I was glad to see ford go back to a pushrod engine, a lot more potential for getting more performance than overhead cam engines. Them dam turbo v6 ford put in pickups complete garbage…
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I am more of a 1979.5-81 type of guy 
but all the 1st Gens from 1979.5-83 are legendary.
Still own a few of them in my Toyota “collection” Most are rough but here are the Toyota’s I have.
1976 Pickup Chinook Without RV.(running parts)
1976 Toyota Chinook Complete 46K miles
1976 Celica GT fastback
1977 Pickup
1980 Pickup base 4wd longbed Chinook RV Conversion
1981 Pickup 4wd Running (parts)
1983 Pickup 4wd SR5 shortbed
1991 Pickup 4x4 Longbed V6 minty
1992 Pickup 4x4 extcab shortbed V6
My retirement projects…
I also have a
1986 RX7 GXL that is minty. only driven 10000km in 24 years but I do insure and run it every year.
1963 Grumman Kurbside High roof ( Ford 223 Parcel Chassis ) Low miles, Great Shape and Have manage to collect every original manual and paperwork for everything about it and collect all the missing part over the years . Also manage to locate a single barrel og carb with glass bowl and mechanical fuel with glass bowl. (someone install a 2 barrel and electrical fuel pump) I do hope one day to get this van clean up, would not take much
These pictures are actually from the Ebay listing when I purchased this van in 2006ish. I pickup it up i
in Spokane WA
Cars are fun I wish I had more time to work on and or enjoy them .
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I have bought two Toyota and four Lexus. I am sold of the consistency of Toyota/Lexus. The only reason I bought the 2000 GMC is that year the Toyota “big” pickup T-100 was not all that big.
The test drive of the 2020 RAM truck was just no contest.
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TinMan that is one cool project truck. I can see it now… " TinWhisperer Metal Fab and AC Service"
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Did you see the American Pickers episode where they found the original Aerosmith tour van and restored it? It still had the original mural from the 1970’s before they became famous.
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Now that is cool!
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This was my 2016 RAM 1500 Laramie ECO-DIESEL late August 2020. It was the most awesome truck I had ever owned… until it wasn’t. Two miles from home and spontaneously combusted.
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Ouch. So sorry to see that.
Almost bought one of those. Catastrophic Rotating Mass Failures were inordinately high for that engine, so I opted to not get the diesel. Sad, but that was a hand of dice I did not want to roll.
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I’m also onboard with the Toyota crew. 2018 Tacoma TRD OffRoad. Dealership didn’t have “only” the options I wanted, so I had them order it from San Antonio for me. No hood scoop, because they’re non functional. I didn’t want any OEM running boards / steps, thought I was going to add rock sliders later, never got around to it. Had them add a limo tint to the rear windows, and dark as legal to the front, all ceramic (because Texas). Finally I added the base model grill border to remove that gaudy chrome, and blackout kitted the rest. I can’t stand chrome on a grey truck.
A couple minor mods to her…
Meso Custom dome light, gas hole, tail light LED conversion, and blackout mirror turn signals, AVS window vent covers, Tacoma rubber floor mats and bed liner
Toyota tribute jump
map lights LED’d
HID’s for the lowbeams
a cali raised light bar for those back country roads to look out for deerses
backflip tri fold tonneau
Blacked out (this was a plastidip job, I added the parts later when this started to peel off)
There’s some other stuff not pictured, but she runs like a champ. Only wish they’d offer the 4cyl turbo diesel (HILUX) but that’s a fart’s chance in a hurricane with the EPA being the EPA.
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My good friend Jacob Wheeler just won the 3rd straight world championship in
Bass fishing. I fabricate all kinds of secret stuff for him. Here he is with the grumpy old man.
Almost 4 million in prize money over the last 3 years. I may take up Bass fishing.
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Impressive!
Now he’s not catching the same fish and bringing it back to life in a secret laboratory??? That is really amazing when you think of all the variables to being in the right place at the right time.
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I had some time on my hands so I sneaked into the TinWhisperer estate and did a bit of graffiti on his van. I hope he doesn’t mind?!
In person, it is easier to read. This is what it looks like:
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Nice! Its the Manualmobile!!
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Woodstock music festival begins this date 1969
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One twitch from ordering a 14x40 lathe. $20k by the time it’s all said and done. That figure is what is keeping that “twitch” from happening.
Uuuugggg.
Sad part is I am pretty much buying it for work. A job where I am a mechanic, not a machinist. An employer that is reaping the benefits of my buying specialty tools out of my own pocket.
Something is wrong here.
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You’re an enabler! You are enabling your employer to be successful. 
We could give you counseling here…I will just put my wife on the keyboard. She will tell you all the reasons why you should not buy that lathe. She whips those reasons out like a 6-shooter. 
The boss is going to miss you when you leave with the semi-trailer full of tools that he thought he owned!
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House needs new windows, Insulate the garage, Back yard landscaping, finish the basement, Pay down the house mortgage, deposit into retirement account…
Make matters worse, the eldest daughter - not mine, girlfriends eldest daughter, 23 years old, despite repeated conversations on financial responsibility, has had a $700 shortfall on her bills the last two months, and will again next month.
Is way upside down on her car that she was told was too much car for her income (after the same was said on the Toyota 4runner @$43k that she traded in on this one), and owes mom $3200 from bailing her out of other shortfalls.
Mom is disabled and finally on SSI. Mom needs to stop bailing her out, as ultimately it falls on me when Mom can’t pay her bills.
Do I buy this lathe, or bail out the eldest daughter from her financial boo boo? I have already been carrying mom for the last 4 years and out $9200 on trying to get her car fixed that the shop screwed us on with a botched engine replacement - whole nother saga.
Heavy sigh.
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Have you approached your boss about breaking loose with cash to buy these things? He stands to make more money and streamline his operation. Plus, he can write a good portion off on his taxes.
As for wife or ex-wife or daughter, for that matter, that’s your call.
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I’m sweating in the shop trying to roll a piece of 3000 alum in a roller that is not made for .125 stuff.
I am about to pass out. I think I will wait for my young buck to show up.
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I have two kids from a previous marriage. My daughter is turning 40 this year. Growing up, she was most likely to go to jail. Now, she is the superintendent of schools in her town. My son is 38 and has an IQ of about 140. I had visions of him going to MIT. He can’t hold a job for more than two weeks and still lives with his mother in the basement. You never know about kids, money, and finances. Just remember, no risk, no gain. And that’s the truth.
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