I love Lucy

   / I love Lucy #1  

wroughtn_harv

Super Member
Joined
May 12, 2002
Messages
6,000
Location
Denison, Texas
Tractor
2013 Volvo MC85C
It's sorta funny how it all works. You take a look at a truck and she just tugs hard at the old heart like it had strings, lots of them.

My dealer has <A target="_blank" HREF=http://adcache.trucktraderonline.com/4/7/0/34427770.htm>one of these</A>. The first time I laid eyes on her "Lucy" came across my mind like a comet on it's way to there from here. Redhead and definately a little quirky in the personality department.

That was a couple of weeks ago. One thing has lead to another. Sorta kinda like the new truck gawd is playing cutesy with the newtruckitis devil and they've got me by the shorts.

Lucy was sold supposedly. That deal fell through. Now she's mine if'n I want her. Her forty six plus sticker is out and off the window and I can have her for thirty five plus TT&L. That's power everything including mirrors and entry. Air ride seat, CD player, high output Duramax and Allison, Alcoas and Michelins too.

My ninety seven 3500HD with the bed that won 97's World Fence News Fence Truck of The Year has got a hundred and fifteen thousand on her. She's solid and a very nice truck. But that means squat when newtruckitis sets in it seems.

The bed will fit on the new truck with the only glitch being an eighteen inch gap between the tool box behind the cab and the headboard of the bed. That space would be perfect for a double tank. Driver's side would be a diesel tank with a pump that could service equipment and also be an extra tank for the truck. Passenger side would be a water tank for working. It could be pressurized off the compressor from the truck. That would be the ultimate for clean up at the end of the day in those situations where pressurized water isn't available.

But when you're afflicted with a mind like mine it gets complicated. You see I'd like a new bed behind the tool box. Something along the line of a dump.

Of course there's the thing about the crow coming out in me. You understand that. That part that likes things that shine to show off. Some of us have it bad. And then some of us have it terminal. I'm more of a "look what I've made and can do" versus the "look what I can and have bought" type.

So if I buy this red as a ruby in a goat's backend truck with all the factory chrome it wouldn't be quite right to just put my bed over on it. I'd want to do it right. You know, sandblast the toolbox after removing all the aluminum. That way I could get it powdercoated to match the cab color. My powder coater owes me in a convoluted kind of way and it would only be about four hundred dollars or so to have them do it the right red and put a clear coat over it. You can compare that to the fact that it would cost me more than that for just the paint to do it conventionally.

Then there's the thing with the bed. I'd like to make some changes to take advantage of the extra length of the frame and wheelbase. And it would be nice to have it dump.

Here's the glitch. Time. She's such a hussey. It would take me about three to four weeks to pull the stuff off the old truck and refurbish it for the new. That includes making the new bed that dumps and painting it a nice black.

I'm working seven days a week now and as bad as I'd like to Miss Month won't allow old lady Week to add a day or three for me.

But it would be nice to have the new truck. I'd guess based upon my bud's experiences with the Duramax I'm gonna get eight to nine mpg's loaded pulling the trailer and eleven to thirteen empty. You have to compare that to the five loaded I'm getting now and eight to nine empty.

Then there's the crow thing. Moby, the old truck, has been great when pulling in to a construction site. She's like a billboard that's flashing advertising not only what I do but how I well I do it. I can't count the times someone has asked me where I got that bed and how they've changed their attitude when I explained that I had made it.

A 2003 new body style red and chrome truck with all the trick stuff would be a real ego stroker for the first couple to three years. I'm just not sure if I want it that bad.
 
   / I love Lucy
  • Thread Starter
#2  
Here's <A target="_blank" HREF=http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/vwp?.dir=/Truck+stuff+trailer+stuff&.src=ph&.dnm=Moby++pride+and+joy.jpg&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/wroughtnharv/lst%3f%26.dir=/Truck%2bstuff%2btrailer%2bstuff%26.src=ph%26.view=t>Moby</A>.

I didn't mention that if I went with the new truck I'd of course have to pull the sheet metal off the Miller Trailblazer and sandblast it to be powder coated too. After all, the decal kit is only about twenty bucks and I'd be the only one on this side of town with a red Miller Trailblazer!

It's just all so complicated./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
 
   / I love Lucy #3  
wharv,

Man you get up early! The price is right for Lucy.

But a new girl deserves a new body! You could do that sideways tilting dump bed you've been dreaming about. It would be a shoe in for fence truck of the year 2003.
 
   / I love Lucy #4  
Speaking of Lucy, what happened to GlueGuy? He's only posted once since June.
 
   / I love Lucy
  • Thread Starter
#6  
<font color=blue>Man you get up early!</font color=blue>

Birds and worms and all that./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
 
   / I love Lucy #7  
Harv,

Looks like a deal. Just forget about parallel parking.
A lot of guys have paid that much for a 3500.

Guess this guy is CDL country with just about any trailer?
GVWR is ~19K? GCWR is ?

Fred
 
   / I love Lucy #8  
Both of them are mighty nice trucks, Harv. I guess moving the old bed to the new truck would be a good idea, but wonder if you wouldn't come out ahead to sell the old truck with that nice bed and all and just build a new one for the new truck.
 
   / I love Lucy #10  
w-h, Will the size and weight difference between Lucy and Big Red cause problems in getting into some locations? I wasn't sure if you take the truck right up to the place where the fence will be. The increase size and weight could preclude getting into some areas.
 

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