'ole bobby. (a boring M&R thread.)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:37 pm
years ago, I had a 1970 GMC, I called it Cotton, being named after Cotton from "King of the Hill", because it was old, crusty, ran like it had no shins, and just wouldn't die. I had intended on installing a Vortec 4200 in it, and building a rad Daily driver out of it. After about a year or so of faithful service, the 400 SBC spun a bearing at a time that I didn't have the time, or the money to replace it, and at a time that I couldn't not have semi reliable transportation.
I was caught in quite a predicament. at the time, I didn't have time, space, or money to keep Cotton, so I made one of the more important decisions of my adult life, I bought the first "modern" vehicle I have ever owned. After searching high and low for a reasonable truck to replace Cotton, I had only a few basic requirements, simple, inexpensive, 3/4 ton or heavier, and 4x4.
Since the last truck was Cotton, it was only fitting that the comfortable, 36 year younger truck be named "Bobby"
I picked the truck up for $13,000, it was the first vehicle I had owned to have had working AC. I found it at a used car lot in Ladson, SC,
Right off the hit, it needed new tires, at which point, I made a decision I wish I hadn't, I bought a set of Micky Thompson Classic II rims, and a set of BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires. there's nothing particularly wrong with the combination, they're good rims, and good tires, but, I should have stuck with stock parts. Unfortunately, while literally on the phone with a tire store ordering tires, my back right tire blew, crunching the bedside...
#bodyshop
I beat the panel as straight as I could, and Honestly, I'm pretty happy with the results.
the truck then filled DD duty for the next few years, somewhere in there, I put a cranked up torsion keys, and 2" lift block in it, until I got orders to Pearl Harbor. I loaded the truck with anything I didn't want to take to Pearl including my Fiero, and parked it on my dad's farm near Pensacola, where it would sit for the next year, most of which I would spend underwater. and then transferred again, this time to Washington, where I would acquire another DD, "The Pig Rig". I found myself needing an actual truck more and more, so I flew back to Pensacola and brought it, and my Fiero to Washington.
I got out of the Navy last year, and moved back to South Carolina, making another cross country trip in Bobby. Since 2015, I've put about 85,000 miles on it, a set of brake lines, 2 sets of BFG tires, front brakes, a water pump, and an alternator.
Earlier, I mentioned wishing I hadn't bought the wheels and tires, and recently, I decided to go back to a stock wheel/tire package, and pull the "lift" out, this week, I put stock sized Firestone Destination XT's on it, on a set of stock 16" wheels. I've grown tired of the truck being taller than it needs to be, for no reason other than to look good, next step will be to remove the lift blocks, and get a set of stock torsion keys/shock mounts, which will bring the truck lower, and far more practical for what I need the truck for, "farm" duty, and towing. lowering it back to stock should also help improve fuel economy as well.
in addition to improving functionality, and fuel economy, putting the truck back on stock tires will also let me have a full size spare in the stock location again. The old BFG's would tuck under the truck where the stock spare would go, but the larger diameter, and wider width caused the spare to hit the differential, I haven't had a spare for a few years because of it, so now I'm going to hit a local yard and snag a new spare for the truck.
This thread isn't really meant to be entertaining, or particularly interesting, more just a log of what's going on with the truck.
I was caught in quite a predicament. at the time, I didn't have time, space, or money to keep Cotton, so I made one of the more important decisions of my adult life, I bought the first "modern" vehicle I have ever owned. After searching high and low for a reasonable truck to replace Cotton, I had only a few basic requirements, simple, inexpensive, 3/4 ton or heavier, and 4x4.
Since the last truck was Cotton, it was only fitting that the comfortable, 36 year younger truck be named "Bobby"
I picked the truck up for $13,000, it was the first vehicle I had owned to have had working AC. I found it at a used car lot in Ladson, SC,
Right off the hit, it needed new tires, at which point, I made a decision I wish I hadn't, I bought a set of Micky Thompson Classic II rims, and a set of BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires. there's nothing particularly wrong with the combination, they're good rims, and good tires, but, I should have stuck with stock parts. Unfortunately, while literally on the phone with a tire store ordering tires, my back right tire blew, crunching the bedside...
#bodyshop
I beat the panel as straight as I could, and Honestly, I'm pretty happy with the results.
the truck then filled DD duty for the next few years, somewhere in there, I put a cranked up torsion keys, and 2" lift block in it, until I got orders to Pearl Harbor. I loaded the truck with anything I didn't want to take to Pearl including my Fiero, and parked it on my dad's farm near Pensacola, where it would sit for the next year, most of which I would spend underwater. and then transferred again, this time to Washington, where I would acquire another DD, "The Pig Rig". I found myself needing an actual truck more and more, so I flew back to Pensacola and brought it, and my Fiero to Washington.
I got out of the Navy last year, and moved back to South Carolina, making another cross country trip in Bobby. Since 2015, I've put about 85,000 miles on it, a set of brake lines, 2 sets of BFG tires, front brakes, a water pump, and an alternator.
Earlier, I mentioned wishing I hadn't bought the wheels and tires, and recently, I decided to go back to a stock wheel/tire package, and pull the "lift" out, this week, I put stock sized Firestone Destination XT's on it, on a set of stock 16" wheels. I've grown tired of the truck being taller than it needs to be, for no reason other than to look good, next step will be to remove the lift blocks, and get a set of stock torsion keys/shock mounts, which will bring the truck lower, and far more practical for what I need the truck for, "farm" duty, and towing. lowering it back to stock should also help improve fuel economy as well.
in addition to improving functionality, and fuel economy, putting the truck back on stock tires will also let me have a full size spare in the stock location again. The old BFG's would tuck under the truck where the stock spare would go, but the larger diameter, and wider width caused the spare to hit the differential, I haven't had a spare for a few years because of it, so now I'm going to hit a local yard and snag a new spare for the truck.
This thread isn't really meant to be entertaining, or particularly interesting, more just a log of what's going on with the truck.