A little story now that we have some truck updates posted.
Back in early 2022, I reached out to
@07Burb and asked him if he would be interested in selling the NNBS back to me. We found a mutually acceptable deal for both of us, at which point he parked the Suburban in his garage until I could organize how to get it down to Florida.
It was a better option to ship the truck, save the miles, fuel expense and headache of being on a compressed time/travel schedule versus flying out to Missouri and driving it back to Florida myself.
I used Montway Transport.
https://www.montway.com
They had the best reviews and prices at my search time, so I booked with them. They called me ahead of my planned delivery window to advise that a driver was ready to haul.
The driver had well over 2 decades doing this and wheeled that long body onto the truck, secured it, lifted it to the top rack of the truck and departed from 07Burb's location on a dark and windy night.
With the midwest tornadoes kicking the thunderstorms into high gear, thankfully the driver decided to lay up for the night in Missouri, just behind the front and follow the storm out the next morning. He made good time to the southern part of Georgia in 2 days including stops along the way, before heading down into the Sunshine State for the final drop off midday on a Saturday. My friend received the truck in his driveway until I could get back to sort out the registration.
I am grateful and humbled that 07Burb and I could handshake from afar and make it happen. Not without some hiccups, but we managed to pull it off once again.
For the rest of the story, I could write pages about the challenging times we faced, massive time apart from each other in the same country and on both continents as well the numerous good times we had camping and hanging out with friends and family during The Blip. Just the hard decisions we had to make when it comes to our family, the kids, the best plans looking forward and why we made the difficult and pivotal call to move the family back to Florida from Australia.
So here we are again in Florida with the NNBS in the stable and a few mods added to the build thread. I've thought about the NBS many nights and missing that truck. Gotta look forward out the windscreen as it is big and the rearview mirror is small. I can look back and reminisce and think of the many what ifs, but it's not going to change anything to the point of today. Truth in most any situation as hindsight is 20/20. We move forward and keep providing the best lift we can for our 2 amazing kids. That is priority #1 full stop!!
I am pretty sure Jay would never give it up (unless stupid money) and am glad he is loving that truck. I see it on his IG page and fuggggg....that was the one. We have stayed in touch, but time lapses recent comms.
So we/all of us move forward as I know everyone reading this has that one or more vehicles in their past they wish they had not let go. Just the timing. Heck our parents at one time or another had all the best classics in history in their driveways and now look at the money they fetch at places like BJ and private sales. Crazy!!
Not sure what the next version will be or just focus on the NNBS, even though it is the wife's DD. I get to drive it occasionally and clean it often.
I'll just keep doing little things ...maybe more??? lol and the usual maintenance. The wife and kids love having it back in the family. She was wondering how going from the Outback was going to be and the transition back to the long body. Zero time lost and she is wheeling that ******** stern to the dock every day!
On a side note of near excitement, I did flirt with a 1982 Silverado C10 square body this week that a colleague was selling at a good price (not IG c10 sales prices haha). I had my mechanic throw it up on the lift and give it a once over. He said NO without hesitation. I asked the question a 2nd time and he laughed and said don't do it, you will regret it. Dammit!!
Even though the purchase price was good - the repairs, the original leaking 305 and unknown trans condition, rust on every panel and bubbling flaky rust in the door jams and doors, all front end bushings coming apart, exhaust rusted out and missing bits, rear axle leak, missing parts all over the interior or things just not working, were just too much to justify the effort and $$ needed to make it a good platform to begin with. Yes,yes I know a perfect candidate for an LS swap, lowered, even with patina and yes a square body, but too much effort and not an open checkbook either. It was tempting, but wanting to DD it and work on it, after driving it and looking harder it was better to pass it along right now.
My son was devastated, as he was instantly in love with it, especially after the kids and I cruised the beach, but maybe it will supercharge (forecasting) him to save some money to eventually buy something he can wheel around like that.
We will close on puffy dreams of lowered c10s, rolling on billets and an LS with cam lope and a little cab boom from the bench seat sub...jussayin....
@pwtr02ss @iamdub @randeez
