The Blog Lives

Hey, everyone. So it's been a while since I've put up a blog post (or added photos for those who have checked out the Flickr photostream). But I'm back and I'm blogging. And the truck project lives on.

So we had a bit of a post-Impact crash of sorts. I spent weeks on the phone and on websites pursuing the contacts I made at the show. We also used up the last of the tubing we had to build the cage. It wasn't even enough to finish the part of the cage inside the cab. So we had to go buy more tubing.

Late April and early May was a slow time. Most of the Crew, myself included, was forced to put the truck on the back burner so we could get our schoolwork done and take our final exams. Meanwhile the recession and increasing gas prices continued to creep up on us and make our project even more difficult. A few of us sat down with phone books and began calling local businesses seeking sponsorship. We still have most of the phone book to call, but so far we have been unable to pick up any additional sponsorships from the phone book. At this point, the crew budget is basically whatever I make working, along with whatever the other leaders and members are able to contribute. Days looked dark there for a while, but we're not done yet. And the light at the end of the tunnel is brightening.

One of the calls I made in May was to Aero Tech Services, a company that makes custom fuel cells for cars, boats, and aircraft. So I called them up and talked to Dennis King, president of the company. The conversation went something like this: "Hi. My name is Steven. My Boy Scouts are building a truck to race Vegas to Reno and Baja 1000. Would you sponsor us with a fuel cell?" "Sure. Just send me the dimensions." "Cool. Thank you." It was a pleasant surprise amid the month of frustration. We also now have all the hoses we need thanks to Chicopee's own Custom Racing Hose. Barry, the owner of the company, came and took a look at our truck and agreed to provide us with whatever we wind up needing.

We still need a few things, of course. Shocks, seats, and tubing being the biggest issues. Not to mention fuel of course. We did calculations as to how much it will cost to bring the truck to Vegas and back and came up with approximately... a lot. So we're praying that we can either pick up some sponsorships that will help pay our fuel cost or, even better, get sponsored by a fuel company.

Tomorrow, for me, shall be a very busy, but boring, day. More phone calls, more email proposals, and, if I'm lucky, I'll stop by the shop to see how the rest of the crew is doing with the truck.

Normally there are some pictures right about here, but with the theft of my camera in LA, we sadly don't have any for you today. I'm going to try and get some pictures up soon. Till then, thanks for reading, dudes.