Category Archives: Cars & Trucks

1968 Dodge 200

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Friend Paul’s latest pickup project. 1968 Dodge 200. That, friends and neighbors, is what a pickup bed is supposed to look like. Pretty sure my Jeep would ride comfortably.

And that grill. Minimalism before there was such a thing.


Looks like a previous owner added the SEAT-RT-LEFT under the speedometer. Will have to ask Paul. And this baby has not one, not two, but three fuel tanks. One behind the seat and one on each side of the bed behind a tiny vault door.
Just to the left of the seat is a handy lever for switching from one fuel tank to another. Long way between gas stations out West.

Tractor with two seats

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I’ve never been one for off-roading. Feels like dressing up as a cowboy. So the Land Rover and the Jeep don’t get much four-wheel drive time. Today I loaded up the new rock sled with some big ones and used the Jeep (4WD/Low Range) to drag them up a hill and over to the trail head. Paul calls the Jeep a tractor with two seats.
And a little 4WD/low-range exercise for the pickup.

New hood hinges for pickup

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The first thing most admirers say when they seed Minty Fresh is, “That’s a good looking truck. Want to sell it?” The second thing they says is, “What’s wrong with the hood?”
I finally got around to ordering new hinges and –with help from my friend George– installed and adjusted them.
I was able to get the old things off by myself using a couple of ratchet tie-down straps to lift the hood.
The old hinges probably just needed adjusting but I didn’t figure that out until I started installing the new ones (which weren’t very expensive). Like most such repairs, I suspect this would be damn near impossible on a new vehicle.

1970 Ford 100

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“Selling over 640,000 units in 2022 in the US, the Ford F-Series range of trucks has once again become the highest-selling truck in America – 46th time in a row.”  Whenever I get behind the wheel of my ’77 F-150 I’m greeted with “thumbs up” and shouts of “Want to sell that truck?”

My friend Paul recently acquired this 1970 pickup which I believe is a fifth generation F-series although the markings (see inset below) read: FORD 100. No “F”

Looks like it had a camper shell for most of its life. Check out the bed below.

Pickup truck?

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What makes a pickup truck… a pickup truck. What is its essence, if you will? A bed for “picking up” stuff? The Oxford Dictionary definition is: “a small truck with an enclosed cab and open back.” So, yeah, this is a pickup truck. But will it ever haul a load of cow manure or gravel or a greasy engine block? Will the owner ever climb into its luxurious cab in sweaty, dirty work clothes? Maybe.

But it just doesn’t say “pickup truck” to me. I’m not a farmer or rancher or anyone that needs a pickup truck. So I have no standing for this kind of snobbery. But a truck like the one above can cost $68,000 dollars. And it seems to be more about a comfortable ride for the driver (and passengers) than getting work done. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Jerry Seinfeld would say.

From my friend (and car aficionado) Phil: “nearly certain that’s a 2024 GMC 3500 Denali Ultimate. If so, $101-105,000 (with massaging seats!) if it’s just a regular Denali, it’s still a $95K+ truck… $68K might get you a used 2020, but not one of those.”

Another friend reports: “2015 GMC diesel/Denali still books at 50K!”

Fancy pants Jeep

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Didn’t meet the owner of this fancy new Jeep but took a moment to check out his ride. Deluxe interior with some kind of two-way radio affixed above the driver’s seat. CB radios are not still a thing, are they? Sorry, but just doesn’t say “Jeep” to me.

Spare engine block for Jeep

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I took the Jeep to Cruise Night where hundreds of (mostly) old car and truck enthusiasts gather to see and be seen. My friend Paul introduced me to Bob who finds/buys/sells old Jeeps and Jeep parts. Bob and his wife were on their way home (Colorado) from a Jeep gathering in Ohio where Bob purchased an old engine block.
As fate would have it, just the engine block I’d need if the tiny crack in my block (see image below) made the Jeep un-drivable.

So I bought it for $100 and will keep it in the Annex as Cosmic Insurance against my current engine blowing up.