Rebirth Update #5...

Click here for Update #1...

Click here for Update #2...
Click here for Update #3...
Click here for Update #4...
Click here for Update #6...
Click here for Update #7...
Click here for Update #8...
Click here for Update #9...
Click here for Update #10...

Perfectionism can be an all consuming disease especially when afflicted upon a person known to have succumbed to many addictions in the past, a person such as Truckman...Ever since recognizing the symptoms of devoting unwarranted amounts of time and resources to a particular project or pastime, I have been on constant alert for the signs of new addictions, those which can drain time and energy away from other callings in life which may deserve equal attention...Examples which brought on my hyper-sensitivity to such events were the abuse of alcohol and tobacco early in my life which brought on terrible, irretrievable losses...To a lesser degree, the acquisition of the tools of trade for a mechanic, and even the collection of photography equipment for a new hobby showed their roots in new addictions...In recognition of those events, I now look at every new day wondering what new attractions would lure my wandering attention...

Even something as commonplace as a means of conveyance for transporting oneself from point to point meeting life's demands can become addictive in seeing changes that could be made in a car or truck that could make it more distinctive and appealing to its driver...Truckman is no stranger to that occurrence, and I have talked of it at length in other articles...In view of this, when I first spotted my current ride beckoning to me from the used car lot, I already began to list in my mind the various changes that would become necessary for satisfaction if it became mine...And knowing from past experience that perfectionism only exists in my own imagination, I also understood that some of my wants and desires go far beyond practical needs, and that a tight rein would have to be kept on my own self as changes occurred to my mind...Therefore I began to prioritize my plans even before the title changed hands...

Some of those changes deemed absolutely necessary have already been accomplished, and discussed in the previous updates in this series...Others are yet to come, and some will continue to exist only in my imagination...Items such as conversion to four wheel drive, or that ten speed manual transmission I've always lusted for will continue to reside in my dreams, while more attainable goals dealing with convenience of ownership and safety of operation find their places in a schedule governed by a retirement budget...Other thoughts, such as onboard air with train horns and air ride suspension, remain on the "maybe so, maybe no" list...Small details such as those added since our last update are less noticeable, but listed here in any event...

Some sandpaper plus a few rattle-cans of Rustoleum primer and paint added uniformity to the spare tire stop mounted on the flatbed deck...The paint will no doubt find uses in the future as small wear spots appear elsewhere on the bed...Adding stickon decals announcing the use of "diesel only" in this truck were superfluous, but found their place nevertheless...Changing all the padlocks to those requiring a common key reduced the weight carried in my pocket...The addition of one of the original Ram hubcaps to the spare tire will probably go unnoticed by the casual observer, but I like it so I did it...And bolting on my personalized 45 FMJ license plates is always a crowning moment, signifying that the truck is truly mine...

Today I had an appointment at VIP Tinters on Hwy 242 to tint my two side windows with a ceramic material, and to spray a bedliner on the flatbed with the added protection against future UV damage from the sun...Remembering how faded the bedliner on my previous truck had become, I felt this was a good value...After comparison shopping, and asking others who had previously had work done there, I decided to trust my needs here...Their prices were competitive, their reputation is good, and as I found out by asking around, most of the local businesses that advertise spray-on bedliners bring the work to VIP Tinters anyway, so the middleman lost his percentage on this one...Having a very old, very sick puppy necessitated bringing him with me to wait since I had no other ride for the day, and Jason and Allen accommodated my dilemma by putting me at the first of the line, and assigning extra hands to finish the job sooner than promised...

This is ordinarily a time consuming job, and I was grateful that they were able to shorten my stay, while still turning out quality work...My original intention was to bypass the front area of the bed where the exhaust stacks, spare tire and extra equipment now reside, but after the crew conferred on a plan, they removed the spare tire, jerry cans, Hi-Lift jack and all mounting hardware to apply the bedliner to the entire flatbed deck surface...They did this without asking knowing I would be happier with the quality of the work...And they were right...

Everything that wasn't to be sprayed was masked off, then all equipment was reinstalled after the bedliner application...This is definitely high quality work with attention to customer satisfaction...And my puppy appreciated being able to go home a little sooner than he had anticipated...I recommend these guys to anyone...

As usual new pictures of the progression from "as found" to "my truck"are posted at the bottom of this photo essay...

More articles concerning Transportation/Motorsports...