Well, the deployment lifestyle is rollin' along good now, and find my mind wanderin' a lot with project ideas. Now that the paychecks are triple what I'm used to, even more projects are wantin' to happen when I return.

First thing, Mello needs a refresh. The 302 is tired, the clutch is toast, the SROD synchros are shot, rear end has a noise, 2.73 gears suck, front end is waaay loose, but I love her as my Texas truck and great body.





Got a friend that has a half way taken apart '89 Bronk with a strong 351 and wants 300 bucks. Gonna pick that up no matter what, and I figure can use the motor sometime in something, carb convert or EFI.

Next I have a good 4x2 M5OD-R2 that I can make work with said 351 and with a hydro clutch mod make work in Mello, but still leaves a lot of other front end work and it's still a 4x2 with 2.73's. Unless I swap in a spare 8.8 with 3.55LS I kept from a F-150 I scrapped. More and more other truck pieces and less '79...

Then I find this on CL.







Cheeze and crackers this is tempting. Highboy frame, axles, and divorced case + M5OD-R2 + carbed 351w freshened up + Mello body and bed. Shoot, sell that cab, use the beat up camper special bed on mellos rear frame and axle as a trailer, freshen up Mello's 302 for sale or a future project some day, and hold on to the 360 if I need it for the '66.

If the highboy is still around after payday, really tempted to have my friend pick it up.

Thoughts?

Adrianspeeder

 

I win!



Who says you can't buy a truck 13k miles away...

 

you need to stick your slick on that high boy chassis

 

I thought of that too, but the slick is 100% mechanically there and should be out of the paint shop by the time I get back.

Adrianspeeder

 

sounds nice, I'm sick of the cheap crappy turbo on my '65 and am looking into a diesel swap

 

unrelated question... how much does your trailer weigh? mine is wood bed and 1400 roughly.

 

Swap Mello's body onto the 74 and run it!

 

That one is my friends, and with the hydro tilt deck weighs in at 19ooish. Mine's 1645 with the winch after the sprayliner





Adrianspeeder

 

^^^ I like that one

 

Thanks, it's a work in progress homemader that I keep playin' with as I use and find it's shortfalls.

The boat winch I had from awhile ago just wasn't cuttin' it pulling even a Grandam up on there. Shelled out some coin for a ramsey 12k, but wanted to be able to use it on more than one truck and the trailer. Welded up a hitch that also makes a good strapping point, and now I'm good to go.

More beef axles are next when I get back home.



Randomly saved the bed floor of a F150 I scrapped and it filled the center section in nicely for quads and bikes. Having the front still open is also what I wanted for making fast tiedowns on low cars.

Ramps are still a work in progress. Not quite what I like yet.

Adrianspeeder

 

I am SO jealous of your highboy

 

Thanks, excited to come home and see it myself!

Adrianspeeder

 

Yeah, just what you needed, another truck.

 

Id leave the red truck just as it is, put a winch on the front and go muddin'.

 

Aww hell no, got beaters for that.



Adrianspeeder