Reminiscing

[velojym]

As I sit here dreading the odiferous act of selling Earl to make room and cash for the new commuter car (an HHR), I'm feeling nostalgic.
After one fellow came to look at the truck, I lowered the tailgate and sat on it for a bit, remembering some of the time I've spent on and around these trucks.

My first experience with a 3-on-the-tree shifter was in an '81. I managed to figure it out without yelling for help, though I was far from graceful. I almost complained about the automatic shifter being way too sloppy. Heh. Silly me.
My first truck was that old '74, and that's where most of my memories lie. I adopted Spock, my Border Collie/Coyote mutt, and he adopted my truck. The truck belonged to him, and I was merely his chauffer.
On weekends, on Main street, I was pulled over a few times for having up to 8 people in the cab. Fortunately, half of 'em were female. On Officer Mitchell's "last straw", an impromptu drag race happened right behind us, and he left us with a stern warning. We left the area and spent the rest of the night exploring dirt roads.
My innocence took a powder in the cab of that truck, though she complained about the transfer case shifter leaving bruises on awkward spots.
I had the bench seat out of an old Cougar sitting in the bed, up against the cab, and even though I was no social butterfly, a pickup truck is a prime bit of loitering real estate for the Saturday night parking lot crowd. Sometimes there'd be a dozen or so people in my bed. Later I installed a cross bed tool box, but people adapted to it and it became the new bench.

Off road, the truck did pretty well, even though the front driveshaft spent the whole time laying on the bottom of the bed.

We spent a few days looking for a kid who'd gone missing, and those of us with off road trucks were sent to comb the fields with walkers spread out ahead of our lights. Sadly, the little boy was found a week later, no longer among the living.

My '74, though it had rust holes I could put my hands through, and sounded like a washing machine when running (had about the same compression, too, I bet), made it from NM to AL, and was my daily driver for a few years here. There were a few minor fixes, but the truck was amazingly reliable.

That's just the tip of the memory iceberg, and while they were mostly in the same truck, I'm still saddened by the thought of selling Earl. It's been a good truck, has few real problems... all minor, and that 8 foot bed that never has to be made (from my daughter's favorite song. She loves Earl).

If I don't get any bites locally in the next few days,  I'll put together an ad for the forum, or if anyone's interested anyway, shoot me a PM.

...and no, I really *don't* want to sell my truck. *sigh*

[Irish_Alley]

i hate the hhr due to the fact i couldnt see out of any of it seamed the whole thing was a blind spot the car rental company i was supposed to get a g6 they said they didnt have it so they gave me the hhr sat in it didnt like it so they gave me a avenger. wouldnt own a hhr for nothing even if it was free. but thats me and also i think our trucks are worth more than a hhr lol

[velojym]

I guess we're all configured a little differently. I'm liking the HHR just fine (I'm 6'4" and a little over 300), but I am more comfortable in the truck. Unfortunately, the difference in fuel burn WAY more than pays for the smaller car. If I could squeeze at least 20 mpg combined out of the truck, it'd be a different story.
I had a few ideas I wanted to try, to increase the economy, but don't have the time right now. Maybe I can still track down my old '74, as I sold it in this general area.
I tried to reach the guy I sold it to, but no joy yet. I was kinda hoping he'd give it up cheap.

[bigchevyc30]

i know what you mean about fitting comfortably in the old square bodies as im 6'0 a little over 300 and i like my truck better than anything else

[velojym]

i know what you mean about fitting comfortably in the old square bodies as im 6'0 a little over 300 and i like my truck better than anything else

Definitely. Getting into Earl after driving the HHR feels like a whole 'nother world. Heck, the single cab Silverado feels a heap better than that 2005 KW W900 I was driving at work! How can ya build such a large truck, and make the cockpit so darned cramped???

I'm not gonna try *real* hard to sell Earl, if I can get away with it. Sure ain't gonna play with the low-ballers that always seem to show up when you're selling a car.

[tomduelly]

 Yeah, I still wish I had almost every rig I ever sold, especially the '68 chevelle.

[81GMCBILL]

velojym: yea - I remember those days in my 76 gmc 4x4 when we put a bench seat in the back against the back window.... we tell the kids to jump in the back and sit down..... we'd drive all over town like that.... we even would back up to the movie drive in ,lay carpet down on the bed---- Great Times !
I also, have slept in the cab on the bench seat at scout camp back in the day.

[velojym]

It was funny... when I hooked up with my friends here in AL after I drove that old '74 from NM to here, we went on lots of camping trips. I had a tent rolled up in the bed, but that bench seat was always plenty for me.
We'd be backed up in a circle with our tailgates facing the fire, at a safe distance of course.

[Lt.Del]

When I think of being a teenager and growing up in my rural area, there are found memories pickup trucks, old dirt huntin' roads, and parties which existed in large fields with a bonfire and everyone participating in fueling that fire with old furniture and such they'd scavenged up with their pickup trucks.  Those were the simple, fun days. My dad had a '76 Cheyenne that I took the engine out when i was 16 because the 350 was tired and, I could not tune it up--swearing it was a timing or carb issue.  We found out later as to why it wouldn't run correctly, the right hand exhaust manifold valve that directs exhaust back through the intake when cold, was stuck closed.  Caused too much back pressure.   So I took a 327 out of a '66 station wagon.  I loved that truck w/ that 327.
Anyway, our county has a few HHR's for county employees to drive around.  We've had to downsize in a few departments that can use HHR's, for fuel economy.  I think of one thing with those cars....Gangster Cars.  We need to all have Tommy guns when exiting those cars like gangsters of the '20's and '30's.
I don't like those cars.  I am 5'9" and when sitting first in line at a stoplight I have to bend down to look up at the light to see when it turns. The top of the windshields is just too low.  The battery location in the back doesn't help when the battery is 'iffy' due to the large resistance of going that distance thru a long battery cable.

[velojym]

Yeah, at my height, I'm used to having to lean/scrunch/tilt my head to see traffic lights, but I've adapted with this car. Probably helps that I used to fly Diamond Katanas, which had me playing contortionist too, but it was such a *fun* little airplane to fly.

I may get to keep Earl now (whew), and I'm still kinda hoping to put him to work part time, to help me out while I'm in school.

[VileZambonie]

Nostalgia is the only reason I take any interest in these trucks. If you aren't die hard over these units you're wasting your time as far as efficiency and practicality goes. I take pride in sacrificing comfort to drive one of these aesome trucks. The day you lose your truck you regret it...so think hard

[velojym]

I guess it's all the time I spent in 'em since I started driving, but I'm more comfortable in my '86 than I've been in some of the later models. Now I'll agree that it'd take a lot of time, money, and effort to get my truck up to OBS standards even.
I'm quite fond of them, and I like to hold on to equipment for a long time. If I can get this truck up closer to 20, rather than the 11 or 12 I get now, all the better. I know it's do-able, but again, it'd be cheaper and easier to just buy a somewhat newer truck, say an OBS model with a 5 speed tranny etc. It really is nostalgia that holds me short of doing just that.

I like my big bench seat, too. I used to fantasize about replacing the one in my '74 with buckets and splits and the like, but when I got Earl, it was a great relief to settle in to that ol' bench.

[bigchevyc30]

Nostalgia is the only reason I take any interest in these trucks. If you aren't die hard over these units you're wasting your time as far as efficiency and practicality goes. I take pride in sacrificing comfort to drive one of these aesome trucks. The day you lose your truck you regret it...so think hard

when do we sacrifice comfort i think my truck is the smoothest ride even compared to my moms mercedeze

[81GMCBILL]

vile: you hit it on the nail, as in regrets over selling/getting rid of these trucks, I had a 76 gmc 4x4
--sold it for $1200 - bought a 1991 chev 4x4 - found out it had things I did not like - metric size
bolts, computer run, fuel injection etc .. so i sold it then bought the 81 gmc 4x4 - soooo happy now.