[Dead Reckon]

My truck, known by many names has been owned by me for a bit over a year total. I had it from late 2016 to 2017 when I traded it for a 89 GMC 1500 with a rebuilt engine and transmission that I ended up selling. I later ended up with a 93 f150 flareside, which was hit in the passengers side door, and while it wasn't totaled and the title was still clean, I got way more than I had in the truck for the truck. So I traded it back for my 84 Dodge, bit of a mistake, the Ford was sorted out. The Dodge is still a good truck, but she has issues.

I call her the Battlewagon sometimes because I literally knocked over a mailbox, and three trash cans one night trying to dodge a bear in the road dining on a trash can, not a scratch on the truck. I hit the brakes and cut the wheel to the left, the truck went sideways and took out a mailbox and three trash cans on the opposite side of the road with the quarter panel. I nearly loaded my pants when the truck wouldn't start and the bear came sniffing at my partially opened window because of the Bojangles I had, which must've smelt much better than the trash he was eating. I think I offended the bear when I left him laying on his back speeding away without giving him a chance to back away from the door of my truck, which he was leaning on.

So the plan was for the D150, upon reobtaining it in June of 19, to become my project, and my 01 crown vic that I got for 650 to be my daily. Well, Ford's being Ford's, the plastic intakes heater port blew off because it had the structural integrity of cheese forgotten in the back of the fridge. I know, I know, Nylon, not plastic, don't care. Anyway, I had to borrow money from my Mom to rush and put tires on the D150, $330 for 4 Kenda Kinetica 235/75R15 tires locally... Then the MSD coil died, taking the ignition box and ballast resistor with it, and causing me to miss work. Next was another $100 for a new battery, as the old one seemed fine, but it was putting load on the alternator.

In 2016 when I got the truck originally it had four well worn Goodyear Wrangler 235/75R15s on wheels similar to those seen on the little red express. They're Jeep wheels though, I think. It had a new water pump, some new hoses, came with a transmission filter kit, spare hood, some other stuff. The previous owner also made anlower seat cover for the truck, it's still in the truck. He had some aweful arrangement of fog lights, and the weird starts of a bad paint job. I'll upload pictures of how that looked when I get home. I purchased the truck for $700, seemed a fair deal. I call the truck Ash because, it had a postal service cremated remains sticker on the ash tray, and the kid had put the baggy his grandpas ashes where in in the ash tray on the ride home, as the little box the ashes where in came apart. So yeah, Grandpa got to ride in the ashtray of his own truck.

I've done other work to this truck in the past as well, replaced the alternator, Ignition box, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, and voltage regulator in 2016, and the new regulator went out and killed my battery, ignition box, damaged the alternator, and even had the nerve to to fry my free junkyard phone charger. I got a free warrantied alternator, ignition box, regulator, and a massively discounted battery. I also replaced the power steering lines, did some fuel line repairs, topped off the differential with 80w90, and replaced both oil pressure sending units. It has two, one for the dummy light and one for the factory gauge. I also replaced the fan clutch, changed the transmission fluid and filter, made a makeshift exhaust that is still on the truck, and spray painted it black to cover up the nonsense the kid I got it from had done. Lastly, I installed a Pioneer head unit and 6x9 door speakers.

My cousin replaced the steering pump, radiator, and warrantied the alternator in 2017, he had a softball (What's so damn soft about them anyway?) hit the windshield and crack it, took 6 attempts from the insurance agencies Rolodex of installers to get it to stop leaking. The leaking also killed the Pioneer head unit I installed, and he swapped it out for a Sony, so I have a 35 year old truck with Bluetooth, strange as that is. My cousin also removed the rubber flooring the truck had, it was disintegrating.

So yeah, that's the truck for now, back to being a daily project. I am going to a local private junkyard soon, gonna try to find a repairable under hood wiring harness and a carburetor I can use as a core or rebuild. Fun times all around, I'll keep y'all posted on what this poor truck is put through. Pictures coming later of how this truck use to look, Changes over time and whatnot, don't have them on my phone, which this is being tyoed on because sometimes security is a really dull job.

 

[DrMark]

I kinda dig it. It's got character.

 

[chuzz]

I had a brother that had an 84 150 long bed. Anytime he had trouble with it, he came to me for help. After I started telling him he'd have to pay me for my labor, he quit coming around. Last time I saw the truck, it was sitting in the woods behind his house because it needed valve cover gaskets and a water pump. He just parked it and started driving his wife's Nissan truck. What a waste. You enjoy that truck, because as DrMark said, it's got character.

 

[Dead Reckon]

I had a brother that had an 84 150 long bed. Anytime he had trouble with it, he came to me for help. After I started telling him he'd have to pay me for my labor, he quit coming around. Last time I saw the truck, it was sitting in the woods behind his house because it needed valve cover gaskets and a water pump. He just parked it and started driving his wife's Nissan truck. What a waste. You enjoy that truck, because as DrMark said, it's got character.

Man if that was the case this truck would've been parked years ago, the kid I got it from brought it back from the dead with a new water pump, used carb, and a few other things after his grandfather died. I hate when people just let things sit.

 

[chuzz]

Me too, Dead Reckon. That was several years ago and I don't even know if that brother is still alive. I cut ties with siblings 4 years ago. They're all money grubbing, narcissists and I don't have time for that kind of crap. They're the type that never minded asking for a favor, but if I asked for one, the response was "What's in it for me?". I got fed up with that and have moved on. My family is my wife and kids and the members of our church. God gave me this family, not the DNA.

 

[Dead Reckon]

They're the type that never minded asking for a favor, but if I asked for one, the response was "What's in it for me?"

Yeah, been there before. People know that I can do basic repairs to cars, so they want that for free, they know I can undo a virus (or at least clean the computer) after some mishap (likely from porn). They know I have other skills too, and I'm always getting asked to do things for free. Typically the answer is no, or "Haha, no.". I don't mind helping people out, but I'm not a charity.

Anyway, further update on the truck, I've been lazy the past week, tired, working too many long shifts. Here's some pictures of the truck when I first got it back in 2016, the magnum air cleaner lid trips people up. My cousin and I have both had people confused with that. I think the lid is off a Dakota, I'm not sure. More pictures coming in another post since it will only let me upload 6.

 

[Dead Reckon]

And yet more pictures of when I got the truck in 2016

 

[Dead Reckon]

Last round of pictures from 2016

 

[Dead Reckon]

When I got the truck in 2016, it really had some weirdness going on about it. It had a Dodge Neon under hood relay / fuse box which was used as a relay / fuse box for an air horn, and some other things that had been removed. It had three non functional fog lights, and it came with a slew of random parts. A hood, a spare tire or two, I think two. A side mounted tool box, and some other nonsense like the original black dash panel, which was one of the first things I changed. Along with removing the haunted Jeep cassette deck and replacing it with an old Pioneer Cd head unit I had. I also removed the extraneous wiring left over from the aftermarket box. though part of that box was also to bypass factory headlight wiring. I've forgotten just how he wired that up but it was strange. The factory switch had been tapped so it still worked, it was an odd way to get around questionable wiring.

So after sorting out a bit of strangeness, and doing some repairs like a new fuel pump, new valve cover gaskets (Not the felpro's that came with it, they where rubber, I used cork and indian head gasket shellac), some vacuum repairs, a new differential plug and some 80w90 gear oil, and of course an oil change and the truck was good to go. Since then it's had two batteries, two alternators, a voltage regulator, two ignition boxes, and two ballast resistors replaced. This truck would be reliable if not for sketchy aftermarket parts. I swear they engineer this stuff to make you think old vehicles just aren't reliable.

So yeah, that's it on the Dodge for now, history lesson over. I'm headed to a local junkyard Saturday the 13th (Hopefully) to scavenge a rebuildable wiring harness, a used Holley 2280 I can rebuild or use as a core (I don't like giving away a remotely functional carburetor as a core, I've learned that lesson the hard way with a quadrajet reman carb). And of course whatever other goodies I can scavenge for cheap, I'd love to find some rear speaker brackets for my truck. There will be a youtube video coming out on that, and maybe if I have motivation tomorrow a youtube video coming out showing the truck in my rambley usual way of doing things.

Stay tuned, gonna be some shenanigans going on with this truck soon. I've gotta sell my Crown Vic so I can budget out a beater I can drive if my truck has to go off the road for anything.

Bonus picture, cremated remains sticker that was on the ash tray 'til my cousin removed it.

 

[chuzz]

Bro Joe's truck has the same light blue over white color scheme. Bed is definitely different, though. Slow and steady wins the race. Looks like you're headed in the right direction.

 

[Dead Reckon]

Bro Joe's truck has the same light blue over white color scheme. Bed is definitely different, though. Slow and steady wins the race. Looks like you're headed in the right direction.

Hopefully, I struck out at the junkyard finding parts for my Dodge, though I did find parts for my 74 GMC Sierra Grande, so not a total bust for a day in the weeds and mud. The 74 Sierra needs less work than the 84 D150, so it's going on the road soon so I can start sorting the 84 D150 out. I did find some chrome vent shades for the D150 though, so that's cool. Pic of those coming later today. The vent shades this truck had went to my Dad for his 83 D150 when I traded my 84 D150 to my cousin in 2017.

As it stands, the 84 D150 needs ball joints, tie rods, brakes all around, a carburetor, and some wiring repairs. The 74 GMC Sierra I just got needs tie rods and front brakes, maybe new belts. Definitely a carburetor, the qjet on it isn't any healthier than the Holley 2280 on the Dodge. But hey, two broken trucks are better than one modern car.

 

[Ed Brock]

My truck, known by many names has been owned by me for a bit over a year total. I had it from late 2016 to 2017 when I traded it for a 89 GMC 1500 with a rebuilt engine and transmission that I ended up selling. I later ended up with a 93 f150 flareside, which was hit in the passengers side door, and while it wasn't totaled and the title was still clean, I got way more than I had in the truck for the truck. So I traded it back for my 84 Dodge, bit of a mistake, the Ford was sorted out. The Dodge is still a good truck, but she has issues.

I call her the Battlewagon sometimes because I literally knocked over a mailbox, and three trash cans one night trying to dodge a bear in the road dining on a trash can, not a scratch on the truck. I hit the brakes and cut the wheel to the left, the truck went sideways and took out a mailbox and three trash cans on the opposite side of the road with the quarter panel. I nearly loaded my pants when the truck wouldn't start and the bear came sniffing at my partially opened window because of the Bojangles I had, which must've smelt much better than the trash he was eating. I think I offended the bear when I left him laying on his back speeding away without giving him a chance to back away from the door of my truck, which he was leaning on.

So the plan was for the D150, upon reobtaining it in June of 19, to become my project, and my 01 crown vic that I got for 650 to be my daily. Well, Ford's being Ford's, the plastic intakes heater port blew off because it had the structural integrity of cheese forgotten in the back of the fridge. I know, I know, Nylon, not plastic, don't care. Anyway, I had to borrow money from my Mom to rush and put tires on the D150, $330 for 4 Kenda Kinetica 235/75R15 tires locally... Then the MSD coil died, taking the ignition box and ballast resistor with it, and causing me to miss work. Next was another $100 for a new battery, as the old one seemed fine, but it was putting load on the alternator.

In 2016 when I got the truck originally it had four well worn Goodyear Wrangler 235/75R15s on wheels similar to those seen on the little red express. They're Jeep wheels though, I think. It had a new water pump, some new hoses, came with a transmission filter kit, spare hood, some other stuff. The previous owner also made anlower seat cover for the truck, it's still in the truck. He had some aweful arrangement of fog lights, and the weird starts of a bad paint job. I'll upload pictures of how that looked when I get home. I purchased the truck for $700, seemed a fair deal. I call the truck Ash because, it had a postal service cremated remains sticker on the ash tray, and the kid had put the baggy his grandpas ashes where in in the ash tray on the ride home, as the little box the ashes where in came apart. So yeah, Grandpa got to ride in the ashtray of his own truck.

I've done other work to this truck in the past as well, replaced the alternator, Ignition box, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, and voltage regulator in 2016, and the new regulator went out and killed my battery, ignition box, damaged the alternator, and even had the nerve to to fry my free junkyard phone charger. I got a free warrantied alternator, ignition box, regulator, and a massively discounted battery. I also replaced the power steering lines, did some fuel line repairs, topped off the differential with 80w90, and replaced both oil pressure sending units. It has two, one for the dummy light and one for the factory gauge. I also replaced the fan clutch, changed the transmission fluid and filter, made a makeshift exhaust that is still on the truck, and spray painted it black to cover up the nonsense the kid I got it from had done. Lastly, I installed a Pioneer head unit and 6x9 door speakers.

My cousin replaced the steering pump, radiator, and warrantied the alternator in 2017, he had a softball (What's so damn soft about them anyway?) hit the windshield and crack it, took 6 attempts from the insurance agencies Rolodex of installers to get it to stop leaking. The leaking also killed the Pioneer head unit I installed, and he swapped it out for a Sony, so I have a 35 year old truck with Bluetooth, strange as that is. My cousin also removed the rubber flooring the truck had, it was disintegrating.

So yeah, that's the truck for now, back to being a daily project. I am going to a local private junkyard soon, gonna try to find a repairable under hood wiring harness and a carburetor I can use as a core or rebuild. Fun times all around, I'll keep y'all posted on what this poor truck is put through. Pictures coming later of how this truck use to look, Changes over time and whatnot, don't have them on my phone, which this is being tyoed on because sometimes security is a really dull job.

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Well I guess my 1985 Dodge Prospector Royal SE, which has over 360,000 on her and looks like new, is how things are suppose to be.
Ed