New member from Eastern WV

[samu_fodor]

Hey there! I've been using TRS for a while to help fix and plan improvements for my truck, and finally decided to post. I have a '99 Ranger 2WD "sport" work truck, 2.5L manual with over 200k miles. I got it a year ago to replace my VW Passat wagon which served me well, but wasn't as practical for certain work tasks and was getting expensive to repair. I installed a LSD and use winter tires so that it can be as winter-worthy as reasonably possible for a 2WD truck. It has done well so far, except once when my windshield frosted over suddenly at -3 degrees and I drove into a snowy ditch that probably 4WD wouldn't have gotten me out of. This is an on-road truck generally and my daily driver, so I'm balancing keeping it very practical as a work truck and modestly improving power (and other things that might make it more worthy of the funny "sport" decal), while doing things to improve fuel economy and maintaining reliability. I am an engineer and craftsman, and I have been doing most of the mechanic work on this truck as well as building a bed cap of my own design, which is almost done but needs a back hatch and a method of locking.

Thanks and have a great day!

 

[Curious Hound]

Come meet some of us in person.

TRS Event Thread '2026 Fall Colors Campout'

Feb 19, 2026

TRS 2026 Fall Colors Campout !

Location; We are moving this event to the New River Gorge area near Fayetteville, WV.
This should be a picturesque and interesting area to visit with some unique things to see and do.

Dates; Oct. 8-11. see the poll above. Last year, some didn't attend because the dates interfered with Overland Expo East in Arrington, VA. The expo, this year is the weekend of October 23-25. So, earlier October weekends should be acceptable for our event. I chose...

• Curious Hound
• campout fall colors new river gorge
• Replies: 107
• Forum: TRS Events & Members Adventures

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[SenorNoob]

Agreed. I'd love to see ya there.

Does the cap weigh enough to hold the rear end down in snow? Actually looks like some thought was put into aerodynamics.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

That is an amazing cap! I'm sure it turns some heads!

 

[samu_fodor]

Thank you! I'm interested in coming to the campout, though I have another event scheduled. It's possible it will fall through and I can come.

Part of the motivation of the bed cap is for aero. I'm considering also putting a downward sloping transparent wing off the back end at some point, though making an openable window hatch and installing a locking tailgate latch are higher priority. There are some other aero improvements I might consider, like what's been done on ecomodder.com.

Also have to make it waterproof. For the wood part I figure I can put oakum between the boards like in traditional wood shipbuilding, at least would be necessary for the top. I'm still not totally sure how to best seal the interface between the cap and cab. It would be a bunch of work to make another window at the front, and also snow and debris could fall in the gap, so maybe I just do some kind of squishy foam gasket at that interface, like pool noodle material?

As far as snow, I only had the top piece on there as a tonneau cover during the winter, but it probably has a decent positive effect. The top alone is a bit under 60lbs. I haven't been in deep enough snow to really get it stuck with both wheels still on the ground, though I had a hard time in a parking lot when there was pure sheet ice with snow on top and crunchy ice on top of that.