On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:16:25 GMT, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

...
I was stick welding yesterday under the hood of my new old van..Moby
Dick.

Hey Gunner,

Have I been sleeping under a rock? What vehicle did you finally settle on?
Major Gunner grade scrounge or something to just get by?

Karl

ah hum...I had a budget of about $4k +/- a smidge...so I did a bit of
scrounging....

Sitting in my driveway, is a 2001 Ford Ranger, extended cab with a 3.0
liter engine and auto, airconditioning to freeze the hubs of hell.
101K miles. Interior is mint, with factory CD player and alarm with
keyless remote.

I paid the owner $1000 cash. I paid her back tickets and fees and the
registration transfer to me $431, and the impound fee of $740 after
she got it impounded because she let the registration lapse, had no
insurance and no drivers license because she stopped paying child
support. (druggies...sigh)

Yesterday I had my mechanic put on new pads, a new rotor and grease
seals, and go completly through it. $230 He says its in marvelous
shape, with a couple cosmetic issues that are easy to resolve, the
biggest being a busted headlight and dinged fender and a tweaked rear
bumper. Taking it off and bending the mounting brackets will fix that.

So Im into a 6 yr old pickup for $2401. I also bought a used
headlight assembly $50 and a replacement drivers side fender $15.
.. Ill also need a topper or shell. Ill scrounge something up or use
the one I have on the Mazda..though really want a phone company/cable
company shell with ladder rack.. Ones for an extended cab Ranger are
hard to find.
This coming weekend she gets the fender and headlight assembly.

Retail bluebook is about $4500 in current condition
$2465 invested to date

This afternoon, Ill be putting a new thermostat and housing $35 (ouch)
on my 1989 Ford 350 Extended 1 ton van (91K miles, 5.8l, auto, Reese
towing package, electric brake controller etc, alarm, refridgerator,
internal 110vt wiring and inverter)
, then installing the new radiator, hoses, starter ($219) and the (2)
batteries (7 yr) $109. I already put on (5) really nice 235/70/R16
used tires $125. I paid the owner $1000 for the van.
$1488 invested to date, plus will need registration and smog..figure
another $150

$1638 invested so far in the van.

Combined investment is $4135.

Oh..I purchased a flatbed trailer $100 (single axle, way over built
and has electric brakes) and put that utility body $25 that I had
sitting out back on it (really nice fit), along with the big tool box.
Ill be mounting the near new Honda 3500 watt genset (swapped for an
elderly thread roller..free), and the Oster pipe threader (free) and
various other stuff including pipe and standard vise and ladder
rack.(got the steel waiting out back)
Ill have to paint it. Ive got 2 gallons of Industrial Rustoleum
(white..Habitat for Humanity...$10) and a friend who runs a sand
blasting company....How much does a case of beer cost?

So...I now have a daily driver (21mpg so far), a 1 ton heavy hauler
(need a phone company van kit with all the racking and shelves and
stuff ....anyone got one?) capable of pulling a Bridgeport from
California to Podunk Falls, and a facilities maintainance trailer that
will have all the Stuff onboard needed to do just about any sort of
installation/repair/overhaul, in one package

A fair amount of sweat equity but..shrug...by the time its all said
and done..Ill have about $4500 involved. Crom willing and the creek
dont rise. Cost of copious amounts of Diet Mt. Dew not included...been
well over 105F for the past month...gack!

And I just got an message from a client who wants me to help set up a
36,000 sqft fabrication facility from scratch. WhooHoo!

God I love it when good scrounges come together.

Did I do ok so far?

Gunner