Last night when I was nearly home, I noticed my “new” truck was running a little hot. Nothing crazy, but about 20 degrees (F) higher than what I’ve noticed as regular operating temps. Well, it was 90 degrees and I’d driven 25 miles in stop-and-go traffic, with the A/C blasting, so I didn’t give it too much concern.
This morning, I figured I’d play it safe and take my former SUV, that I haven’t gotten rid of yet, to work. BUT, since I haven’t driven it in the last month, the ol’ girl wouldn’t even THINK about starting, even with my jump-pack attached (which until now has had a 100% success rate!). So back to the pickup I go…
Again, playing it safe, I took the back-route, to avoid the highways and it’s a darn good thing I did!
About 7 miles in to the commute, I notice the temp gauge is nearly pegged at 250 degrees! Yikes! I cranked the heater on high, flipped a U-turn to limp her back home and a mile later lost all visibility due to the massive plume of steam pouring out from under the hood! D’oh!!
I pulled into the nearest parking lot, shut ‘er down and popped the hood. EVERYTHING under the hood was bathed in antifreeze.
Hello, AAA?
Long story short, had to get a tow home. I grabbed the Mrs.’ car for a run to the parts store, swapped out the upper radiator hose, and dropped in another 2 gallons of antifreeze. I also replaced the battery while I was under the hood. Supposedly it was “newish” when I bought the truck and it was dated 2/22 so I had no reason to think otherwise, but it’s been weak and I don’t need anymore “on the way to work” issues.
Then I cleaned up my greasy paws, took her on a quick test run, and made it to the “office” at 12:30 – enough to grab a half day’s hours.
So not exactly a banner day for the Boring Old Man! But it could have been a lot worse. I’m grateful that the Mrs. persuaded me to get AAA some time ago. I’m grateful that the parts store near home had the required part for a 25 year old truck ON THE SHELF. I’m grateful that it was just the radiator hose and not the radiator or waterpump! And I’m grateful that I have the tools and knowhow to fix stuff and not need a mechanic all the time! (Even if it had been the radiator or waterpump, that’s all well within my wheelhouse) And most of all, I’m exceptionally grateful this breakdown didn’t happen on the highway in morning rush hour traffic! That would have increased the stress levels ten-fold!
It was also a strong reminder to get my shizz together, vis-a-vis preparedness! I was so excited to start driving this new-old truck, that I just started daily-driving it without setting it up for emergencies. Dumb. Had I been properly prepared, I could’ve “McGuyver’d” it and not had to wait for the tow truck… Anyhow, lesson learned!
And now I’m back on the road with the first (albeit minor) repair to my new truck under my belt! All’s well that ends well, as they say.
Today I’m writing about my “new” truck, just purchased a few weeks ago, finally “officially legal” per California SMOG requirements (a bit of an ordeal!) with a transferred title and insurance coverage!
Fair warning, I’m gonna nerd-out a bit here… If you’re not a “car guy/gal” or a gearhead, you might wanna pass on this one…lest you be bored to tears.
OK, where to start… For the last few years I’ve been driving a pretty nice SUV, but it’s a little long in the tooth (model year 2000), expensive to maintain (if you’ve ever owned a European car, you know of what I speak!) and parts are becoming obsolete, making it even more expensive and difficult to maintain. But it fit the bill at the time, it was a steal actually, it drives great and still actually looks pretty darn good for being 24 years old with 142k on the odometer. However, it needs brakes, it needs tires, there is a weird electrical gremlin causing an intermittent tail light malfunction… and frankly it doesn’t fill my needs in my new job, not to mention I was looking for rooftop baskets to hold camping gear and such because it is lacking storage space. The bottom line is I don’t want to sink any more money into this old rig, knowing I wanted to replace it with something more suited to my current needs. The hunt began in earnest a few months ago.
I got a little methodical (and obsessive) after determining the criteria:
1. Pickup truck, minimum 6′ bed, 4×4
2. Capable of towing
3. Something common enough to have parts readily available and strong after-market support.
4. Cheap enough that I could pay cash, but could be driven away.
5. Something “simple” that I can work on myself.
After much searching on Craigslist, researching forums and YouTube, I decided to find myself a GM GMT400 model – Chevy and GMC trucks produced from 1988 – 1998. Currently known as an “OSB” (Old Body Style) amongst the rabble.
Now, I have some experience with these trucks… My father owned a couple over the years, a company I once worked at as their fleet manager (amongst other titles!) had a several of them and I had a ’97 GMC Yukon for a while that was built on the same platform, just in an SUV format, rather than a pickup. So I knew these trucks pretty well and had a good idea of what I was getting myself into. I’d driven half a dozen of them, at least, and wrenched on as many, if not more. This was it, a decision was made. Now to find one!!
There are still a bunch of these trucks on the road, but surprisingly few for sale (make of that what you will). Of the ones for sale, they were either clapped out, beat up old work trucks OR exorbitantly expensive (I found a few asking between $17k – $25k!)
Then it happened, a UNICORN appeared! I found a 1999 Chevrolet K1500, Z71 package, extended cab with a short bed, in BLACK no less!
Now you might be saying, “you said from 1988-1998”, and you are correct. What I didn’t know going into this search, was that ’99 had “carryover” models. So it is essentially a 1998, but initially registered as a 1999.
I may have overpaid at $4k, but considering what was in the marketplace, I honestly don’t think I could have found a better base to build my “forever truck” from. My research tells me these “OSB” models are skyrocketing in value these days, so the same truck might have cost me another grand or two had I waited another year to pull the trigger. And it is loaded – all the creature comforts you could want in a truck, but it’s still an actual truck.
As an aside, my all-time favorite truck is the GM 1967-1972 model, and ten years ago you could pick them up for a few grand… Now I’ve seen guys asking $6k for one with NO motor, NO transmission and rusted out rocker panels and cab corners… A nicely restored one runs $25k-$40k. A fully customized rig could run you close to 6 figures… So not only can I not afford one of those, they are way more of a commitment than I can make for a full on restoration at this time of my life.
So the OSB it is! Honestly, after the ’67-’72s, the “OSB” models have been my second most favored truck since they were released. I do like the Ford F-series trucks from the early 2000’s too, but I think in the long run, I’ll be happier in the GM, it just suits me. I did have a 2001 F150 once upon a time, and I liked it, but even 6-7 years ago it was getting hard to find parts for it because there were so many changes made to the Fords every couple years.
My new truck has SUPER high mileage on it (301k!), BUT it had the transmission rebuilt about 100k back, the positraction rear-end was recently rebuilt, it’s got a new AC compressor, a new AGM battery and a newish high output alternator. It’s got an aftermarket stereo with Bluetooth, a lumber rack and a tow hitch with electric brake controller. There is even a hardwired DC/AC inverter installed in the cab, so I can charge my laptop or tool batteries from the comfort of the driver’s seat! And most importantly, it starts right up with no nonsense and runs like a top.
Now, it’s far from perfect… The steering is REALLY sloppy. Maybe it just needs a new steering shaft, maybe a new steering gear box… It has nearly new AT tires on the front, but the rears need replacement. The new tires are an odd size and not what I would have picked, but I’m going to throw on a pair of matching tires in the back and when they wear out in a year or two, replace the full set with the proper size. The brakes are a little “soft”… not horrible or dangerous, but they could be better. The body has a few dings and scratches, nothing major, but it’s clearly lived it’s life as a truck!
Other then that, it’s more or less good to go. Not that I’m gonna stop there. No-sir-ee!! I’ve got BIG plans for this rig!
A quick walk-around
I priced out a 2024 Silverado, similarly equipped and it was about $55k. I decided my budget for this build would be 50% of that cost. Minus the initial purchase price, that leaves me with a build budget of $23.5k. FWIW, the sales tax ALONE would have been more on the new truck than what I purchased th ’99 for. And my annual registration will be a tiny fraction of what a new one would be. I know several guys with new, expensive trucks that have to shell out over $1k annually for registration here in CA, mine should be between $200-$300 per year.
The puzzle is how to make this an “all-in-one”, does everything I need rig? I need this truck to be ready for:
Daily driving, construction materials hauling, off the beaten path surf destinations, camping trips and hauling musical gear around. Oh, and it must function as a mobile office. Off grid and self-contained. AND, I want it to look good while doing it! No small feat.
I’m a fair-to-middlin’ mechanic and pretty well equipped with tools and whatnot, but I live in an apartment with no garage (and a picky landlord!) so this is going to be a SLOW process. My B.I.L, Captain Karel, has been cool in the past letting me take over his driveway on weekends for mechanic work and I may be able to sneak in to my Pop’s shop on weekends for some of the necessary cleanup/cosmetic work, but there isn’t a whole lot I can do at home, unfortunately.
Now that the smog check thing is done (it was an ordeal, but thankfully now complete for only $120) and it is registered and insured I’ve started shaking it down to see what’s what and what the priority of needs is. Then the FUN starts!
After some initial preventative maintenance and a good scrubbing inside and out, the first big project I want to tackle is removing the rear seat and building in a custom storage box that matches the interior (part of the mobile office setup), and then some cosmetic stuff. The truck is lousy with chrome plating and I’m not a fan… A new black grill is in order, removing the wheel arch trim, etc. The chrome bumpers will go when I’m a little more flush with cash.
But yeah, I’m really excited about this new adventure. I hope to build the truck of my dreams and drive it ’til I can’t drive anymore! Wish me luck!
Yesterday was a new kind of adventure for me, the Mrs. and I went on a “field trip” with our daughter and her 5th grade class to Portola Redwoods State Park in La Honda, CA.
The school the wife and daughter teach at is big on what they call “Outdoor Ed.” and they do lots of camping trips and such for all the classes but all that got derailed during the Plague Years (our daughter’s first year of teaching was the year /they/ shut everything down), so this was her first overnight camping trip with a classroom of kids.
We (the Mrs. and I) didn’t go for the overnight – both of us are working today – but more as logistics support. The Mrs. volunteered us to cook dinner for the troops, so we headed up the mountain with a ton of food, firewood and all the accouterments to throw down a nice dinner. And of course S’mores! What camping trip with kids would be complete without those?!?
As you might imagine, this wasn’t exactly a quiet, peaceful trip to the woods – not with roughly 20 5th grade kids running amok, some for the first time in the woods.
You can hear the wild 5th grade varmints in the background, swimming in the creek and having a blast!
Nonetheless, the park is beautiful, and the drive in was spectacular. The kids were happy and our kid managed to make the trip a success for her kids, so mission accomplished!
Some babies sprouting up…Our great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren will still be watching these beasts grow!
I’ve spent more time in the woods in 2024 than in the past decade and it is doing me a WORLD of good. I highly recommend it, ESPECIALLY if, like me, you spend most of your time glued to a desk and/or computer screen!
Thankfully my new job gets me a ton of outside time now, and that’s been great. But making a conscious effort to embrace the outdoor world as well as making it part of our fitness routine, has been life changing.
Spring is in the air, summer is right around the corner, get out there and hug a tree! Watch some birds. Laugh at squirrels gettin’ squirrely! Your body and soul will thank you!!
Thanks for stopping by!
The creek is still running, a rarity for late Spring in California!!
The Mrs. and I turned lemons into lemonade today when we couldn’t take our planned camping trip.
We hit Hwy 17 to Felton, CA and took a trip to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Only 40 minutes away from home, yet it’s like stepping into another world. Stunning, just stunning.
The pics do it no justice!
The feel of the air in the Redwood Grove just feels different. You can breath better in there, I swear. You can feel it in your lungs, on your skin… It smells better. It smells like the real world in there. Pictures can do it no justice, and neither do my meager words.
We hiked around a bit, it was by no means a strenuous, adrenaline inducing hike. We walked around 2 miles through these magnificent, ancient trees and then parked it for a while on a little bench and just ABSORBED the atmosphere. Not to sound like some dirty hippie, but places like that are just transformative to me.
After our time in the woods, we continued south to Santa Cruz, our old stompin’ grounds. We had a nice lunch at Ideal Bar & Grill, right between the Boardwalk and the Santa Cruz Wharf. Don’t let the tourist trap location fool you, the food is fantastic there. Not terribly expensive, especially considering it’s right on the beach. AND you get to watch a nonstop parade of weirdos strolling by while you dine! What’s not to love?!?
After a slow, leisurely lunch, we took a stroll down the Wharf. We dipped into Marini’s to satisfy the Mrs’ sweet tooth after lunch which is always nice. This candyshop has been there since 1915 and is always fun to visit. I’ve only been going there since about 1972, but it never disappoints!
Below are some other fun sights from the Wharf…
This one is for my buddy Dio!
The famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Sure, it’s no campout, but it’s been a great day and it sure beat hanging around the house watching movies or some such.
So glad Spring is upon us and the outdoors are inviting once again!
First weekend after the new job and it was a lot of fun, if short!
As mentioned in my previous post, we started off the weekend Friday night in San Francisco with the #CandlelightConcerts which was a great start!
Saturday we (the Mrs., the Kids and I) made our way to Downtown Los Gatos for their annual Wine Walk, which was much nicer than last year. Primarily because it was less crowded and the missing patrons seemed to be from the douchebag and party tramp camps, so it was much more subdued and easy going, with perfect weather to boot! We finished up our walk at a nice Asian noodle place on Santa Cruz Ave. I can’t recall the name off-hand, but it was delicious and we’ll certainly be back for more!
After we and the Kids parted ways, the Mrs. and I had a “date night” and went to the foot spa for a little relaxation. After all the miles I put on my feet during the week, this was a welcome respite! Once sufficiently relaxed, we stopped off at the ice cream shop by our house and indulged is some hot fudge sundaes! It was a darn near perfect day!
Sunday morning I went and picked up my Pops and we went down to Kelly Park in San Jose for the annual VW show. My parents had the first VW I ever rode in (and would later drive) and a love for VWs is something my Pops and I have shared for decades. Between us I believe we’ve owned 7 VWs over the years, just really great cars since forever!And I’m not sure I won’t own one again!
After the car show, I had to make a run to Felton, up in the Santa Cruz Mountains and ordinarily on a Sunday the traffic over the hill would be treacherous, but I somehow lucked out and zipped over there in about half an hour, again in perfect Spring weather! If you’ve never been through the Santa Cruz Mountains, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is truly gorgeous out there!
Once I got back from the Felton errand, our daughter came over and we had a pizza and watched a really bizarr-o documentary.
And just like that – poof – the weekend was over!
Then I got to come back to beautiful Portola Valley to a great job!
Started the new job on Monday and the week has just flown by!
I’ve been loving it so far and I expect that this is gonna be a good gig for me, at least for the foreseeable future. Yes, I did take a pay cut for this job but the lack of stress more than makes up for it. If nothing else it will force me back into my frugal ways, which is long overdue. Having more than enough pocket money changes a guy, and not necessarily for the better! Probably a few less shows and long weekend trips in the coming year, but that is a price I’m willing to pay to stay out of the meat grinder!! Can you put a price on mental health?!?
In an odd turn of events, I’m back working at a site where I spent 5 years as the facilities Director, and it was the worst job I’ve ever had. Well, maybe second worst as I spent a couple years as a roofer some 25+ years ago, but I digress…
This place was TERRIBLE to be an employee of, but working for a contractor here is all good. No stress, no BS, no dealing with the health care regulations and all that entails, it is a night and day difference. And the cherry on top, the reason I stuck it out here for 5 years, is this place is GORGEOUS! 44 acres of beautiful scenery, wildlife EVERYWHERE. It is truly a spectacular place to spend your day and I feel beyond fortunate to have a landed a gig that puts me back here!
A couple of the residents.
Looking ahead at the schedule, it looks like I’ll be here through July at least, but according to the boss, they keep throwing new projects at him every time one finishes up, so I could be here for a long haul. Let’s hope!!
The lawn mowers!
Aside from the distinct lack of stress, I’m getting a good “workout” at work, which is a nice fringe benefit. The first day I clocked over 7 miles of walking, and the “easiest” physical day put me at just over 4 miles walked. Not too shabby! Five to six miles appears to be the average. Plus some lifting here and there, pushing some material carts around and such, it’s been good for the body, no doubt! And I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Better sleep than I’ve had in well over a decade! I haven’t woken up at 3am in a panic all week, which is a welcome change of pace, as it was happening at least 3 times a week at the old job…
Life can be strange sometimes. Two weeks ago I was overwhelmed by a sense of certain doom, and now here I am happier than I’ve been in I don’t know how long.
I guess it’s true, sometimes a change will do ya good! Even when that change is thrust upon you…
So, I found myself out of a job this week… Unexpected, and yet I’ve felt under the microscope for the last several months. Regardless of how much I did, regardless of the extra hours put in, nothing was ever good enough for TPTB. “So, you only completed 99 things today? What about that 100th thing?!?”
Word to the wise, if you want to keep your job, don’t tell the boss he’s being ridiculous when he’s being ridiculous. The ONLY thing coming from that is a nice big target in your back…
So this week I’ve been through all kinds of emotional crap, from bitterness to hostility, fear, self doubt…depression. It’s been a rough week to say the least.
To make matters worse, the Mrs. and our daughter have been on a Girl’s Trip all week, hundreds of miles and a few time zones away, so I’ve been left to my own devices and the voices in my head all week. Considering I’m my own harshest critic and my own worst enemy, this hasn’t been a good place to be. To say the least. I haven’t slept much or eaten much, but I DID completely avoid “the bottle” 100%. Now, I’m not much of a drinker – generally less than once a month, but dang! My old friend Mr. Jack Daniels has been calling to me repeatedly, especially in the dark of night when I couldn’t sleep.
Truth be told, I mostly hated my job. I was already looking around and putting out feelers, nonetheless getting sacked was a major shocker. I took my first “real” job (schedules and paycheck job) at 15 years old and I’m now 55 and I’ve NEVER been “fired” before. Still, I wanted it to be MY choice to leave that pressure cooker, not have it thrust upon me. I’ve been in essentially the same job, just at 3 different facilities, for 17 years and I’m BURNED. OUT. It wasn’t a career choice, it was something I fell ass-backward into all those years ago. And while I’ve learned a TON over the years, I have gained no satisfaction from it and in a way wished I’d never gotten into this line of work in the first place. I never had any love for it. No paycheck is worth the constant, unending stress my job entailed, I was just too scared to try something new – even when it was strongly suggested by my Doctor due to stress induced health issues. Yeah, that’s right. Rather than find a new career, I just stopped going to the doctor for about 8 years!
But now the choice was made for me. And all the fear aside, I’m actually relieved in a weird way.
But then, something amazing happened. I landed a new job! I start on MONDAY! The beauty of it is that the new gig is essentially doing the ONLY part of my old job(s) that I DID like! And NONE of the crap that I loathed! No more dealing with HR issues, no more accounting reports, no more dealing with City, State and Federal regulations and all that entails, no more corporate bullcrap. I almost can’t believe it! It sounds too good to be true, but it’s a company I have a long relationship with, I know the owners and they do outstanding work that I know I’ll be proud to be part of. They basically created a new position for me because they desperately need help and they know what I’m capable of. I gotta say, that feels pretty good.
So wish me luck! Things will probably be a little quiet on the ol’ blog while I get my bearings, but never fear, I’ll be back! Hopefully, better than ever now that I won’t be on-call 24/7/365 while trying to stave off an ulcer!
And the cherry on top is that the Mrs. comes home tonight!! Oh, how I’ve missed her! Six days apart is a LONG time when you’ve been with someone for 35 years!
Have a great weekend y’all. Thanks for stopping by!
Not gonna lie, last week was rough. Ugly in fact. But Sunday was a beautiful day and we made our way up north to Filoli Botanical Gardens for the Spring bloom.
The Mrs., being Dutch, has a soft spot for Tulips and this was the prefect time to catch the tulips (and Daffodils) in their prime.
Filoli is a spectacular garden, just gorgeous from one end to the other. I’ve been to a number of gardens such at this, but I’ve never seen anyone do it better.
Not much else to say other than Hooray for Spring!! I’ll let the pictures to the talking from here on out…
Most of the best times of my early years were spent in the woods. Camping and backpacking treks were where I found myself, where I felt most at ease and at “home”. Then in my late teens I traded that all in for band practices, night clubs and recording studios. A stark contrast, I assure you.
I managed to get back out there every now and again but nothing like when I was young and gung-ho about it. Then came marriage and a young’en, getting involved in her school stuff, coaching soccer, trying to establish a career… All the adult stuff that nobody warns you about. And my time in the woods became a distant memory.
I’d been grousing over the last few years to the Mrs., that we needed to go camping “one of these days” and I even started gearing up for it since right before “the Plague” hit, but still we never made it out.
Well, finally, FINALLY it happened! As a Christmas gift, the Mrs. made arrangements for a stay in Big Sur, one of my favorite places in California.
A lot of people talk crap about California and Californians (and rightfully so, in most regards), but we have some AWESOME wilderness out here folks.
A perfect little waterfall 10 feet from our tent!
Now, full disclosure, this was more “glamping” than camping. Our accommodations was an “outfitters” tent, about 10′ x 12′, on a wooden deck, with a 10′ x 10′ porch with an awning. We had some minimal power and running water, and most exciting for these old bones, an actual bed! Super swanky digs for out in the woods, let me tell ya!
The sweet life right here!
Otherwise, it was like an actual “car camping” excursion. We brought in our food, cooked over wood fires, and just chilled out in the woods next to a quickly moving creek with a couple nice falls. It was HEAVEN!
Our time there was short, just Saturday afternoon through late Monday morning, but we ate like royalty, slept like babies and had the most relaxing 48ish hours we’ve had in a long, long time. It was absolutely glorious.
Our living room and kitchen…
While I fully comprehend that this was not a “real” campout, it was an awesome way to dip our toes back into the outdoors without sending ourselves into shock. And it was a great shakeout run to prep us for an actual real camping trip we have scheduled with the kids at the end of April. We did pretty great staying comfortable and well fed, but we learned a few lessons too that will make the next trip even better!
Now that I’ve gotten a taste for it again, I hope this becomes a regular part of our adventures, as I haven’t felt this good in years!
Special thanks to the Mrs. for getting outside her comfort zone and planning a trip that made this Boring Old Man feel like a kid again!
In “honor” of Daylight Saving Time happening this weekend, I thought I’d bust out some sunny, feel good tunes. My condolences to all my readers that still have snow on the ground!
I myself (and the Mrs.) will be heading out into the coastal woods for some nature time this weekend, hoping the seemingly non-stop rain gives us a break!
Wishing you all fair skies and easy sailing this weekend!
Turn up the volume and let the happy grooves move ya!
The Boring Old Man 