Redneck bodywork

[Idaho45guy]

I took my recently deceased father's truck to town today to clean it up and begin the process of evaluating the pros and cons of keeping it vs. selling it.

Took it to the car wash, and in addition to the moose hit on the driver's side, I noticed that he had backed into something and pushed the rear bumper in on the passenger side. I went to my folk's house for a Memorial Day barbecue and was showing the truck to my step-dad and brother.

Attachment 314576

I got to thinking, and an idea popped into my brain. I figured I could throw a rope around that bumper and secure the other end to a tree, pop the truck into 4-Lo, and gently bend that bumper back out.

So, my step-dad, a certified redneck who was 2 glasses of whisky deep into Memorial Day festivities, confirmed that my idea was pure genius.

So, I backed it up to a pine tree, secured the rope, and proceeded to gently inch forward until the rear bumper looked mostly normal.

Attachment 314577

Attachment 314578

It actually turned out pretty dang good!

Attachment 314579

I'm in the process of trying to decide which vehicles to keep and fix up, and which ones to sell.

I am leaning towards keeping this 2005 Chevy 2500HD with 135k miles and using it for hauling toys into the woods, and general pickup duties. Around here, even though it is a bit rough, everything works and I could probably get $10k or more for it.

Attachment 314580

All I would do to it if I kept it would be to add a leveling kit and some more aggressive tires, along with normal maintenance.

Then I need a daily driver and road trip vehicle.

I think the perfect solution is a compact/midsized pickup in 4wd with a topper on it. I would have my dog ride in the bed so the passenger compartment remains dog-hair-free and peaceful while my best friend stays out of the weather.

I would want around 20+mpg, 4wd, reliable, comfortable, and capable enough to explore the woods. It has to be road trip friendly since my grand kids are 300+ miles away and I want a vehicle that won't wear me out going to see them on the weekend.

I currently have a lifted 2019 4Runner that gets 16mpg, a 2007 HHR that gets 28mpg, and a 2016 Toyota Rav4 that gets 27mpg.

The HHR is being sold for whatever I can get for it next week.

The 4Runner is capable, reliable, and cool, but is uncomfortable, gets horrible gas mileage, and is not a great configuration for hauling around an 80 lb Belgian Malinois. I dread taking it on road trips due to it being under-powered and constantly downshifting to maintain the speed limit on the interstate.

My initial thought was the Tacoma, Frontier, Ranger, or Colorado. Been looking at the modern El Camino knock-offs like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

The 2024 Tacoma with a turbo 4cyl just might be perfect.

Attachment 314581

But, at a price point of around $43k for the TRD Off-Road model, it is a lot of money for a vehicle. Maybe a cool classic Bronco for $10k would be more fun.

[Winger Ed.]

Good job.

Around here, we use one of those steel cable, hand winch 'come along' things for doing that.
It's slower, but easier to keep from bending it back too far and causing you to back into the tree a few times to get it right.

[pworley1]

If the moose hit isn't creased much you can pull it out with a fast jerk from an old style toilet plunger.

[sukivel]

Those early 2000s Chevys are good trucks, mines about to hit 300k miles!


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[gunther]

A good, Chevy trained mechanic told me that Colorado's are hard to work on. The Tacoma sounds pretty good, but ask around about the gas mileage, and take a ride in one. Your Dad's truck will probably get 15mpg or better on the road.

[Finster101]

A good, Chevy trained mechanic told me that Colorado's are hard to work on. The Tacoma sounds pretty good, but ask around about the gas mileage, and take a ride in one. Your Dad's truck will probably get 15mpg or better on the road.

I am a retired GM dealership mechanic. The Colorado's are no more difficult to work on than anything else. Your friend just does not like them. They are a solid truck if you are looking for a mid-size truck. Personally, if I am going to have a truck I want a full-size truck. Never cared much for the small ones in any Brand.

That 3/4 ton Chevy would well be worth keeping. It appears in decent shape, you know it's history and you could not come close to the towing capacity it has without spending a lot of money.

[Froogal]

20+ MPG on a regular basis is kind of a pie in the sky dream. ANY of the trucks you mentioned will probably do about 16 to maybe 18 MPG.

[G W Wade]

The beauty of Redneck repair is there is no downside. If it works GREAT if it didn't you still have what you started with. GW

[contender1]

20+ MPG on a regular basis is kind of a pie in the sky dream. ANY of the trucks you mentioned will probably do about 16 to maybe 18 MPG.

I bought a 2021 full size, Chevy Silverado. 5.7 ltr engine. 4x4, 4-door, 6-1/2' bed. I live in the mountains,,, and as long as I drive safe & conservative,, I see 18-20 mpg all the time. If I get on flat roads & use the cruise control,, I get 22-25 mpg depending on the length of the trip & the hills.


I agree with the GM mechanic. I'd look hard at keeping the older truck as long as it's in good condition. Proper, regular maintenance,, and you can easily get over 300,000 out of it. My last 2 Chevies were doing just fine when I sold them and both had over 300,000 on them.

[RickinTN]

20+ MPG on a regular basis is kind of a pie in the sky dream. ANY of the trucks you mentioned will probably do about 16 to maybe 18 MPG.

Except the old Bronco. It will get about 10 mpg on a good day.
Rick

[Froogal]

I bought a 2021 full size, Chevy Silverado. 5.7 ltr engine. 4x4, 4-door, 6-1/2' bed. I live in the mountains,,, and as long as I drive safe & conservative,, I see 18-20 mpg all the time. If I get on flat roads & use the cruise control,, I get 22-25 mpg depending on the length of the trip & the hills.


I agree with the GM mechanic. I'd look hard at keeping the older truck as long as it's in good condition. Proper, regular maintenance,, and you can easily get over 300,000 out of it. My last 2 Chevies were doing just fine when I sold them and both had over 300,000 on them.

Our 2012 Silverado with 5.3 engine (5.7 is discontinued) will do 20 to 21 MPG according to the on-board computer. Pencil, paper, and old fashioned math puts it at 16 to 18 MPG.

[dkonrai]

99 dodge, 5.9 24v. I get 20 to 22 unloaded freeway. 15 to 16 city only.
2wd but buddies 4wd gets about the same mileage. My f250 gets 17 freeway, 15 city and same towing a 7000 lb trailer on the flats.

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[skrapyard628]

If youre looking for a topper and arent too concerned with locking it, take a look at Softtopper. I put one on my Ram and love it. I had a hard topper on my last truck and it was a pain in the butt removing it by myself every time I needed to load something in there that was taller than it. The soft one folds down if needed plus it can be removed easily in 5 minutes and its light enough to lifted by one person without effort. Only downside is its cloth and doesnt lock but that isnt an issue for me since my toolbox in the bed is bolted down and locks up.

[Finster101]

The beauty of Redneck repair is there is no downside. If it works GREAT if it didn't you still have what you started with. GW

Well, sometimes.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup those years were among the best for chev and especially being a 3/4 ton its about indestructable. yours is just getting broke in. those are 300k drivetrains. no way would i sell it for 10k. especialy the special feeling of busting through a big mud hole with dad maybe riding shotgun

[Lloyd Smale]

kind of jealous of the chev guys. i ran chevs all my life and got a new one every two tears. only bad one was a 2010 that wiped the cam and destroyed all the lifters at 20k do to there first cyl deactivation being junk. but all the newer ones got between 20 and 23 mpg. i went with a ram this last time and really like the truck but that hemi loves fuel. about 18mpg stock and with a 2 in lift and 33 duratracs you have to baby it to get 16

[MrWolf]

kind of jealous of the chev guys. i ran chevs all my life and got a new one every two tears. only bad one was a 2010 that wiped the cam and destroyed all the lifters at 20k do to there first cyl deactivation being junk. but all the newer ones got between 20 and 23 mpg. i went with a ram this last time and really like the truck but that hemi loves fuel. about 18mpg stock and with a 2 in lift and 33 duratracs you have to baby it to get 16

My '97 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 got 9 mpg. It had a V10 of course

[MaryB]

I took my recently deceased father's truck to town today to clean it up and begin the process of evaluating the pros and cons of keeping it vs. selling it.

Took it to the car wash, and in addition to the moose hit on the driver's side, I noticed that he had backed into something and pushed the rear bumper in on the passenger side. I went to my folk's house for a Memorial Day barbecue and was showing the truck to my step-dad and brother.

Attachment 314576

I got to thinking, and an idea popped into my brain. I figured I could throw a rope around that bumper and secure the other end to a tree, pop the truck into 4-Lo, and gently bend that bumper back out.

So, my step-dad, a certified redneck who was 2 glasses of whisky deep into Memorial Day festivities, confirmed that my idea was pure genius.

So, I backed it up to a pine tree, secured the rope, and proceeded to gently inch forward until the rear bumper looked mostly normal.

Attachment 314577

Attachment 314578

It actually turned out pretty dang good!

Attachment 314579

I'm in the process of trying to decide which vehicles to keep and fix up, and which ones to sell.

I am leaning towards keeping this 2005 Chevy 2500HD with 135k miles and using it for hauling toys into the woods, and general pickup duties. Around here, even though it is a bit rough, everything works and I could probably get $10k or more for it.

Attachment 314580

All I would do to it if I kept it would be to add a leveling kit and some more aggressive tires, along with normal maintenance.

Then I need a daily driver and road trip vehicle.

I think the perfect solution is a compact/midsized pickup in 4wd with a topper on it. I would have my dog ride in the bed so the passenger compartment remains dog-hair-free and peaceful while my best friend stays out of the weather.

I would want around 20+mpg, 4wd, reliable, comfortable, and capable enough to explore the woods. It has to be road trip friendly since my grand kids are 300+ miles away and I want a vehicle that won't wear me out going to see them on the weekend.

I currently have a lifted 2019 4Runner that gets 16mpg, a 2007 HHR that gets 28mpg, and a 2016 Toyota Rav4 that gets 27mpg.

The HHR is being sold for whatever I can get for it next week.

The 4Runner is capable, reliable, and cool, but is uncomfortable, gets horrible gas mileage, and is not a great configuration for hauling around an 80 lb Belgian Malinois. I dread taking it on road trips due to it being under-powered and constantly downshifting to maintain the speed limit on the interstate.

My initial thought was the Tacoma, Frontier, Ranger, or Colorado. Been looking at the modern El Camino knock-offs like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

The 2024 Tacoma with a turbo 4cyl just might be perfect.

Attachment 314581

But, at a price point of around $43k for the TRD Off-Road model, it is a lot of money for a vehicle. Maybe a cool classic Bronco for $10k would be more fun.

Maverick is built on the Ford Escape platform, AWD not 4WD... the 2.0L EcoBoost has plenty of power for the highway and hauling. I have a 2017 Escape with it and routinely load 600 pounds of wood pellets in the back in winter. Excellent traction in mud/snow, I take mine to my fishing spots along the river and have to drive a lot of mud. I average 24mpg but I have a lead foot! If you don't mind less power the hybrid gets over 30mpg...

BUT! Good luck finding a Maverick! Been sold out since production was announced. I want to test drive one and make sure the cab is roomy enough for me(I am 5'11"... all of my family is tall). Pet peeve is a seating position that puts my head an inch from the roof. If used car prices stay high I can trade my 2017 in for $7k more than I paid for it and only have to finance about $10k for the Lariat all leather interior version.

[Mk42gunner]

Mary brings up a good point about cab roominess, especially in the Escape based vehicles. When Ford first brought them out twenty some years ago I went and looked at one. Headroom wasn't bad, at least I don't remember anything now, but my shoulders hit the side window.

I'm not that big, 6' 200ish pounds, but there was no way I would have been comfortable even driving across town let alone on a highway trip. So I bought Jeep Grand Cherokee that was comfortable, until about the 180 mile mark and then the foot well got real small.

Since then I have pretty much stuck with full sized pickups, used ones at that. Mileage isn't that great, but I don't drive long distances anymore either. Plus I'm comfortable.

Robert

[Idaho45guy]

I checked the mileage today and the big Chevy averaged 11.8 mpg according to the digital tracker. I am certain my dad never reset it in 18 years.

So I reset it before commuting to town and running errands. I'm getting 13.8 mpg average, and that's with AC on, gas that is probably a couple of years old, and he installed undersized tires, so the MPH is 2-3 mph off.

I'm driving it to work and back to try and burn off the old gas. Then I'll do a fluid change and complete service and inspection. Pretty sure I've got a bad U-Joint and worn out rear brakes.