Building Red October

[fightman80]

I hope that wheel trim worked out for you, and you got your rig all fixed up after that LBJ incident


Right now I am trying to figure out armor for Red. She needs all of it, but I don't know what to do first. I want sliders and skids, and a rear swing away bumper, and a winch bumper.... but wifey is less than happy about how much that will cost...

Haven't gotten the fender sorted out yet.... have an appointment on July 6th to have it installed and painted.... can't wait!

As for armor... if you really like wheeling.... I'd go for the underbelly stuff.... protect the vitals. Bumpers and swing outs look cool though....

 

[Red October]

Did a little Wheelin with the wifey this afternoon. It was supposed to be just a dirt road but ended up having a couple tight little spots due to all of the rain we had this spring making some pretty interesting changes in the scenery. I even got myself into a little pickle, facing downhill into a pretty nasty washout, with my back passenger tire in the air a good bit. It was the first real Wheelin that my wife has been in the truck for. She did good, even said it was fun after...:naughty:

 

[Red October]

Caught a breathtaking sunset for dinner...

 

[smallfry]

So you found Old Wards Canyon it looks like.

You should take Skyline Drive behind Bountiful over into Farmington and back to the ponds.

 

[Red October]

Thanks for the tip man! I am always up for exploring new places.

 

[JBurt]

Awesome thread. I just saw from start to finish. Glad you got the engine sorted.

Where in Utah did you wind up? My grandparents are in Springville and we visit fairly often. The mountains are so much better than the desert.

 

[Red October]

Thank you my friend!

I do love the mountains, but I am already missing the desert a little, I'm an Arizona boy deep down. It's fun to explore new places tho, and Utah has a lot of that to offer. We ended up in Bountiful, a bit further north than Springville.

 

[Red October]

A couple more lazy Sunday afternoon pics. I don't get a ton of time to wheel between school and work, but even if it's only an hour of dirt road cruisin it's better than nothing!

 

[Red October]

Just pushed the go button on my first armor item; Sliders :eyebrows:

I really wanted to build most of my own, but since I moved all of my tools are in storage and I don't have a garage to work in, I need friends with fab tools and work space :frusty:

 

[Red October]

Fixed my interior lights, rearranged them so that the cargo area lights work with the hatch lights. Also "fixed" the hatch latch switch so that the lights actually do come on now with the hatch open, I'm pretty excited.

 

[Red October]

 

[Red October]

Wifey and I found a cool little camp spot.

 

[Red October]

Well Red has had a bit of a funk, if you will, ever since we bought her, but lately with some humidity and heat it has really become unbearable; after a long day at work jumping into a veritable sauna of choking disgust was getting old. Today was a beautiful day,... to remove and power-wash the entire interior. :sad:

Red, gutted

I'm pretty sure I removed a couple gallons of dehydrated gas station coffee from the seats and carpet, ugh! uke: I don't know if its good or bad that the factory carpet is rubber backed, because there was very little that made it through, but that just means it stayed in the carpet, for a long, long time

Hopefully this will freshen things up when it all dries out.

 

[Red October]

Also found these hiding under the rear seats, wasn't really expecting to see them in my base runner, hmmmmm?

 

[Red October]

Slowly gathering my armor. Just pulled the trigger on a Savage rear tube bumper, they are nice looking and everything I have heard is super positive about Savage, I'm excited!

Still haven't made up my mind on a front setup, i like a couple out there ok, but I'm just not in love with any of them. I may just end up building my own, but it would be a while since I have to retrieve my tools and find a place to work first I already plan to mod the armor I have decided on to better suit my style.

 

[diponyou]

Cool build, man

I enjoy the simplicity+functionality of it. :hat:

I am in the same boat with figuring out armor. I need it all around so I have some work to do.

 

[Red October]

Thanks man. I'll take that as a compliment! Red may not be the prettiest truck out there, but everytime I turn the key she starts right up, and then goes pretty much where ever I point her, I cant ask for too much more.

I feel you on the armor, I hate spending money on things I know I can make. But im also sorta impatient about getting Red protected. I would totally build my own if i had a workspace, i already have the tools, but im sure my landlord would lose his marbles if I did it at my current residence :mad2I can't wait to have a garage again, soon )

 

[diponyou]

Thanks man. I'll take that as a compliment! Red may not be the prettiest truck out there, but everytime I turn the key she starts right up, and then goes pretty much where ever I point her, I cant ask for too much more.

I feel you on the armor, I hate spending money on things I know I can make. But im also sorta impatient about getting Red protected. I would totally build my own if i had a workspace, i already have the tools, but im sure my landlord would lose his marbles if I did it at my current residence :mad2I can't wait to have a garage again, soon )

You should definitely take that as a compliment. I feel many times people add on unnecessary accessories because other people are doing it, or because it looks cool. So I can appreciate a build that it functional and to the point while still being clean.

Having a dedicated work space definitely makes things a bit easier lol.

 

[Red October]

So I painted my cargo tie down a couple days ago, not a very exciting mod I know, but it's been a long time coming. ...And then work got crazy and I didn't even get a chance to look at it until this morning. I think the Rustoleum Hammered Brown I chose is an almost perfect match to the stock oak interior tones.

Also drilled out the mounting holes and threaded them for 8mm bolts instead of the tiny 6mm stock ones.

 

[Red October]

Wifey and I went on vacation this weekend, mostly back to AZ to see some friends and family. Of course our definition of "vacation" is different, she hangs out with the people, while I take this amazing opportunity to get my tools out of storage and make burning metal smells and sparks and other fun things...

Set up the legs on my 4xI sliders. My welds are kinda ugly, but they will be functional.

Tomorrow I will get them all welded on, while the wife attends to our social life, I will take care of the really important things.