How would you build a "forever" truck?

[DominatorZ71]

Performance parts and forever vehicle don't go together all that well. But best of luck to you. My idea of a forever truck would be taking a 99 Silverado where there isn't many electronic modules and modifying the interior to look like a 16. Hopefully no rust. It's not usually a crazy concern in Florida

[jonny24]

11 hours ago, DominatorZ71 said:

Performance parts and forever vehicle don't go together all that well. But best of luck to you. My idea of a forever truck would be taking a 99 Silverado where there isn't many electronic modules and modifying the interior to look like a 16. Hopefully no rust. It's not usually a crazy concern in Florida

I've actually seen pictures of people with 14+ seats in a '88-'98, not sure about '99. 

 

Maybe "performance parts" isn't the best way to say what I was thinking. I guess I just mean "better than stock" when such options are available. 

Edited January 4, 2020 by jonny24

[KARNUT]

Performance parts make more power available. Using in moderation doesn’t lessen life. Vehicles have been gaining horsepower and longevity since the beginning.


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[silveradosid]

your location says ontario, if that is in canada, then there is no such thing as a forever truck. unless you buy a winter beater and park the other. rust will get it no matter how hard you try

[Grumpy Bear]

2 hours ago, KARNUT said:

Performance parts make more power available. Using in moderation doesn’t lessen life. Vehicles have been gaining horsepower and longevity since the beginning.

Why is this so hard for people? 

 

Could anyone have imagined in 1955 getting 315 hp and 30 mpg from 262 cubic inches in a motor your grandmother could dirve?  

1 hour ago, silveradosid said:

your location says ontario, if that is in canada, then there is no such thing as a forever truck. unless you buy a winter beater and park the other. rust will get it no matter how hard you try

A 'salt car'? Oh yea. Huge plus. That said 'no matter how hard you try'? Try harder. Not even the 'professionals' understand this. They spray, they pray, they take your money and never see you again. I grew up in eastern Iowa. Knew plenty of cars and trucks 30 years old that remained rust free. But all of them; the owners took the bull by the horns themselves. 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

[silveradosid]

that was before they started spraying chemicals on the roads, that stuff will eat galvanizing away

[Grumpy Bear]

19 hours ago, silveradosid said:

that was before they started spraying chemicals on the roads, that stuff will eat galvanizing away

 

Some people just don't want a solution and that can't be fixed.

[Grumpy Bear]

A forum is suppose to be a place where people come to find and share ANSWERS to problems and issues. 

I've been a part of many and I find them places where people like to complain and tell tails of woe. 

What am I missing? 

That is a rhetorical question Nimrod! 

[jonny24]

On 1/4/2020 at 12:18 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

But all of them; the owners took the bull by the horns themselves.

I'll do what I can! When I switch wheels in the spring I'll spend some time underneath touching up anything I can get to.

[truckguy82]

On 1/4/2020 at 10:59 AM, silveradosid said:

your location says ontario, if that is in canada, then there is no such thing as a forever truck. unless you buy a winter beater and park the other. rust will get it no matter how hard you try

Do they salt in canada?

 

when I lived in ND they didn’t use salt because the outside temp is usually lower than the melting point of salt water

[aseibel]

On 1/3/2020 at 5:00 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

A few hundred years ago when things were harder to come by, like money, people did make thinks last 'forever'; called them heirlooms and passed them down, for generations. Now it is considered stupid to do so. Knowledge of such things is disappearing and no one seems all that interested in holding on to those 'ways'.

Grumpy, I'm curious as to your opinion on this question:

Knowing how the world has changed into a throwaway society, and automakers continually decrease the thickness of steel and paint- how long would you expect a brand new truck to last (on average) before its repair costs outweigh its usefulness? Assuming it is properly maintained, of course, by an owner who wants to make it last?

Time passes fast in the salty north, so miles or years could be used to gauge.

[KARNUT]

Grumpy, I'm curious as to your opinion on this question:
Knowing how the world has changed into a throwaway society, and automakers continually decrease the thickness of steel and paint- how long would you expect a brand new truck to last (on average) before its repair costs outweigh its usefulness? Assuming it is properly maintained, of course, by an owner who wants to make it last?
Time passes fast in the salty north, so miles or years could be used to gauge.

My 2 cents. My brother in law replaced an entire frame on a 2014 suburban. It was a total he brought at auction. He bought a totaled gmc truck at the same time. He a teacher so is his wife. They drive them every day. Anything possible if there’s a will.


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[mookdoc6]

I heard FERD makes a forever truck!

[Grumpy Bear]

1 hour ago, aseibel said:

Grumpy, I'm curious as to your opinion on this question:

Knowing how the world has changed into a throwaway society, and automakers continually decrease the thickness of steel and paint- how long would you expect a brand new truck to last (on average) before its repair costs outweigh its usefulness? Assuming it is properly maintained, of course, by an owner who wants to make it last?

Time passes fast in the salty north, so miles or years could be used to gauge.

Interesting wording Andy. Usefulness so stated is a floating point of reference that depends on a persons definition of 'usefulness'. And that person being the one your asking in that moment. Eight billon people on the planet so eight billion possibilities. 

 

I agree that 'toss away' trucks are more fragile, thinner and as such raise the difficulty bar...a bunch. That said the possibility remains for one so inclined to make it so. Rust prevention doesn't care if the steel is 8 gauge or 28 gauge. Physics isn't dependent upon human greed. It does respond to effort however. Even poor effort. 

 

So I guess what your asking is; if you do nothing? Not long and getting shorter every year. IF that isn't what your asking then time to termination will indeed depend on effort, skill and knowing same as anything else. Determination of it being useful to you is a personal decision isn't it? 

[aseibel]

13 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

So I guess what your asking is; if you do nothing? Not long and getting shorter every year. IF that isn't what your asking then time to termination will indeed depend on effort, skill and knowing same as anything else. Determination of it being useful to you is a personal decision isn't it? 

haha, you are thinking about this deeper than I intended. I only mean that if I keep it clean and maintain the engine so I'm not burning oil... You can say you would coat/spray/clean the frame, whatever you wish.

 

Bottom line is, the body panels start to peel and separate, electronics get moisture damage, mechanical parts wear out. Obviously you can replace parts all day, as KARNUT stated, one can obtain a whole new frame. But I'm not a mechanic and I'm not paying to re-build a car when its value is less than $1000. Some day that repair costs you more than the vehicle is worth. Do you keep buying parts? for how long?

 

All I'm asking is, how long do you EXPECT a truck built in 2020 to last for the typical responsible owner? Try to hit the mid-point of the bell curve.