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One Piece at a Time: My 1985 Diesel Suburban

Sweet shots! I bet that 6.5 is like wtf are you trying to do?? Kill me!
Thanks! There's a lot of swing in the gauges, and she definitely lets me know when I need to grab a gear or drop into low - we used low range for the last 2,000' of elevation gain. Everything worked well through the strain, but I'm sure she prefers the flat highways of Texas.

I do need to make a few programming adjustments in the 4L80 to get better 2nd gear grade braking.

David
 
Great trip David
I went over Monarch pass on my bike trip a few years ago, then down through Salida and into Co springs.
Great scenery and roads!
Welcome to BB17!
 
I like all of the hard work you put into your projects...

Makes me wish I had more time.

And more skills.
 
Great visit at ORD and drive into Moab.

As always, the Watsons are very gracious hosts, and gave us the full nickel tour. I'm glad to support ORD - outstanding products thoughtfully designed and built, and family operated.
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And because it's a badass truck.
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At Stephen's recommendation, we took a couple of trails into the north end of town. Namely John Brown Canyon and then Dolores/Gateway road.

Here are some suburban-adulterated scenic photos.
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Crossing the Utah border on dirt is pretty cool.
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I like all of the hard work you put into your projects...

Makes me wish I had more time.

And more skills.
Appreciate the kind words, and I'm confident you'll be rewarded if you build your skills and tools like your truck - One Piece at a Time.

I'm beat. 1,300 miles is a lot.

David
 
Moab was a blast. We're going back.

Picking up from where we left off - here's the canyon leading into the north end of Moab.
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Thursday: we ran fins and things with @4door99, @ChrisPerry, @blazinzuk, and @kgblazerfive. Great learning experience, and the perfect orientation to slick rock and navigating on the fins.
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Left arm tan is good.
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Friday: Hells Revenge. We moved quickly for such a large group...
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...until I broke the ORD convertible. As a giggly passenger, I was not the moderating influence the driveline would have liked.
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Saturday was a shorter day driving tailgunner for Scott's big adventure, and split off early so our passengers, Jack and Kathy, could get ready to head back to Albuquerque.

Sunday: a long day on Crack and Back. @FWP is a great trail leader and @ChrisPerry expertly spotted us all through the golden crack.
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Butt scratcher, following some time spent at the Jason Payne memorial.
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4 broken trucks made for a long day, but we all got back to the trailhead.6B3D70FE-8417-462E-97D5-10DC7EEF4C4B.JPG

We had to hit the road early the next day, so we tanked up with diesel and headed to the brewery for dinner and beers.

David
 
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And finally, the drive back to Texas.
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2,434 miles, 5 states, 179 gallons of diesel, and several friends I'll look forward to seeing again at BB18.

Time for an oil change.

David
 
It was fun watching that big thing lumber down the trail. Definitely looking forward to next year, and it was great meeting a few more CK5'ers.

P.s. I still have the shot of the front of your engine as the back on my computer.
 
Awesome stuff man, can't wait to meet you at BB18!
See you there!
It was fun watching that big thing lumber down the trail. Definitely looking forward to next year, and it was great meeting a few more CK5'ers.

P.s. I still have the shot of the front of your engine as the back on my computer.
I really dug the GMT400 trucks this year. Yours is a super clean example, and I love that you wheeled it to the crack and back.
On fins n things
Nice photo! Thanks again for guiding us through, and helping me eventually find the guts for 2nd gear.
Neat stuff!
Bring the CUCV. It'll do great!

David
 
Glad you're planning to return. I didn't get to spend the time I wanted looking at the big blue burb.

Oh and it was great to meet you and Kurt.
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