Out of Time

When I graduated from college, I decided Montana would be a good place to live. Choosing the destination of Bozeman, I figured I could find a teaching job and my husband could find employment at a farm or ranch. We purchased a used 1962 Ford Galaxy automobile and loaded it solid with as many of our belongings as would fit. On the roof rack we loaded a tent, cooler filled with food and everything we needed to camp our way across the continent. Everything was packed so tight there was a flat surface from the top of the front seat to the rear window that we would stretch out on for a nap. We even brought our cat along.

We found every thousand miles or so our auto’s engine would start to sputter. This indicated it was “out of time” and needed to be retimed to continue running. We also found we were missing a necessary tool in our tool box – a “feeler gauge.” However, a match book cover could be used for a feeler gauge in this instance. To reset the timing, it is necessary to have the pistons in the right position (top dead center or TDC). This can be accomplished by turning the ignition switch quickly on and off to move the pistons a fraction of an inch at a time.

Early in the morning, at various campsites, my husband and I would find ourselves resetting the timing. My husband would have his head buried under the hood of the car calling out, “Hit it,” to signal me to operate the ignition key. If I held the key in the on position too long, the pistons would pass TDC and we would have to start all over again. The comments coming from under the hood were more colorful than “Hit me” when this happened.

One morning a neighboring camper came over to offer some help. “Probably it’s just flooded,” the man commented.

You can use your own imagination as to the tirade from under the hood at that point, but the neighbor decided he should quickly return to his own campsite.

We made it to Montana, found no jobs and returned to Pennsylvania. We kept the car for a number of years but bought a feeler gauge and retired the match book cover.