Show 'n' Shine

 Here's my daily driver. This is the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 I bought online. I love it and can't imagine how I got by driving the Nissan all that time. I can't believe how much nicer it is driving something that I actually fit in.

The Ram suffered through a monster hail storm in 2002, so it got repainted and I added a cowl-induction hood that was actually cheaper than a stock replacement hood.

This is the last truck I'll ever own - I'm gonna drive the wheels off this sucker.  And when that happens, I'll put it all back together and drive it some more.

You're probably sick of seeing my Jeep plastered everywhere, but until I get some new rides in here - you're stuck with it. Besides, it's not all the bad to look at is it?

This shot was taken sometime in November of 2003 at a car show put on by the Concho 4 Wheelers.  It's changed a lot since I first brought it home.

This was my daily driver til I got the Ram: 1985 Nissan King Cab 4x4. Some would say I didn't learn my lesson with my first Nissan, another 1985 4x4 (Check the Nissan page for the story), but actually I did. Unfortunately, I got to learn a new lesson this past summer, and how to rebuild an engine as well. The upside is that it's still running. It also has a crankin' stereo comprised of parts that I've scavenged from other people when they upgrade - keeps it cheap that way.

We were crankin' up the torsion bars, since it handled like a dog, the front end's all gushy, and it has a nasty rake...but it was fun for awhile.

Here's a picture of my '78 K-5 Blazer.  Or at least, it's a picture of one that looks almost exactly like the one I had.  Of all things, I never took a picture of the Blazer the whole 8 months I owned it.

This truck taught me a lot about repairing major components of the trucks - while I had it, I had replaced a distributor gear, rear leaf spring pack, brakes, rear axle, did some minor body work, and lots of engine tuning and tweaking of it's Edelbrock Performer carb.

Even though it was a basket-case and my wife hated it, I loved my Blazer and still miss it now and then.

1985 Nissan 4x4. This is where it all began for me - my first 4x4. I learned a lot from working on this truck. The big confidence building was installing the 3" body lift properly - without instructions. I had lost them somewhere before installation. Oh well, it worked out for 2.5 years. Still miss that truck.

I'll bet you're wondering what this car is doing here.

This was my first real car - a 1982 Mustang GL.  I really have no other place to put it, but felt the need to post a picture.

I bought this car while stationed in New Mexico.  I needed a car and some focus from all the girl trouble I was having at the time.  When I bought the car, it was all stock with white-wall tires, wire hubcaps, and nothing else.  When I left for Turkey, I stored the car in Utah.  But when I came back, the storage was too much downtime for it and it needed some major attention - so I traded it in on the Nissan above.

I still miss my Mustang, despite it all.  Maybe I'll have another one someday.

Here's my pal Jim Eimer's 1975 Jeep CJ-5.  It's got an AMC 304 V8 and a 4-speed transmission.  This awesome Jeep has gone through a lot of restoration work lately because apparently - 'it's all my fault.'

He wanted A/C in his Jeep, so I gave him the unit from mine.  Then he wanted a hardtop because of the A/C, so I found one for sale online.  Then the top wouldn't fit the windshield frame, so he had to get a new one... which needed to be painted... which would never have matched the old, ummm, color.  So there it is in all it's Mitsubishi Durango Copper Metallic glory.  Very cool...

But it's all my fault.

And here's Dave's new truck - a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 Turbo-diesel Quad-Cab 4x4.  This sucker is huge and has it's own zip-code... or at least it needs one.  This is an old picture - Dave's installed some 305/75-R16 Nitto Terra-Grapplers and some cool Pilot driving lights that I gave him for Christmas since this picture was taken.

This is the first truck that has made me even think about wanting a diesel - it's just too cool.

Here's a picture of my buddy Dave's '95 Toyota DX X-tra Cab. Dave's had quite the experience lifting this bad boy, but should have the bugs worked out by now.

His Toyota ROCKS!!!

But sadly, after all that's happened to it in it's life with Dave, he's moved on to his Ram.  Despite getting T-boned, rear-ended, flopped on its side, and whatever else Dave hasn't admitted to, I think me calling it 'Bad Luck Truck' is what made him give up on it.

This is my pal Eric Dehn's '86 CJ-7. This Jeep has been one of the 'inspiration' vehicles during the building of mine. Eric's put just about all the engine goodies you can ask for into the stock 258 I-6. He's also put a lot of sano parts into the appearance and functionality as well. He's the only guy I know with a full-tilt front-end...very cool.

He also had a minor accident earlier this year and just got it back together. Look for some action shots of this one soon.

Here is Ron Stevenson's '96 Pathfinder. I've always loved Pathfinders, and this one is no exception. It's mostly stock except for the cool Ion Projection Driving lights, American Racing Type 8 wheels, and 31x10.50 Dunlop All Terrains. There's a whole lot more in store, I'm told, as soon as the aftermarket coughs up some more Pathfinder goodies. Stay tuned.

This is one of the coolest Wranglers I've ever seen. This monster belongs to Matt Hodges and he's put nothing but good stuff into this beast. It's got a Corvette 350 V-8 under the hood, powering a GM 3/4 Ton driveline - yep, 3/4 ton - count the lug nuts. That 8000 lb winch doesn't hurt either - ask Rob.

Speaking of Rob - here's Rob Hutson's monster '78 Ford Longbed. This truck is truly built Ford Tough. It's 351 and NP435 granny low enabled it to climb up some hills that a few locker-equipped vehicles seemed to have problems with. He just got the body-lift and 36" Gumbo Mudders on it. He's looking for lockers, more lift, and new ring & pinions soon. Look Out!

I bought him the 'Fear This' decals - seemed fitting.

Speaking of Rob again - here's Rob Hutson's monster '79 Ford Bronco. This truck pretty much used to be the big gray truck shown above. He picked up the Bronco and transferred much of the cool stuff to it, leaving the gray truck in the backyard, on blocks no less (you might be a redneck if...). The day this was shot, Rob demonstrated how cool lockers and a big block can be - while I was riding along. Needless to say, his seat cover will never be the same.

This awesome Tj belongs to Coby Elliott, one of the awesome guys I met through the Concho 4 Wheelers. I first saw this Jeep at Checker Auto Parts and it had no lift and 31" Thornbirds - still very cool. But Coby obviously had other plans for it - including a Terra-Flex lift and the nifty 35" Baja Claws. That's not a hood bra either - it's Rhino Lining sprayed on in the shape...tres cool!

Another cool Bronco from the club - Larry Gregory built this way cool pony from scratch. This is one of the neatest fully-built rigs I've seen so far. It's got all the good stuff and I've never seen it in any danger of getting stuck or broke.

This is my buddy Steve's old Suzuki Grand Vitara - a VERY nice ride. He's looking to add a little altitude and attitude as well. Despite it's appearance, it's a very capable 4x4...one of the few 'micro-SUVs' with a full frame and shifter controlled transfer cases. I can't wait to see it with some bigger meats.

Steve has a newer Ford Explorer Sport-Trac, and I have to admit that even though I miss the 'Zuki, the Sport-Trac is WAY cool.