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Need advice about future of old Blazer

Sounds like you are in a similar situation as I am...my mom is 85,very ill with multiple problems,and is now in a nursing home ,dying ,could pass any minute....and it looks like I wont be able to "save" her house from the medicaid crooks,so I may soon be sleeping in whatever vehicle I decide to keep,end up living on the street like a hobo..

I ave to consult a lawyer and see if there is any way I can save her home from being confiscated to pay off her nursing home bills monday,if she still living then.....(If she passes away before august,then medicaid wont have any lein on it yet,then it'll mean a long probate battle ,thanks to her not having made a will or any other arrangements to put the house in a trust)..so I'll still be boned ,one way or another...

I have thought about reserecting either my 81 van,which has sat and rusted 10 years,and will need brake work,tires,and rot holes patched up,etc...and may well prove unroadworthy after all that from sitting too long...or the 85 k-10 suburban I bought almost 4 years ago and never got to use yet--that needs tranny work though,the van is set up to live in already,and would probably be better suited than the suburban to live in for an extended time period..

The Suburban might get listed for sale in the classified section here soon,,it is worth more than the van probably due to me installing a plow on it,if someone here wants a reasonably priced plow rig...

Whatever route you decide to go Zombie Blazer--good luck...both of us are going to need LOTS of it if we hope to survive in this world without our mothers...
 
diesel4me said:
Sounds like you are in a similar situation as I am...my mom is 85,very ill with multiple problems,and is now in a nursing home ,dying ,could pass any minute....and it looks like I wont be able to "save" her house from the medicaid crooks,so I may soon be sleeping in whatever vehicle I decide to keep,end up living on the street like a hobo..

I ave to consult a lawyer and see if there is any way I can save her home from being confiscated to pay off her nursing home bills monday,if she still living then.....(If she passes away before august,then medicaid wont have any lein on it yet,then it'll mean a long probate battle ,thanks to her not having made a will or any other arrangements to put the house in a trust)..so I'll still be boned ,one way or another...
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Sorry for being off topic, but I just went through something similar. My mom had a trust (don't get me started on trust lawyers, you can't trust those crooks @ $350/hr, should be called anti-trust lawyers) and she already the house in her, my, and my brother's name so it was joint custody. He said that anything that was not solely in her name can't be touched by anyone seeking payment for bills, if it's in a trust or not. That included her bank accounts and house. So if she has nothing that's just in her name then you owe $0 for medical bills. Might want to look into that and discuss the situation with your mom. Let your mom know that it's still her house but for the sake of it not being 'stolen' from you that this is the best situation. By the way, had I of had to go to probate it would have been at least $40k! I don't understand that screwed up system at all !! How the state tries to steal everything your parents worked so hard for.
Again, sorry for being off topic ... back to your regularly scheduled program.
 
I've used U-haul's trailer to haul my K5 with 6" lift and 36's behind one of their trucks. I had to put some 31's or 32's on the front to get it on the trailer and use the tire straps but had no problems. I ran it as fast as the truck would go....74 governed...:doah:
 
diesel4me said:
Sounds like you are in a similar situation as I am...my mom is 85,very ill with multiple problems,and is now in a nursing home ,dying ,could pass any minute....and it looks like I wont be able to "save" her house from the medicaid crooks,so I may soon be sleeping in whatever vehicle I decide to keep,end up living on the street like a hobo..

I ave to consult a lawyer and see if there is any way I can save her home from being confiscated to pay off her nursing home bills monday,if she still living then.....(If she passes away before august,then medicaid wont have any lein on it yet,then it'll mean a long probate battle ,thanks to her not having made a will or any other arrangements to put the house in a trust)..so I'll still be boned ,one way or another...

I have thought about reserecting either my 81 van,which has sat and rusted 10 years,and will need brake work,tires,and rot holes patched up,etc...and may well prove unroadworthy after all that from sitting too long...or the 85 k-10 suburban I bought almost 4 years ago and never got to use yet--that needs tranny work though,the van is set up to live in already,and would probably be better suited than the suburban to live in for an extended time period..

The Suburban might get listed for sale in the classified section here soon,,it is worth more than the van probably due to me installing a plow on it,if someone here wants a reasonably priced plow rig...

Whatever route you decide to go Zombie Blazer--good luck...both of us are going to need LOTS of it if we hope to survive in this world without our mothers...
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You need to get on the phone first thing Monday and call all the government services you have available to you...legal aid, housing, all that stuff and start getting stuff lined up because they move slow...
I don't know what the agreement looks like that your mother signed with the nursing home. You may still have time and you may still have rights.
My mom had an FHA loan and when she died they would not deal with me...they wanted me to pay the remaining balance on the house plus all the money they had subsidized on her payments...I had to walk away...then they sold it for pennies on the dollar to somebody else at an auction.
I would have taken over payments on the remaining balance...but NOOOOOO...Feds wouldn't do that...so I ended up losing the house and they lost a bunch of money
 
Diesel4me, Sorry to hear that man. There are a lot of resources online about how to live mobile if you have to. If you are interested let me know and I can send you the links I have seen. Watch out for a book called "vanabode"... someone is trying to sell this lifestyle as some fantasy life but I have heard bad things about it and there seem to be some staged "reviews" of the book on Youtube.
 
fabjunkie said:
I've used U-haul's trailer to haul my K5 with 6" lift and 36's behind one of their trucks. I had to put some 31's or 32's on the front to get it on the trailer and use the tire straps but had no problems. I ran it as fast as the truck would go....74 governed...:doah:
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Thanks for the info fabjunkie. Great to hear. Did you get it over any mountains or anything? That's what I am worried about. Some big mountains on the way to Salem Oregon I believe.
 
No mountains that time. I've run a U-haul with a truck on a trailer another time up some pretty good grades and it was slow, and sucked a lot of gas, but no problems. Unless you plan on doing some fourwheeling, you won't have a problem with the Blazer on the trailer, outside of a flat tire or something. I used the tire straps on the trailer up front and strapped the rear around the rear axle to the trailer just like you would on any other trailer.
 
I dont want to sidetrack Zombie's original thread intent,but I'd like to hear more about the experiences the other members here have had regarding the medicaid laws and how they affected you though--what sucks is every state's is different,and can change every few months,so what your experience was may not apply here!.....

Rampage & Cheif Brody,Maybe a new thread about that in the lounge would be better,so I as not to highjack his threads subject...here is a breif summary of the situation here ..

Believe me,monday morning I'm contacting the lawyer we met at an estate planning seminar back in march when my mom first was hospitalized..put the call in friday but it was after bussiness hours..

I regret not doing it right away THEN...they were closed till moday....guy is supposedly the #1 elder law attorney here and I hope he can help--might be too late already though,my mom can barely speak or stay awake,and is about deaf too...she doesnt like me much either and it'll be a long shot to get her to sign the house over to me,she refused to even discuss any estate plans with anyone in the family (that will admit it at least),and I dont know if I would be allowed to get it,having no source of income..(yet)...I'll do whatever I can if it means saving it from being auctioned off and having to lose (and move what I can keep) out of here..


As far as having to move,I'm hoping that is the last resort,and can put it off as long as possible,if I cannot remain living in her home..I'll need time to get whatever vehicle I decide to keep in good enough shape to trust long distances,though I;m sure even if it were "minty" I'd still be fearing it'll break down and leave me screwed..


I'm not looking forward to possibly having to live "mobile" ,and it is unlikely I'd get far or last for long on my own with no cash to fall back on--nowhere to go ..taking off in a vehicle thats sat idle 10 years with a few bucks in your wallet and no friends to call if you get in a bind isn't a wise choice without going right thru everything first and getting it in good shape..getting a "new to you" vehicle to point a to point b in crappy shape can be done,but if it is your only "home" and means of transportation,and your life is depending on it ,it had better be in good shape..

The last thing I'd want is to be at the mercy of someone who comes along if you happened to break down in a "bad place"--I envision being stabbed or shot on the side of a dark deserted road in some strange place if I end up having to leave here,its bad enough right in my local area to survive as it is,and its considered a "nice place".....and fixing things without the garage,tools and spare parts you had all along until this point will suck royally too..I HAVE to at least try to save whats here..
 
diesel4me said:
might be too late already though,my mom can barely speak or stay awake,and is about deaf too...she doesnt like me much either and it'll be a long shot to get her to sign the house over to me,she refused to even discuss any estate plans with anyone in the family (that will admit it at least),and I dont know if I would be allowed to get it,having no source of income..(yet)...I'll do whatever I can if it means saving it from being auctioned off and having to lose (and move what I can keep) out of here..
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Who has "power of attorney" over her estate? A lot of times when a person is in the stage of dying they aren't thinking straight and they don't want to give up their property...because giving up their house or car is an admission of their imminent death.
I don't know what your situation is with the other family members...who took care of her before she went to the nursing home?
Who takes care of her now that she is in the nursing home? The power of attorney can be a crucial thing and whoever has it would be the person likely able to make any deals or arrangements on the house.
If the house doesn't go to the nursing home will you be fighting with relatives over "their part" of the house?
Lots of things to consider. Does she even know what is happening? Does she know the house will go to the nursing home or to the state if she doesn't put it in somebody else's name?

At any rate, you will have to plan for two scenarois...one which allows you to stay in the house and the other that does not....it's a bad scene when somebody dies and everybody is coming out of the woodwork trying to get a piece of what's left...it can divide families...been there seen it...
I would spend some time trying to get assistance for yourself as well...things may work out better if you can get assistance with rent or housing for yourself...see if you qualify.
Living in your vehicle is illegal in my state....you will go to jail here if caught...
 
diesel4me said:
Rampage & Cheif Brody,Maybe a new thread about that in the lounge would be better,so I as not to highjack his threads subject...here is a breif summary of the situation here ..
Click to expand...
If it's all the same I'll just watch from the sidelines since I can't post in the lounge. :whistle:
I'll PM you if I have any input or you can PM me with any questions. I've been following your situation on and off for some time now so I have an idea what's going on.
 
If you are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or know someone that is homeless, help is available. HUD, along with many other Federal agencies, funds programs to help persons who are homeless. Local homeless assistance agencies provide a range of services and assistance, including emergency shelter, food, housing counseling, and job training and placement assistance. For general information on available resources, please visit the Resources for Homeless Persons page on the HRE.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless

http://www.hudhre.info/index.cfm?do=viewHomelessResources

http://homeless.samhsa.gov/
 
Check with your local Vocational Rehab services.

They helped me get assistance about 20 years ago, helped with medical, helped with education and were just a great advocate and resource for me.

I could no longer physically do the job I had and they helped me survive while getting surgery and helping me get education for a new career..

There's help out there...you got to look for it.

http://dhs.sd.gov/drs/vocrehab/vr.aspx
 
Chief Brody said:
Living in your vehicle is illegal in my state....you will go to jail here if caught...
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Have you heard anything about this new trend of people living in "tiny houses"?

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

For example this woman who helped start the movement made a really nice little trailer just big enough to live in that can be pulled behind a vehicle and parked on someones property with their approval of course... and lived in there. Do you know what the general laws around this might be from state to state?

It would be great if diesel4me and myself could do something like this but I myself don't know anyone who I could even ask to do this. I could see how most people wouldn't want to have a strange nearly homeless person on their property. Living with my mom for years and years I have no real rental history either. And I have been trying to start my own business for years and years so no recent job history either.
 
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Does anyone know if there is some way to tell if diesel fuel that has been sitting for a long time is still good or if your tank has rusted etc etc?

Draining the fuel with it in my apartment complex seems really problematic.
 
Will it gel in a warm climate? It's been sitting there for years and year and years so there may be no hope of it being good. If it might damage the internals I might have no other choice than to drain it.

I wonder if I got some kind of little cheap syphon pump if that would allow me to manage draining it without making a mess or needing some huge vat to collect it.
 
I don't know much about diesel...sounds like moisture and "algae" are what you have to worry about.

With a small pail, rag & screw driver, crawl under & remove the rubber fuel line going into the tank. Fuel will flow. Catch some fuel in the pail. Replace the rubber hose. Pour pail fuel into a clear glass container & verify if there is any algae growth.
Now you have verified the flow through the tank strainer & algae growth.
If fuel is dirty, buy extra prefilters & top off the tank with some biodiesel or use a diesel additive with a biocide. Add diesel additive at the pump before filling.
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Thanks chief Brody.. great info.

Does anyone know how strong the shell of an 84 Blazer is? Can you put any kind of load on it without a roof rack?

Is it fiberglass or plastic? Does it have any reinforcing structure in it?
 
I think I read 250 lbs is all GM reccomended to carry on K5's roofracks in an old owners manual...they are fiberglass and in my opinion,not that tough,though they may be steel reinfiorced in spots,they can crack easy...

Diesel fuel can go stale or get algae growth,but its less prone to going sour than gas is in my experience..at the junkyard we ran the trucks and loaders off a old oil delivery truck that was there at least 10 years before the guy we worked for bought the yard,was half full at least--and we never saw any issues with them,we were careful to be sure any water that settled to the bottom wasnt allowed to get into the fuel cans,we used a pump to siphon it off the top,instead of the drain valves,and didn't use all of it up,we left a layer about 6" deep in the tank and used it for parts cleaner,and disposed of the rest with the drain oil company who took away the old fuels..

We rigged up a water separator filter off a diesel truck to the pump so it would filter it good...for extra insurance..

We also used the fuel from an old street sweeper the DPW junked that was 3/4 full and they claimed it sat for 5+ years at their site before junking it..it still looked fresh and smelled ok,so we used that up too..we did add some Siloo fuel conditioner often to our equipment there anyway and it seemed to help keep them running good..it was a bit harder to start the loader in winter with the old fuel,but it ran fine once it fired up..

I dont think I'd worry about the fuel in your tank,my K2500 has never been filled full once since I owned it in ten years,and sits more than gets used,with less than 1/4 tank,yet I dont see any sign of water in the fuel when I drain the filter and use the factory siphon setup that removes water,nor has the water in fuel light ever lit up...it might have algae in it,but if it does its all in the filter,I have looked in the tank with the filler hose off and saw nothing unusual last year..homes that had heating oil sit 10+ years I know of had no troubles with the furnaces when fired back up other than a sludged up filter or two...I'd just get it running,change the filter,add some conditioner and use it up,if its less than half full,top it off first...

As for tiny houses,I'd be perfectly happy in a house the size of the typical garden shed like Therough's cabin,since its just me,but I'd prefer it to be a permnanent structure on land I own,not some trailer or "rolling home"...though they look cool,and I'm not above making an old bus into a rolling home,I wouldnt enjoy being told by cops to "move along" every time I tried to park it somewhere and get some sleep..rest areas around here aren't anyplace you want to use at night either...the cops call them "pickle parks" and people not only engauge in illegal sexual activites in them,some get robbed,and even killed at them!..truckers who use them carry guns here...

Some Walmarts allow overnight stays if you ask permission,but they have backed off that policy after problems arose locally ,the "extra" parking lot at the super Walmart nearby was starting to look like an RV park last summer and the cops started kicking people out ,they are there every 5 minutes for shoplifters,and dont want any more trouble there...

Campgrounds have a 2 week stay limit,IF you can find any still open,and most are not safe places to stay like they used to be any more..a lot of the state parks here are closed up due to lack of funds,so no camping there either..
By-laws here prohibit using a trailer or motor home in your yard as a guest home or additional housing too,zoning restrictions.....so even if a friend lets you camp in their yard,its illegal,and eventually they'll get the neighbors attention and they'll shut you down..though in some yards with a lot of acerage and hidden from view might get away with it a long time as long as you stay quiet and keep the lights off at night...
 
Thanks for all the great info diesel4me! Great stuff.

Does the water go to the bottom so if there is a drain plug on the blazer fuel tank I could let it run out a bit till most the water is out then close it off? My truck does have a big fuel water separator someone put on it so that could help when I get it running.

I put 2 new batteries in my truck before I let it sit.. I didn't know I would end up letting it sit this long.

But I have heard that you can make old batteries like new somehow.. but I don't know if you can do this with all batteries. Does anyone know how to do this? Would it be worth doing?

I am looking on youtube and they have some videos on it but I don't know how good they are.
 
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