Truck woes and silver in the trash

On the way home from work last night, I was at a stop light. The light turned green, I stepped on the gas, and heard a NASTY SNAP. Truck still moved, but when I got up to about 20 mph it started shaking like crazy. I backed off and went the rest of the short distance home. I could not see anything underneath and decided that it has to go to my guy. Had it towed there this morning. Talked to him later in the day and he said my U joint had snapped. Then he asked if my truck came from up north. I said yes, from Illinois. He said the U joint is not bad, but in replacing it, the drive shaft is so rusted (from salt and such) that it may need replaced in the process. (yes, I trust this guy and have dealt with him in the past). So he tore into it and I will hear from him tomorrow. Hopefully the drive shaft will still be good.


To the silver.

After my wife picked me up from work today, there was someone cleaning their garage and had a ton of stuff on the road. I really had my eye on the tubs some of the stuff was in. I chatted for a couple minutes and grabbed the tubs full of Christmas stuff and another box next to them. Also some fans. Got home and went through all of the Christmas stuff. Won't use it, but it is in nice shape and we will take it to the reuse store. Then got to the box that I thought was more Christmas stuff. It ended up being a bunch of paperwork and a couple o jewelry boxes at the bottom of it. The boxes were full of some pretty nice costume jewelry and 2 silver plated spoons and a mercury dime and a 40% silver half dollar. Also is a bunch of paperwork and an old bible all from the "Order of the Eastern Star". All of that stuff is mint including the bible still in it's box (about a $20 or so e-bay item, maybe more with all of the other paper work). Also an old 1942 army issue pocket bible.

Take the good take the bad. Truck will cost about a grand if the drive shaft needs replaced, 600 if not. That price includes the tow, an oil change and a rear break job with rotors.

i rather doubt they intended to toss the jewelry, just sayin

You can find a used drive shaft at a wrecking yard and be done with it, or even have a new one made, it isn't that difficult really, they just cut the size pipe it needs, weld the shafts on each end, spin balance it, viola, new drive shaft

I think karma would pay you more than the silver you found if you at least dropped by with the jewelry boxes complete as you found them and ask if they did intend to dispose of that stuff. Maybe they did, and will let you keep it; or maybe they'll thank you profusely for returning it safely & pass on to their friends the story of that nice, honest, young man that brought their valuables back to them.

Or, maybe they'll be total jerks about it, and take it back without so much as a thankyou, but that night when you drift off to sleep you'll have a clear conscience.

I sometimes wonder if karma/life/FSM throws tests like these at us and the outcome of our own problems depends upon our responses to them. Like your drive shaft possibly costing $1000, and possibly only costing $600. Are a coupla silver coins & spoons worth the $400 difference?

She was adamant about it all being garbage and was kind of snotty about it at that. That is her karma (if you believe in that sort of thing). I always do right by people, but that $3 worth of silver will not get returned to her door.

Further more all of the boxes of COSTUME jewelry had notes on it saying things like, "costume jewelry, for anyone". They were numbered even. It was a death box. This was all of the stuff saved from her parents dyeing that she was tired of hanging on to. This stuff had been laid out at the final will reading and no one wanted it. It was a certain fact that she wanted it gone.

If I had any thought whatsoever that she had accidentally thrown it out, I would have ran it right back to her, but after the conversation with her, I knew she and no one else wanted anything to do with this box.

I do not need lectured on Karma.

haha, on to step two, check that stuff out, costume jewelry can be quite valuable in the collectors market ; )

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Originally Posted by parrothead

I do not need lectured on Karma.

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Hey, not trying to step on toes, lecture, or preach or anything... just didn't have the whole story.

Now I do & I certainly agree with you. http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/7152/g4bb.gif

Well, I got off easy on the truck. Drive shaft is good to go. Truck will be ready tomorrow.

And if there is such a thing as karma, maybe it was throwing me a bone with that box. After all, I spend my days caring for the elderly in a dead end job for horrible pay. Scrapping is the only way that I can afford to keep that job that I like so much.

And he knows the scrap goes in the back if the truck right lol, man at that price id expect a nice fat aluminum one

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Originally Posted by cummins

And he knows the scrap goes in the back if the truck right lol, man at that price id expect a nice fat aluminum one

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When I see him tomorrow, I will ask for the scrap.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by parrothead

Well, I got off easy on the truck. Drive shaft is good to go. Truck will be ready tomorrow.

And if there is such a thing as karma, maybe it was throwing me a bone with that box. After all, I spend my days caring for the elderly in a dead end job for horrible pay. Scrapping is the only way that I can afford to keep that job that I like so much.

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I threw a ujoint out of my camper hauler up in upstate NY, about the time I was pulling into the dealers lot.
I went down the street to the auto parts store and got a ujoint and borrowed a vice from the shop and reinstalled a brand new ujoint.