It is going to take me a bit to get caught up on the last couple years worth of modifications that I have done to this truck. The more I look back at these pictures, it makes me realize how far this truck has come. This post shows the beginning pictures of what I started with when I my new to me project home.
This is one of the last pictures I had of the CrAzYbLaZe in Feb of 2011. Looks pretty cool, makes one wonder why I would want to get rid of it.
I only have a few excuses/justifications for moving on.
- I had touched/modified just about every single part, nut, and bolt on this truck therefore at this point anything that I modified further would be modifying modifications.
- There were some things that I would have done differently if I could do them again.
- I had had this vehicle for ~8 years and was ready to try something different and new.
Met a guy online, worked up a deal to do a straight trade, loaded up the CrAzYbLaZe, and headed to Colorado!
:'( One last hug goodbye
Trading papers.
It was actually a great trip, the Wife and I made sure we toured the Coors plant, ate some good food, and saw some beautiful sights.
Took the scenic route on the way home through the mountains of Colorado. Contrary to my “Doing More with Less” post, I am glad I had borrowed my dad’s diesel truck to tow this beast home.
Tailgate included. Some assembly, welding, and painting required.
Pic right after I got’er home. The truck of many colors and soon to find out, many leaks… (my driveway will never be the same)
Hacked up crossmembers and lots of leaks. Steering sloppy, brakes weak, hard to start, etc.
Super stiff rear leaf springs (not sure they flex at all), shocks with only 1″ of shaft showing because they were too long, and almost non-existent brakes.
Random wires and hoses many of which were still live and not connected to anything.
Can’t tell in the pic, but two of the spark plugs had completely melted through on the header.
Doesn’t this give you the warm fuzzies?
The front axle under the truck is currently a 3/4 ton size, but luckily it came with a 1 ton front axle in the bed.
Here is a pic of the truck after I cleaned it up, shined the wheels, and painted the drivers side door. Notice how TALL it is, definitely didn’t fit in the garage when I brought it home. Stay tuned for writeups on all of the suspension modifications I have done.
Looks like I am in for a lot of work, and almost 3 years later I am still working on it. What gave me faith in it originally is that all of the expensive parts are there, they just needed to be put together in a way where they all worked in harmony. After all, if you aren’t making mistakes, you probably aren’t challenging yourself enough. I am a WAY better fabricator today than I was 1, 5, or 10 years ago.
“The greats weren’t great because at birth they could paint. The greats were great because they paint a lot” -Macklemore
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