So of course I have to drag Theresa into this truck drama. I asked her to take a ride out to Beaufort to check on that 2011 Silverado 2500 HD. Listen, these are not the times, and the Lowcountry isn't the place, to find a solid beater for a few thousand. Down here, even the old ones, basically can look pretty dam good, because they don't have the weather exposure and rust. So those $2,500 trucks back home are $7,000 down here. And they usually have high miles and have been work trucks. And on top of that most are 4x2, or RWD.
When I saw the truck my first impression was, it's really nice, but also, it's really big. It's a lot of truck. I don't have a problem with having a little more of a truck than I need, but it's the running costs and repairs that I'm concerned about. We're talking about a big diesel engine and an Allison transmission that calls for it's own kind of tools and expertise to work on. This wouldn't be me ordering up some parts and tinkering under the hood.
One thing that was interesting to me was the guy wouldn't let us take the truck for a test ride without. I really wanted to take it back to Sun City but he said that was against their policy. Really bro? What could happen? So we took it for a test ride and it seemed okay to me. It's been a few
years, remember that one above, since I drove a diesel so I wasn't sure of how they pull out of the gate and ride, again this is a truck truck. I was about 80% in, and still might be, when Theresa took the upper photo. I can say today, that if the next things didn't happen, this beast would be sitting in our driveway. If you look above, under the front bumper, you can just see a little puddle forming. To me, that's not where the A/C drains so I went down and took a look.
Well it turns out what it was was coolant. The leak wasn't coming a hose either, the radiator was cracked. Can you imagine if this happened when Theresa and I were alone, or snuck over to Sun City? Maybe the guys policy is spot on. So is this a sign? Or is just something that could have happened anytime or anywhere? The truck is mine for $13,500 if I want it, but there's a part of me that's nervous about it. If I was ever going to buy it would definitely just run it past a diesel mechanic to get their quick take on it, just in case there's something glaringly obvious that I'm missing.
After a few hours with the truck thing we headed over to The Fly Barn to get something done. We've started by finishing up the batten part of the board and batten siding. Next will be caulk it and then paint it, but to me, it looks 100% better.
We then moved over to Phase 3 of the fence project, measuring and laying out where and how we would trim it down to. 48 inches is where it's supposed to be so I made a few jigs and we went to work laying it out.
After it was laid it it was time just get out the saw and have at it. My initial thought was to mimic the scalloped top but after we did what we did I may just leave them straight cut.
when I first pulled out the saw I explained to Theresa how hard it was going to be to hold the saw, walk, and maintain a straight line while cutting it. While it's not a new idea by any means, I used a pice of blocking on top of the rail and just ran the saw across. It was a beautiful thing.
Today we'll tackle cutting down the remaining section of fence and the posts. We'll leave the gate re-do for a later date. One thing's for sure going from six down to four feet does change the view, both ways. That's one reason why I wanted to get that siding off and get the home wrap up before we cut the fence. But looking out from the house we like what we see, and really don't mind who sees in when they drive by.
And then there's the truck sitting right outside the bubble. Is it just a lipstick on a pig lemon? To me the price range is above a beater and with trucks you just never know really who did what with and to it so I'd be rolling the dice. Can a piece of shit truck look that good?
I might swing by and check for some codes and test drive it again. Or maybe I should just plan on driving the Suburban back to New Jersey enjoy week and dealing with this truck stuff when we get back. There's been a few inquires on FBM but no one is knocking down the door for it. It really shouldn't be this hard.