I love your write ups on the truck. I admire your fab skills and ingenuity. I grew up in Stamford, NY about 75 miles southwest of you. My brother graduated from RPI.
For my last assignment, I was stationed in Independence, MO. I was literally a 10 minute drive from Jim Carter's. I made that run many times working on my Burb. Classic parts was about a 40 minute drive and if I was really motivated LMC truck was about an hour away. I was spoiled rotten having three major parts houses within easy commuting distance. It will suck when I get back to the states and have to wait on the brown truck like everyone else. At least I'll be able to work on my truck again. It has been in storage for a year while I'm overseas.