You already seem to understand the advice I am going to give by calling out your lack of welding skills. Do a very detailed inspection of the truck and know exactly what is needed. Compare that to your skill set of what you can an can't do. If there are things needed you are not capable of doing it does not rule the truck out but you need to be fully aware that as soon as you have to hire someone else to do the work the cost of that work jumps significantly.
Bottom line - know what the truck needs and know what is needed to solve for it. Is the work you are capable of doing something you are willing to do and is the work you can't do something you can afford to have done. Even with the best plans these projects are always bigger in effort and time than we budget for.
All that said and being at least double my original planned financial commitment I would not change anything. I even picked up a second truck and am working to get it on the road.
I am in Northern Kentucky and had to go to Indiana for my first truck and Tennessee for the second one.
Ron, I had a similar response from my wife. I had been telling her for 6 months I was going to buy a truck. I even kept showing her pictures of potential trucks. When I finally found one I wanted to buy she couldn't believe I was serious????? Fortunate for me it did not lead to divorce and she has warmed up to the idea. She still doesn't understand why I need two. I don't have the nerve to tell her I would like a big bolt also.
Last edited by dgrinnan; 07/28/2022 3:52 PM.
