This was the last visit of the year to the Dodge, and it was just squeezed in to the last few hours of 2017.

It had been a little over six weeks since my last visit due to a number of factors interfering with normal life. I turned up, opened the container checked the radiator and notice the level had dropped a bit. I topped it up with some water from the emergency bottles in the back locker and and gave the Dodge a run. It started at the second go. There were no signs of any leaks after the top up.

With the recent cold spells, and having just added plain water for the engine run, I decided the anti-freeze ratio in the Dodge should be increased, just in case. Everything was locked up again, and I made the three mile trip home, got some gear together and headed back.

The radiator was partially drained into a bucket, and while I'd forgotten my anti-freeze tester, the drained liquid still smelled of anti-freeze. About a litre of Prestone anti-freeze was added back into the radiator and the engine run again to circulate the coolant. Everything was locked up once again until 2018.
   

November 2017 

It had been a few weeks since the trip to Shildon for the classic car rally, so I decided to go and give the truck a check over. We took the Ford over for a very chilly drive to the storage unit. After a prime, it took quite a few goes to get the Dodge to fire. It was a particularly cold day, and it took all the effort of the 6 volt battery to turn the engine over and provide enough energy for the spark!

Once the truck was running, it was left at a high idle to charge the battery. The clutch and brakes were exercised, oil and water checked before starting, lights all tested, and after about 15 minutes running, the truck was moved forwards to avoid flat spots on the tyres.