Honest Trucks.

Well, it has been a good long while since I have posted anything at all online,  let alone in my blog.   Kinda terrible at it.  LOL  that said,  I figured I would come back with a topic that has been on my mind in recent months.  And that,  is my Honest Truck.

Blame it on a number of things: Roadkill on youtube,  any number of articles on TRUCK YEAH/Jalopnik,  the simple insane pace of life down here in Arizona.   I'm in Mesa,  which really is now just Phoenix East.   Its a city.   No animals other than pitbulls and pigeons,  asphalt and concrete and crappy drivers, etc etc etc... I could go on, frankly.   But no one gots time fo dat.    It all comes back, in the way my brain works,  to my Honest Truck.

Or Trucks.   I have two, both of which I love.
Number one is my 97 Toyota 4Runner.    It is a happy, go lucky little 4x4 that has gone everywhere (all 2 places) I have taken it with ease.   In fact,  I think it is happier on dirt than on pavement.   I must say that I agree with this notion.   Driving to and from the dig site I was working this fall, and up to the top of the nearby mountain was a lovely time,  the little toyota eagerly and nimbly going up and down the road like a happy coyote on the trail.   Its wagon body really is perfect for what I need,  its a perfect platform for a daily driver/overlander.  The 3.4 liter engine is efficient, makes good power and speed.  The ground clearance is great in stock form, especially now that I have replaced the rear coil springs.   The truck has 245K miles on it,  and shows no sign of stopping.   So much so that I will be replacing the motor with a reman unit the moment it dies.   This truck is so very good that I have no intent to be rid of it.   I couldn't replace it for what I paid for it,    and It is still superior in my mind than anything newer.   Namely, because I can fix it in the field if need be.

This brings me to my second, and the one that is truly my favorite.   The 1983 Dodge Power ram, swb with a stepside bed and a slant six engine that I have owned for 13 years.  Even though it has given me trouble (my fault for not just flushing the fuel tank), is not highway friendly (65mph at the most) and is a single cab, so rather small,   I have not gotten rid of it.   I have considered it for sure,  but I have also thought about tattooing my face.

Neither will happen.

My Dodge is another honest,  delightful old truck.   The toyota is an automatic,  electric windows and AC.  The dodge is all carburetors and crank windows,  with a simple bench,  factory stereo delete,  ex Forest Service truck with a torque monster 225 ci "Slant" six engine,  4 speed with granny low manual, and 4:10 gears.   It has ten moving parts from tip to tail,  is that awful-ly unique Forest Service green,  and is about as refined as a WW2 Bomber.   And I can't put into words how much I love it.

I am, however,  missing it terribly.  It is not the most feesible truck to drive around here in Mesa,  would be too slow on the interstate,  and cant carry me, the wife, the dogs and the baby like the toyota can.   So,  I left it back home in Montana,   parked in the barn with mothballs on the floor and on top of the motor,  a tarp covering it from the pigeon shit,  and several bottles of seafoam in the fuel tank. And there she sits.   She has been sitting since april,   and no one has paid her any mind until last weekend,  when the family and I went back to Montana for a whirlwind 3 day visit.   For the briefest amount of time, I was able to extract myself from relatives and banter to go out to the barn to see my poor old truck.   Hooked up the battery,  pushed in the clutch, and turned the key.

And she started.      Runs rough as hell,  with the bad gas and all,  but she runs.     i wasnt able to take her out for a drive,   due to 4 bald tires and the roads coated in ice,   but I was able to enjoy the sweet roar of that old six,   feel the truck hum and vibrate on its worn springs,  the cheerful rattle of the things in the bed.   And it just made me happy.       What is the point of buying a new car or truck?   they are nice, sure.   The mileage is better,  they go faster,  are more comfortable.....  but I just don't trust them.....I dont trust things I can't touch.   You can't fix a motor in a new Dodge unless you hook it to a laptop first.  You can't listen for a moment and know what is wrong.   There are too many things to fail.  And for what?  a car-like ride and a boost to your testicles?
   I find old trucks the best.   They are happier, more fun.   Less rat race,  more adventure.    I would so much rather have something older that I can fix than not.   Both my trucks,  mind you are also paid off,   are really quite perfect.

A simple word for a simple machine.   And its often the most simple machines that have the most complicated souls.