My Truck "TINKER"

[pittdawg]

I have only been on this site for a month and I am totally addicted. You guys have done, and are doing some amazing things with your rigs. Not to mention, the info on this site is great.

So here is how TINKER came about.

I have always worked on my vehicles but never had a real project, but have wanted something to tinker on.

At the beginning of last summer I was driving my 01’ Jeep Wrangler. It was kited it out and I played with it a bit, but it was my daily driver for the past 4 years. Last summer I decided I needed to do something about my gas bill.

I sold the Jeep bought a bike, an 05’ Triumph Rocket III. I still had 2k left over to get a truck for the winter, but figured I would get something with decent gas millage like an old Toyota with a 4 banger. I also needed a truck because I just began some remodeling on the house.

I rode the whole summer at 38 mpg on the Rocket and watched craigslist for a cheap Toyota. That is when I found “TINKER” for 1950 OBO. I showed him to the wife, and she didn’t like the idea. I figured she was right; I needed to look for something more economical. A month went by and it was starting to get cooler. I needed to get a truck soon, but all the Toyotas I found for 2k were POS.

One day I came home, in a bad mood, from looking at yet another POS. My wife sensed my frustration and said, “Do you know if that old primered Chevy is still on craigslist?” It had been at least a month, but sure enough TINKER was still for sale. The wife said, “Let’s go look…” I was so stoked, I felt like Ralphie from A Christmas Story when he got his Red Rider BB Gun. The next day I bought “TINKER” for 1600 bones. He is a 66’ C-10 Long Bed with a 250 inline 6 and a 4 speed manual.

The original owner bought the truck in Missoula, Montana on May 12, 1966. The old guy I bought the truck from was a good friend of the original owner and he had it for the last 20 years. He drove it to work , 10 miles round trip, everyday. The only reason he was getting rid of it was because using the clutch had become hard on his knees.

It has all the original paper work and owners manual. It even came with all the service receipts. The receipts proved to be a map of TINKER’S life. The truck spent time in Montana, Alaska, Virginia, California, and Idaho.

He’s now my daily driver commuting 50 miles a day. I really would like to fix him up a bit and you guys on this site have definitely inspired me. Due to time, money, and life I will probably just do a bit here and there, but some day I would like to park TINKER and give him the full resto he deserves.

By the way, my late Grandpa called me Tinker from the time I could walk. He called me Tinker because I always took my toys apart. I figured it was fitting for my truck. I have only had the truck for 6 months and I'm always tinkerin! I plan to get a personalized plate soon.