash to clean out. After restocking and trash removal, the group split with some heading home while Coy and I headed up the 085 to Holman Flats. Our objective was to correct a sign issue we noticed at the end of the season, and clean/restock the vault toilet at that location. We loaded up a sled with the necessary supplies and hiked up to the site. Along the way we took note of a large barrel looking item in the river, along with dozens of trees that had fallen along the road. Once at Holman Flats, and after restocking and emptying the half full trash bin, we proceeded to our sign project. At the end of the season this year there were some information signs accidentally placed over our groups adoption sign. Having obtained permission from the Forest Service earlier, we removed the new sign, removed our adoption sign(which required cutting off welded on bolts), then reattached the FS sign and our adoption sign in a new location. We completed our tasks faster than expected, so we loaded up our trash and supplies, then proceeded to hike the 085 up to the last campsite before the switchbacks before heading back down. Along the way down we assisted a gentleman who was lost trying to find Silverlake Flat, and made our way over to the "barrel" we had spotted earlier down in Tibble Fork Reservoir. It turned out the item wasn't a barrel, but a piece of very thick plastic culvert. It was very heavy and an awkward shape, but being determined to not leave it in the river and get it out of the canyon Coy performed a feat of strength and packed the item up out of the river and to the parking lot. For the most part there wasn't much trash to be seen on the ground at the day use sites, although its quite possibly just being buried each time it snows. Tibble Fork Reservoir was surprisingly busy, with a large amount of people out on the ice which was a bit worrisome at some of the thinner looking spots. The reservoir area could probably use a quick trash pick up, although the main concern is the vast amount of dog droppings that stuck out like a sore thumb in the white snow lining the road and paths. We will be returning during the week, most likely by Wednesday, to check on TP and trash levels again. If you visit the canyon and notice bins needing to be emptied or a shortage of TP please let us know. We have obtained a large supply of trash bags and TP for this purpose. Despite the challenges encountered, it was a great day to be in the canyon and quite the workout. Already looking forward to our next adventure. Til' Next Time!

It was another great year for the Chilly Willys Charity Drive, with even more donations that the year before and lots of new participants. It is also the first year we have gone to the Midvale location due to the Rio Grande location no longer housing the homeless. We also were able to complete the Chilly Willys Challenge, which is driving a 1948 Jeep Willys from our home to Larry H Miller in Sandy and then on to the shelter. This is done with no top or doors on the vehicle, and no heater. I was also joined by a co-pilot for the first time, my dad, who toughed out the cold weather along with me. Some of the group started the day out with me at my home in Lehi making final preparations and convoying up to Larry H Miller. Once at the dealership we passed out special holiday stickers for the event, maps with the route to the center on them, details about what to do when at the center, and Santa handed out treats and toys to the children. The convoy then took to the street and made its way to the center, where donations were dropped off and candy canes with cocoa was provided. It was a great day spent with great people, and plans are already underway on making next year even better. Thank you to all who donated and participated in the event. This really makes a huge difference for those in need and reminds us of the true reason for the season. Til' Next Time! Photos courtesy of Steven Nielsen

Been a while since ive built up a new rig, and hence no build threads, however that all changed a few weeks ago when a friend posted up a 1979 DJ5. Better known as a postal jeep. These jeeps typically came in 2wd and so have been overlooked by offroaders for the most part. I've wanted one for a long time which i assume is due to our mail carrier driving one for a while when i was younger. Whatever the reason for the fascination, it was piqued when i noticed in the fine print that my friend had swapped in a Chevy V8 with a powerglide. The engine was just the 283, but in a jeep this size it scoots like a hotrod. Sadly at the time i did not have the funds to buy the rig, but a few weeks later it was realized a possible trade for my rolling 48 Willys frame/drivetrain could be worked out. After driving to Ephraim, and hours of what was termed "horse trading", the DJ was loaded onto my trailer and taken home. I enjoyed the next few weeks driving the rig, and started learning about carburetors which is something i have avoided for years. After some time i confidently was able to adjust the carb and had the beast running even better than before. I enjoyed racing around town in my "sleeper", taking cars by surprise and letting the pipes sing at full throttle. They were good days for sure. But the fun had to come to an end. While driving home from a car show i heard an audible hiss and noticed a tire had a bad split in it. My friend had told me the tires were bad, but i had hoped they would hold out a little longer, although im sure my hot rodding did not help the situation. After further inspection i discovered all 4 tires were beginning to tear open in one form or another, so it was time to track down some tires. I didnt have money to buy new, so i checked out KSL. Ideally some BFG Radial T/As would have fit my end goal nicely, but there were none to be found and wouldnt have been the best offroad. I ended up tracking down some BFG A/T tires, which gave the rig a more aggressive safari style look im not completely sold on but is growing on me. My good friends at Jacks Tire and Oil in Orem swaped me over, and i was back on the road. For a short time unfortunately. The next day i experienced something terrifying as i pulled out of my driveway and started down the road, came to an intersection, and the vehicle wouldnt slow down. It was the first time i'd had a throttle stick open on me and was quite unpleasant. I fortunately was able to stop the vehicle by pulling the key out before barreling into traffic. Upon inspection of the motor i realized the throttle return spring was stretched out and not pulling the throttle back closed. Jumping online i was surprised to find that no one sold replacements. I ended up going with some universal springs that work ok, but im still not 100% satisfied with. At least the crisis was over and i could get back to driving around again. During this time i also replaced a very dirty air filter, which pepped up the motor a bit, and started looking online to order a HEI ignition system so i could get away from the points distributor. Around that time is when i noticed the jeep getting harder to start in the mornings. It would fire up, run a second or 2, and die. After some digging around i assumed it was due to a fuel delivery problem, and replaced the fuel filter. The fuel filter is a see-through style and was hardly filling with gas when using the old filter. With the new filter in place it would quickly fill completely full and i thought i was in the clear yet again, but thats when i noticed the mechanical pump itself was leaking fuel out of the top. Deciding i was done with mechanical pumps, i ordered up a Morosso pump block off plate, and Edelbrock electric fuel pump. My plan was to swap these items in, but first i wanted to attend a trunk-or-treat event up in Draper. I drove the rig up there on the freeway without issue, and left it idling while unloading some clothes out of the back for the donation drive when i heard a clicking coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection i noticed the oil pressure gauge had dropped to 0 so i quickly parked the rig and enjoyed the event with my postal service themed setup. Afterwards i started the rig up and pressure was back to normal. I assumed maybe it was a faulty sending unit and started to drive home. About halfway home i noticed that the pressure gauge had dropped to 0 again, and as i started to pull over it jumped back up. It continued to drop to 0 for a second, then back up to 40 every 10 seconds or so. The vehicle was driving fine and i didnt hear any odd sounds so i continued on my way still assuming a faulty sending unit. Unfortunately once i pulled off the freeway and stopped at a light near my home the engine started to make a loud clicking noise. Looking back i probably should have just stopped there and got my trailer, but seeing as the pressure gauge was still jumping up and down i assumed the engine would be ok to slowly drive the last couple blocks to my home. Unfortunately by the time i got home the engine was making a bit louder of a clack and i feared a spun bearing. Depressed i pulled it into my garage and the next day put it up on jack stands. I then ordered a new high volume oil pump and oil pan gasket in hopes that the noise is not as bad as i thought and the engine is still good enough to cruise around with even if it is a bit clicky. I decided to replace the oil filter while i was at it, and pulled off the casing around the cartridge style filter. After draining out the casing i began cleaning it up and thats when i discovered quite a bit of sludge build up in it, and very interestingly a cigarette butt that i would love to know the story of how it came to be in there. At this point im waiting on a few more parts, but my overall goal is to keep the 283 running, and only add parts that can later be transferred to a 350 block. The cool thing about Chevy/GM parts is many of them interchange over a large year spread, so things like carbs, fuel pumps, headers, etc... are all fair game to put into the motor without dedicating myself too much in building up the small 283. And thats where im at today. My plan is to keep up on this thread as i go through my journey of bridging hot rod and jeeps while learning new things along the way. So far its been a fun experience despite all the setbacks. I also plan on being better at taking more pictures going forward to document the transformation.