The April Coffee 'n Tea Thing - No Foolin'

[Delmonico]

Was told once when there is nothing left on earth but cockroaches they will be driving Ford pick-ups with 300 sixes and stick shifts.  Don't know, makes sense to me.

[Texas Lawdog]

At least they have good taste!

[Delmonico]

They never should have quit making it, Chevy should have never quit the 292 and Dodge should have tall decked their slant and made it about 300 cid. 

Was talking to a kid the other day while working on his hat, has a fresh rebuit 50's type 261 Jimmy engine, would be just right for a nice old 37 chevy coupe or a pre 55 Belair. 

[Texas Lawdog]

I have seen the 292 and the 300 competing against V8s in racing situations, and winning. The six cylinders sound different through the exhaust.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Morning y'all.
Coffee is hot.

'Tis 28 and sunny. High of 54.

Slim

[pony express]

I drove a '65 Chevy with a 292 and 3 on the tree for many years. Rolled it and eventually put the engine in a '64 3/4 ton. That one is still out back in the weeds, too rusted out to bring back to life. Don't see too many of them for sale any more.

[Arcey]

Mornin'.

Prolly get ta seventy sumthin'. Lightnin', thunder 'n rain yesterevenin'. Pretty show 'til the 'lectricity started flickerin'. N'er lost it though.

Pretty decent salad for the Friday evenin' meal. Gots the sausage for this evenin's. Should be clear in Richmond at din-din time. Sausage, cabbage 'n 'taters done in cheap beer 'n a race ta watch. Don't get no better'n that.

[Texas Lawdog]

Thanks for the Cawffee this morning. It feels like a 2 pot morning. The sausage, cabbage, and taters sounds good.

[Major 2]

Good morning Gents ,
I slept in this morning, forgoing the coffee for a dietary smoothie thing my wife make me.... it works and tasty.

I'm thinking Chicago Hot-dog for lunch , there is place over in Kissimmee ( Willy's ) Local favorite for about 20 different Hot-dogs
and Italian Beef.
It's right next to the Train Station, and off the Tourist trap radar....

Jake just strolled in, and laid down , I think he thinking outside and some ball playing....looks like nice day 'prolly reach 90° .

[Major E A Sterner]

Mornin Y'all, had 2 &1/2 pages of catching up to do, didn't get the e-mule notice...again.

Major 2, there is a PT boat restoration club across the river from me, They had 4 there at one time, saw that they sent one to Ohio, Here's a link about it...
http://wikimapia.org/26024435/PT-728

another link
http://www.wbng.com/younews/253212261.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/restore/usa/fleet-obsolete.html

[Texas Lawdog]

My Dad lived a trailer park in Houston while he taking chemo at MD Anderson. He met a former PT boat skipper that was living at the same trailer park. I never got to meet the guy, but I am sure that he had some interesting stories to tell.

[Major 2]

Thanks for the links, I'll be perusing those ...

The Boats on PT 109 were Elco 62 foot Air Sea rescue boats, My Dad was the Production Coordinator on the the Film

He designed and scaled down the upper cockpit so it appeared longer on film , the real PT 109 was an 80 Foot Elco.

It was built in Brooklyn, however, there was an Elco Boat works on the Miami River ( the building is still there )
and in 1962 when they were in Pre-production Dad used that location to refit the the Air Sea Boats.
Later, he built the to South Pacific MTB Bases on Munson Island, near Key West, Florida.
They used the Boats to get to the island every day.

On "They were Expendable" 17 years earlier they had two real Elco's and some Higgins Boats.
They film on Key Biscayne , before the Rickenbacker Causeway bridges were built, they use those Boats to get out the location too.

As a side bar, during the early years of WW II ( Dad was to old to enter the service ) he owned the Linape'  a 36' Motor Launch
He offered it to the Coast Guard, and he was accepted, each night at 11PM- dawn he as Civilian owner/skipper was join with 1 or 2 coasties  and they Coast watched the Florida bay and upper Florida Keys, for enemy landings of subversives.  

[Blair]

Major 2,

We had a PT boat operating here on the Indian River during the late 1960's.
I don't know the number nor what type of boat it was.

In the late 1960's was worked for two salvage companies off the coast of Florida. At this time we brought our 39 ft. boat we used to its home port on the Indian River, in Melbourne, to do some refit work.
The PT boat had a very distinctive sound as it races (literally) up and down the river, harassing other pleasure boats that were using this part of the Enter Coastal Water Ways.

On this occasion, the BT cut doe nuts around and around one very large pleasure boat that was about 1/3 larger than the BT boat.
The BT boat (I guess) ran out of gas... and asked this big Cabin Curser for help.
The people on the pleasure boat just waved to the BT boat crew as they left them to row to shore themselves.

What happened to that BT boat I have no idea. But this episode, I thought was funny.
My best,
Blair

[Arcey]

Sorry I can't split it with you 'n the boys o'er cold ones, Tex. Spent the last two or three hours outside. Just walked inta the kitchen 'n them things is emittin' a fragrance what's makin' my l'il tummy growl. Gotta 'nother couple hours 'fore I sit down with 'em.

On 'nother subject, heard tell when the war ended many PT boats were burned where they were to save the expense of gettin' back to the states. Seems such a shame. I'm real bad about destroyin' history. Ain't gettin' into specific ships, cut for scrap, or I'll work myself inta a rant some y'all've suffered 'fore 'n don't wanna hear again. 

[Texas Lawdog]

I think that they used those Air-Sea Rescue boats on "McCales Navy" show. Those plywood boats were not much protection for their crews.

[Blair]

Arcey,

I have always been very surprised at what the US/Navy considers obsolete.

The newest Carrier in the fleet, when I was in the Navy was the USS Kennedy-CVA-67

My Carrier was FD Roosevelt- CVA-42 (Midway Class Carrier from late !945)
The Kennedy is in the Moth ball fleet now, and maybe sold chopped up for scrape sometime soon.
It is amazing. The Ship I was on was older (when I was on it), than the Kennedy was when it was deactivated!
My best,
Blair

[Major 2]

Jim  
The TV show Mchale's Navy use a British Vosper boat.
The Movie with Tom Arnold did have an ASR I think, was either an Elco or Huckins, I only saw the movie once ( and that was enough )

As an aside I visited the 78 foot Higgins, PT 796 before it was moved and restored at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts.
It was serving in Pensacola, Fla. when used in the Kennedy inaugural celebration in "61".
I saw it in Miami about "66" I think at Marina in North Miami Beach.
They have an 80' Elco at Fall River too...I'd like get up there  
I'd like to get out to Fredricksburg, Texas  too, and see Higgins, PT-309,  a good friend of mine worked on it's restoration and got to ship down with it on it's way to The Admiral Nimitz Museum.

[Arcey]

Blair, mi amigo.

USS Enterprise, CV-6, built by NNSD, the most decorated ship of WWII. The Japanese tried their best to kill her but fell short every time. Unfortunately they killed many young men in the process.

What the enemy couldn't do the ship breakers could. Today, parts of her may be in junk yards across the nation. A rustin' left front fender of a Ford pick up truck perhaps. Unidentifiable, indistinguishable pieces of steel, washed clean of the blood, sweat 'n tears of those who served on her.

So very wrong. She should be a monument to the men who died defendin' our way of life.

Sorry fellas. The subject strikes a nerve 'n it hurts.

[Major E A Sterner]

Arcey,No need to apologize,I would be willing to bet most, if not all of us, feel the same way.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Some of her steel went into the Nuclear Enterprise as well. Unfortunately, they just decommishioned that one, too. Only recognisable piece is, I believe, at the Naval Acadamy. Stern plate with her name. Of all the WW II ships, she should've been the one they saved. She was the only Yorktown class carrier to survive the war. Yorktown was lost at Midway, Hornet off of Guadalcanal.