Smol Truck Lyfe: Homeless Edition

[max225]

I mean I’d rather drive that than the near new 4R through some slush. And you’d get to see how it performs

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I mean I’d rather drive that than the near new 4R through some slush. And you’d get to see how it performs

That would be the most logical. The problem is, unlike my near new 4R, the S10 is going to need constant work...old truck shit. If it gets rusty, that work is immensely more difficult to perform.

I'll be rust proofing both trucks before winter, and don't drive that much anyway, so it shouldn't matter a ton.

[D Griff]

I mean I’d rather drive that than the near new 4R through some slush. And you’d get to see how it performs

that was my fault but I do get it, it's more of a 'toy' versus a utilitarian DD in the 4R. The 4R will be long gone before rust is an issue anyway, so there wouldn't really be a 'rust free premium' when it gets sold.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I mean I’d rather drive that than the near new 4R through some slush. And you’d get to see how it performs

that was my fault but I do get it, it's more of a 'toy' versus a utilitarian DD in the 4R. The 4R will be long gone before rust is an issue anyway, so there wouldn't really be a 'rust free premium' when it gets sold.

I like to think not, but you're probably No clue what I could possibly replace it with, but when the new one comes out

So in that regard, the S10 will rust WAY quicker than the 4R...which is what's encouraging me to keep the S10 parked in really bad stuff. It really is more of a "toy"...which I know is stupid for what it is, but I prefer driving the 4R anyway. Plus the 4R is more reliable. No 22 year old vehicle can be a dependable DD.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Truck got a new catback exhaust this weekend, and wow...what a difference in drive. Something happened to the factory catback that forced a previous owner to cut off the tailpipe and bolt on some crappy muffler in place of the original and just leave it like that. I obviously noticed it when I bought the truck and planned to fix it, but I didn't realize how loud/terrible it sounded until I got the replacement catback on.

Amazingly, Dynomax still makes a 2.5" catback for the ZR2 S10, so I bought the pipes (pre and post muffler) and a Super Turbo muffler all-in for $220. The quality of everything was surprisingly good, and after discovering that a previous owner removed the factory exhaust hangers from the frame for reasons...I bent up some universal hangers I bought from Autozone, and the thing bolted right on and fits great. It's nice and quiet, but when you get on it sounds surprisingly decent.

But just like any exhaust, once it sounds good, you want to give it the beans more. I never really tried having fun driving the truck, but did this weekend and man...what a fun little thing. Because all vehicles are huge now, it feels like a go kart with a bed on the back, even just compared to the 4R. Low short hood that you can't see from the driver seat, huge windshield and big side and rear glass, nothing new feels like it anymore. The 4.3 revs to 5k and pulls the entire way while sounding pretty decent now. 3.73 gears are great for acceleration, and the NV3500 trans was developed before the EPA test games so the gears are really evenly spaced and fun to row. Like, take it up to 5k in 1st, bang shift 2nd, chirp the tires and it's still in the perfect powerband and keeps pulling to 3rd, where you can do the same thing. Replacing all the vac lines makes it run a lot smoother and happier too.

The thing is so fun to drive, that I'm going to fix up the steering. The rag joint is clearly toast, so I'm going to replace it with a U joint to tighten things up and hopefully make it a little more enjoyable at minimum more precise. I might not get to that before the snow flies, so that could end up being a spring activity. Along with finally working on the paint a bit, and replacing the broken grille and a few other trim bits for cheap. It should end up looking like a really nice work/fun truck.

I was so impressed by the DS18 speakers in the 4R, that I bought a set of their 4x6 for the dash in the S10 for $40 on Amazon. It has the factory 22 year old speakers now and they sound terrible, hopefully these can liven it up a tad, especially now that the cab is just about silent with the new exhaust.

I'm liking the S10 platform more and more as a tinker thing. Most are so destroyed that people forgot that they can be decent, and that results in some pretty cheap vehicles. Really hard to find nice ones, but can be a fun project to take on for cheap. GM engineering sucks (all the vac lines and crap interior), but the powertrain and drivetrain is solid, parts are abundant, and it's pretty easy to work on overall. Buying an equivalent Tacoma or 4R is double the price.

[coogles]

Sounds like a fun thing to fuck around with.

[golftdibrad1]

I'm liking the S10 platform more and more as a tinker thing. Most are so destroyed that people forgot that they can be decent, and that results in some pretty cheap vehicles. Really hard to find nice ones, but can be a fun project to take on for cheap. GM engineering sucks (all the vac lines and crap interior), but the powertrain and drivetrain is solid, parts are abundant, and it's pretty easy to work on overall. Buying an equivalent Tacoma or 4R is double the price.

Minitruck's were a thing for a reason! Glad you having fun.

[D Griff]

Glad to see you getting so much enjoyment out of a simple, inexpensive little thing that can offer some utility as well.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Glad to see you getting so much enjoyment out of a simple, inexpensive little thing that can offer some utility as well.

I'm probably almost $7k in the thing with buying it, registering it, driving it home and parts I've bought. It's brought me so much more enjoyment than I expected at first. I'm realizing that I just enjoy fixing things and tinkering, and this cheap little truck has been great for that. It's already so much better than it was when I bought it, it's been a really fun journey.

In a world, I'd love to just do this. A small commercial garage with space for parts and whatnot, buy these things (anything on the S10 platform) out west/down south, bring them back here, fix/restore and sell them. It would never make money and isn't at all realistic, but I've enjoyed it that much.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I'm liking the S10 platform more and more as a tinker thing. Most are so destroyed that people forgot that they can be decent, and that results in some pretty cheap vehicles. Really hard to find nice ones, but can be a fun project to take on for cheap. GM engineering sucks (all the vac lines and crap interior), but the powertrain and drivetrain is solid, parts are abundant, and it's pretty easy to work on overall. Buying an equivalent Tacoma or 4R is double the price.

Minitruck's were a thing for a reason! Glad you having fun.

I'm so sad they're gone, another thing the .gov killed. We get the Maverick and car-based stuff now, but they're just not the same. Mini trucks were truly little TRUCKS with real frames, suspension, and beds. They were built to work and have fun, and that just tickles me for some reason. There may also be some mental logic going on as my first vehicle was a 95 Sonoma and this brings back a lot of great memories I had with that truck. There's something about being in a thing that feels like a go-kart (compared to modern vehicles) yet can haul a fullsize truck's worth of stuff in the bed.

One day, I could possibly see finding a 2WD single cab to lower and swap true sport minitruck style.

[razr390]

Glad to see you getting so much enjoyment out of a simple, inexpensive little thing that can offer some utility as well.

I'm probably almost $7k in the thing with buying it, registering it, driving it home and parts I've bought. It's brought me so much more enjoyment than I expected at first. I'm realizing that I just enjoy fixing things and tinkering, and this cheap little truck has been great for that. It's already so much better than it was when I bought it, it's been a really fun journey.

In a world, I'd love to just do this. A small commercial garage with space for parts and whatnot, buy these things (anything on the S10 platform) out west/down south, bring them back here, fix/restore and sell them. It would never make money and isn't at all realistic, but I've enjoyed it that much.

I think you are being too harsh. You might not roll in the cashola but you'd probably make enough to sustain the habit as a fun thing/lifestyle, and if you document it via blog/website or social media, people would follow as it's awesome perspective.

[golftdibrad1]

Minitruck's were a thing for a reason! Glad you having fun.

I'm so sad they're gone, another thing the .gov killed. We get the Maverick and car-based stuff now, but they're just not the same. Mini trucks were truly little TRUCKS with real frames, suspension, and beds. They were built to work and have fun, and that just tickles me for some reason. There may also be some mental logic going on as my first vehicle was a 95 Sonoma and this brings back a lot of great memories I had with that truck. There's something about being in a thing that feels like a go-kart (compared to modern vehicles) yet can haul a fullsize truck's worth of stuff in the bed.

One day, I could possibly see finding a 2WD single cab to lower and swap true sport minitruck style.

Yes and the sky was the limit for mods. There were a few guys on the autox circuit with highly modded mini trucks and because of the way classes fell out, they weighed nothing, could fit 8"wide slicks (max for class or whatever) and they would RIP. Them of course you could notch frames and add bags to do traditional mini truck things. Or jack them up from a 4wd model and create something better than a HEEP cause it weighed nothing. I was never a mini truck guy but was always fascinated by the versatility of the little fuckers.

Oh and of course they were great trucks that did truck things and got 25-30 mpg doing it, and that was on 90's fuel injection at best.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I'm so sad they're gone, another thing the .gov killed. We get the Maverick and car-based stuff now, but they're just not the same. Mini trucks were truly little TRUCKS with real frames, suspension, and beds. They were built to work and have fun, and that just tickles me for some reason. There may also be some mental logic going on as my first vehicle was a 95 Sonoma and this brings back a lot of great memories I had with that truck. There's something about being in a thing that feels like a go-kart (compared to modern vehicles) yet can haul a fullsize truck's worth of stuff in the bed.

One day, I could possibly see finding a 2WD single cab to lower and swap true sport minitruck style.

Yes and the sky was the limit for mods. There were a few guys on the autox circuit with highly modded mini trucks and because of the way classes fell out, they weighed nothing, could fit 8"wide slicks (max for class or whatever) and they would RIP. Them of course you could notch frames and add bags to do traditional mini truck things. Or jack them up from a 4wd model and create something better than a HEEP cause it weighed nothing. I was never a mini truck guy but was always fascinated by the versatility of the little fuckers.

Oh and of course they were great trucks that did truck things and got 25-30 mpg doing it, and that was on 90's fuel injection at best.

There was a dude in SoCal when I was into auto-x that had a first gen (boxy) S10 that absolutely cleaned up every auto-x he participated in. That little thing was an absolute terror, and was fun to watch with it's massive meats and open bed that made it tail happy AF. That sticks in my mind as a potential fun thing.

Then there's my truck with a fully boxed frame, a narrowed full size rear axle with LSD, widened track, cast iron front diff, and 31" tires...stock for stock, I bet my truck would outwheel an XJ. I need to get it out on the trails.

Such neat little things.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I'm probably almost $7k in the thing with buying it, registering it, driving it home and parts I've bought. It's brought me so much more enjoyment than I expected at first. I'm realizing that I just enjoy fixing things and tinkering, and this cheap little truck has been great for that. It's already so much better than it was when I bought it, it's been a really fun journey.

In a world, I'd love to just do this. A small commercial garage with space for parts and whatnot, buy these things (anything on the S10 platform) out west/down south, bring them back here, fix/restore and sell them. It would never make money and isn't at all realistic, but I've enjoyed it that much.

I think you are being too harsh. You might not roll in the cashola but you'd probably make enough to sustain the habit as a fun thing/lifestyle, and if you document it via blog/website or social media, people would follow as it's awesome perspective.

Unless I win the lottery, I couldn't justify the cost without the time to dedicate to it. Right now, I tinker with the truck when I've got a spare hour here and there, and that's been a fun way to occupy time. But with more vehicles and a location to keep them (I don't have that now other than just one truck at a time), it would become more of a time commitment. Which I'd love to do, but can't do my current job at the same time. Add social media in (which would be smart), and the time suck is massive.

Dreamland would be a small garage that offered towing/recovery services (but not general repairs) and restored S-10 based trucks and SUVs (focusing on one platform has major benefits IMO). That's been my dream since I was a kid, it's just not realistic.

[D Griff]

Yep, my good buddy here had a Ranger for years (actually had an S10 first for 11 years but I knew him better in the Ranger years) and I borrowed it on quite a few occasions. While not 'sports car fun' like a Miata or Corvette, it was quite enjoyable ripping through gears in that thing and certainly its own, valid type of fun. That was with the POS 2.3 too, one that could actually hit 80 MPH would be even better.

[razr390]

I think you are being too harsh. You might not roll in the cashola but you'd probably make enough to sustain the habit as a fun thing/lifestyle, and if you document it via blog/website or social media, people would follow as it's awesome perspective.

Unless I win the lottery, I couldn't justify the cost without the time to dedicate to it. Right now, I tinker with the truck when I've got a spare hour here and there, and that's been a fun way to occupy time. But with more vehicles and a location to keep them (I don't have that now other than just one truck at a time), it would become more of a time commitment. Which I'd love to do, but can't do my current job at the same time. Add social media in (which would be smart), and the time suck is massive.

Dreamland would be a small garage that offered towing/recovery services (but not general repairs) and restored S-10 based trucks and SUVs (focusing on one platform has major benefits IMO). That's been my dream since I was a kid, it's just not realistic.

This is something your Pops would probably love to invest in if he needed a reason to burn the cash. a shop area to store/maintain cool/quirky cars and sell them for profit.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Yep, my good buddy here had a Ranger for years (actually had an S10 first for 11 years but I knew him better in the Ranger years) and I borrowed it on quite a few occasions. While not 'sports car fun' like a Miata or Corvette, it was quite enjoyable ripping through gears in that thing and certainly its own, valid type of fun. That was with the POS 2.3 too, one that could actually hit 80 MPH would be even better.

A RWD 4 banger S10 weighs 3k lbs. Rear wheel drive, independent front suspension, no weight over the driven wheels, manual trans, cab forward so there's nothing in front of you, on paper...it SHOULD be fun. Take one of those, replace the 4 banger with and a car 6-speed (take out from a 4th gen F-body or something), and I bet it would be stupid fun.

My truck weighs 3,700ish lbs, but the 4R has another 1,100 on top of it! Back in 2000, the S10, Blazer, Tacoma, and 4Runner were direct competitors. It's crazy how big and heavy vehicles have gotten, and that really strips out the fun. I still love the 4R, but it feels downright massive after tearing around in the S10.

Now that mine's running well and the 4.3 is putting out as much as it can with 180k miles on it, it's really decent and indeed fun. I still can't quite understand why there's no demand for S-10s and why they're so cheap. You can buy a nice rust free clean S-10 for under $5k. The equivalent Tacoma is double that. Hell, even Rangers command more, and they're no better or worse than an S10.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Unless I win the lottery, I couldn't justify the cost without the time to dedicate to it. Right now, I tinker with the truck when I've got a spare hour here and there, and that's been a fun way to occupy time. But with more vehicles and a location to keep them (I don't have that now other than just one truck at a time), it would become more of a time commitment. Which I'd love to do, but can't do my current job at the same time. Add social media in (which would be smart), and the time suck is massive.

Dreamland would be a small garage that offered towing/recovery services (but not general repairs) and restored S-10 based trucks and SUVs (focusing on one platform has major benefits IMO). That's been my dream since I was a kid, it's just not realistic.

This is something your Pops would probably love to invest in if he needed a reason to burn the cash. a shop area to store/maintain cool/quirky cars and sell them for profit.

Nah, he's more interested in banging twinks in the desert than helping his son. That's his choice though so

I'll probably low key keep an eye out for properties as the market tanks here. There's a lot of demand for toy storage just with people in my neighborhood (a place to put side by sides, boats, etc). The right property with a small garage that had or could take a large pole barn for storage out back would be ideal. I could lease out pole barn space to offset the cost of the property, three neighbors I've talked to have expressed interest because there's a shortage of toy storage space in this area, one dude is paying $1k/mo to keep his 24' boat in secured but non-heated indoor storage, the other dudes are paying $800 I've floated the idea of storage condos (buy space in a barn and store whatever) and that seems appealing to people as an option as well (then building costs could be split easier).

Just need property prices to drop enough to make it worth it. Right now, something like this is $1M+ and that makes ZERO sense here. Land is not hard to come by, people are just greedy still.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Took the truck up to the market for dinner supplies last night, wife wanted to rock hunt on the way home. I hung out in the truck bed (something I like more than I should)

[max225]

Great sunset !

[SAWCE]

Great sunset !

[wap]

Love that upper Midwest/Great Lakes part of 'Murica.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Love that upper Midwest/Great Lakes part of 'Murica.

I've been all over this country, and this area is really quite unique. I shared some fall pictures (below) with my teams around the world and people are pretty that this is Meatchicken. Most assume it's like flat boring Kansas or something. Folks in India are particularly

My street this week:


The tower yesterday after the water:

[wap]

For sure. Upper MeatChicken (both UP and LP), upper Wisconsin, Northern Minnesota, parts of Ohio, and Southern Illinois have some terrain and interesting local cultures.

Who'd have guessed that flat, full-of-corn-fields-Illinois has topography like this:










Or that you can find in Illinois, an actual French fort, built in the 1720's:

[max225]

I never think of Illinois/Michigan as such ? Who does ? I think of Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, Dakotas and swaths of texas as boring flat wastelands.

Surprisingly Florida is flat and ugly AF also outside of the beaches.

North/northeast is very green/tree/mountain filled.