Once I got my Cruiser back to Lubbock, I unloaded it off the trailer and took it for a spin. The engine started up immediately and it took very little time getting used to the three speed transmission.
After driving it around for about 10 minutes, I put it in 4 Wheel Drive and locked the hubs. It all worked perfectly.
The body on the other hand was completely rusted out. The wheel wells had holes big enough for my hands to fit through. The bed was rusted through on the back part, enough for me to bend it upwards to expose the rear axle. WOW, I had no idea it was in this bad of condition.
I began to clean it out from top to bottom. The previous owner, who worked at a Lemon Orchard, had left tons of lemon tree leaves under the seats and under a rubber floor mat. That floor mat was also used to keep his feet from falling though the floorin the bed. LOL.
As I was cleaning the inside, I found some cool things about it. On the dash, it says “For Official Use Only, US Government.” The previous owner had said the guy he bought the Cruiser from had bought it at a Government Auction and was used as a Park Ranger vehicle up near Santa Fe. Hmm, I wonder how I could find out if that’s true?
