Seeds and the cycle of life

[Hobcobble]

Gordon,
I am saddened to read about your circumstances.
You are in my thoughts.

John

[Charles Talbert]

Look up Gordon

Gordon, I've been reading the post here since shortly after you started the thread, and Kevin has been giving me frequent updates; in fact he and Momma were at the shop yesterday when he brought me up to date as he knew of your situation. I am truly saddened to hear of all your health issues, and find myself wishing I was close enough to offer assistance and do whatever I could in a effort to ease your situation.

I always felt it was 1 thing when many times I've heard people say "just call if I can help", but it is quite another when a willing person shows up at the door with a giving spirit, ready not only to make an offer, but ready to get to work and do anything they can to make a genuine difference; yet right now I find myself in the position of being that person from afar who can't just show up. I can pray, which I have been doing already and will continue too; and please, if there is something we can do from afar in any way, please do not hesitate to ask.

I've seen some mighty big request handled through prayer in unbelievable ways. I've seen lives and outlooks changed with no room for question as to where the changes originated from, in all walks of life, the young, at mid life, elderly, and even those whom everyone thought might be near the end of life on this side of eternity. Certainly not doable by myself or any other human, but WOW, how only a simple prayer can change things!! There is NO PLACE where a whispered prayer isn't heard, even from the darkest most inner cell of solitary in the tightest security prison, from the privacy of one's own home, or any other place. Even if it is not audible to a single human ear, a whispered prayer will absolutely shake the gates of heaven on behalf of the one who genuinely wishes to be heard.

[b4pw]

Gordon, Lyman called me the other night and asked if I had talked to Clyde recently, I hadn't. He went on to tell me that you had emailed Clyde and Judy about your declining health. I had no idea how bad your health had gotten until I just happened to check "the back room" tonight. As I was reading the other replies, I was trying to come up with something to say but everybody else was saying it as well.

You have made a very large impact in lots of peoples lives including mine. EVERY time I light a torch I think of you. I think of you and your coworkers having competitions about who could cut thru the metal with the torch turned down the most. I always try to do the same thing, thinking Gordon would be proud to see this. I can remember selling a truck to 2 brothers and they had to cut lots of stuff off that had been welded to it over the years so it would be light enough to haul home on their trailer and thinking "Gordon would fall over if he saw this". They had so much oxy going to it, you had to yell at each other to hear. It took them forever to cut a bumper off.

I have lost 2 close friends over the last year and a half. I'm going for 3rd times a charm! Hang in there Gordon. EVERYONE is pulling for you. We will be praying for you as well. Roy

P.S. I will tell you the story about the truck I sold when we see you at the 2014 rally!

[NNICKB]

Hi Gordon,

Very sorry to hear of your health problems. Like many others here, we will be remembering you in our prayers.

I have been a PWA subscriber for over 25 years. I saved them all. From the outset, the magazine's appeal went far beyond the old Dodge WM300 truck that I drove regularly for many years. Rather, the editor of this magazine was somehow able to speak to my soul about values such as craftsmanship, quality, and doing things right. It was a magazine that was able to convey something we have lost in much of our society, but that at one time was fairly obvious: that things mechanical are very much the natual habitat of the Thinking Man.

Gordon, we have never met, but I can't tell you how many times I rely on your thoughts and advice, particularly when I am working on some project (or trying to). I don't know what the future holds for you, but I can tell you that the values you have set down on paper in your own unique way will continue to influence my life, as well as those of my kids.

Every year we say we are coming to the rally in Iowa, but I think it is really going to happen this year. So, if you are able to rally, maybe we will see you at the rally.

All the best.

Nick

PS Wish you could see my kids' eyes widen when I use the line "Hope you like bees." (or mice, rattlesnakes, or whatever...)

[Gordon Maney]

It pleases me that I have reached people in ways they retain.

[Rick Walker]

Seeds and the cycles of life

Dear Gordon I have just finished reading about your health problems , I am very sorry to hear this I have learned a great deal from your magazine and from the people who contribute to the magazine and the web site. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers as you go through this and may God have His hand upon you . Rick Walker.

[Elwood]

It pleases me that I have reached people in ways they retain.

Much more than you know.

Thank you for all that you do, Gordon.

[BobbyMike]

It's surely a long journey into the light as we labor to not stumble in the darkness along the way....

JimmieD

So glad to see you around JimmieD! And spot on, life is for living, not waiting on death :)

For the last three years, March has been particularly hard month for me. I almost died the March of 2012 (doctors still not sure what bit me, just that it did and shut down my body), next March my dad died and this month I went cross eyed (docs still looking into that).

If it weren't for all the loving people in my life who have encouraged me to keep moving forward and to not stop chasing after my dreams I'd be a sad little pup.

[78clubcab]

Thank You Gordon

Gordon, just a brief story on how I became a PWA subscriber and thus get to know you. I had bought a derelict 1978 adventurer with a 400/727 out of a farmers field. I live in a small village so imagine the sneers the derelict dodge got from neighbors passing by on their way to work. I tuned the truck up and rebuilt the gummy carb and to my amazement got it running! One winter morning soon after the temp was somewhere around 30 below zero, and I couldn't resist seeing if the old dodge would start. Of course it did!

I proudly drove it to the end of the driveway and left it idleing with the defroster on so everyone could see. The plume of exhaust rose proudly on that cold morning as Nearly all newer vehicles on my street wouldn't start! A local towing service in a newer Dodge diesel truck was jump starting cars and trucks on my street as well as the whole village. The driver of the tow truck spotted my old Dodge idleing at the end of my drive and knew what I was up to.

Unknown to me he was a PWA subscriber and had also met you at the Iowa rally. He jumped out of his Dodge and said I love it, pointing at my old dodge running as all newer trucks wouldn't start! He said Gordon Maney would get a kick out this! I asked who Gordon Maney was and the rest is history!

We stood there talking at the curb for a good half hour in 30 below temperatures about old Dodges, PWA, and this Gordon Maney character! He wrote down power wagon advertiser on the back of his business card and said check it out.

Gordon I just want to tell you that when you started PWA, you started something a whole lot bigger than just a magazine about old dodge trucks! You spoke of values, a way of life, morals, and so much more! I work two jobs, and I am not big on websites or forums, so this issue of PWA was when I heard the news. It hit me like a brick and I had to tell you this story of how I had the pleasure of coming to
Know you through the magazine and forums.

I had to tell you what I think of the magazine, especially the sitting on the tailgate forum which seems to sum up my life of 45 years so far. My sincerest heart felt wishes to you for good health. I am at a complete loss for words...

[KRB64]

Those are the cool stories I like to hear about our little community!

[Rich Szklany]

Gordon,

I never had a chance to meet you in person, but I felt I got to know you through your PWA. The stories that you wrote, the lessons they convey, the personal experiences you have shared will always stay with me.

You are that cool great uncle that has all the neat stories. My life has been enriched by being a member of the Power Wagon community of which you started.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Gordon.

Rich Szklany

[Kevin in Ohio]

Gordon,

I guess I have been in the dark with what you have been going through and I'm kind of in shock now. Thoughts and prayers for you and yours.

I wanted to say THANK YOU for all you have done for the PW community and for encouraging me with my projects. Your interest and kind words fueled me on with my truck and you were gracious enough to share the build along the way. I hope to see you at Iowa this year so you can see it in person as I'm making the trip to Mecca.

You've touched a lot of people and brought us together in an ever changing way, through print, gatherings, and now via the internet. I've met some of the nicest people through this journey and your hands are all over it. Sometimes a tree's branches go where you never imagined I guess.

Thank you, Kevin Foust

[frippe123]

Been following this thread and wanted to write something but really do not know what to say. I'm very sad hearing about your condition and wish you all the best. I don't know my way around words but this comes from my heart.

As a new subscriber (on my first year), my +100 back issues i bought has given me the feeling that I know you Gordon and some of the long timers in the PWA community a little bit at least. PWA magazine gives me loads of me enjoyment with its great interesting articles. It is the first magazine ever that I feel worth subscribing to. I started subscribing with the only interest in Ads of trucks and the technical side of the magazine. I still love those but what I surprisingly enjoy the most are the stories.

Because of the stories I no longer look at PWA primary as an advertising magazine but instead as a lifestyle magazine. But not like todays lifestyle magazines where focus is on how wealthy you are, what you own and how you look or visually portray yourself to and against others. PWA focuses more on the true quality of your life, being yourself, appreciate what you have and the enjoyment in that. Because of that I don't call them stories anymore, I call them lifestyle articles.

I currently work many hours a day and on top of that also commute 4 hours as I live in the country and no jobs are available nearby, like a hamster in its wheel. The lifestyle articles have affected me in a way i never thought possible. I'm might not be any closer to finding a Power Wagon then I was when I started looking for one all those years ago. However, the magazine planted a thought in my brain that has grown clearer during this fall/winter. The thought of a what I call the "PWA lifestyle" has been something that has changed my mindset towards my current working situation and the reason I am about to change job. If all stars are aligned I will be going from a very stressful environment in financial sector to a hopefully more quieter where I will be working for the Government instead. The new job will result in a fifteen percent salary reduction so money will be a tight area in the future to come.

I want to thank both you Gordon personally and the community as a whole for everything you have done, PWA touched me and you changed my attitude towards life. I wish I could do more for the community but my knowledge is not there yet. Hopefully the knowledge might be there someday..........

[Gordon Maney]

Thank you for your kind words. I am pleased to know I reach people in such ways. I try....

[dad2nick]

The Third Man

Hi Gordon,

It was great seeing you at the Iowa rally last year. I hope to see you there again this year. If not, I will be thinking of you all the same. You have affected so many lives in so many ways you will never know. Sort of another type of sowing seeds, I guess.

Stephen Covey, author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" also wrote a book called "The Eighth Habit". His premise is that effective people find their passion, inspire others to find their passion, and leave a legacy. You have certainly done so in spades.

I did not grow up with a wrench in my hand. More often, it was a bottle. But I always loved old trucks. I credit you, Don Bunn, and Donald McCaig with fostering my love of Dodge Power Wagons.

I got my first Power Wagon from Herb Hobie in the mid nineties. When I got it, my skills were pretty much limited to changing oil and rotating tires. I was so inexperienced, I actually poured oil in the master cylinder, thinking it was the steering box. Don't tell anyone. In my defense, the barn was dark, and the two are pretty close together.

With the help of your many fine publications and advice from other truck owners on Joe Cimoch's forum, I was able to completely disassemble, repair and rebuild that truck over a period of eight years. And yes, I did go and get an ice cream cone after properly adjusting the transfer case levers!

Since that first truck I have had many others, in all states of disrepair and neglect or preservation. Working on these trucks has provided a sense of adventure and challenged me in ways I never expected. Along the way, I have met so many fine people, a few of whom have become dear friends, almost like an extended family. I can now offer advice to others who are new to the hobby or help someone who is broken down on the road.

On the way to the Iowa rally a few years ago, my Ford F-350 blew an O-ring out of a plug on the high-pressure oil pump. We pulled off the Interstate to get gas. Oil was gushing out all over the parking lot. I saw a guy with a Caterpillar shirt in the store. We followed him to his shop and his mechanic helped me diagnose the problem. We dumped a gallon of oil in the crankcase and headed for a garage for repair. We lost so much oil on the way the injectors were bogging down. We drained the oil out of the Power Wagon we had on the trailer and dumped it in the crankcase of the Ford. We made it to the garage and got a new O-ring. We headed back down the highway and it happened again. We drained the transfer case of the Power Wagon and got enough gear oil to refill the Ford and made it to a convenience store. The young kid there had a few O-rings and one was the right size. My buddy Keith recommended we put some "Forma-Gasket" on the ring. We put some on and replaced the plug. We made it to Fairfield around midnight. The next morning, we went to the Ford dealer and got the last Teflon gasket they had in stock. Seems the rubber O-rings can stand the heat! OK, so we weren't building the Al-Can highway or bogged own behind enemy lines with bullets whizzing by our heads. But it was an adventure and we made it safely and wiser for the experience. The Power Wagon and what I learned on my journeys with you and others saved the day.

These days, I really enjoy finding a truck that has been sitting for years, getting it running, and bringing it back to service. As I look at these trucks I am reminded of the movie "The Last Samurai". When the American character played by Tom Cruise first meets the Samurai in the garden, he is pondering cherry blossoms, looking for the "perfect" blossom. At the end of the movie, as he lays dying on the field of battle, he says, "Perfect...they are all perfect." This is true about these trucks and so many other things in life. None are perfect. All are perfect.

You have fostered a true fraternity of fellow truck owners and enthusiasts. Your well chosen words on the form and function of these fine trucks and the art and science of life's lessons ring true in a timeless way. Your words, and those whom you have inspired by them, will live on indefinitely.

So many of us have been enriched by having crossed your path or rode a few miles by your side. There will always be a very special third man along for the ride in the "roomy three-man cab" of many a Dodge truck owner.

Safe travels, my friend. Safe travels.