1986 GMC S-15

Andrew_S

Observer
Thanks for the good words.

It's been a slow couple weeks,

I got the new cab mounts plates cut down.
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Picked up this digital elite helmet for a smoking deal - $50
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Got the frame done. Cleaned up all the sharp edges and knocked down anything that needed a touch up.
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2 full coats of por 15
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I know it seems backwards to paint and then repair these. I was worried the frame would start to rust. It's easy to touch up the paint.
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Final product:
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Front suspension mocked up
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Not much progress but forward movement.
 

Andrew_S

Observer
^ thanks, it's super clean.

Picked up an exterior temp sensor for the planar. This is something I've been wanting for a minute.
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Now we'll have the heater temp, thermostat temp & exterior. Looking forward to seeing how cold we can go and keep it comfortable inside.
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Haven't made much progress other than sitting and staring.
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Can't wait to hit some corners with this wheel/tire combo.
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Started mocking everything up on the 8.8,
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Quick day trip looking for Morels
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Cool mini hoodoos being formed by pebbles
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No mushrooms up here...
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Nice spot for a quick lunch
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Andrew_S

Observer
Bit of a mega upload here,

We went on a 7 day trip to Vancouver island for the long weekend.
Pretty crazy to see the damage from the flooding along the Coquihalla. This view gets me every time.
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We spent the first night at Jones lake just outside Hope. It's a dammed lake, very interesting to walk the shoreline and see the old monsters that once were.
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All but one day of this trip we experienced fresh snow.
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Dinner on the fire with a very bright moon. Starting the trip on a high note with this spot.
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Morning Views, coffees on
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One last look before we hit the road, ferry bound.
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Cute little A-frame on our way out,
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Pit stop for lunch at bridal veil falls.
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Some pretty extreme delays at the ferry had us walking through horseshoe bay killing time.
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The ferry delay had us land on the island late, we scrambled to get to a site and the rest of the day was a blur.
The next morning our first stop was cathedral grove. Our mission on this trip was to see some old giants.
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Pics never do the scale of things justice. This was a beauty.
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The wife looking tiny next to these towers.
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Couldn't pass up the chance to paddle this little river on our way to Ucluelet.
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Little shallow along this section.
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The sequence of events that led to this stump ending up perfectly like this...
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Andrew_S

Observer
On our way to Tofino we found this gem of a spot. It was to early to stop so we pushed on.
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Big cedar trail
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Tofino was beautiful,
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The beaches completely caught me off-guard, world class in my opinion.
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Tofino harbour,
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another beauty beach
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Temps dipped below freezing every night of this trip. We were very happy to have the diesel heater.
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Nice spot for breakfast
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I set the canoe down by the water while we were eating. Good thing we turned around when we did. Tide almost took our old grumman away.
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We loved every minute of this paddle. First time we've been on the ocean and what a beauty of a day.
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Would have loved to have taken a look inside of this floating fishing camp.
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Super cool finding natural bonsia's
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Not a sight we see very often
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Tide almost took the truck too.
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Andrew_S

Observer
Bit of a road block on our way to another waterfall
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Would have loved to see this come down
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We'll have to visit again when it's warmer. We passed countless swimming pools on our way.
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Spotted a couple of nice Elk on our way down to Nitinat lake.
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Mid day hail storm
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The rain forest is breathtaking.
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Made it to Nitinat lake and found a huge rec site all to ourselves.
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Had to hit the water before dinner
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This lake is renowned for Windsurfing, we were pretty leery heading this way because obviously canoes & wind don't mix.
We must have lucked out.
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This site was 150+ spots but we had it entirely to ourselves.
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One of the biggest root balls I've ever seen. Can barely see the wife at the bottom of this one.
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The next am,
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Fry-up over the fire
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Quick walk around the site
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Looked like this old Champion (?) was responsible for all of the maintenance.
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Last edited:

Andrew_S

Observer
How stunning is this forest, so different from what we are used to seeing.
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I grew up seeing photos of these old off-highway trucks hauling massive loads. I was so stoked to see one in person. Absolute brute.
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another beauty river
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This old Cat put in a shift on the road we were travelling. Nearly 230km's of road and half of it was immaculate.
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Avatar Grove. This place was special.
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Everyone needs to experience trees like this. Pictures don't even come close.
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Would have loved to have paddled this section.
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Another stroll along the beach
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Lunch session before hitting the Juan de Fuca botanical gardens
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This stone was super neat. The pools were made by rocks getting jostled around by the wave action. It then created little aquariums.
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Andrew_S

Observer
Our second last day was a very rainy one. Didn't let it stop us though.

Worlds largest Sitka spruce
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This one dwarfing the truck
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Worlds largest Douglas Fir
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A little trail clearing on our way out
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Grey day with a view at least
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Goldstream provincial park
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Arbutus grove
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Giant slug on our way into Niagara falls
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Nice falls, almost the same height as the iconic Niagara.
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Watched some old boys slinging some crab while we waited for the ferry.
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Back to the mainland
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Some interesting traffic on the highway...
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Andrew_S

Observer
Received an assortment of parts for the SAS, 3500 engine and the '84.
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I absolutely love working on this new chassis. All new parts and hardware is so satisfying.
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The '84 got all new door seals and felts.
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The old seals were so hard they literally snapped when trying to remove them.
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Looking minty now
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Door panel felts installed
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Also got some coil-overs for the new frame in the mail.
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Massive upgrade over the torsion bars
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Need some hubs and she'll nearly be a roller. Picked up some dirty dingo LS engine mounts as well.
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Bonus*** it's that time of year again.
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One of the few positives from all the fires last year
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All 3 trucks got a wash and detail today, they shine up decent
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This thing needs a muffler and an oil change. Wife's been loving it.
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Todd780

OverCamper
Fantastic pictures! I really got to get back to the Island one of these days. It's been much too long since I've been there.
 

pigsammy

Active member
What a great update!
Looks like y'all had a fun trip.
Thank you for posting the pics, you take excellent photos and it lets us enjoy the beautiful scenery along with you.
 

ericvs

Active member
Rad trip pics!
Nitnat Lake doesn't usually fire for wind until summer time. When the wind is on, you can't even find a spot there. You guys def went at the right time (unless you were there for wind activities, haha)
 

Andrew_S

Observer
^I got that vibe from looking at photos of the place. Unbelievable how busy it gets.

Thanks for all the comments. It was a really great trip.
The wife and I were both taken out for a week or so due to Covid.

Almost back to 100% now. Just in time for mushrooms!

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