On the first attempt to move it across town, the distributor shaft broke, leaving me stranded just 100 yards from the end of the Sheldon's driveway. After a large tow bill to get it back up the steep driveway, I spent the next few weeks tearing apart the top of the engine to access the distributor. Fortunately I was able to located a rebuilt distributor in town and got it replaced.

Eventually we made the move and I covered the engine with a plastic tarp. I knew this was not a good situation, but my hands were tied and I had no choice. Over the next couple years, I would have to make regular trips to drain water that was trapped in the tarps, attempt to dry out the cab from water leaking in, and chasing mice from the compartments. I lost many hours of sleep thinking I had lost control of the project and the truck was being destroyed. Even though the rain was not getting on the body directly, the moisture was reaching the metal and causing surface rust to grow rapidly. In the late summer of 2006, I sent most of the doors to a sandblaster to have the cleaned of the old primer and rust. The following pictures were taken after taking the tarps off so the warm sun could dry things out; they clearly show how the truck had deteriorated in just a few years, despite being covered up.