Nicholas Fluhart

I’ll start this post by writing a little about my thought process on this whole thing. After the truck ran so good on the drive home, I was somewhat convinced to keep it around to haul junk or the occasional load of…whatever I could fit in the back. It’s just so handy having a dump truck around the house, ya know? The problem is that this old rig needs some, what I thought to be at the time, “minor mechanical attention” as well as a cosmetic makeover. Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t want to be seen driving this thing around with junk hanging out the back, smoke bellowing from the exhaust, and looking like the Beverly Hillbillies. So the question is what type of work will it need and to what extent would I “restore” the cosmetic condition of this abomination of a truck? Would it even be worth it?

Well, “worth” is a subjective term. If time and money are the only considerations, then the answer is maybe to probably not. The fact is I could buy one already in usable shape for what it would cost me in time and parts to restore this one to roadworthy status, but there are other factors to consider. First, I’m a weirdo. I love old trucks and equipment, and to me there are few things in life more rewarding than bringing one of these old rigs back to life as a functional, usable, apparatus. Second, projects require study and learning which are a lot of fun when the topic interests you. Further, the experience gained from such endeavors lends to a greater depth of wisdom concerning future projects. Third, since I’m qualified to do virtually all the work myself, my primary real-money expense will be parts, and I think the parts bill on this thing would be less than the cost of buying a working truck. Also something to consider, when I’m done with this truck I’ll know exactly what I have as opposed to having bought one for the same money and really knowing nothing about its reliable mechanical condition.

So, in light of the above reasoning, I’ve decided to go for it. My plan is to review the mechanical condition, fix what needs fixing (within reason and scope of my intended use), and put a moderately decent paint job on it so I don’t look like Uncle Jed driving this thing around. In other words, it will be a Jeff Bradshaw “Redneck Restorations” type of project: fix what needs fixing, and get it looking decent.

Time to check it out and see what I’m in for…