Pleasant lunch reunion

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch) 12/15/2017 at 15:14 • Filed to: None

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Met an old friend at lunch today. Big Red. We bought this 1997 K2500 in either 99 or 2000 as the family truckster/work vehicle/tow rig and used it well for at least 10 years. In that time my dad had is supercharger, with tubular headers and dual exhaust. installed. at about 7 psi inter-cooled boost through the Vortec 454 it moved pretty well. We sold in around 2012 to some guy who was going to use it for a farm truck. He must have taken great care of it because aside from the rusty nerf bars and wheels it looked really good.

Here is what It looked right right after the supercharger and exhaust install.

And the day we sold it

The cow catcher was removed by thieves who cut it off to make it stand out less when they took it. They also cut the lead for the 9th injector for the supercharger and ran it lean so the engine had to be rebuilt. Thanks guys. It was also involved in an accident so bad it cracked the PS front wheel in half and bent the frame, but it was all repaired with a frame straightener and we drove it trouble free for many miles after that.

It was a good truck and it warms my heart to see it still on the road and in decent shape.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 15:35

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Nice truck! I am becoming more into older Chevy trucks and Blazers.

HammerheadFistpunch > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 12/15/2017 at 15:36

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It wasn’t a great driving truck. Kinda terrible actually. Wandered before the accident, brakes were never in balance so it would pull. Fast though.

gmctavish needs more space > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 15:39

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That sounds exactly like my Blazer, except the fast part.

HammerheadFistpunch > gmctavish needs more space 12/15/2017 at 15:42

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There’s that old GM joke right? Run poorly longer than most will run at all.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > gmctavish needs more space 12/15/2017 at 15:43

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crappy driving cars can be the most charming though.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 15:44

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Brush guards should make a come back. Seemed like every other truck had one in the 90s.

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky 12/15/2017 at 15:45

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Brush gaurds are dumb and should die. When we had that accident it hit low and didn’t damage much body work (hit a rock at speed) but it did hit the brush guard enough to push it INTO the body and damage it.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 15:51

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Yea but

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky 12/15/2017 at 15:52

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I guess? I never really liked the look. but Im a function first kinda guy.

awmaster10 > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 15:54

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Honestly I’ve driven a bunch and I find them really charming to drive. Not good, but charming. Last time I drove one I got back into my pathfinder and tried to tilt the wheel all the way up so i could feel like a bus driver the way you do in a gmt400 (couldn’t get even close to the angle of the burban).

Also, is it normal for the gas pedal to be bottom hinged? That shit threw me off badly but now that I have a non-floppy bottom mount pedal in the TL I prefer it.

HammerheadFistpunch > awmaster10 12/15/2017 at 15:56

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Yeah, I remember that gas pedal. I hated it because I have very short legs and a long torso and since you can’t adjust the steering wheel and you can’t toe the pedal (on account of it being hinged) I had to sit way too close for my liking.

Nothing > Milky 12/15/2017 at 16:00

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90s? Brush guard? Check and check. I loved that Yukon, except that it broke about every 5 miles or so.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Milky 12/15/2017 at 16:00

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I’ve always wondered what a first gen Legacy wagon would look like with a brush guard...

Milky > Nothing 12/15/2017 at 16:03

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My dad had a purple one with grey lower body and brush guard. #memories

awmaster10 > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 16:03

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Yeah I find myself doing the same thing in most cars but luckily the I have a telescoping wheel now and got the seat setup just right

HammerheadFistpunch > awmaster10 12/15/2017 at 16:05

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Luckily The cruiser suits my driving position really well, even without a telescoping wheel. I really like it.

Milky > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 12/15/2017 at 16:06

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Time to mod a gravel express brush guard onto one.

awmaster10 > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 16:17

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Trading out the suv’s for a sedan causes me to stare longingly at every built cruiser or 4Runner I see. I really want to pick up an fzj80 as a second vehicle in 3-5 years but I think budget wise I may be better off getting a 2nd gen Montero for like $2000 and beating the crap out of it on trails. If the cruiser market is trending anything like 3rd gen 4runners I won’t be able to find a clean one in my budget easily.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 16:18

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Thank you for saying that. I’ve been waffling on getting one for my Landy, but my recent low speed accident made me think “wait... wouldn’t a brush bar have made this A LOT worse?” Now I feel like I am OK to drop it.

HammerheadFistpunch > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 12/15/2017 at 16:21

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MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > HammerheadFistpunch 12/15/2017 at 16:22

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I’m more of a giant steel bumper kind of guy myself

HammerheadFistpunch > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 12/15/2017 at 16:26

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Yeah, but with less lip.

This is the one I want

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Nothing 12/15/2017 at 16:32

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You much have been unlucky. The 400-era trucks are pretty hard to kill. I had two, one being a ‘95 Yukon (same color too) and worked at a GM dealer at the time. They were regularly coming in with 250,000 miles or more with the only maintenance being plugs and fluids. That being said, dealing with the sloppy front end is another issue. That depends on state inspections and how much steering play you enjoy.

Nothing > cmill189 - sans Volvo 12/15/2017 at 16:40

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I bought my ‘96 in ‘98. I bought the extended warranty with it because with the mileage, it was out of warranty. When it came down to the engine, the block was basically all that was left that hadn’t been replaced. Front/rear diffs, transmission, transfer case, every ancillary engine component (starter, alternator, entire A/C assembly/system, intake manifold), window regulators, both power seats failed.

The day I got rid of it, I was on my way to look at a vehicle about 40 miles away when the dash lit up like a Christmas tree yet again. I turned around and traded it in on a new Tundra. I’ve never had a vehicle that was such a love/hate relationship. Despite being a heaping pile of crap, I really liked it.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > Nothing 12/15/2017 at 16:54

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Dang. You must have found the truck built at 4:30 on a Friday.  

Nothing > cmill189 - sans Volvo 12/15/2017 at 17:12

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I always suspected a flood vehicle that managed to still have a clean title.

gmctavish needs more space > awmaster10 12/15/2017 at 17:14

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I even have a first gen Montero, and I still want a second gen

gmctavish needs more space > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 12/15/2017 at 17:14

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Oh definitely. Even more so with the rose coloured glasses on.

awmaster10 > gmctavish needs more space 12/15/2017 at 17:23

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I love both gens and even like the third gen, but for different reasons. The second gen though is the sweet spot for me. Still really rugged and capable, more spacious, and drives pretty well on the road.

A good first gen is still beautiful though

gmctavish needs more space > awmaster10 12/15/2017 at 17:28

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If I was using it as a daily at least half the year, I’d likely want a second gen more. I don’t think I could bring myself to sell my first gen though.