26 Hour / 1300 Mile Test Drive

[Master Guns]

srodocker: I'm not sure if I'd say that I'm doing good but for sure I'm doing alright. I'm finally starting to see the retirement return of pulling 30 years in the Marine Corps. I pulled a lot of overseas duty as well as back to back to back combat tours where I didn't have a chance to spend much money. Especially right at the end. Now I'm a military consultant and I get paid a whole lot more for doing a whole lot less. Sure wish I would have gotten turned on to this good deal a long time ago and I probably wouldn't have stuck it out to 30. Now I've the time and resources to own and drive some kick-ass MV's.

 

[srodocker]

congrats man on beautiful trucks!

 

[nhdiesel]

Nice recovery, NICE truck! I'm going to spend some quality time looking through those 40 pages. I can relate to the recovery...while not quite as far as you, I did manage 1100 miles essentially straight through from Kentucky to northern NH when I bought my Deuce (my avatar pic). I was fortunate to have 11.00 highway radials, which made for a fairly smooth trip. But I didn't have the luxury of air ride...or even a springer seat! I have the old style, park-bench-barely-a-pad seat. 1100 miles, and roughly 28 hours. I ended up meeting a friend for breakfast but was early, so I napped for almost 2 hours, plus the time spent having breakfast and letting him drive the Deuce around the parking lot.

Good luck with the new truck!

EDIT: I just did a "thorough skimming" of the build thread...sorry, but you get no award. 1300 miles in that truck is like 1300 miles in a new SUV. Nice, nice, NICE ride right there!!!

You look at the pics, and you see a nice clean Deuce, but still just a nice Deuce. Then spend time looking at all the little custom details, and they all add up to a MAJOR one of a kind, well-detailed project!!! Kudos to Rob, and Grats to the new owner!!!

Jim

 

[72RatCamaro]

If you don't mind me asking what kinda price range for a rig as nice as this?

 

[nhdiesel]

Since it was public knowledge, it was $25k on ebay IRC. Considering the time and effort, and numerous parts involved, I'd say it was a very good price. They worked separate deal though...I'll let them chime in if they want to make their deal public.

Jim

 

[72RatCamaro]

GAH!! However its a dang nice rig for sure!

 

[Master Guns]

I know you guys are dying to find out what I paid Rob for the Super Bobber. So, without being too specific I'll give you a real good idea of what I paid for it. But before I spill the beans I need to point out a few things: First off let me say that the truck is waaaaaay worth more than Rob let me have it for and we both knew that going into the deal. Secondly, I'd never met Rob prior to negotiating the sale but when we talked on the phone we got a good feeling about each other right from the get go. From the short time I got to talk to Rob and then the time spent with him when picking up the truck it was very obvious that Rob isn't motivated by making huge $$$ on his trucks. He gets more fun and enjoyment out of the build and sharing the hobby with other like minded individuals than building strictly for a profit. I'm sure Rob didn't lose money on the sale but I seriously doubt he saw much if any profit from selling his masterpiece. I think the bottom line with Rob was that he wanted to sell the truck to someone who would really enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is and take great care of it.

If Rob would have wanted to make a boatload of cash on the truck he easily could have. My guess is that if he would have listed the truck on various sites and or shown it at auto/truck shows he could've gotten $40K for it. I think Rob really wants to move on to building a 5-Ton bobber and he needs the space and investment cash from the deuce to get started on his next project. I think Rob was thinking that he could get $25K from the Ebay site which he probably would have if he let it ride for a couple of weeks. Fortunately for me he wanted to get started on his next truck A.S.A.P. and I had cold hard cash to pay right then and there when we talked on the phone. Plus I wanted to fly to Kansas to pick the truck up the next day and drive it back to SoCal right away. I have a couple other MV's and this new truck would clearly be the jewel of my collection and Rob felt I was the right buyer.

So, without dragging this on any longer and driving you guys crazy: By the time I bought the truck, drove it to San Diego, paid tax/title/license to the Peoples Bankrupt Republic of California I have right at $20K invested in it. That should leave all guessing but still give you a real good idea of what I paid for it.

I'd also like to state right now that if Rob builds a 5-ton bobber and then decides to sell it I'll already have my money ready to go to make Rob a serious offer. You guys have no idea how awesome this bobbed deuce actually is. All the You Tube clips and photos don't even begin to do justice to the quality and ingenuity that went into the build. I can't compliment Rob enough on his creation. If any of you are in the San Diego area and want to see the truck or ride in it let me know. It's always topped off with fuel and ready to go.

 

[DUG]

So, you stole it............................................

****, that really doesn't even cover labor and design, let alone parts and materials.

As soon as I get some free time, I'll stop by. I can't wait to see it.

 

[Master Guns]

Dug, Stole is such a harsh word...... Having spent thirty years as a Marine I was frequently required to "acquire" or "liberate" vehicles, equipment and other types of gear which was carelessly left unguarded by the Navy, Army or Air Force. Not once in any of those numerous occasions was there the exchange of cash. Now I can see where someone might be a little bit inclined to utilize the ugly term "Stole" in those instances. As for the bobbed deuce I bought from Rob: I think I probably refunded the actual cash he had invested in the truck. There was simply no way I could afford to pay what he could have demanded for all the labor and design and knowledge he put into the vehicle. No doubt there are people out there who can drop that kind of cash for an MV but those same folks probably wouldn't appreciate it for what it is. Rob knows that and he opted to sell it to me for what he felt was a fair price for both of us.

But Yeah, I basically stole it with his consent. Do I feel guilty? Maybe a little bit but I ain't giving the truck back. Rest assured I know just how fortunate I am to have this rig. Of course my wife isn't nearly as pleased with my purchase as I am. I always thought that women understood the concept of "You have to spend money to save money". She just doesn't understand why I need to have any MV's let alone three of them.