Redneck bodywork

[Lloyd Smale]

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.

look at a new payment of 800 bucks a month and a free truck that even got 10mpg is a bargain all day long

[Lloyd Smale]

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

full sized trucks for me too. if i need to play in the woods ill take my 2 door wrangler and if if gas mileage kept me from going somewhere which it hasnt yet my 392 challenger gets 26mpg with the wife driving it

[MT Gianni]

Over inflate your tires and you might get 14 mpg. I like the 3/4 and 1 tons for hauling and keep them parked the rest of the time.

[imashooter2]

You can’t call it redneck body work until you’ve hammered a juice can flat and pop riveted it over a rust hole.

[blackthorn]

Years ago I worked in a plywood manufacturing plant. We used a 2 part epoxy putty to fill defects in standard sheeting. One of the guys had an old rust bucket car and he used that putty to fill the rust holes in it. Worked well.

[MaryB]

You can’t call it redneck body work until you’ve hammered a juice can flat and pop riveted it over a rust hole.

Piece of chicken wire, spray foam, then body putty after sanding the foam to shape and sealing it... I drove junkers up until about 15 years ago when my body told me to quit being stupid and working on cars all weekend... the spray foam trick would last 4-5 years before the foam started breaking down.

I never paid more than $1,000 for a car until I was 48! Retired my 79 4wd Ford van that year... to much rust... seats were falling thru the floor... nothing left back in the cargo area, I had plywood cut to fit laying on the floor support bars... and spray foamed around the edges/glued seams. Brakes were gone due to rusted lines, trans was blown up...

[Recycled bullet]

"I'd get it one piece at a time
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around"

[Idaho45guy]

Piece of chicken wire, spray foam, then body putty after sanding the foam to shape and sealing it... I drove junkers up until about 15 years ago when my body told me to quit being stupid and working on cars all weekend... the spray foam trick would last 4-5 years before the foam started breaking down.

I never paid more than $1,000 for a car until I was 48! Retired my 79 4wd Ford van that year... to much rust... seats were falling thru the floor... nothing left back in the cargo area, I had plywood cut to fit laying on the floor support bars... and spray foamed around the edges/glued seams. Brakes were gone due to rusted lines, trans was blown up...

Another reason I would never live in the Midwest. It's sad to see the billions of dollars in rust damage that the governments out there have caused to their citizen's vehicles due to using salt on the roads.

We get just as much, or more snow out here, yet we use other methods that don't destroy vehicles.

I just don't get it.

[schutzen-jager]

bubba repaired deer dented door - removed inner trim panel, inserted deflated football, slowly pumped it up with a hand bike pump, dent popped out w/o any paint damage at all -

[imashooter2]

Piece of chicken wire, spray foam, then body putty after sanding the foam to shape and sealing it... I drove junkers up until about 15 years ago when my body told me to quit being stupid and working on cars all weekend... the spray foam trick would last 4-5 years before the foam started breaking down.

I never paid more than $1,000 for a car until I was 48! Retired my 79 4wd Ford van that year... to much rust... seats were falling thru the floor... nothing left back in the cargo area, I had plywood cut to fit laying on the floor support bars... and spray foamed around the edges/glued seams. Brakes were gone due to rusted lines, trans was blown up...

Buy spray foam!?!?!? Hell, I had a problem coming off the nickel for the pop rivets.

It’s a good solution and probably looked better than the juice can. For what it’s worth, a galvanized juice can would last until the hole behind it rusted large enough that the rivets lost steel to grip.

[farmbif]

if you doing redneck body work dont forget the can of rust oleum a brush and a paint roller

[WRideout]

A friend of mine needed to get his old Toyota Corolla inspected so he could drive it to work (we have annual inspections in PA.) It had a rust hole in the fender, so he cut a patch from an old pair of jeans and epoxied it over the hole. I said, "I'm proud of you son."

Last year I finally bought a new Toyota Tacoma pickup, 4WD which I love. I bought a used cap for the bed, which came without the clamps to hold it down. So I made hold down clamps from scrap wood and carriage bolts. My wife is terrified that it will fly off at highway speed. Anyway, a couple of years ago I had spun out my sedan on an icy curve and had to wait for a guy in a pickup with a chain to get me out. I just realized that now I am that guy, so I need to keep a chain in my truck.

Wayne

[Idaho45guy]

I just realized that now I am that guy, so I need to keep a chain in my truck.

Wayne

These are the greatest things since sliced bread; the kinetic energy rope and soft shackle...



Attachment 314709

They are like a giant bungee cord and prevent jarring damage to both vehicles, while using stored kinetic energy to free the stuck vehicle. Plus they are lightweight, stronger than chains, and relatively cheap. I paid around $60 for my rope and $20 for the soft shackle.

[Streetwalker]

Nothing is more disconcerting than to look down and see the pavement whizzing by through rusted-out floorboards and wondering if your ass was about to fall out onto the highway. Yeah, Midwestern memories of road-salted highways!

[Winger Ed.]

You can’t call it redneck body work until you’ve hammered a juice can flat and pop riveted it over a rust hole.

Sounds like something a city kid would do.
A country redneck uses a well worn scotch brite pad soaked in Bondo & slap it over the offending area.
And to save a buck, ya put previously sanded off Bondo dust and 'cheese grader' filings into the new batch for it to go farther.

Years ago, a buddy was working on a big, classic, Bentley touring car.
He was grinding out a damaged place where the rear of the front fender joins the lower part of the front door post.
He snagged a sctoch brite /Bondo pad and ripped off about 4 pounds of the car.
At a glance- It looked pretty good, but it was actually a rotted out 'Bondo buggy'.

[buckwheatpaul]

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.

I love what ya did to the bumper...I did the same thing with my 1995 Ford Bronco and you could never see that there was a problem.....I ordered last year and took possession of a 2023 Ford Ranger XLT crew cab with FX4 system...it is a beast! It is fast enough to scare you and the off road capabilities are wonderful. It tows well and gets between 22 and 23 MPG if I drive it right. I really like it and it cost $43,000.00. If something happened to it I would buy another one....with that said I still have a 2002 Ford F250 crew Lariat, diesel, and 4 wheel drive for heavy hauling....I average 16-18 mpg on that one but when it needs to pull it to is a beast.....good luck on your quest and enjoy the hunt!

[Duckiller]

Let your best friend ride up front. If people object to dog hair in your truck they don't need to ride with you. My friends prefer to ride in the back seat. If I have to stop in a hurry they hit the back of a seat not the front window.

[buckwheatpaul]

Let your best friend ride up front. If people object to dog hair in your truck they don't need to ride with you. My friends prefer to ride in the back seat. If I have to stop in a hurry they hit the back of a seat not the front window.

I agree with Duckiller.....our fur family rides with us....it is too easy for them to get injured, hanged, or killed when in the back....

[imashooter2]

Sounds like something a city kid would do.
A country redneck uses a well worn scotch brite pad soaked in Bondo & slap it over the offending area.
And to save a buck, ya put previously sanded off Bondo dust and 'cheese grader' filings into the new batch for it to go farther.

Years ago, a buddy was working on a big, classic, Bentley touring car.
He was grinding out a damaged place where the rear of the front fender joins the lower part of the front door post.
He snagged a sctoch brite /Bondo pad and ripped off about 4 pounds of the car.
At a glance- It looked pretty good, but it was actually a rotted out 'Bondo buggy'.

Such spendthrifts buying Bondo and spray foam. Must be nice to be wealthy.

[Winger Ed.]

Such spendthrifts buying Bondo and spray foam. Must be nice to be wealthy.

Yeah, and it's relative.
This reminds me of hearing about how you can spot the rich people in Arkansas:
They have TWO!! '75 Thunderbirds up on blocks in their front yard.