I have an Idea...any opinions?

[85MudMonster]

Okay so I was thinking about how the south always gets to have all the fun and attention. What I mean is there are all these songs about the south, and not to mention the South has it's own automotive mascot, the General Lee. So I got to thinking about what I wanted to do with my truck. I'm not into the whole 6" lift 35" tires and a 350 V8 that almost eveyone does, it doesn't thrill me, I see that and go "wow, another 350..." I want something original, then I thought why not build a theme into my truck, I did that with my car. So what theme would be good, then I though why not build the Grneral U.S. Grant. I want to paint it flat black with a flat matte clearcoat, ant then orange "hot rod" style pintstripe down the side with some fancy pinstripping on the hood and the ends of the stripes. Then an 01 on the doors, and the old 34 star flag on the roof of it. I wish I could draw it out cause it looks cool in my head. But I'm thinking for engine wise something like an old 283 with the mechanical Fuel Injection (283HP factory in 1957) on it, and I'd have to do a bit of port and polish and other work on it, and up the ponies a bit, or maybe an old 348 BBC the 1961 model made 350hp. A 4" lift 35" tires, custom front and rear bumpers, a 10,000lb winch front and back, KC light bar. And on the tailgate an air brushed picture of "the Gen. Grant" with one tire up on the hood of the "Gen. Lee" like it's crushing it. So what do you think? what other engines should I consider? Anything you would add?

[Dragon]

Sounds Cool if you were living somewhere in the Northern US, like here in Washington(I was actually thinking of doing that with a car I wanted back in High School), but if you are in Louisianna I wouldn't recommend it.... I know of way too many Southern People who wouldn't take to kindly of something like that, and would be more than Happy to express their feelings to you or your truck(In the Wrong Way!!)

[85MudMonster]

well, as soon as they touch me or my truck I can legally shoot them....

[ccz145a]

How about the "General Sherman"... Black with flames from burning cities and plantations. Oh, and crushed skulls.

I like the idea for the hood. And move up North after the mods.

[85MudMonster]

what about all the people who feel the General Lee symbolizes slavery. I used to want to get a charger and paint it like that, until one of my black friends said he would kick my ass and burn the car. But eveyone loves the USA, or I like to think they do since they live here. I could leave off the airbushing on the back so as not to piss off to many General Lee fans...

[85MudMonster]

How about the "General Sherman"... Black with flames from burning cities and plantations. Oh, and crushed skulls.

I like the idea for the hood. And move up North after the mods.

Someone Else said I should go with Sherman as well.

[Captkaos]

I don't get the 01 on the side of the truck..

[85MudMonster]

why?

[Captkaos]

because you said you didn't want to make a General Lee.  General Lee = 01 in everyones mine.  Why not make it 10 if you were going to do it....

[DnStClr]

Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you. 

[Redneckchevy]

Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you. 

  Lmao...Dont forget the smiley face on the hood

[JJSZABO]

Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you. 

  Lmao...Dont forget the smiley face on the hood

Now that funny right there....

[Lt.Del]

Ok, time for me to chime in.
I am from Richmond, Va--the capital of the Confederacy.  Yeah, i read about the Civil War and trace my numerous ancestors who were in the 12th va infantry www.12thva.com  another one of my many websites.

I will stand firm about the War being about states rights.  You have to put this in the 19th century perspective--the federal gov't waS not that strong--the states were more important.  I hate the fact that Ken Burns stated that Lee was a traitor--no he wasn't--he lived his whole life in Virginia (except when he ran West Point).  He was a Virginian--to turn his back on Va would have made him a traitor.

Anyway, most of my ancestors did not own slaves, but, they fought when the FEDS started beefing up Ft Sumter in S.C.--that was an aggressive act. You can read more of my opinion at www.roadtodisaster.com  My Road To Disaster website...many of these ideas are true to Gov't politics now.

Anyway, my favorite books right now is US Grant's memoirs. You know his real initials were not U.S. He adopted that at West Point. His real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant---his Congressman who helped him enter West Point made an Error in his name--and it stayed that way. He liked it because his foot locker would not have his initials as HUG. 

But then, US (ulysses simpson) became popular as "Unconditional Surrender" Grant when the North won their first victories of the War, Ft Donelson and Ft Henry. Grant's terms for the surrender were "...no terms except for unconditional and immediate surrender". 

That should be the name of your truck.....UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER 

And the number should be 50---for the fifty states in this UNION.


As a side note, speaking of Ken Burns and his PBS specials (Civil War, The West, Baseball, The War, etc..) his co author on all of these is a guy named Geoffrey C. Ward.  Well, in Grant's later years, he went bankrupt because his son and a guy named Ferdinand Ward went into an investment firm company together.  US Grant let his son invest most all of his personal funds.  Ferdinand Ward was a crook and took all the money and basically threw it all away.  You guessed it, Geoffrey Ward is a direct descendant of Ferdinand Ward and that will be the subject of his next book. I don't know if Burns will do another special on PBS about that or not.
It was Mark Twain that coaxed Grant into writing his memoirs.  He literally wrote that on his death bed (he died of cancer) and his widow became quite wealthy--over $200k for the first printing.

At a recent book signing in Wash d.c. i was at....







Now excuse me while I plan my trip to Gettysburg in August--The south's worse whipping. 

[85MudMonster]

Well, your ancestor's may not have owned any slaves but mine did. I had a ancestor who was in the 163rd Alabama Infantry during the Civil War. He was captured and keeps as a POW by the north at a fort on an island off the coast of Mississippi. I also had an ancestor who fought for the Brits during the American Revolution. Seem's like they were always on the wrong side. Anyway, Maybe a more "America" theme would work better than a "north" theme...

[Lt.Del]

By the time you go back 4 generations, you have 16 great great grandparents.  Some did own slaves.  Today there are a few black Delbridge families in southern Va--where the Delbridge family is from (in the same county that my father is from--going back all the way to 1756--eight generations in front of me).  I am not proud of the fact.  But, i had nothing to do with it.  It was common then that the black family would take on the last name of the family where they worked.

But, I will say slavery was a key issue, that was just one factor of the State's rights issue. When Lincoln was elected, the Radical Republican, and the South was mainly democratic, well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.  Tariffs of exported cotton and tobacco were increasing dramtically and the south felt they had no say.

The rest, so they say, is history.