Sept 10th

I got up and headed out with the Tracker to the NAPA store I had seen last night.  I bought a couple of bolts that should work to remove the rear brake drum so I could see what is happening.  At the NAPA store I asked it they could recommend someone who might help and they recommended JTS Automotive which was only about 2 miles away.  Tim, the owner of JTS said they could get it on the lift right away and see what was up.

The rear axle of the Tracker was going to have to be replaced anyway when I got home because it was bent and had gone through a set of tires in about 7000 miles. The rear tires were wearing on the outside edge of each of the tires.  Carol’s son, Rick, is a car dealer and his service department said that the axle was bent from an apparent accident of some kind and the rear tires were actually toed in in the neighborhood of 20 degrees each.

This problem was possibly caused from that same accident because when JTS got the drum off they said that the bearing was completely gone and they could wiggle the axle and tire around a lot.  Actually, on the way over there I could hear occasional crunching sounds coming from that area so I know they were not kidding.

We finally figured that the best plan of attack was to get a junk yard rear end and replace the whole thing – just what I had planned to do when we returned.  Unfortunately, they will not be able to get it done until Monday morning but the price was right – better than the $1000 I guessed it would cost at home.

Meanwhile, we will stay at this camp ground – one of the best we have ever stayed at – until Sunday.  The camp ground is in the Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park (he is buried here) and the Johnny Appleseed Festival will be held next week so we have to vacate so they can set it up.  On Sunday evening we will have to find another place to camp and then pick up the Tracker on Monday.

We plan to return to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum tomorrow and see more of it along with the car and truck museum they have on the grounds.  I’ll take more photos then.