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How my rig has changed since it's purchase and opinions of it's looks!

dbrannon79

dbrannon79

I'm getting there!
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Location
Seguin, TX
Just at the title says, I was digging though photos in my phone today and was looking at how my truck looked when I bought it in Feburary of 2020 and how things have changed on it. I also found one pic of when I had pulled the tool box and headache rack off and installed a camper top on the bed. I wish I could find a camper top that had a raised roof or maybe thinking of looking for a newer style ladder rack that looks more like the modern ones that would cover the cab and could be used in conjunction with a homemade tent style camper for overnight stays at the coast!

anyway, what's everyone thoughts and opinions of these photos.

starting with the first photos of when I bought the truck....

This was in Feb 17th - 24th of 2020. the first two are when the truck was still with the previous owner and the third was when I brought it home with me.

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not too long after I brought it home I gave it a bath and then the rims it had were spray painted black. I used some paint strip on the rims and found some chrome under there with a little rust around the edges... along with a new used set of shoes some time between April and June of 2020.

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Then later in around the January of 2022 I found a camper top in the pick a part yard I paid a whopping $35 for! me and a buddy of mine literally carried it out and ratchet strapped it to the bed and drove home with it LOL. that was about the time I also had to do a full brake job and discovered with new pads in the front, the rims were barley hitting the calipers. I ended up putting flat washers behind the rims on the studs and drove it to the next town to discount tire and bought a set of aluminum rims that would clear the calipers. that was something I really didn't want to do, but was one of those things I really didn't have a choice. but with new rims, tires and a shell on the back she was looking really different!

I also scored a set of tow mirrors off the market place at some point and had installed them.

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and today as it looks now, I had replaced the hood due to the old one has some creases around the hinges. found one on the market place with the old square body ornament. also was toying around with colors wanting to re-paint. tried some white primer on the roof to stop the roof rust that was showing through.

the second pic is the most recent on it's look. Oh and I had the windshield replaced too so the old American Eagle banner is gone too.


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Getting there :)

Noticed what looks like an add of a hood ornament.

For the bed, the name of that bone yard score threw me as I know that covering as a cap. Camper description went down a completely different mental path and I was curious how only two people were able to carry a ~1,000+ pound slide-in camper.

For the white cab top, recall seeing this on Toyota FJs and am starting to see this on new Broncos, so it appears that the idea is slowly going mainstream.

As this is a Texas rig, no horns on the hood?
 
LOL I have seen a few running around with horn on the brush guard! Yeah it's proper name is a bed cap but there are a few other trucks in town with a solid white cap where the rig is a whole different color.

the ornament came on the replacement hood. I left it on since I thought it adds some character lol
 
Some mighty fine changes.
I know there is some of the old diesel square body trucks that the hood orneryment actually says diesel.
I think that they are becoming extinct.
Have You thought about a popup camper ?
If I had not bought into that cabin over on Tongue River Reservoir then I would have been very seriousely seeking out one of those.
They can be bought used in real nice condition for a couple of thousand bucks.
 
I had considered a pop up but always thought there would be a lot of upkeep on them. I have seen others convert them to a non-popup when the canvas was in sour shape which might also be an option too. just frame out the camper in the shape of how the popup was and the beds fully extended so long as the tongue was out far enough. they are usually out far enough for a truck tool box to be mounted and still be able to turn, enough room for one person to sleep on lol.

I might have to re-visit that idea. lately I have been thinking about one of those motor homes that were built on a 1 ton van chassis. not too long but can be roomy enough for 5 people for a weekend camping trip. along with a tiny trailer for a small golf cart!
 
FWIW, there are now hard-side popup camper inserts. Eliminates the issues from soft sides wearing out. Only real potential risk that I see is the seal between the upper and lower sections going bad in time. If the seal is a relatively easy item to replace, it makes a hard-side popup all the more attractive.
 
That actually wouldn't be too hard to DIY ether. a few sheets of plywood with a thin siding or some wood paneling framed with 1x1 strips, foam board in the center for insulation and a sheet plastic outer panel made to fold inward into the popup. latches at the top inside under the popup roof. keep the collapsible front door and away you go! although I don't know how well that would hold up to high winds when camping. though it should hold up better than plain canvas whipping in the wind LOL. to seal them at the seams, just a rubber flap making a lip and drip edge so rain water goes over and around. wouldn't be practicable in a windy rain though.
 
dbrannon79 said:
That actually wouldn't be too hard to DIY ether. a few sheets of plywood with a thin siding or some wood paneling framed with 1x1 strips, foam board in the center for insulation and a sheet plastic outer panel made to fold inward into the popup. latches at the top inside under the popup roof. keep the collapsible front door and away you go! although I don't know how well that would hold up to high winds when camping. though it should hold up better than plain canvas whipping in the wind LOL. to seal them at the seams, just a rubber flap making a lip and drip edge so rain water goes over and around. wouldn't be practicable in a windy rain though.
Click to expand...
1-1/2" foam board insulation covered with ftp on both sides.
I bought some seconds years ago. The stuff is deceptively strong. But a fast rock could damage the frp .

I also got some 1/4" or 3/8" but plywood covered with frp.
We used that in our temporary bathroom.

Nudo products out of Springfield, Illinois.
 
Now there are popup overhead campers that cover out over the entire length of the four door CC truck cab.
I had thought if ever I bought a popup truck camper, if it was new enough that parts is still available, to order in the extra vinyl/canvass sides and store them in a controlled environment, meaning, seal wrap them until needed.
Even one of those storage bags a vacuum cleaner is hooked to, then call in My second exwife to apply the vacuum. 🫣😹😹😹
 
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