# Just another day in paradise...........



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

It was 83 in Phoenix today. The last time it was this warm on this day, was back in 1935. It was about 10 degrees cooler up here in the high country. 

Warm enough to go out and wash my truck. I worked up a bit of a sweat a couple of times. Had the tunes in the garage cranked up and a bottle of water near-by. 

A couple of neighbors drove by and asked if I could fit them in and wash their cars? I said I could, but I was expensive. They just smiled and drove on. 

Looks as if the weather will hold out thru the weekend. My bike is ready to roll. Not sure what direction I will go, or for how far, but whatever it turns out to be, is fine with me. :mrgreen:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...And up here, it sometimes snows in April.

Well, they don't call it Phoenix for nothing.
If the air gets hot enough, you too will be rising from the ashes.


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## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

Well my truck got washed before I went to work. Only $9.
It is nice to drive with the windows down.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> ...And up here, it sometimes snows in April.
> 
> Well, they don't call it Phoenix for nothing.
> If the air gets hot enough, you too will be rising from the ashes.


That's the beauty of living in the high country. We don't get as hot as Phoenix does. Yes, it can get hot up here, but once the sun goes down, so does the temperature.

In Phoenix, you don't get a break in the summer. Hot in the day, and hot at night. We rarely ever need to have the a/c on at night. Maybe on a real hot day, a hour or two at night, but never on all night long.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

You wash your truck? 

I change the oil and coolant, air up the tires, and shovel out the bed every couple of years, but it never even occurred to me to wash it. You must be DCO.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Bisley said:


> You wash your truck?
> 
> I change the oil and coolant, air up the tires, and shovel out the bed every couple of years, but it never even occurred to me to wash it. You must be DCO.


Every one knows that a clean truck is a happy truck. And, when my truck is clean, the mpg goes up by 50%.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

You must one of those city trucks not a real farm truck.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

tony pasley said:


> You must one of those city trucks not a real farm truck.


You keep thinking like that, and you'll go places. :smt002


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

yes I do go places in this good old truck


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Golly...
That truck is almost as old as I am!


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

No Steve it is a 1990 not a 1890. It maybe old but it can pull any loaded trailer I need to pull, over weight or not. It is paid for, insurance is cheaper, and if any one hits it I am pretty safe inside it.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

I do my best to steer clear of vehicles like that. 

You never know what might fall off and strike your vehicle. :goofy:


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Laugh all you want I know it will still be going strong for years to come and it is solid. Now if I am pulling a stock trailer some thing might fall out of it and splatter your windshield


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

My truck will last for many years to come as well. 

But, I don't have to worry about stuff flying out the back of a livestock trailer. :smt033


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I don't worry about it I laugh at it when some one is tailgating me.


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

tony pasley said:


> I don't worry about it I laugh at it when some one is tailgating me.


It's better when they tailgate our horse trailer and the over head doors are open. *SPLAT* on the windshield. Tougher to remove than bugs.

Hey Tony! You need one of those signs for the back of the trailer... _You can't afford to hit me. I married a lawyer!_


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> No Steve it is a 1990 not a 1890. It maybe old but it can pull any loaded trailer I need to pull, over weight or not. It is paid for, insurance is cheaper, and if any one hits it I am pretty safe inside it.


Gee, Tony, your truck is 28 years old. My F-250 is only 18 years old, and I have plans to upgrade to my wife's 2014 4 door F-150, when I get it paid for. I don't really need a 3/4 ton truck to tow my 12' trailer. My 2000 model has been a money-maker for me since I paid it off in about 2004, without my ever having earned a dime with it.

I kind of like it that those little cars that I can't see in my mirror don't tailgate me much, when they finally notice the stuff circulating in the bed like it was in a whirlwind.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I'll keep my 2 trucks around because I don't have to deal with all the electronic garbage they put on the newer trucks. Also I need a truck I can work out of not a mobile brothel. You know rubber floor mats you can hose off, vinyl bench seats that can be wiped off. Open the doors spray it out let it dry and good to go. I priced a new truck a few years ago and it was going to cost almost 10,000 more to get a real truck.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

tony pasley said:


> I'll keep my 2 trucks around because I don't have to deal with all the electronic garbage they put on the newer trucks. Also I need a truck I can work out of not a mobile brothel. You know rubber floor mats you can hose off, vinyl bench seats that can be wiped off. Open the doors spray it out let it dry and good to go. I priced a new truck a few years ago and it was going to cost almost 10,000 more to get *a real truck*.


You wanna' get a real truck? How 'bout one of these?









As Crocodile Dundee might say: "Now that's a TRUCK!"


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

They get stuck in wet fields


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

My 2002 Chev. 1500HD Crew-Cab pick-up has 145K on it. It's got a lot of life left in it. Never was much of a Chevy truck guy, until I bought this one. I bought it used back in late 2005 and it was spotless, inside and out. It had 108K miles on it at the time. 

It's been a trouble-free truck. Very comfortable inside and all the room I need. I'm the 2nd owner, if you don't count the car lot I bought it from. Original owners bought it from the car lot, and then traded it back in on a new truck. They were both retired and traveled extensively. They felt safer in a pick-up than a car. 

About a year ago, I was thinking about springing for a new truck. Looking at the diesels, crew-cab, and 4x4. Prices over $40K. Glad that I used what amount of common sense I still have. :smt033


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

One of the biggest reason I keep my old trucks. They maybe old but they are dependable.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> One of the biggest reason I keep my old trucks. They maybe old but they are dependable.


Maybe that's why I drive a 1985 Mitsubishi Montero.
Well, also for the easy-to-use four-wheel-drive system. It snows up here.

The Montero is, um, blessed with the most-poorly-designed carburetor in all automobiledom.
The operation of its choke depends upon the melting and he solidification of a small ball of wax. After a decade or so, the wax decides to quit.
Even newer Montero carburetors taken off of wrecks still finally die. (I've had two, so far.)
So starting my Montero on a cold morning (when I need it most) is something of a chore. But, eventually, it does always start.

Nobody around here wants to gimmick a non-Montero carburetor onto my truck's manifold. Nobody wants to install a manual choke.
I'm stuck with that "whole ball of wax" thing.
But it does always start. Eventually.
And everything else about my Montero works perfectly, even after all these years (with good, regular maintenance).

Yup: Dependability. That's the biggest deal of all.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Maybe that's why I drive a 1985 Mitsubishi Montero.
> Well, also for the easy-to-use four-wheel-drive system. It snows up here.
> 
> The Montero is, um, blessed with the most-poorly-designed carburetor in all automobiledom.
> ...


My younger brother also has a Montero. Not sure of the year, but it's around the same year as yours. He bought it new. He loves it. He bought a new Honda Ridgeline back in 2008 I think. He kept the Montero and keeps it in his garage.

He was planning on doing some major restoration to it, but he hasn't mentioned anything about that for a long time. I don't know much about the Montero, other than it's very similar to some of the Japanese military vehicles. Supposedly, a lot of the parts will inter-change.

My brother is 6-06, and he says the Montero fits him just fine.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

tony pasley said:


> They get stuck in wet fields


I've driven them and they do get a little squirrelly on wet roads, that's for sure. Especially when they're empty. I came so close to flattening some lady that cut me off in the pouring rain including the vehicles alongside me when the truck started to jackknife. Scared the livin' shit outta' me, but it happened so fast there wasn't a God damn thing I could do about it except fan the brakes, hit the trolley and hope for the best. Slamming on the brakes was not an option. Luckily I was only goin' about 30, anything faster and that would have been it. That was the closest I ever came to having a major and I mean MAJOR accident.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> My younger brother also has a Montero. Not sure of the year, but it's around the same year as yours. He bought it new. He loves it. He bought a new Honda Ridgeline back in 2008 I think. He kept the Montero and keeps it in his garage.
> 
> *He was planning on doing some major restoration to it*, but he hasn't mentioned anything about that for a long time. I don't know much about the Montero, other than it's very similar to some of the Japanese military vehicles. Supposedly, a lot of the parts will inter-change.
> 
> My brother is 6-06, and he says the Montero fits him just fine.


Good thing he didn't, unless he does his own work, and I mean just about all of it and unless the vehicle has a lot of sentimental value, it may not be worth it and he'd never get his money back if he ever decides to sell it. I've restored four 1930's vehicles in my lifetime, one street rod and three to original condition. I've still got two of them. I put about $30,000 into one and did all the labor except for machine shop work. Each took about three years, which took up all the free time we (wife and I) had, weekends, vacations, after work, all of it. We didn't do shit during that time except work on those cars. If I had to pay somebody for all that labor it would have been impossible for me to own any of them. One that I have now was for sentimental reasons. The other? It's a true classic as recognized by the Classic Car Club of America. The other two? One, I had to be out of my mind (wrong vehicle). The other (street rod) I wish I'd kept. Fortunately my wife is into it just as much as me, and helped where she could. One of the cars I have we both used while we were dating and I bought it a few years outta' high school. The street rod? I'm sorry I got rid of. But found another car (the classic) at the time that is more valuable/desirable and worth a lot more with the same amount of time and effort that I would have to put into it. I bought it in '89 and it was drivable but in need of a lot of work. I still have that one. There are only 20 left out of 2478 that were ever built.

In addition to parts he's gonna' need a lot of tools, some that he may not ever need again. But most important he'd better know what he's doing. If not you can do a lot more damage and wind up having to pay someone to fix any screw ups. Vehicles are heavy and so are a lot of their components. Working on suspension systems without the proper tools can be dangerous, especially when dealing with coil and leaf springs. Then there's all of the hazardous materials to deal with while doing body and paint work.

I started doing my own mechanical work at a young age. Taking apart things just for the hell of it, mostly motorized toys, later on old lawn mower engines that didn't run anyway. I wanted to see what made things "tick". I had a hydroplane when I was twelve and worked on my own outboard engines (tune ups, rebuilding carburetors) things like that. I had to rebuild the gear box a coupla' times because of hitting semi submerged objects. (No bodies though) I started on cars when I bought my first car, a used '65 Mustang. Whenever anything broke I fixed it. Then got into the high performance stuff for the car.

I guess my point of all this is that restoring vehicles is not something you'd want to get into if you're not used to working on vehicles. Paying someone can be prohibitively expensive. If your gonna' pay somebody to do all of that labor it may be cheaper in the long run to buy the same vehicle that is already done. Speculating on a vehicles future value can be a crap shoot. What collectors are after today may not be next year. If you've ever followed some of those car auctions, Barrett-Jackson, Mecum and such can attest to that. Since I don't know your brother and his experience working on vehicles this may not apply to him. For others considering it? Maybe it will? As for me? Those cars have been so much a part of my life I couldn't be without them. That's kinda' what it's all about. The people that are into it just for the money have no business owning these cars as they are screwing the hobby up for the rest of us. Those of us that are willing to bust our balls for the vehicles we love.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Well, my Montero is very well maintained because it suits my needs.
I don't have the knowledge or experience to do my own maintenance work, so I have our local auto-repair shop do it all. They've rebuilt the engine, but all of the clutch, transmission, and 4WD equipment is original. The work that keeps it going isn't cheap, but it's lots cheaper than buying something similar and new.

As I stated, It's on its third carburetor, and also its fifth battery and its third set of tires. It could stand being re-painted, and it needs new sheepskin seat covers, but it does the job and I wouldn't part with it.

Wanna buy it? See my widow.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

My brother does have some sentimental issues connected to his Montero. Actually, it's in very good shape and it's been well-maintained. He drove it to a lot of places where he went mountain climbing, white water kayaking, and camping out and such. 

He can drive it whenever he gets the urge. It's not like it's up on blocks or something. He just wants to do some updating on it, and freshen it up as well.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Steve you were saying my 1990 was old and you drive one that in 2 years will be an antique


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Well, my Montero is very well maintained because it suits my needs.
> I don't have the knowledge or experience to do my own maintenance work, so I have our local auto-repair shop do it all. They've rebuilt the engine, but all of the clutch, transmission, and 4WD equipment is original. The work that keeps it going isn't cheap, but it's lots cheaper than buying something similar and new.
> 
> As I stated, It's on its third carburetor, and also its fifth battery and its third set of tires. *It could stand being re-painted*, and it needs new sheepskin seat covers, but it does the job and I wouldn't part with it.
> ...


Depending on how bad the paint is you're probably better off leaving it as is. If it's down to bare metal, starting to rust and you plan on keeping the vehicle you can take it to Earl Scheib or someplace like that. I don't know if they're still around? They used to have those commercials: "I'll paint any car for $19.95" But that was awhile back, it's probably a coupla' hundred by now. Still cheap when you take into consideration that I spent over $4,000 alone on paint and materials just to do one car. However they will probably paint over whatever you bring, bird shit and all with a minimum amount of preparation. A lot of the prep work you can do yourself. You may want to mask the chrome, lights, and glass or they'll probably paint over that too. If you don't want to go that far you can always do a "rattle can restoration". It will look like hell, but at least protect any exposed bare metal.

The biggest advantage to buying new is that the owner will have complete control over how the vehicle is maintained from the get go. Maintained properly and there's no reason you couldn't get a coupla' hundred thousand miles out of it without any major repairs. Replacing batteries and tires not included as they wear out on their own. Batteries because they're constantly being re-charged and tires for tread wear and dry rot. However once the body starts to rust out it can be labor intensive to fix it. If it's not fixed, it's just gonna' keep on rusting. Obviously that all depends on where you live, especially if they use a lot of road salt during the winter. That shit gets into every nook and cranny that you could ever imagine. It's important to get it all off ASAP. Even if you've got to run it through a car wash a coupla' times a week depending on how often it snows or how long the roads remain wet. While doing that make sure they do the undercarriage too. Not only does salt rust out the body, it gets into all the moving parts underneath as well. Especially the suspension components which should always be kept well greased. Whenever it gets greased it pushes all that shit outta' there replacing it with a fresh coat of grease.

Fortunately for me and where I am vehicles don't rust. However the sun can do a number on paint, plastic and the interior in which case you can cover the vehicle if the vehicle is parked outside for extended periods of time. Especially if you're at work and the vehicle is parked outside all day. Having a garage is great, but if you're using the vehicle on a daily basis it can't protect it from the sun.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I bought my F-250 from a guy that took meticulous care of it. I didn't need a 3/4 ton pickup, but it was just a great deal. It had 120,000 miles on it, but all of them were highway miles, pulling a small boat effortlessly, with a minimum of starts/stops. I knew it would last a long time because it is way overbuilt for a highway vehicle, and because I had a company furnished pickup that I was allowed to use as I pleased. In 18 years, I have put 40,000 miles on it and replaced a fuel pump, the belt, battery and tires (one time). It starts every time, drives great on the highway and is OK around town. I would keep it forever, if it had cruise control and electric windows. But the 2014 F-150 that I bought new for my wife to drive is also a great pickup and gets 20 mpg on the highway and has exactly the extras that I value, so I'm gonna give mine to my grandson and take hers, and let her pick out something else, if she doesn't renege on our deal (she likes it, too). If it stays as solid as the 2000, it will likely be my last vehicle.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> *My brother does have some sentimental issues connected to his Montero.* Actually, it's in very good shape and it's been well-maintained. He drove it to a lot of places where he went mountain climbing, white water kayaking, and camping out and such.
> 
> He can drive it whenever he gets the urge. It's not like it's up on blocks or something. He just wants to do some updating on it, and freshen it up as well.


Sometimes I regret restoring one of my early cars. When I bought it someone had removed the running boards and cut the bottom of the fenders off to even them out where the running board bolt holes were. The mohair interior was gone and replaced with tan naugahyde and the woodgraining was wearing off on the dashboard and garnish moldings. It had some crappy piece of carpet on the floor. But it was a good running drivable car that my wife and I would take all over the place when we weren't cruisin' around in the rod. It had certain smells and sounds that I miss now that it's been restored to showroom condition. Just not the same car even though it's a hell of a lot nicer. I ended up spending over 30 grand and over 3 years restoring that car which included 4 New Old Stock fenders and a pair of NOS running boards. NOS means that they are original parts that were never used on a car. I took the car completely apart and except for the rear axle assembly replaced every moving part including a NOS short block and rebuilding the transmission. I also replaced the interior to original and re-woodgrained the dash and garnish moldings. Some of the parts had to be chromed and I was able to replace the bumpers with reproductions. The old bumpers were just not worth re-chroming.

The street rod I had before that car. It belonged to a friend of mine who started working on it when he was taking auto body and mechanics while in high school. It was partially done and needed completion. It had a 1970 350/370 Corvette engine, with a four speed Muncie, it had a posi-traction rear from a '57 Chevy with a 4:56 rear axle ratio. I was going to make a resto-rod out of it, having it look box stock original including the interior except keeping it's late model drivetrain. But then the opportunity to buy a true classic car came up, a 3 ton limited production behemoth. A car that sold for $4,000 back in the thirties! A car that would be worth whatever I put into it and then some. Something had to go. I sold the rod and used the money for that big old classic. That car needed a lot of mechanical work. I had to rebuild the engine and suspension along with the entire electrical system. The interior was already done or might even be original? Since you don't see too many of these cars I had nothing to compare it to, only pictures from books about classic cars of the 30's. It had an older re-paint that was showing it's age. I didn't do a complete re-paint, only where it was showing it's age and where the paint was cracking. I already did all the mechanical work and laying the car up for a complete restoration was out of the question as the car looks great as it is. It was more of a cosmetic type of thing.

The other car that I restored was a bit too primitive for every day use although people do use them. It was a great looking car from the mid 30's but couldn't keep up with traffic too well. At 45 to 50 mph it felt like you were really pushing it. People would pass as if you were standing still. It also had mechanical brakes, my wife called them "Flintstone brakes". They do work and would stop the car alright, but you just didn't know when. There were a few times when I'd also have to pull on the emergency brake lever while simultaneously pushing down hard on the foot pedal mostly when going down a steep hill. I was going to convert them to hydraulics using parts from later model 40's vehicles of the same make. But those parts are hard to find as many of these early 30's cars were turned into rods and you do not want to have mechanical brakes on one of those that's for sure. After only a coupla' months of driving it, it hadda' go. It was a body off restoration and I lost a lot of money on that one. I don't know what the hell I was thinking? I was just enamored by the cars good looks I suppose?

You guys really got me goin' on cars. As with guns they've played a major part of my life.


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## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

@paratrooper

Just another day. We have had the heat off for the last couple three days. Ever since we hit this string of 80 temp's. 
.... :watching:


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

Bisley said:


> I bought my F-250 from a guy that took meticulous care of it. I didn't need a 3/4 ton pickup, but it was just a great deal. It had 120,000 miles on it, but all of them were highway miles, pulling a small boat effortlessly, with a minimum of starts/stops. I knew it would last a long time because it is way overbuilt for a highway vehicle, and because I had a company furnished pickup that I was allowed to use as I pleased. In 18 years, I have put 40,000 miles on it and replaced a fuel pump, the belt, battery and tires (one time). It starts every time, drives great on the highway and is OK around town. I would keep it forever, if it had cruise control and electric windows. But the 2014 F-150 that I bought new for my wife to drive is also a great pickup and gets 20 mpg on the highway and has exactly the extras that I value, so I'm gonna give mine to my grandson and take hers, and let her pick out something else, if she doesn't renege on our deal (she likes it, too). If it stays as solid as the 2000, it will likely be my last vehicle.


After driving cars, I've always had a truck since '85 a Chevy 4x2 that was my first new vehicle. I traded it in for a new '87 4x4. I shoulda' bought a 4x4 to begin with as the '87 I had nothing but problems with from the get go. It was essentially the same truck as the '85 of which I had no issues during those two years that I had it. I later on bought a new '91 4x4 that gave me 140,000 trouble free miles. I've now got a 2001 2500HD 4x4 that I bought new, still have and use it as my daily transportation. It's got a GVW of 9200lbs. more than I'll ever need. The others except for the '91 were half tons. The advantage of buying a 3/4 ton or more truck is that all of it's suspension components are designed for hauling loads and are more geared for the construction trades. So it stands to reason that if they are driven as you would a car or a half ton truck it's components will last a lot longer as they are designed for heavy duty use while only being used for light duty purposes. At one time a lot of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were primarily utilitarian vehicles lacking in amenities and rode like shit. After all who in their right mind would drive a luxury truck into a construction sight along with throwing tools and equipment into it on a regular basis? A lot of that has changed you can now buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that's just as luxurious as a Cadillac or Lincoln and probably rides just as well. I saw one advertised at $80,000! A friend of mine bought a new F150 this year for $60,000!

My 2001 doesn't have all the bells and whistles, I ordered the basic model with air, extended cab and the exterior appearance package. In hindsight I wish I'd ordered power windows and mirrors. My own dumb fault as I've never had them before and didn't even think of it at the time I ordered the truck. I ordered the shop manuals for it for $144. I couldn't figure out why they were so expensive? When they arrived I knew why. They were the size of 5 Manhattan sized phone books weighing about 10 lbs.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

AZdave said:


> @paratrooper
> 
> Just another day. We have had the heat off for the last couple three days. Ever since we hit this string of 80 temp's.
> .... :watching:


I'm in the high country, where it's in the upper 60's low 70's for at least the next 7 days. Can't wait for your August report. All kidding aside I'd rather be anywhere in Arizona than anywhere else and at any time.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

AZdave said:


> @paratrooper
> 
> Just another day. We have had the heat off for the last couple three days. Ever since we hit this string of 80 temp's.
> .... :watching:


June of 2017, we had a new heating / cooling system installed on our roof. We bought our house in 1988. The original unit was a Whirlpool. It was a good unit and over the years, we only had to put about $300.00 worth of repairs into it. But, it was getting to the point, that it was just too old to keep putting $$'s into it.

So we had a new Trane unit installed. Since having the new unit, we've only had to turn the furnace on about 5 times or so. We have a small natural gas stove in the corner of our dining room. We use it a lot. We've had it for many years now. It's about as close to 100% efficient as you can get. It can heat all of the front room, dining room and most of the hallway.

At night at bedtime, we turn it down just enough so that it clicks on it it gets down to 68 degrees or so. Both me and my wife prefer to sleep in a cool room.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

desertman said:


> I'm in the high country, where it's in the upper 60's low 70's for at least the next 7 days. Can't wait for your August report. All kidding aside I'd rather be anywhere in Arizona than anywhere else and at any time.


That's the good thing about living in AZ., and in the high country. Yes, it can and does get hot in the summer during the day. But.....when the sun drops, so does the temps. Rarely, do we ever find it necessary to have the a/c on after dark.

We just open up the windows and let the cool air in. :smt023


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Where I was raised they always said. " God lived in Texas and rented Az. to the devil." That is what they said anyway.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

tony pasley said:


> Where I was raised they always said. " God lived in Texas and rented Az. to the devil." That is what they said anyway.


I can't speak to that, but I am happy having always lived in the west.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> That's the good thing about living in AZ., and in the high country. *Yes, it can and does get hot in the summer during the day.* But.....when the sun drops, so does the temps. Rarely, do we ever find it necessary to have the a/c on after dark.
> 
> We just open up the windows and let the cool air in. :smt023


True, but when it's 90/95 and little humidity it doesn't feel that hot. Then the monsoons roll in and cool things down. We too rarely use the a/c even during the day. The Junipers shade a good portion of our home. The hottest we've ever experienced was when it was 118 in Wikieup. Humidity or no humidity, that's freakin' hot! But I do love the Sonoran Desert regardless. It's an entirely different world.

You know sumpthin' we could be neighbors and not even know it?


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

tony pasley said:


> Where I was raised they always said. " God lived in Texas and rented Az. to the devil." That is what they said anyway.


I've got nothing against Texas or any of the "RED" states for that matter. It's the "BLUE" state's governments and those responsible for electing them that I detest. Those are the states that have been rented out to the devil or at least bought by him.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I grew up in the panhandle of Texas and moved to east Texas at about age 21. The difference is like night and day. 100 degrees in west Texas is like about 85 degrees in east Texas, due to humidity and wind differences. 100 degrees is common in east Texas, and add in the relatively high humidity, and it is crushing, compared to further west. Had I not married an east Texas gal and raised a family here, I would probably be living on the prairie somewhere, where there is always a breeze (or a gale) and you can see 20 miles or more. It is sparsely populated, which I like, and the people are very friendly, for the most part, as long as you don't start telling them what to do or bragging about how great the place you left was. East Texas is a good place to live for fishermen and hunters (if you can find an affordable lease), but feels a little jammed up for a west Texas boy.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Bisley I understand completely. Where I grew up we had a next door neighbor 3 miles away. Now living in North Carolina A world cooler in the summer, winters are a challenge but kids and grand kids are mostly here plus a lot of back country to ride in.


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## joepeat (Jul 8, 2015)

desertman said:


> I've got nothing against Texas or any of the "RED" states for that matter. It's the "BLUE" state's governments *and those responsible for electing them* that I detest. Those are the states that have been rented out to the devil or at least bought by him.


AZ elected two blue senators.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

joepeat said:


> AZ elected two blue senators.[/QUOTE
> # rino blue senators


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## sudo (Aug 29, 2017)

I was born in Tucson AZ in 1949. 

We moved to Phoenix in about 1953 and I grew up there.

Phoenix, and Arizona, were much different places then.

Have lived in California since going there for college when I was 18.

But I still own the Phoenix house I grew up in and get there ever year. 

AZ is becoming a little purple-ish around the edges. But, as far as I can tell, the independent streak that Arizonans have is till alive and strong there.

Now I live in California, and would consider moving out of this badly-blue-stained state if it weren't that my wife has probably 100 relatives here, and our two sons (and families) live here.

But I now have property in Idaho, and would probably move there rather than Arizona.

It's reliably red, and seems to me a lot like Arizona when I was a kid.

Anyway, OP, enjoy the great desert winter weather. Wish I was there too. But next July and August I'll be glad I'm in Cali rather than Phoenix.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

sudo said:


> I was born in Tucson AZ in 1949.
> 
> We moved to Phoenix in about 1953 and I grew up there.
> 
> ...


I was born In Idaho. My family then moved to WA. when I was very young.

Got married and remained in WA. for quite a while, then moved to MT., and then to AZ. We are pretty happy here and have been since 1984. When our parents were still alive, we made trips to MT. / WA. every year. My wife's mother is still alive and she is 92. She's in fairly good health, and we will continue our trips to MT. to see her.

But, with my parents now gone, we no longer have any reason to go to WA. That's a hard fact to deal with. For some odd reason, I have this "urge" to move back to Idaho. Not sure why. We've traveled thru Idaho countless times. There isn't even a particular town or city that appeals to me. All I know is that when we are in Idaho, it just feels right.


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

paratrooper said:


> All I know is that when we are in Idaho, it just feels right.


Must be all them Taters y'all are related to.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

BackyardCowboy said:


> Must be all them Taters y'all are related to.


Are you saying he is just and old spud?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

I've been called lots of things over the years. 

The subject of potatoes never came up though. :watching:


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

paratrooper said:


> I've been called lots of things over the years.
> 
> The subject of potatoes never came up though. :watching:


No? What about "Suds and Spuds"?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

BackyardCowboy said:


> No? What about "Suds and Spuds"?


Nope.....I just don't recall talking a whole lot about spuds.

But, speaking of riding, I got in some more miles today. Glorious today! Highways were kind of busy though. Had to be my best. :smt002


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## Argon18smith (Nov 4, 2016)

Bloody hell. Still -20's and I'm getting tired of it. No chance to shoot properly at those temps. Mid 80's is starting to sound good even if it would burn my lilly white skin.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Not sure what lies ahead for us this Spring / Summer? 

This has been one of the easiest winters on record for AZ. If we can get thru Feb. w/o any hash weather, we pretty much have it made. 

We're seeing weather that is typical for late April.


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