Truck Project

First, I wanted to say that this weekend I will post, but I could be late in responding to comments…I will when I get breaks from this. 

We have had this vehicle for around 17 years or so. It stopped running a long time ago, and we stored it at a friend’s house. I’ve had many offers on it (believe it or not), but I never wanted to sell it. A truck can come in handy, and my buddy Greg has an engine and transmission that would fit perfectly. It is a 1985 Chevy S-10 Durango. It’s not too pretty, but it will be able to get you from A to B, and it makes a great trash truck on the weekends. 

This weekend (that’s the plan), he is going to show me how to take an engine out and put one back in. He has a diesel engine that went into a Chevy Luv in the 80s, and they get around 40 mpg. The truck was dirty as hell, and it took me 3 scrubbing bubbles cans to get the tree sap and everything else off of it. This week, after work, Greg and I took the grill, bumper, and headlights off. I guess you are never too old to learn. 

I’ll let everyone know how it goes…hopefully everything will go through, and Saturday we will start. I will be commenting, but I will be late!

Game Over

Tree – 1

Max – 0

Game Set Match

See the poem below on my fallen comrade…from my friend obbverse!

DesTrucked. So the mini-truck engine transplant task is done? / But the journey to rejuvenation had just begun! / Well, at least you did get to hear the rattly diesel run. / So it’s a sad and sorry tale of what could have been, / Now no new lease on life for the classic-ish machine, / For there’s FAR more to fix than a cracked windscreen. / Yes, what a sad and unusual way to trucking well go, / A falling tree struck the poor trucks cab a body blow: / Wave bye-bye to the tow truck, with mini-truck in tow.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

48 thoughts on “Truck Project”

  5. Those mid-sized Chevys were cool & tough trucks. It looks in good shape. Ken has the large GMC 4×4. My dad was a Mopar guy…Chargers, Plymouths but moved to Chevys as he aged. Looking forward to this. Do you still have your toaster car?

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    1. Yes….in some pictures you can see it to the side…I drove it today…but I’m not sure with the ones I included…Greg knows what he is doing…so I’m along as a helper lol…but I’ll learn something.
      This truck hasn’t ran in years. I would say 10

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  6. that’s one bigtime job! Good luck to you and Greg.It’ll be interesting to see your progress and how it all gets done. As I’ve said to you, my sweetie likes S-10s because it was the last truck her dad drove and I have racked up all of my total of, perhaps 0.8 miles I’ve ever driven a standard for in another S-10

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    1. Yea without Greg this wouldn’t happen…I’m pretty much a glorified helper…but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
      LOL…yea we are making this into a standard… he has a 5 speed transmission and the transmission is messed up as well.

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      1. Glorified helper is more than I could be. What I know about cars and engines could be encapsulated in the phone number of the mechanic.

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      3. My brother-in-law Jeff is very good at car repairs though this would be beyond his level. I’ve ‘helped’ him out on a couple of brake jobs, a starter etc, ‘glorified helper’ would be pushing it for my role- loosen lug nuts, find him a specific wrench or screwdriver, get him a bottle of water basically!

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      4. That is what Ill be doing! I will be asking a lot of questions as well. Well Dave…I look at it this way. When it gets running…I’ll know more now when something goes wrong possibly lol.

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  7. Good luck! I pulled the engine from my 1959 Morris Minor when I was 18 to change the clutch. Ahh, the hubris of youth! It worked, but I can’t imagine trying that now. You’re old enough to know better – good thing you have an experienced mentor.

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  10. Rule Number One; No hands fingers feet toes under and between the donor uplifted motor and the engine bay/frame of the receiving vehicle. Please! I imagine it will be tricky going back to a manual/stick shift, especially the 4wd. As a fun little project you may find you’ll be swearin’ up a storm!

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  14. Hope the project is going smoothly. Cool looking truck. I know zero about the mechanics of cars. I can’t even drive. My hat is off to you and your friend for attempting this.

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  17. That’s awesome Max! It’ll be a ton of work but an adventure as well! I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for an old S10 that I can use as a commuter – now that I’m paying $6+/gal out here in CA, the 50 miles a day for work in a truck that gets 13mpg is starting to sting.

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    1. Hey dude. We are putting an Isuzu 2.2 diesel engine in it. I also have a long commute like 80 miles a day. That engine gets around 40 to 45 miles a gallon and yes it’s diesel a little higher but I don’t mind with that gas mileage. We have the old Motor out now and if the weather would cooperate we will get her in! That engine came out of a 1982 Chevy Luv. They are great engines… almost bullet proof. I want old and simple… Kinda like me lol. I’m done with new cars. I will not pay 40,000 or more for a car or truck. I just won’t do it. This won’t be powerful but I don’t care.
      I’m lucky… our gas is around 3.74 now… down from 4.20

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  18. Uh… yeah… you’re so right about that not buffing out.
    I looked at the ’95 S10, they are a bit less boxy, more curvacious. In the pics the 95 looks a little bigger, longer wider but it shouldn’t matter. You just put your foot down a little harder, let up on the clutch a little slower and then wait for the Diesel to get it all rolling.
    And again, it’s better to recycle that motor than toss it away when it can keep a donor body working.
    Go Frankentruck Mark Two!

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    1. Hey obbverse… if I post one of my songs here…could you listen to it and tell me what you think. I never thought it was good but I’m so close to my songs…I just don’t know. You don’t have to worry about hearing my voice lol.

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      1. Yes sure, I’m no Robert Christgau (thank Gawd!) but I’ll happily listen. Funnily enough I’m playing around with the lyrics of a kinda Country song but it’s hard- songs are very much ‘less is more’ lyrically, unless you’re Bob Dylan. Plus I know I tend to get too descriptive- a word in here, another added there- and soon it’s too unwieldy for a song. So sure, I’m more than happy to listen, though as you know I’m no muso, I just know what I like to hear.

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      2. Songwriting would be natural for you…I mean…that is what you basically do!
        When you do…please use headphones. . I wanted the song to have a rough and tough (not distorted) backing to go along with the angry singing…but Max found his keyboard one day and the complete sounds of a mellotron that the Beatles used… so instead of this tough forlorn love song…it sounds like an army or ogres are marching at you in the intro and outro lol. It’s one I’ll have to completely put up in the garage and strip it down to the bone. Ah…the true confessions of a confused, angry at himself 22 year old boy in 1989. Sorry to push this on you…I’ll also post th lyrics…remember I was 22 lol. Thank you!

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      3. Once Twice and Then Some

        It’s good to see you again, It’s been a while since we were more than friends
        You know I was thinking about what you said, you know you probably was right but then again
        It was hard leaving but I thought it was best, since then I’ve been nowhere and I’ve been back again
        Well I haven’t been a saint, this you probably know but it seems I’ve reaped much more than I was able to sow

        Thought I found love a time or two, but when it came down to it I was fooled

        Chorus

        Once twice and then some
        I kept coming around and they kept knocking me down
        Once twice and then some
        Nothing to break my fall it went on and on and on and on

        It’s no place for a bleeding heart, no one understood me and it tore me apart
        What a vicious cycle I put myself through, looks like by now I would have learned the rule
        And the rule is, there’s no rules at all, you’ve got to wing it baby you got to let the chips fall

        Chorus

        Once twice and then some
        You’ll keep coming around and they’ll keep knocking you down
        Once twice and then some
        Nothing to break your fall and it goes on and on and on and on

        Make no mistake I’m not talking about you, you were the only one who would have seen me through
        But I locked you out of my world I guess I wanted it all, you took all you could take you wouldn’t take no more
        But could we take another chance to let our love grow? You don’t want to talk about it well I didn’t think so
        Thanks for listening you were always good at that, no I can’t blame you but forgive me if you can
        I’ll always love you but the story’s been told, I took you down that worn out road
        I took you

        Chorus

        Once twice and then some
        You kept coming around never meant to knock you down
        Once twice and then some
        Nothing to break your fall, nothing to break your fall
        Once twice and then some
        Had a lot to lose but hell everyone gets used
        Once twice and then some
        Kept you waiting so long I was wrong wrong wrong wrong

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  19. I’ll just put up my first feelings first, I’ll listen again but first impressions off the bat always help. For me the intro lulls you a little too much before it kicks in- but wtf do I know! Nice second intro, it all holds together nicely then the chorus- a damned good chorus, especially the ‘once twice and then some’ is a great line. The song has a Thorogoody(?) influence to it? The outro with that ’round sound’- sorry I don’t know what the instrument is- that nicely heralds the end of the song.
    I’ll drop in more feedback after a few more listens if you like, but I’m a babe in the woods critic-wise.
    Another really good line is ‘had a lot to lose but everyone gets used.’

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    1. Yea…that intro and outro was a mellotron…or a copy of a mellotron (Strawberry Fields)… Thats where I found something new and used it to death probably. It’s a bit long….and it’s the oddest song I ever wrote. If you look at the lyrics…it’s 4 lines first verse, 3 lines second verse…and 5 lines on the 3rd verse…but that feels right somehow!
      You are right on the intro…it IS too long. It wasn’t that long when I wrote it…but after finding the mellotron…Max had wear it out lol.
      You know my influence on this? Dave would not let me live this down…Don Henley…the guy I can’t stand but he is a great songwriter…but it doesn’t end up sounding like him…so that is good! I never thought of George…but yea I could see that.

      Just your honest thoughts…I would trust you more than a critic…because all they are is us…with a better job lol…no some are quite good…that was unfair of me.
      Thanks so much…well…you didn’t have to tell me to turn up the lyrics on this one! The reason I popped up with this one is someone listened to it very recently and they actually liked it. I was on the brink of not touching it again. It’s so weirdly configured lyrically…but I guess it works.
      Thank you so much for your time Obbverse.

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      1. Yes, it is strangely structured now you mention it but I never noticed it- so that means it works! I get the Henley feel, and also now that I think on it, Tom Petty(?) I’ve listened to it a couple more times, don’t heave it out, listen to your friend, they’re not wrong. If I may, if you do redo it a suggestion lyrically? At the start of each verse maybe begin with ‘Make no mistake’ which starts off the third verse- that could give it each verse a ‘familiar’ start. Then somewhere near the outro/end ‘made a mistake.’ (Jeez, listen to me, all of a sudden I think I’m Mr Amateur Eno!) Hey Max, I honestly appreciate the though that you feel I have something halfway worthwhile to say.

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      2. Yes please…especially from you…I’ll always take suggestions. You do this more than I do…you write a “song” every week or two. Ok…that would make it kinda like a hook as well…I will try that! I’m also going to cut off that very beginning…before it kicks in…I found a new toy and played and over played.

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