I’ve been on here for over a year…I don’t post a lot. Here is my spiel:
I first came to the site in the winter of 2004. At the time, I had traded a car for a black/purple 79K5 Blazer on 10 bolts with 36” Mickey Thompson Baja Belted tires. It was the definition of a clean mall cruiser. I never wheeled it…and it wouldn’t have made it very far. It was the opposite of my off-road approach. I prefer low to the ground, long wheelbase rigs. This was the opposite. I added $500 worth of carpet, exterior trim, etc from LMC, and sold it for $4500…quite a bit more than I had in it. I’ve owned vehicles of nearly all makes at some point…used to be into the “fast Z28/Monte Carlo SS” while in high school & college in the ‘90’s. I had no interest in 4x4 vehicles at the time.
I bought my first 4x4 in the fall of 2000, and ’86 F-250. I did not lift it, and threw 35’s on it & started wheeling. In 2001, I joined my off road club, Ohio Trailriders. At the time, I was wheeling a stock ’84 F-150 with trimmed fenders & 36” TSL’s. Welded rear end, stock TTB 44 front. The only other regular fullsize rig to be out on the trails at that time was Brad (6.2Blazer on this board). Brad was the club president for the first two years when I joined. We ended up getting along pretty well after a few rides, and often joked about the “elite guys” in bling Jeeps…that sometimes acted snooty towards fullsize rigs…but often needed my Ford or Brad’s Blazer to rescue them when stuck or broke in the middle of the woods. I wheeled the F-150 for one year, then bought a ’78 Bronco because everyone said, “You’ll like it so much better with the shorter wheelbase.”
I lifted it 6” and took it to two trail rides. I did not like the higher center of gravity one bit. On the second ride, I broke a front stub axle, then spit the entire rear end out from under it due to having lift blocks. Felt pretty damn embarrassed, due to it being 8* outside in January. I never touched the Bronco after that day…removed parts & vowed not to return to the trails until I had another longbed fullsize truck. A beefy one ton Ford longbed with “big tires” & no lift was the ideal vehicle at the time.
In May of 2003, I stumbled across “Buford” in the local newspaper. Also, please note that I did not “name the truck” for a few years. I often referred to it as the “Big Ugly Ford…So after using that as a screen name for quite a while, the “BU” initials combined with the fact that it was indeed a Ford seemed to fit. Anyway, the specs upon purchase: ’78 F-250 4x4, 460, C6, dual D60’s, 4.10 gears, NP-205. The guy wanted $1000. I bought it for $800. The truck was very clean, not rotted out, etc. The truck has evolved somewhat since then, but I’ve always kept the same philosophy: Beefy parts that work…not bling stuff to brag about. I’ll provide a link later this evening of the mods…they should be saved somewhere on my club website. I’ve actually been our club president for the past two year.
Anyway, people may wonder why I visit a Chevy 4x4 site when I wheel a Ford…actually someone asked me that on the board today…thought I’d better introduce myself. I guess it’s similar to wheeling…I like to go places where people say I don’t belong.
Anyway, I’ve wheeled with 6.2 Blazer for 5 years, and I’ve wheeled with Jerry (JK5 on this site) a few times, and I believe I’ve wheeled with MadMike (yellow fullsize Chevy 1 ton) once or twice. A lot of wheeling mods are similar between GM, Ford and Dodge…except it seems the Chevy guys always have more options when it comes to parts. I’ll post the history of my mods later today or tonight. Several of them would apply to a Chevy truck as well. It will be a long post, but it will only take a few seconds to paste….since I typed it months ago. Good to meet you guys.
Later,
Roy
This is one of Buford's more notable accomplishments:
http://kyorvpark.com/gallery12.htm
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f169/78Buford/Widowmaker.jpg
I first came to the site in the winter of 2004. At the time, I had traded a car for a black/purple 79K5 Blazer on 10 bolts with 36” Mickey Thompson Baja Belted tires. It was the definition of a clean mall cruiser. I never wheeled it…and it wouldn’t have made it very far. It was the opposite of my off-road approach. I prefer low to the ground, long wheelbase rigs. This was the opposite. I added $500 worth of carpet, exterior trim, etc from LMC, and sold it for $4500…quite a bit more than I had in it. I’ve owned vehicles of nearly all makes at some point…used to be into the “fast Z28/Monte Carlo SS” while in high school & college in the ‘90’s. I had no interest in 4x4 vehicles at the time.
I bought my first 4x4 in the fall of 2000, and ’86 F-250. I did not lift it, and threw 35’s on it & started wheeling. In 2001, I joined my off road club, Ohio Trailriders. At the time, I was wheeling a stock ’84 F-150 with trimmed fenders & 36” TSL’s. Welded rear end, stock TTB 44 front. The only other regular fullsize rig to be out on the trails at that time was Brad (6.2Blazer on this board). Brad was the club president for the first two years when I joined. We ended up getting along pretty well after a few rides, and often joked about the “elite guys” in bling Jeeps…that sometimes acted snooty towards fullsize rigs…but often needed my Ford or Brad’s Blazer to rescue them when stuck or broke in the middle of the woods. I wheeled the F-150 for one year, then bought a ’78 Bronco because everyone said, “You’ll like it so much better with the shorter wheelbase.”
I lifted it 6” and took it to two trail rides. I did not like the higher center of gravity one bit. On the second ride, I broke a front stub axle, then spit the entire rear end out from under it due to having lift blocks. Felt pretty damn embarrassed, due to it being 8* outside in January. I never touched the Bronco after that day…removed parts & vowed not to return to the trails until I had another longbed fullsize truck. A beefy one ton Ford longbed with “big tires” & no lift was the ideal vehicle at the time.
In May of 2003, I stumbled across “Buford” in the local newspaper. Also, please note that I did not “name the truck” for a few years. I often referred to it as the “Big Ugly Ford…So after using that as a screen name for quite a while, the “BU” initials combined with the fact that it was indeed a Ford seemed to fit. Anyway, the specs upon purchase: ’78 F-250 4x4, 460, C6, dual D60’s, 4.10 gears, NP-205. The guy wanted $1000. I bought it for $800. The truck was very clean, not rotted out, etc. The truck has evolved somewhat since then, but I’ve always kept the same philosophy: Beefy parts that work…not bling stuff to brag about. I’ll provide a link later this evening of the mods…they should be saved somewhere on my club website. I’ve actually been our club president for the past two year.
Anyway, people may wonder why I visit a Chevy 4x4 site when I wheel a Ford…actually someone asked me that on the board today…thought I’d better introduce myself. I guess it’s similar to wheeling…I like to go places where people say I don’t belong.
Anyway, I’ve wheeled with 6.2 Blazer for 5 years, and I’ve wheeled with Jerry (JK5 on this site) a few times, and I believe I’ve wheeled with MadMike (yellow fullsize Chevy 1 ton) once or twice. A lot of wheeling mods are similar between GM, Ford and Dodge…except it seems the Chevy guys always have more options when it comes to parts. I’ll post the history of my mods later today or tonight. Several of them would apply to a Chevy truck as well. It will be a long post, but it will only take a few seconds to paste….since I typed it months ago. Good to meet you guys.
Later,
Roy
This is one of Buford's more notable accomplishments:
http://kyorvpark.com/gallery12.htm
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f169/78Buford/Widowmaker.jpg
So I have some serious work ahead on that. And now my transmission went out today after pulling a friend out of a bog. I cant believe it, and my new motor is smoking. I just can't get a break it seems. At least I have one ton axles and new 37in X-Terrains, those aughta last a bit(I hope). But you are dang lucky with those trannys!!!!
