The Mule Rides Again

Mule

"Mules are reputed to be more patient, hardy and long-lived than horses." this is taken from the Wikipedia. Plus, the fact the mules were used for transporting goods many decades ago. Yes, I know what a Mule is but, I wanted to see what a Google search would bring up by just doing a search on Mule. When I did a search on The Mule, a Clint Eastwood movie popped up. I didn't know this but, apparently a movie named The Mule is being released sometime next year. Apparently it is based on a true story. Looks interesting, I will have to check that one out when it hits my local theater. Out of curiosity I attempted to see if there is any activity at the domain name of TheMule.com, no such luck. It is taken but, no active site resides there. So, I tried Mule.com and YES! There is an active site. www.Mule.com took me to a Kawasaki Side X Side page, featuring Mules. I hate to admit it but, I have never heard of a Kawasaki Mule. I need to get out more because, this thing is AWESOME!!! I want one. I don't need one for anything other than for recreational use but, I want one. This thing is too cool.

Mule The 1st

Anyway... Why am I talking about mules? Well, it all started many, many, many, many (you get the point) years ago. My Grandpa purchased an old beat up, old green and white 1958 Ford Panel truck, and to me it was beautiful. I remember seeing on the outside panels some lettering but, I can't recall the name of the business it was used in. Eventually, my Grandpa or Uncle Earl painted it over it. If my old memory serves me correctly, My Uncle Earl took over the ownership of the truck at one point. The old Ford truck only had two seats, one for the driver and one for the passenger. It was a stick shift, I believe it was on the steering wheel column and my Uncle moved it to the floor but, I could be wrong on that. So many cars have passed through my lifetime I tend to get them confused. I don't recall the engine size or anything. I just remember this truck being old but, solid. One day, my Uncle painted, in white lettering, the word Mule on the front of the truck. Thus, The Mule was born. As the years went by my Uncle Earl had purchased a few old panel trucks and named them Mule II, Mule III and I believe the last one was named Mule IV. I have no idea if my Uncle ever went further than number IV. If my memory serves me right, I believe the Mule IV was an old Dodge truck with windows along the side. I don't recall the year of the Mule IV, had to be between 1959-1960 and it seemed to have more of the comfort features as opposed to The Mule. But, The Mule was a great truck.

I don't know how or even recall when my Dad took it over. I am not sure if he purchased it from my Uncle or if my Uncle just gave it to him. Regardless, we ended up with The Mule and I was in heaven. It was the vehicle that I learned how to drive with. I used our Plymouth van for the driving test but, I always wanted to drive The Mule. My Dad and I used it for everything from hauling wood, that we used to keep our house warm in the winter, to camping. I remember my Dad made this awesome bench seating for the back of the truck, that we could fold into a bed. He never did get it installed and I am not sure why. Maybe due to the safety factor but, the Mule didn't have seat belts.

I always dreamed about restoring that old truck. I didn't want to do anything special to the engine as it was a strong engine but, it did need body work done due to some rust slowly eating her up and then, give her a new paint job. And do some major interior work as well. Make the interior more modern but, as the years went by The Mule was left out in the back 40, rusting in peace. I believe my Mom had her towed to a junk yard after my Dad passed away. Which is a good thing because, I don't think The Mule could have been restored any longer. The body was very rusted out the last time I looked it over while it was parked out back. A lot of good memories with that old truck.

The Mule Lives

You may be wondering, what is the point of this story. A friend of mine has a 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 extended cab and a few weeks ago, he informed me that he no longer wants it. He has no time for it. The truck just needs some TLC. I decided right there an then to take it off his hangs. My friend wants a pick up truck but, something newer and not requiring some repairs. So, one fine Evening after work I went with him to the local Dodge dealership to look over some of the Dodge pickups. Did some test driving, I was impressed but, my friend still wants to look at other brands. After our time at the Dealership, I stopped by his place, took the keys from him for the GMC and drove her to my place. While driving the old GMC it brought back memories of The Mule. Right away, I named the GMC The Mule. I stopped by the local AutoZone and purchased some lettering and glued it to the tail gate. Anyone, who sees it will know this truck is The Mule. We got new remote keys for The Mule, I need to fix the driver's side lock as it gets stuck some times. In other words, when we attempt to lock it remotely, it won't lock. I have to lock it with the key or from the inside. We fixed the 3rd door, which was easy to do. The Queen (Wife) simply purchased a new door handle thru Ebay and using a allen wrench, I unscrewed the old one and replace it with a new one. I got new windshield wipers for her, the ones on it were extremely worn out. Did the oil change and due to being a California truck, it required a smog test. Surprisingly, she passed the smog test with flying colors.

Mule Rides Again

During the smog test, the Queen (Wife) and I were able to walk less than a block to The Inland Wharf. It was our second time at the Inland Wharf and that place is TOO COOL! I love that brewery. I need to visit that place more often. The 2 guys behind the bar, I apologize, I forget their names but, they are cool Dudes. If you ever are in the Murrieta/Temecula location, I highly recommend checking it out. I really like the Murrieta Pride and the West PAC. Anyway, I am really concerned about this leak The Mule is suffering from. I am not exactly sure if it is oil or transmission fluid. The Queen (Wife) only drives The Mule once a week just to pick up the Kids from school and I use it mainly on the weekends if I need to make local runs. Otherwise, for long distance we take Ol'Gray (Nissan Versa) or Little Red (Mini Cooper). Every once in awhile we as a Family will drive Big Bertha (Chevy Suburban). I am not in any hurry to get the leaking fixed. The Mule is mainly my project truck. Something for me to tinker around with and I am having fun with figuring out how to get the things on it fixed. I don't know how long we will keep her or how long she will keep running. The engine on her sounds good and feels strong. The body is beat up but, I am not planning on doing any body work. The tail gate and passenger door is dented and I am okay with that. I plan on using this blog to record the progression of the various fixes I have done on The Mule.

So, far the best time I had with The Mule and it probably sounds stupid but, it occurred last Saturday, early in the morning My Son and I loaded up the back of the truck with Junk, drove her to the dump. It was fun driving this old truck over uneven ground of dirt. I just got a text from The Queen (Wife), that she successfully had the title transferred over to our names and was able to get the 2019 tags for The Mule. YAY!!! I am so excited.

Until next time... Smoke'em if you got'em.