I figured we’d get out of this mess in Arequipa somehow. I took a walk to the Ram dealer a few blocks away and they said their workshop was across town so I called an Uber.
The driver and I got chatting and he was very dubious about the dealer’s commitment to our repair. It turns out his uncle is a mechanic. What luck. He called his uncle after we arrived at the dealer’s mechanic shop and we sat in the car and talked to the uncle before I went in. It turns out I never went to the dealer after I talked to Hugo’s uncle the mechanic. He said there’s one automatic gearbox guy in Arequipa and to go see him. So we did.
I thanked the driver, Hugo, for his good advice and walked into the shop. Renzo the owner listened to my tale of woe and said no problem, bring it by tomorrow morning. See you then. Jaime the truck driver was on the job at eight the next morning:
Renzo called and asked if we were on the way. Everyone was working to schedule around here; I was shocked and delighted.
We offloaded outside the shop, paid Jaime $55 and I drove GANNET2 into the shop. The engine started and ran completely as normal, I’d even idled the engine for twenty minutes the night before. I could even get it in gear, forwards and in reverse but it clunked badly, though it was enough to maneuver the 9,000 pound van.
Once in position the heart surgery began and they dropped the transmission. Imagine walking into a shop on Tuesday in the US and work starting on Wednesday. Just like that.
It’s exhausting watching your home coming apart but Renzo, who looks like he may be in his early 30s is helped by Fran his 22 year old apprentice and they got on with it.
Rusty was perfect of course, curled up in the gravel watching the process, getting covered in dust and coming by from time to time.
They moved the Ford Explorer gearbox they were rebuilding and got to work disassembling mine. He wanted me there watching, no talk of insurance or safety rules or anything. The pink frothy fluid was from the Ford which got water in the transmission.
It really was like open heart surgery watching it come apart. The burnt out torque converter is on the ground.
Fran, 22, he’s shy but speaks some English.
Renzo “I can fix this. It will probably take more than a week.”
Breakfast vendor across the street. Layne got spinach sandwiches and they were really good.
Let’s cut the day long process short. Darkness fell and we weren’t finished. I had already mentioned to Renzo we could spend the night aboard and so we did. They went home and we sat in our rather not level home where we had dinner and went to sleep. In the morning Rusty was annoyed I couldn’t let him out for a walk as the gate was locked but soon enough the workers arrived…and by midday, presto the transmission was totally disassembled (“desarmado” I learned a new word) on the table.
I told Renzo I wanted it as new as possible for our journey so he started looking at the parts. I was freaking a bit wondering if he could find them. He turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said he’d rebuilt transmissions in Ram super duty trucks, 2500’s and 3500’s, Ford trucks, 250’s and 350’s and 450’s and Mustangs and Dodge Challengers and the list was so long I finally shut up and he smiled and said no problem, this will get done. Probably not in one week but before your wife gets back from America. Okay then I said I’ll call the tow truck. We pushed GANNET2 into the street slightly down hill and I tried not to worry how we’d push her back into the shop for the rebuilt transmission.
Rusty lost his gravel time and again did not like bouncing on the tow truck but he liked being back in the campground.
So here we are, plugged in to electricity, next to the bathrooms with hot showers on tap and trash cans nearby and everything we need, except we can’t drive our home. That would be awkward except we don’t actually need to move.
The supermarket is two blocks away and the center of the city is fifteen minutes away on foot with laundry services, restaurants and banks. I sound like a travel agent. Except I have no transmission. So here we stay. Layne leaves tomorrow and comes back at the end of the month. Rusty and I stay and talk to passing travelers. I’ve given Renzo some money so parts are on the way. We wait and see. Fingers crossed.
