there was a (79?) bronco in the SUV/Van trader for something like $900

 

The Bronco is gone.

The f-350 went to work for the first time yesterday. I got about a mile out, where I managed to hit a rain induced sand pile a little too fast and PATOOOIE! It spit the tailgate out and it slid all over the road. Darned near lost the saw. As I was walkin' back to pick it up, a couple friends drove by...

"Nice work sled, Doink! (laughter) Need some help with that?"

"No thanks. I'm just field testing it for durability."


Geez...

 

Darn, another lost opportunity.. Oh well, I guess it's good anyways. With dune and snowboard season here I need to save some cash.

I love when it rains, my l/s rear end on my truck loves to break loose around corners under minimal throttle. Ok, who am I kidding, my truck doesn't have that.. It's all or nothing.

Wait your tailgate fell off the truck completely??? Was it latched or just laying in the back of your truck? Any damage?

 

I swear tailgates are the strongest part of the truck. I have had a fork lift drop the forks with a full pallet on my tailgate and it did very minimal damage considering.

If I was ever driving a truck and the tailgate fell off, I wouldnt have much confidence in the rest of the vehicle.

 

i had a tailgate just up and walk away on me
i never abused it, kept it clean and waxed
came out one morning and it was gone <WEEPING>
my new truck has a lock on the tailgate, i'll cry no more

 

They've been known to do that when they're not happy. I doubt anyone will ever steal mine, it's dented all to hell. ha ha.. Oh well, gives the truck character...

 

I plan to get a wolf or wolves airbrushed onto the tailgate...make the truck stand out

 

Im guessing your a wolf fan? This is going to be a stupid question, but there is no native Arizona wolf is there?... no nevermind, disreguard that.

You have to watch those tailgates when they walk away. If you ever catch it walking away I dont think yelling it will help, at least not yelling in english.

 

canis lupus baileyi

the mexican wolf

reitnroduced into arizona and new mexico in the late 90's

i wonder if they just winter here...more snowbirds lol

 

Confidence? Oh, I have confidence in this ride. We have embarked on what will be a decades long, daily relationship. Remember, I've driven my '77 F-250 XLT 4x4 flatty for the last 15 years, EVERY day, and it aint even close to being "worn out". That's why I love these trucks. (73-79) They work, they last, and I can fix ANYTHING that snaps.

I just gotta do some slammin' here...
A buddy of mine has a 79 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4. He loves the doors and windows on my stuff cuz they all still work like new. We were lookin' at his doors one day, to see if we could fix 'em. Nope! The CAB is too weak to support the door hinges. No rust, just weak and tired metal. The malfunction of the doors is due to the severely weakened, thin-walled metal that the door hinges bolt to, which is part of the cab and cannot be fixed without MAJOR surgury and fabrication. So what does he do? He goes out and buys a brand new GMC. Some people just can't be helped.

The tailgate is home-built, correctly enginered, quality work, with an artistic flair. It's a 12' flatty, remember? The gates just sit in the factory holes along the outside frame rails of the bed. A case of driver's error. It survived, but I had to do some rasping. I gotta slow down with this truck. My other trucks are 4x4 with big tires. I can roll them sandbars at 35mph and it doesn't even feel 'em. This F-350 goes ape.
Interesting note: The F-350 never had rear shocks. Ever. It came from the factory with no shocks and no mounts for shocks. Go figure... When it's empty it rides rough.

I just love how this stuff works... The guy that snagged the Bronco saw the new gates on the flatty and said

"Oh man! Ya built a whole set of gates for it? I have a complete set layin' in my (equipment) yard!"

It figures...

Prediction:

I'm gonna let him have the 4 core Modine radiator that I've had since 1984, in three different trucks. The next thing that will happen is come summertime the flatty with a stock 3-core will start poppin' the cap, and I'll be shoppin' a new 4-core. I can see it all now.