Day 30 - Transmission

As we headed up to the mountain to ride that fresh powder the truck starts acting funny, funnier than usual. My man checks it out and says, "I can fix it." I know he can. He's done it a million times before and we've driven away. We usually hit the auto parts place, quick assembly in the parking lot and badda-bing- we're on the road. This truck is a joy and a pain. It's jacked up, sitting higher than most trucks and sounds vicious. So much fun to tool around in, check some curbs, scare some old ladies. 

The trouble is that she keeps giving us trouble. He drove her from east coast to west coast, so she seen some miles, been through the ringer, but we care for her. We love her. We give her anything she wants and keep bad things from happening to her. 

Still, she insists on fighting us.

The "handy-man, Mr. fix-it" that he is, my baby gets under the belly of the beast to preform a major surgical procedure. You'd think she'd be so relieved to have some new working parts and clean fluids running through her, but no. She's obstinate and stubborn like a teenager, fighting just to fight. We've even taken her to some car dealerships and threatened to trade her in for a newer model. She's not buying it. 

Let me set the scene:

I'm standing in the cold and wind in a Walmart parking lot, passing tools to the doctor under the truck and greasing up my hands and snow jacket. He gets the old parts out and draining in no time, under two hours I think. Did I mention the tools pictured here and what fits in a plastic storage bin are all we've got. No lifts, no transmission jack to hold up the part as he is laying underneath a 200 lb chunk of metal, slick with transmission fluid, ready to drop crashing down on his chest. What does he do? Grabs some ratcheting straps to lower the thing down onto a pillow he asked for from the truck.  I squat down to check on him and listen for the next tool or instruction and there he is with a transmission resting quietly on his chest. 

Then the real hurting begins. Piecing her back together. We have a very organized system and work well as a team. I'm the nurse to his professional level repairs. We finally finish, pack it up and hit the mountain. Does she breeze up without trouble? Nope. But we still love her, like a parent loves that teenager. We'll absolutely sell her or trade her in an instant, but love her indeed.