“Look in the toolbox tray—could be some in there.”

“Found one,” Doug reported.

“OK, place the terminals back on and tighten them down. I want to check the front hubs.”

By the time Doug had finished the cable reinstallation, Gramps was around to that side of the car.

“You see this big hub sticking out of the front axle?”

“Yeah, what does it do?”

“That releases the front wheels when you are not in four-wheel drive. It lets the wheels roll independent of the drive train. It is supposed to save you gas when you are driving on highways. You see the little arrows and then ‘lock’ and ‘free’?”

“Yes, I can see it.”

“I was checking to make sure it was free. We are not going anywhere complicated, so we will not be using four-wheel. Also, remember, if you do want to use four-wheel drive and your hubs are not locked, the four-wheel drive will not be functioning.”

“OK, what next?” asked Doug eagerly.

“We should do some preliminary checks.” Gramps reached over and removed the radiator cap. “Look down in there. The water is two inches down. That is about right. This radiator has a tall upper tank. You want to have some room for expansion; hot water takes up more space than cold water. And while we are on the subject, never open the cap if the water is hot. You can get sprayed with boiling water. It has never happened to me. But I have seen it happen to others. You don’t want it to happen to you.”

“I’ll remember that,” replied the boy.

“And another important thing: you see that fan down there? It is just sitting there. It is not hurting anybody. We can work all around the motor—do what we want—no problem. But”—Gramps raised his finger to accent the point—“when the motor is running, the fan will cut you.




Say it: ‘When the motor is running, the fan will cut you.’ The fan doesn’t care if you forgot. It will cut you anyway.”

“If the motor is running, the fan will cut you,” repeated Doug.

“Working on cars is a lot of fun. But there are a couple of rules that can’t be broken.

“It sure is.”

“One more rule is, never go under a jacked-up car unless you put a safety block under it. It can be a concrete block with a piece of two-by-six on it or a jack stand. It doesn’t matter. You must have a safety block. I have had cars slide off the jack, and the safety block did its job. People are in a hurry, and they wind up getting hurt. Always be careful and think things out.”

“I will do that,” agreed Doug seriously.

“All right. Next we will check the oil. You just turn this cap and pull up the dipstick.

You see here, we have plenty of oil. Also, take a screwdriver and pop those battery caps off.”

Doug had helped his dad do this and was familiar with the procedure. “Plates are covered with water,” he reported and replaced the covers.

“The last thing you do whenever you finish working on a car is check for tools. If you leave something lying around, it will fall off and you will never see it again. We did not use many tools here, but it is good practice to do a final sweep before you take off.”

“I think we have them all,” said Doug, looking around after picking up the box wrenches and screwdriver.

“OK, I think the easiest way to do this is to let it coast down the hill. If we are lucky, I can kick-start it. Once we get started, the alternator will charge the battery. Now this engine has not been run for a while. I am going to prime it with starting fluid to give us that extra benefit.”

After releasing the hand brake, they pushed the old car far enough out the door that it would move by gravity. At that point, the hand-brake was reapplied. Doug watched as Gramps unscrewed the air-cleaner hose and shot a short blast of ether into the top of the carb. He put the top back on and quickly tightened the clamp. They both jumped into the seats.

“Are you ready?” the old man shouted, his own excitement building.

“I am ready!” returned his grandson, anticipating the launch.

As they rolled down the barn ramp, Gramps held the clutch in, shifted into second gear, yanked out the choke, and turned the ignition key. Doug was impressed with his dexterity. It seemed as if he was replaying a former event in his life—which he was.

When Gramps let the clutch out, the CJ shook and shuddered. The resisting engine was no match for the turning wheels, and it sprang to life with a vibrating roar. He pushed the choke knob in halfway and turned right at the tool shop to head out across the fields.