I was going to leave this thread alone, because after over 15 years I'm still a little bummed about the way it turned out.
But, it might help you out, so here goes:
Bout 15 years ago, my idiot cousin called me to come look at a Blazer he was thinking about buying.
I told him to go ahead and buy it, because we both knew he would no matter what I said, but he insisted.
I had never heard of this place, and my standards for a used car are way higher than some of the stuff you folks buy.
But you buy them to fix up. I buy them to drive as is.
Anybody here would have loved this truck.
To me, at that time, it was a piece of junk.
Brakes were shot, engine needed work, shifter did not want to shift right, the driver side floorboard was rusted out and you could see the road go by, it had the fiberglass top and the top was cracked where the back door hinges were attached.
Plus the rear end had a whine.
But, other than that, it was cherry. Paint was good, frame and body had almost no rust, doors were solid. $500 to haul it off.
Like I say, junk to me, good possibilities to you folks.
After I gave him the report, he assured me he did not want it.
Two days later he bought it.
We changed out whatever it was in the rear end, not exactly oil, fixed the brakes and replaced a bunch of tie rod ends.
Transmission had had the pin that the shift gate mounts on fall out of the cover, but he found one in a junkyard and we replaced the whole thing.
He was convinced that the six cylinder had a blown intake gasket because he "saw oil in the water".
We replaced the gasket, radiator started pouring water.
Just to get by, I poured in a bottle of Bar's Leaks.
It stopped the leaks, but when he saw it in the water, he said that was the way it looked before when he thought it was oil...............
While all this was going on, his son was right there. He was so excited about the Blazer and could not wait for hunting season when we would take it to the camp.
I could do the math, I know about when all this happened, and have enough clues to determine exactly, but I would guess the kid was about 12.
We mounted one of my winches on the front, and he took it to the camp that hunting season, leaving a smoke trail everywhere he went.
The kid loved it. He let him drive some in the woods, and it was great.
A friend of ours took pity on him and bought him a rebuilt NAPA short block after the camp.
We put it in, but it had very low oil pressure.
My NAPA guy said to bring it back, but my idiot cousin could not be bothered.
One day, he announced he was going to trade it in on a nice little Bronco II that he had found.
The kid was heartbroken, but figured he would come to like the new truck.
It was coming up on his birthday, so I had an idea.
Got them both together, told him I would buy the Blazer for what the trade-in was worth and give it to the kid for a birthday present.
He could take it off his insurance and turn in the tag. We would put it in his big backyard, pour a slab and build a small shop.
Put the Blazer in up on blocks and over the next couple of years he and his son could strip it down to the frame, and completely rebuild it.
I would help, and when it was done his son would have a safe reliable vehicle to drive when he got his license.
Plus his son would get a great mechanical education, and be able to fix anything that went wrong with it.
And it would be HIS vehicle more than any that could be bought.
Everybody thought it was a great idea............
I forgot who I was dealing with.
I paid him the money, he bought the little Bronco, and, not because it was a Ford, it was one of the best vehicle buys he ever made.
That little thing was a jewel. I think he drove it for 8 years. It quickly became his DD.
Meanwhile, about 3 weeks later, I called to tell him I was free and could borrow a friend's tractor to clear out and level a spot to pour the slab that weekend.
He said, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I sold the Blazer to a fellow the other day..........
I should have gotten the title, I guess.
Today, his son is in the 101st Airborne, as fine a man as you would want to meet. He and his father as as close as brothers, and I don't think that the Blazer incident left any kind of a scar or tension between them.
But, to this day, when anything goes wrong with anything he drives, he has to call me for advice.
And he has to take it to a shop to get the oil changed...........................
HAS to, because he does not have a clue.
Just breaks my heart.
But, it might help you out, so here goes:
Bout 15 years ago, my idiot cousin called me to come look at a Blazer he was thinking about buying.
I told him to go ahead and buy it, because we both knew he would no matter what I said, but he insisted.
I had never heard of this place, and my standards for a used car are way higher than some of the stuff you folks buy.
But you buy them to fix up. I buy them to drive as is.
Anybody here would have loved this truck.
To me, at that time, it was a piece of junk.
Brakes were shot, engine needed work, shifter did not want to shift right, the driver side floorboard was rusted out and you could see the road go by, it had the fiberglass top and the top was cracked where the back door hinges were attached.
Plus the rear end had a whine.
But, other than that, it was cherry. Paint was good, frame and body had almost no rust, doors were solid. $500 to haul it off.
Like I say, junk to me, good possibilities to you folks.
After I gave him the report, he assured me he did not want it.
Two days later he bought it.
We changed out whatever it was in the rear end, not exactly oil, fixed the brakes and replaced a bunch of tie rod ends.
Transmission had had the pin that the shift gate mounts on fall out of the cover, but he found one in a junkyard and we replaced the whole thing.
He was convinced that the six cylinder had a blown intake gasket because he "saw oil in the water".
We replaced the gasket, radiator started pouring water.
Just to get by, I poured in a bottle of Bar's Leaks.
It stopped the leaks, but when he saw it in the water, he said that was the way it looked before when he thought it was oil...............
While all this was going on, his son was right there. He was so excited about the Blazer and could not wait for hunting season when we would take it to the camp.
I could do the math, I know about when all this happened, and have enough clues to determine exactly, but I would guess the kid was about 12.
We mounted one of my winches on the front, and he took it to the camp that hunting season, leaving a smoke trail everywhere he went.
The kid loved it. He let him drive some in the woods, and it was great.
A friend of ours took pity on him and bought him a rebuilt NAPA short block after the camp.
We put it in, but it had very low oil pressure.
My NAPA guy said to bring it back, but my idiot cousin could not be bothered.
One day, he announced he was going to trade it in on a nice little Bronco II that he had found.
The kid was heartbroken, but figured he would come to like the new truck.
It was coming up on his birthday, so I had an idea.
Got them both together, told him I would buy the Blazer for what the trade-in was worth and give it to the kid for a birthday present.
He could take it off his insurance and turn in the tag. We would put it in his big backyard, pour a slab and build a small shop.
Put the Blazer in up on blocks and over the next couple of years he and his son could strip it down to the frame, and completely rebuild it.
I would help, and when it was done his son would have a safe reliable vehicle to drive when he got his license.
Plus his son would get a great mechanical education, and be able to fix anything that went wrong with it.
And it would be HIS vehicle more than any that could be bought.
Everybody thought it was a great idea............
I forgot who I was dealing with.
I paid him the money, he bought the little Bronco, and, not because it was a Ford, it was one of the best vehicle buys he ever made.
That little thing was a jewel. I think he drove it for 8 years. It quickly became his DD.
Meanwhile, about 3 weeks later, I called to tell him I was free and could borrow a friend's tractor to clear out and level a spot to pour the slab that weekend.
He said, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I sold the Blazer to a fellow the other day..........
I should have gotten the title, I guess.
Today, his son is in the 101st Airborne, as fine a man as you would want to meet. He and his father as as close as brothers, and I don't think that the Blazer incident left any kind of a scar or tension between them.
But, to this day, when anything goes wrong with anything he drives, he has to call me for advice.
And he has to take it to a shop to get the oil changed...........................
HAS to, because he does not have a clue.
Just breaks my heart.
