Oklahoma is the place...

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 03/23/2016 at 20:12 • Filed to: None

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To see many strange, interesting, and old vehicles in pretty good shape. I’m in OK for a couple of weeks, so I thought I’d post some of the interesting cars I’ve seen. Oklahoma is pretty easy on cars - they don’t salt the roads, so there’s little body rust; the climate is relatively dry so it isn’t like a convection oven in the summer; and the folks here tend to hang onto stuff.

Here’s a creative use of square tubing and weld wire fence on a mid-’70s GMC:

I’m not sure what it is for other than keeping his containers and garbage bags of stuff from blowing away.

This fellow is keeping the dream alive:

Business in front, party in the back. He was sporting a handicap plate, so I’ll give him a pass on the parking job. Although it isn’t to my taste, this mid-’80s el Camino is in great shape. I’d lose the Cragars and get the exhaust routed properly for starters.

Ok, so this one isn’t old, but it made me miss my WRX:

I spotted it from an adjacent building and had to take a walk to get a closer look. The rack and basket are both OEM. This was the first OEM basket I’ve seen. Now I want one!

One final pic for you today. This bird is a common sight in the Oklahoma City skies. It’s the reason Okies knew their clock would be punched if the cold war ever heated up. Any guesses as to what it is?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/23/2016 at 20:41

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That's an AWACS.

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/23/2016 at 20:46

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Nice E-3.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 03/23/2016 at 20:53

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Bingo! You are the winner!

Tinker Air Force Base is the place AWACS call home. One of my uncles was a Navy communications officer assigned to fly on the AWACS. COs from every branch ride the AWACS. Here’s a fun shot of them lined up on the tarmac:

Even more fun is what’s sitting at the east end of the field:

TheRealBicycleBuck > facw 03/23/2016 at 20:55

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If a person were into plane-spotting, he would be in heaven here.

BKosher84 > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/23/2016 at 22:06

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I was born/raised in Midwest City! I was in heaven every day of my life watching jets fly over my house. Miss that place so much!

TheRealBicycleBuck > BKosher84 03/23/2016 at 23:06

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You wouldn’t be missing it this week. The winds have been over 20 mph since last week and are gusting over 40 this evening. Everything not bolted down has been blown all over the yard.

qbeezy > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/23/2016 at 23:14

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I have noticed the AWACS is Tulsa skies a lot more along with the f-16 detachment here. Guess they’re patrolling more or something. But that first car is quintessential Okie.

TheRealBicycleBuck > qbeezy 03/23/2016 at 23:36

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When my uncle was flying, they were doing a lot of gulf patrols and border patrols in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I’m not sure why they would be flying east.

ly2v8-Brian > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/24/2016 at 01:08

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The trucks are definitely the things I remember from living there

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/24/2016 at 11:16

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The cages like that on the GMC are usually used by house insulators. The rolls of insulation are bulky, but really light. I love square bodies, but I don’t get to see many of them any more thanks to that damn rust.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher 03/24/2016 at 11:20

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Aha! I’ve never seen insulation hauled in a cage like that.

My grandfather had an old Chevy square body with a camper on the back and a boot from the camper through the back window of the truck. He built a bed that was level with that window. We could lie on the bed and see where we were going through the windshield. I suppose we could also see where we were going to go if he ever slammed on the brakes. :/

BKosher84 > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/24/2016 at 11:30

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We’ve had 30's-40's with those winds this past week and last week.. Nothing like that would bug me at this point, lol.

TheRealBicycleBuck > BKosher84 03/24/2016 at 11:54

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The temps here are 50's-70's during the day, 30's at night. The biggest problem is that I have become acclimated to Louisiana and didn’t bring a lot of cold-weather gear with me. I’ve been a bit chilly for the past week. This used to be comfy shorts weather for me!

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/24/2016 at 21:06

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The grill on the GM full size trucks only encompassed the turn signals for two years with the “turn down” roundish front fenders, as opposed to the “fade in” style they introduced in 81 when the front end got really boxy. If the headlights are round, it’s a 79, if they’re rectangular it’s an 80.

TheRealBicycleBuck > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 03/24/2016 at 21:36

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I checked the pic on my phone. Round lights in a square hole. Looks like it’s a ‘79!