thedrip
1/2 ton status
I have 2 trucks in my yard, I'm going to make one out of them, but I'm having a hell of a time choosing which.
First is my old rig, The Short Bus (some of you may remember this truck). 1977 Jimmy, 350/th350/pt 203, d44 4.10 LSD new everything except axle shafts, eaton 4.10 welded, crossover histeer, brand new steering box, custom dash, brand new wiring (whole truck), HAD rear driveshaft, 4" lift (shackle flip + cheap springs), custom paint ($75 of spray cans), LOTS of body damage (would be getting a new front clip if I stay with it). Little rust, was originally an AZ truck. Truck currently has no recovery points, stock front bumper and no rear bumper, so more work there too.
Second is a rig I originally picked up for parts, but now am having thoughts of building it instead, because the body is in WAY better shape, just a couple dents. 1985 m1008 cucv. stock. motor in pieces, busted tranny, busted tcase, trashed wiring harness, ugly interior, no driveshafts. Frame looks like it came off the showroom floor 2 days ago. spotless, clean, untouched. body has very minor rust, not enough to even make it a consideration.
What I do with the truck. I like rock crawling, i cut my offroad teeth in Arizona, but theres really not much here. Theres really not a whole lot of anything here (Big Island Hawaii). its a mix of lava rock, mud, and forest trails. The shorter wheelbase of the Jimmy would come in handy in some situations, but I also use my trucks regularily for hauling and such, so the longbed of the cucv would be an advantage.
There would be a fair amount of work either way. For the Jimmy, swap in axles, redo the crossover/histeer setup with the d60, swap front clip, repaint the front to match the rest of the truck. With the cucv, I'd have to lift it, swap over the engine/trans/tcase, do drivelines, swap in my dash and swap over the wiring, and paint it (its a poorly done respray of white on top of drab green). Also drop the tank and prep it for use with gas.
I'm sure in the end it will just be a preference thing on my part, but if anyone has some suggestions or made a similar decision and loves/regrets it, let me know =)
First is my old rig, The Short Bus (some of you may remember this truck). 1977 Jimmy, 350/th350/pt 203, d44 4.10 LSD new everything except axle shafts, eaton 4.10 welded, crossover histeer, brand new steering box, custom dash, brand new wiring (whole truck), HAD rear driveshaft, 4" lift (shackle flip + cheap springs), custom paint ($75 of spray cans), LOTS of body damage (would be getting a new front clip if I stay with it). Little rust, was originally an AZ truck. Truck currently has no recovery points, stock front bumper and no rear bumper, so more work there too.
Second is a rig I originally picked up for parts, but now am having thoughts of building it instead, because the body is in WAY better shape, just a couple dents. 1985 m1008 cucv. stock. motor in pieces, busted tranny, busted tcase, trashed wiring harness, ugly interior, no driveshafts. Frame looks like it came off the showroom floor 2 days ago. spotless, clean, untouched. body has very minor rust, not enough to even make it a consideration.
What I do with the truck. I like rock crawling, i cut my offroad teeth in Arizona, but theres really not much here. Theres really not a whole lot of anything here (Big Island Hawaii). its a mix of lava rock, mud, and forest trails. The shorter wheelbase of the Jimmy would come in handy in some situations, but I also use my trucks regularily for hauling and such, so the longbed of the cucv would be an advantage.
There would be a fair amount of work either way. For the Jimmy, swap in axles, redo the crossover/histeer setup with the d60, swap front clip, repaint the front to match the rest of the truck. With the cucv, I'd have to lift it, swap over the engine/trans/tcase, do drivelines, swap in my dash and swap over the wiring, and paint it (its a poorly done respray of white on top of drab green). Also drop the tank and prep it for use with gas.
I'm sure in the end it will just be a preference thing on my part, but if anyone has some suggestions or made a similar decision and loves/regrets it, let me know =)
