Helpful DAD

[IRFANGNOSIS]

let me start by saying I am an OLD GM guy. My teenage son wanted a manual trans ranger. We ended up with 2, A daily extended cab shitbox and a nice rust-free Arizona regular cab. We have been working on fixing the daily for a few months. the cab floor needed some major Rust repair and the frame needed a little love too. We just finished painting the cab and wheeled it out of the shop so I can work on my junk now.

His plan is to daily the one thru high school then turn that one into a prerunner and LS swap both of them. I will encourage him and help where I can but he has to earn the money for any mods. I am hoping to glean as much knowledge here to help save money in this process.

 

[89Twincharge]

Welcome!!! All rangers are sh1tboxes! That's why I love em!

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm glad to see today's youth get involved with automotive things. Most youth won't take their face out of a cell phone long enough to eat (my two eat while on the phone).

You're in the right place for Ranger knowledge...most here are always willing to help.

I see you're from Mid Michigan... I hope to buy a home a little north of mid next year. I sure do miss my home state and can't wait to get back.

Be sure to keep us updated with the progress with your son's project trucks. Good on you for mentoring him and making him earn it... he will appreciate the end result more then just something just handed to them.

Welcome to TRS...

 

[IRFANGNOSIS]

I'm glad to see today's youth get involved with automotive things. Most youth won't take their face out of a cell phone long enough to eat (my two eat while on the phone).

You're in the right place for Ranger knowledge...most here are always willing to help.

I see you're from Mid Michigan... I hope to buy a home a little north of mid next year. I sure do miss my home state and can't wait to get back.

Be sure to keep us updated with the progress with your son's project trucks. Good on you for mentoring him and making him earn it... he will appreciate the end result more then just something just handed to them.

Welcome to TRS...

He has been working in the shop since he was out of diapers. I does 90% of the work on our dirtbikes. I had previously given him my 75 LeSabre convertible to restore. He wanted to “buy” his own vehicle. He sold all his RC stuff and put together a nice sum. I wont remind him who paid for the RC stuff….. After getting the 1st one home and getting it on the hoist, a previously viewed rust free one popped up again at a lower price. I put money with what he had remaining and he became proud to have a rust-free version to eventually turn into a “street truck” for the last two months he has done most of the cutting and patch making and I have done most of the welding, but he has welded too.
I became a 1st time dad at the age most people become grandparents. While age doesn’t exempt me from screwups, It does give me a different perspective. He is a good kid that gets great grades. I try to help him with anything he wants.

as far as Michigan is concerned, I lived in Oakland County till having to short sell my home during the obama debacle. You couldn’t buy and engineering job in SE Michigan. We moved into the ”Cabin” and went on with life. I am getting to the point where I would really consider a cheap little place in rural NM or AZ for the winter.

 

[Curious Hound]

All rangers are sh1tboxes!

Hey! You insulted my truck!

 

[Uncle Gump]

as far as Michigan is concerned, I lived in Oakland County till having to short sell my home during the obama debacle. You couldn’t buy and engineering job in SE Michigan. We moved into the ”Cabin” and went on with life. I am getting to the point where I would really consider a cheap little place in rural NM or AZ for the winter.

Hmmmm... I lived in Oakland County though all of it. Even worked in engineering through all the bailouts but for decreased wages and extreme workload increases. I finally had enough of it in 2011 and moved to Illinois and invested in ourselves and a pizzeria. Was scary but it worked well and now we're bailing out back to Northern Michigan.

We were neighbors before... we may be neighbors in the near future. I have my eyes on a place in Roscommon... been listed for awhile... if the price gets a little better I just may make a move.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

And mine!!! Only I can call it names lol.

Welcome to the station irfangnosis, lots of good people, and knowledge round here.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Good page to bookmark here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/index.shtml

Been there/Done that, info on all things Ranger

 

[pjtoledo]

old he says, we might just have to compare senior discounts to define what "old" is

I spent some time with EDS in Rochester Hills, that ended in 2001.

 

[IRFANGNOSIS]

Hmmmm... I lived in Oakland County though all of it. Even worked in engineering through all the bailouts but for decreased wages and extreme workload increases. I finally had enough of it in 2011 and moved to Illinois and invested in ourselves and a pizzeria. Was scary but it worked well and now we're bailing out back to Northern Michigan.

We were neighbors before... we may be neighbors in the near future. I have my eyes on a place in Roscommon... been listed for awhile... if the price gets a little better I just may make a move.

Roscommon is central to lots of good dirt biking. not central to any employment.

my family was well was well entrenched in the Little Ceasers franchises. My mom finally got out 5 years ago. Cant imagine dealing with covid and people wanting $15 an hour for a low end job.

 

[IRFANGNOSIS]

old he says, we might just have to compare senior discounts to define what "old" is

I spent some time with EDS in Rochester Hills, that ended in 2001.

last downstate employment was with Geometrics America, which used to be Modern engineering. laid off in 09 then called back for 3 weeks in 2010 for the GM volt program.
and as for old, I have thrown away enought AARP junk mail to run a powerplant for several hours.....

 

[Uncle Gump]

Roscommon is central to lots of good dirt biking. not central to any employment.

my family was well was well entrenched in the Little Caesars franchises. My mom finally got out 5 years ago. Cant imagine dealing with covid and people wanting $15 an hour for a low end job.

Ya know... this just keeps getting stranger. My wife was with Little Caesars corporate for 20 plus years in Detroit. She was offered a position here to run the Chicago corporate market. We ended up buying our own franchise store... turned it around and just sold it to the largest franchise operator in Illinois. She now works for him running his 20 store market. Finding people that want to work even with the increased minimum wages is a daily struggle... she has a need to hire a minimum of 100 people. Seems nobody wants to work these days.

I never worked on the Volt program... but I spent many years at GM truck engineering. It's possible we could have crossed paths if you were involved in any truck programs.

 

[IRFANGNOSIS]

Ya know... this just keeps getting stranger. My wife was with Little Caesars corporate for 20 plus years in Detroit. She was offered a position here to run the Chicago corporate market. We ended up buying our own franchise store... turned it around and just sold it to the largest franchise operator in Illinois. She now works for him running his 20 store market. Finding people that want to work even with the increased minimum wages is a daily struggle... she has a need to hire a minimum of 100 people. Seems nobody wants to work these days.

I never worked on the Volt program... but I spent many years at GM truck engineering. It's possible we could have crossed paths if you were involved in any truck programs.

Well add more to strange, or coincidental. My uncle was in commercial banking and helped Mike Illich get started in thew 60s. He eventually became a vice president at Ceasers in charge of franchising. At one point he and a partner owned all the franchises in Cook county Illinois. When Mike wanted to embrace the Pritican diet my uncle introduced him to my first wife and she became and may still be his family’s personal chef. My uncle helped my parents eventually open 4 Little Ceasers, in Oscoda, Tawas West Branch and Gladwin. They closed 2 stores then sold one then finally the original one 5 years ago. For 30+ years I had never paid for a pizza.

I worked for GM suppliers and did work on the GMT400 and some of the S truck stuff.

 

[rumblecloud]

Welcome to TRS!
I'm a relative newcomer as well and the gentlemen here have really helped me a lot.
Also in Michigan over near Port Huron.
Love the cab roof on shitbox2.
Like your sense of humor as well...it will come in handy around here.

 

[IRFANGNOSIS]

Welcome to TRS!
I'm a relative newcomer as well and the gentlemen here have really helped me a lot.
Also in Michigan over near Port Huron.
Love the cab roof on shitbox2.
Like your sense of humor as well...it will come in handy around here.

Thanks The flag was mostly my sons idea. The gadsden flag part was mine.
I had posted some questions earlier about the cab mounts on the frame. These were rusted away. I have enjoyed working on this with my son so I picked up an old OBS Chevy truck for me to play with. I joined a forum for that and introduced myself here.