kayak15
Observer
Today a dream of mine was realized. It may be a strange dream to some, but for the last ten years of my marriage (which is all of my marriage) I have desired to have a very specific truck.....a regular cab, longed, 4x4, automatic, Dodge 2500.
Today that truck was purchased and driven to its new home. Now the name is another fun story. I have three daughters and a lovely wife who are all very supportive of this dream and making it a reality. So naturally, being the good husband and father that I am, the females of the Merritt family were given the chance to select the name. My 6 year old, call sign "Grace" wanted "Chuck the Truck". My 8 year old, call sign "Goose" wanted "Rose". My wife, being ever the mother, couldn't care less and said combine the two and make them both happy..... So there you have it Expo.... "Chuck Rose the Truck" is officially named and a member of our family.
Chuck Rose is a 1994 Dodge 2500 4x4 with the 5.9 Magnum gas motor. She has a manual transfer case and automatic transmission. She has a fair amount of body rust, a few holes in the floor pan, a hole in the bed, and some rust spots on the roof. She has more miles than I can count, and spent a good portion of her former life hauling dead deer after hunting around eastern NC.
So without further ado, let me introduce "Chuck Rose the Truck"........
My friend and I tried to give her a good start with a lunch on the tailgate as we were driving her home from Raleigh, NC
Chuck Rose also received her first modification once we got back closer to home. Found a great deal on Craigslist for a nice Leer topper....
Chuck Rose is currently riding on some worn out 315/75/R16's on 20 year old factory steel chrome clad wheels. The plans for the truck include fixing as much Dodge rot as possible and at least slowing down the stuff that I can't completely fix. Getting some new shoes and wheels, probably some Method Racing NV's in black and some type of E rated tire. New exhaust, new intake, full engine tune-up, tranny flush and adjust, and "new" old seats from a pick n pull. Then build a sleeping platform for me and my two oldest daughters, do Herculiner or similar on rockers, cab floor, and bed. Add a roof rack for our current kayaks and a hoping to acquire a new tandem sit on top soon. Outfit the interior with new CD player, speakers, storage options, cup holders, etc.
Chuck Rose is definitely not a daily driver, nor a massive long distance expo rig. She will serve the family perfectly though with hauling trash to the dump, making mulch/gravel runs for the yard, camping with my daughters, and trips to Lowes.
The best part other than realizing a decade long dream, is that I paid $3,300 for everything and have no truck payment!! Will make remodel/modification work much easier and the camping budget that much higher!
Stay tuned for trips and updates and I will plan to document as much as possible and add it to this thread.
Thanks and happy exploring,
Kevin Merritt - Shelby, NC
Today that truck was purchased and driven to its new home. Now the name is another fun story. I have three daughters and a lovely wife who are all very supportive of this dream and making it a reality. So naturally, being the good husband and father that I am, the females of the Merritt family were given the chance to select the name. My 6 year old, call sign "Grace" wanted "Chuck the Truck". My 8 year old, call sign "Goose" wanted "Rose". My wife, being ever the mother, couldn't care less and said combine the two and make them both happy..... So there you have it Expo.... "Chuck Rose the Truck" is officially named and a member of our family.
Chuck Rose is a 1994 Dodge 2500 4x4 with the 5.9 Magnum gas motor. She has a manual transfer case and automatic transmission. She has a fair amount of body rust, a few holes in the floor pan, a hole in the bed, and some rust spots on the roof. She has more miles than I can count, and spent a good portion of her former life hauling dead deer after hunting around eastern NC.
So without further ado, let me introduce "Chuck Rose the Truck"........
My friend and I tried to give her a good start with a lunch on the tailgate as we were driving her home from Raleigh, NC
Chuck Rose also received her first modification once we got back closer to home. Found a great deal on Craigslist for a nice Leer topper....
Chuck Rose is currently riding on some worn out 315/75/R16's on 20 year old factory steel chrome clad wheels. The plans for the truck include fixing as much Dodge rot as possible and at least slowing down the stuff that I can't completely fix. Getting some new shoes and wheels, probably some Method Racing NV's in black and some type of E rated tire. New exhaust, new intake, full engine tune-up, tranny flush and adjust, and "new" old seats from a pick n pull. Then build a sleeping platform for me and my two oldest daughters, do Herculiner or similar on rockers, cab floor, and bed. Add a roof rack for our current kayaks and a hoping to acquire a new tandem sit on top soon. Outfit the interior with new CD player, speakers, storage options, cup holders, etc.
Chuck Rose is definitely not a daily driver, nor a massive long distance expo rig. She will serve the family perfectly though with hauling trash to the dump, making mulch/gravel runs for the yard, camping with my daughters, and trips to Lowes.
The best part other than realizing a decade long dream, is that I paid $3,300 for everything and have no truck payment!! Will make remodel/modification work much easier and the camping budget that much higher!
Stay tuned for trips and updates and I will plan to document as much as possible and add it to this thread.
Thanks and happy exploring,
Kevin Merritt - Shelby, NC