OK, here's the deal.

I'm considering buying a truck. That's not good, I have too many vehicles now.
I've been looking for a truck like this for over a year and finally found one. That's good, I finally found one.
It's a very reasonable price. That's VERY GOOD!
It's a gas motor and a 6-spd, not a 3126 Cat and Allison. That's not so good, but I can live with it.
It's located in Limetone, TN. (The Bristol Area). That's not good, since it's 1100 miles from me.

Anyone in the Bristol/Knoxville area want (and know how to drive a truck) want to drive it back for me? I'd pay a little something, pay expenses, of course, and buy you a plane ticket back.

I know it's a long shot, but who knows, maybe someone's bored and wants to come to Kansas to be more bored. Actually, if some of you were actually looking for a short term job, I could use some help for the next 2-3 weeks harvesting wheat.

So, if you're in the Bristol area or can get there, know how to drive a 2T truck (no CDL required), need some work for a couple or three weeks, then let me know. I'm so swamped right now I don't know which way to turn but I'm really thinking about pulling the trigger on this truck.

John Stricker

Got half your criteria (I don't live near bristol and don't have 2 weeks to help you run wheat -- kinda wish I did, haven't done something like that in a while) but here's a free bump for ya anyway.

Oh, BTW, if you just want to drive the truck here and go home, that's cool too, don't have to stay for harvest.

I just thought I'd mention it since I know there are several members that are currently between jobs, maybe this would help them out for a few weeks.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by squisher86SE: Got half your criteria (I don't live near bristol and don't have 2 weeks to help you run wheat -- kinda wish I did, haven't done something like that in a while) but here's a free bump for ya anyway.

How soon do you have to have it? Might have an option for you.

Ron

I got time, and patience, etc. ect.

I am not near Bristol right now, but I could take a greyhound over there.

YES I AM BORED!!!

Brad

Brad, you have a PM

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by twofatguys: Not sure what is involved in running wheat, but I'm sure I could help there as well. I don't need a plane ticket, that would be a waste of $$ for you, Rachel could just pick me up from your place whenever I am done. Brad

John, YGPM with my phone number. I've got all the free time in the world, experience with driving large trucks (I drove a 26000 lb armored truck with air brakes before I got laid off), and would be more than willing to help out with the wheat harvest, and then some, if Brad doesn't. Hell, even if he wants to just drive the truck out, I could come out and help with the wheat. I'm going stir crazy around here, and this may even be a good opportunity for me to find work and get back on top of things...

-Brian

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 06-13-2009).]

I think I've answered all the PM's I've gotten and I really wasn't expecting that many.

To those that have answered, helping with harvest would be a short term gig, I don't really need anyone after harvest is over, so keep that in mind. That's not to say there isn't other work to be had in this area. During harvest, I can help with living arrangements and meals, things like that, but once it's over, it's over.

Just keep this in mind if you're thinking about it.

John Stricker

You also might check with Joey (Anonymity). She's always up for a road trip.

Just curious what kind of truck we are looking at? Stake body? Flatbed? Dump?

You said 2T Non CDL, So I imagine its probably not much bigger than an F650?

That's about right on size. Gas motor, 6 speed, crew cab. 8' bed. It's a '92 Chevy Kodiak.

I haven't bought it yet, but if it's still available tomorrow I think I'm going to pull the trigger on it, but if it's already sold this is all a moot point, unless someone just needs to work for a couple of weeks during harvest, but first things first................

I'd give preference to someone that wanted to stay and work through harvest because I do need help.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Just curious what kind of truck we are looking at? Stake body? Flatbed? Dump? You said 2T Non CDL, So I imagine its probably not much bigger than an F650?

[This message has been edited by jstricker (edited 06-14-2009).]

i could drive the truck and help with harvest but being a bit far away man. that and im unemployed cept weekends.

wish things would work out it would be just the thing to get me out and about doing something differnt. good luck man. if all else fails i and it would work i could get down there somehow and bring ur new beast home. plenty used to big trucks, just nothing over a 2 toner much. moved dad's big truck around a bit not far. '


anyway good luck

quote Originally posted by jstricker: That's about right on size. Gas motor, 6 speed, crew cab. 8' bed. It's a '92 Chevy Kodiak. I haven't bought it yet, but if it's still available tomorrow I think I'm going to pull the trigger on it, but if it's already sold this is all a moot point, unless someone just needs to work for a couple of weeks during harvest, but first things first................ I'd give preference to someone that wanted to stay and work through harvest because I do need help. John Stricker

YGPM back. Like I said, I'm more than willing to help out with both delivery and the harvest if Brad doesn't go for it And hell, its not a very big truck, I was actually expecting larger lol. Easy to drive

Seems to be my calling these days, picking up and delivering vehicles for people...I'm sure Marinefiero can vouch for me on that much

-Brian

Gas? GAS?!?!?! c'mon man, diesel 2Ts aren't that difficult to find, are they? Or is nobody letting go of them until they are thoroughly worn out?

Ron (Blackrams) said working harvest would be like a vaction to him, so he'd pick up the truck, & come right on over and help out, except he won't drive anything that doesn't sport a Hillary bumper sticker or an Obama/Biden sign. There also sumpthin about the boss he'd be workin for being such a hardass too, but I'm not exactly how he worded that......

I'd come myself, but swinging that scythe and standing those shocks up all day would be more than my old arms could handle.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 06-15-2009).]

Yes, Gas. Would I prefer diesel? Sure. I'd also prefer an Allison or an autoshift, but that ain't happening within my budget constraints.

The economy of diesels is real, but only if you put a ton of miles on them. Otherwise it gets upside down. I can throw away this 427 and put a 454 in it for $2000. How much you reckon an overhaul on a 3126e would be? Granted, it shouldn't NEED an overhaul for 500,000 miles, but if I only put 10,000 miles a year on the truck (if that), how long does it take for that to pay off?

I have in my shop right now a 7 year old tractor with 2200 hours on it. Piston tried to seize in a sleeve. I'm spending $4,000 to get it back in shape. It SHOULDN'T have happened, but it does. There are no guarantees in life, you play the odds. The odds are that TIME is going to dictate when this engine needs replaced and not miles, and miles are what make diesels cost competitive.

You're NOT going to do it on fuel efficiency, not in a heavy truck. I know, I have diesel trucks. Are they better? Yep. Right now diesel is cheaper than gas. Last summer it wasn't. When Blackrams and I compared notes last summer comparing his Dodge Cummins with my Silverado 6.0L gas, yep, he got better mileage but the $$/mi came out pretty darn even. Maybe your crystal ball is better than mine in predicting fuel costs, but I don't know what they're going to be 3 months from now, much less 3 years from now.

As far as a truck like this being not "that difficult to find", well I beg to differ. This a a light 150,000 mile, 2T, CREW CAB, with an 8' western hauler bed. 22.5 inch wheels, in decent shape, for $4,000. If you can find me a '90 or newer GM or Freightliner, under CDL, crew cab with a western hauler bed for that price or less with a diesel, I'm all ears. I've been looking for 2 years and haven't found one.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by hklvette: Gas? GAS?!?!?! c'mon man, diesel 2Ts aren't that difficult to find, are they? Or is nobody letting go of them until they are thoroughly worn out?

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Ron (Blackrams) said working harvest would be like a vaction to him, so he'd pick up the truck, & come right on over and help out, except he won't drive anything that doesn't sport a Hillary bumper sticker or an Obama/Biden sign. There also sumpthin about the boss he'd be workin for being such a hardass too, but I'm not exactly how he worded that...... ((snip))

Close but, no cigar.

Ron

Now Cigars, I have.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Close but, no cigar. Ron

The whole package deal seems like the kind of thing I would do.

I don't have much experience driving trucks, but I have driven a "Box Truck" from Houston, to Atlanta and back to Houston all in one trip. I have done a few cross country trips from NJ to CA (by myself) and even in a fiero. I can drive manual .

The only part of this adventure that may not be to fun, would be the trip from NJ to where the truck is. Unless your paying for the flight both ways.

I am even up for the 2 weeks of work once I arrive.

I had a lot of response to this, a lot more than I expected to be honest. twofatguys is reasonably close to me and is going to try to help me out with this. I do appreciate all the offers, though, and wish I was able to help more of you out.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by Gecko: The whole package deal seems like the kind of thing I would do. I don't have much experience driving trucks, but I have driven a "Box Truck" from Houston, to Atlanta and back to Houston all in one trip. I have done a few cross country trips from NJ to CA (by myself) and even in a fiero. I can drive manual . The only part of this adventure that may not be to fun, would be the trip from NJ to where the truck is. Unless your paying for the flight both ways. I am even up for the 2 weeks of work once I arrive.

Kind of bringing this thread back from the dead, or at least dormant...............

Before harvest I was talking to a guy in TN about a truck and the main holdup wasn't price, but how to get it home. That's what initiated this thread and things worked out so that Brad (twofatguys) could bring it back for me, then he stayed for about a week or so and helped us get the wheat cut. Things worked out well for both of us, the truck made it home safely, he made a few bucks, and I had an extra hand at harvest.

I thought it might be of interest to post some pictures of the truck. I was actually looking for a different tow vehicle for my car trailer. My pickup pulls it OK, but a pickup is not a truck and we go on long trips with the trailer a few times a year. I was actually looking for a diesel, but I couldn't pass up the price on this one so I bought it.






The truck is a '92 crew cab Kodiak with a 427 and a 6 speed. The a/c didn't work, but I've fixed that already. It has an oil leak on the front cover, probably the front seal that needs to be fixed. The rear tires need to be replaced and it really needs to be re-geared because it's geared way to low for what I'm going to use it for. It had four error codes set and I've corrected three of them. The interior is going to be updated in the very near future and when we're done cleaning and polishing it a bit I'll take it over and have my friend do a little pinstriping on the truck.

All in all, it's not exactly what I wanted, but I think it will work for what I need.

Thanks for the help, Brad.

John Stricker

Sweet truck, congrats.
Dang, I missed this thread. Not that I would have been able to get the truck to you (perhaps) but I have had thoughts of doing farm work and I am between jobs (although I do stay busy).
( , actually my wife has also been after me to see some snow. I had thought of asking if I could visit during one of your blizzards, .)

Very nice John, I'm impressed. That will be a great tow vehicle for that beautiful trailer you stole.

Now if you'll just pull that 427 out and drop a Cummins in it.

BTW, that truck would look much better pulling my white trailer than your dark one.

In reference to Cliff's question, all that I have ever seen were tagged/badged as C4500.

Ron

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 07-07-2009).]

It's actually started life as a C70 Kodiak. It's not anymore. One of the previous owners has removed all of the rear springs except for 4 leaves and some of the fronts are missing as well. Nothing wrong with that, improves the ride when it's lightly loaded, as it always will be.

We have a lot of changes, especially in the interior, in mind for the truck. I'm probably going to pull the third member and have it re-geared, I just got a quote on that for $400 and that's cheaper than trying to change all the wheels and tires.

The interior will have carpet installed and leather seats out of a Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade or such. I'm working on an overhead console to hold a Kenwood unit that has Garmin GPS and Sirius Satellite built in. Unfortunatelly it's a "DD" size unit and won't fit anywhere in the dash.

Right now Chris is buffing out the paint, then a little striping and polish all the shiny parts. Was thinking about a chrome grille and found one for about $125, that would brighten it up a little. We'll just see what I can get decent prices on and go from there.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by cliffw: What would that be John ? A C 60 (reference to capacity such as a 1970 C 10, 20, or 30)?

did it come with the roof mounted spoiler?... (that might not even been the right word for that part)

You know how I am about high mounted wings....

quote Originally posted by jstricker: I know it's a long shot, but who knows, maybe someone's bored and wants to come to Kansas to be more bored.

Heh heh, funny.

John,

Thanks again for the opportunity you gave me. I "think" I learned a lot more about what you guys do there in farmer country.
Also thanks to Sandy for the good food, it was nice meeting the entire family.

The truck is nice guys, don't let John understate it, and pick and choose pictures . I was really impressed with it when I picked it up. Only very minor problems driving it back, but nothing that would keep me from driving it 'cross country.

It had a huge wing on top when I delivered it, but it had to go to fit in the garage. I recommended putting it on a certain car for more down force, but for some reason that got turned down pretty quick.


I did take some pictures while I was up there, here is John at his 9-5+8 or so.

Brad

you DONT need a CDL to drive that sucker??? that suprises me in a way!

quote Originally posted by jstricker: It's a very reasonable price. That's VERY GOOD!

Not enough information, .

No.

No airbrakes.

Under CDL weight.

No CDL required. Not that it matters, I've had my CDL since they made you get them (instead of a state class A).

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by greasemonke50613: you DONT need a CDL to drive that sucker??? that suprises me in a way!

quote Originally posted by jstricker: $4,000.00

wow... seems like an excellent deal. How many miles on the 427/tranny? How many on the frame? (if they differ)

quote Originally posted by blakeinspace: did it come with the roof mounted spoiler?... (that might not even been the right word for that part) You know how I am about high mounted wings....

So...I'm not the ONLY one that saw that in the first picture. NOW I know why John bought that truck....because it has a spoiler to match the one on his trailer....

I fully expect to see a "Dogma Racing" decal somewhere on that beast by SORC time...

Sorry, the wing from the trailer is on the scrap pile. I was tired of looking at it so we took it off. I thought it was off at SORC last year because I THOUGHT we pulled it when we put the a/c in the trailer, but I could be wrong on that timeline.

The wing off the truck is also history but I still have it. I'll bring it up sometime and we can put it on the Mustang...............Now THAT would make you a sweet ride.

As for Blake's question, it has 169,000 on the clock. I think, by looking, the engine has been replaced/overhauled once. Transmission looks original, but who knows. Fourth gear synchro is a little weak and tries to grind if you shift it normally, but it shifts fine if you don't use the clutch, so that's not really an issue.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by litespd: So...I'm not the ONLY one that saw that in the first picture. NOW I know why John bought that truck....because it has a spoiler to match the one on his trailer.... I fully expect to see a "Dogma Racing" decal somewhere on that beast by SORC time...

quote Originally posted by jstricker: The wing off the truck is also history but I still have it. I'll bring it up sometime and we can put it on the Mustang...............Now THAT would make you a sweet ride.

Okay, but only if we can mount it on the roof. Then I can pretend I'm driving a midget racer. Oh, waittaminit...that wasn't PC. Maybe I should say I'd be driving a "little people racer".....

I'm bumping this to the top so I can find it tomorrow or the next day. We've been killing ourselves on the truck. Putting an entirely new interior in a full sized crew cab truck is a heck of a lot more work than a Fiero.

We ended up going with '01 Denali power/heated/lumbar/leather front buckets and '96 Denali leather rear seats. New carpet from ACC and had the headliner redone. Did you know the only way to get a headliner in and out of a crew cab '92 truck without damage is to take out the windshield? I do now. Twofatguys, you'll be happy to know that the bubble wrap effect is now gone with the old windshield.

Fixed the A/C, finished fixing the error codes. All of the lights on the truck worked (a first for me after buying a used truck) but the trailer connector was wrong for my trailer so it needed changing and in that process I found out what a cobble job of wiring they'd done. Hopefully that will be finished tomorrow. A factory pickup truck cruise control has been added. New tires and pinstriping are going in Wednesday.

I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow of the interior but will hold off on the exterior until the striping and tires are done.

Still on the "to-do" list is install the backup camera system where the factory radio goes and making a custom enclosure for the Kenwood audio/gps/sat radio unit in the center dash section. I won't get all that done next week, but hope to have it all buttoned up by Aug 1 or thereabouts.

John Stricker

PS: the thing is geared WAY too low. 68 mph at 4,000 rpm in 6th. No biggie, just put in a different ring and pinion and get it to a 4.88 or so. Right. R&P for that model Eaton is $1400. Normally they are $300. A rebuilt third member is $1600 and a new one is $1800. I'm going to check Chevy prices because Chris gets a great discount from the Chevy dealer he works at on Monday, but it really needs some taller gears for what I'm using it for.

Just a bump to keep this current.