<– Day 19 – Wed. May 22nd: Old Cars and Chocolate Shots  | Trip Overview | Day 21 – Fri. May 24th: Jeeps, Meats, and Beeps –>

Henry performing ‘toppage’ on a Jeepster in a downpour . . .

Today we plan on visit Bill and Henry at Lime Street Carriage in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

On Thursday we drove from Ronks, Pennsylvania, to Reading, Pennsylvania.

Ann and I awoke to a rainy morning in Ronks, PA. I’m not certain Ronks is a town, but it’s definitely a street. I do know for certain there’s a Waffle House off of Ronks street because we ate a midnight dinner there last night, because I wanted some grits: scrambled eggs, bacon and grits to be exact. Yeah, I know their butter is really hydrogenated oil coupled with other ingredients requiring a chemistry masters to decipher; I enjoyed my grits just the same.

Our goal today was Bill Reiss’ Lime Street Carriage in downtown Lancaster. Ronks is only a short drive away, so it didn’t take long for us to get there. When we arrived at Bill’s, he showed us around his current showroom of jeeps (and other vehicles) for sale. He explained that he’s in the middle of a renovation. His building was formerly a Studebaker dealership and other businesses. He laughed about the seven layers of carpet and three false ceilings he’s torn out of one area of the building. On the plus side, he was able to open up a great deal of space. Even though there’s plenty of work left, it’s easy to see how great the space will be when he’s done.

Here are Bill and I checking out a few of the jeeps in his shop. There are several 2As and a CJ-5 lined up there.

Here are twins Norm (on the left) and Norma. Norma is named Norma, because she’s prettier.

Bill has this vintage truck for sale.

After a quick tour, Bill’s friend Henry arrived and we all went to lunch at a local pub (great food, thanks guys!).  After lunch, Bill offered to take us to their jeep restoration shop in a nearby town. The weather looked good, so he thought we’d take the Jeepster. Best of all, he was going to let me drive back!

That was the plan anyway . . .  The Jeepster had different ideas.

First, the normally dependable Jeepster didn’t want to start. As you can see, I was offering all kinds of useless advice. Henry thanked me for my advice, suggesting I stick my suggestions where the sun can’t reach them.

My wife said point into the engine and offer some advice. She promptly took a picture. That’s when Henry provided some advice of his own :-)

Henry figured out the problem, and soon we were rolling out the door.

We are really cruising downtown Lancaster in style!

I’m continuing my uselessness by lounging in the rear of the car. I really like my Hershey’s shirt btw.

We had a blast on the drive. Sure, it was short, lasting less than a block, but we made the most of it before the Jeepster started acting up again. So, Bill pulled over and Henry and Bill went to work on the engine (issue with the points). As you can see, I’m enjoying the ride even if we aren’t moving anywhere. Besides, if there is one thing I’ve learned as a cook, that is too many cooks spoil the broth.

I was thoroughly enjoying my time away from my computer. The seat was comfortable, the weather warm, and the entertainment lively!

I was really enjoying myself . . . Even when it started sprinkling, I was still having a good time. Bill ran back and forth to his garage a couple times to grab some tools as Henry messed with the distributor. At one point, Bill thought it best we raise the top, so he reached back and pulled it forward. Not two seconds after the top was secured, the god of rain let loose torrents of water. It poured. Hard. As you can see below, I remained content. I was having all kinds of fun at this unexpected adventure!

Eventually, it rained so hard we (meaning mostly Bill and Henry) installed the top’s sides (See top pic to watch Henry in action). Then, we all pushed the Jeepster into a parking lot, piled into Henry’s Jaguar, and drove away.

So, I missed out on my opportunity to drive a Jeepster. I guess that’s just another reason to visit again next year??

Using Henry’s car, we eventually made it to the restoration shop. Around the shop are all kinds of jeep models: CJ-2A, CJ-5, Truck, Wagon, FC and others. They keep very busy and appear to do some nice work.

Check out Carl Walck’s wagon in the image below, one that they are restoring. The wagon’s passenger door had been badly dented by a telephone pole; however, now you can’t tell it was ever near a pole. Great work!

Carl Walck’s Wagon

A rebuild CJ-5 body in the paint room.

This is a truck cab they are rebuilding.

An FC-170 Dually Bill found off of eWillys. It’s waiting for a turn in the shop.

This woodie will be restored soon.

The interiors of these are just great!

Bill and Henry were curious about the design the Willys engine head, so they had one cut in half.

After a fun time at the shop, we returned to Lime Street Carriage for one last picture. Many thanks to Bill and Henry for an adventure that Ann and I won’t soon forget. We’ll be laughing about it for years.

Me, Henry, and Bill

After our afternoon with the guys, we drove north to Reading, Pennsylvania, where we got another screaming deal on a Marriott hotel room. We arrived in the late afternoon. Around the corner from our room was Russo’s Gourmet Foods & Market, an Italian specialty market. I’m not very familiar with gourmet Italian food, but I found a variety items I couldn’t resist. I left with a bag full of goodness!

On Friday we meet with Seth in Kempton, PA, at 9AM. After we get done with him, we’ll be stopping by Dietrich Meats (thanks for the suggestion John). Then we head over to Sea Cliff, Long Island.

The only hitch in our plan to visit with my son Karson this weekend is that he called Thursday night to tell me the FEMA/Americore folks have been ordered to stand by for a possible evacuation to Oklahoma. So, we might or might not see him this weekend. That’s a big bummer for me, but he’s got to do what he’s got to do. Those folks in Oklahoma right now need all the help they can get.

 <– Day 19 – Wed. May 22nd: Old Cars and Chocolate Shots  | Trip Overview | Day 21 – Fri. May 24th: Jeeps, Meats, and Beeps –>