Builds The "Red Rocket" Troopy (2 Viewers)

[theglobb]

That primer is pretty much the exact same one that I replaced on the OM617 in my G-Wagen years ago, the original style was notorious for developing leaks. If you can hear the leak in the vicinity of the IP and you've gone through and replaced all the fuel lines and tightened all the clamps in that area, it is likely the IP itself. Mileage is only one factor for those seals and o-rings leaking; age is another. It is not uncommon for injection pumps to start leaking after a couple of decades, the rubber simply hardens and no longer seals as well.

I see on the old primer there is an o-ring where it threads in, did the new one have that or did it use a crush washer?

That clutch is very small! The only automotive style clutch I've seen smaller than that was in a Daihatsu HiJet I worked on for a friend a few years back.

New primer came with a copper crush washer, I see many IP's that all look the same/share the same parts. All using that bosch patented IP design it seems.

It doesn’t take much to lose prime but if yours is losing it that quick now it’s definitely a bigger leak.


Try running from a 5 gallon fuel can. Make sure it’s clean or even out a cheap in-line filter on it. Run a hose to the primer pump and keep the fuel up higher. (Full bogan says pull the hood so you can put the fuel can there)

If it stalls out again after a few minutes then it’s Probabaly something in the pump. If it runs fine and no issues, then it’s the lines from the primer pump all the way to the pickup tube in the tank.

I did this and it totally solved the issue! Ran it off the tank and got clean strong pressure. Kept it as low as possible (underneath the troopy) to stress test its pulling capability. Good news that it's not the pump!

Start simple and work your way up from the tank. Test every line... I use vacuum to test for leaks, but pressure will work too. Although time consuming and annoying, in most cases, it is simply worn rubber lines, a pinhole in a hard metal line, or need new clamps or a combination of all 3. If you are worried on budget, grab bulk diesel rated fuel line and a box of clamps and go to town, just inspect/test the hard lines. Replace everything soft and clampy looking with new.

Exactly what I did next.

I'm going to assume your first priority is to make your truck run reliably with as little waste of time and money as possible. I also believe that your problem is that air is getting in the fuel lines and causing the lift pump to lose prime.
1. buy a cheap electric fuel pump and put it in your fuel line very close to the tank to push the fuel to your pump. Here's a example and it's only $14: https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Pressure-HEP-02A-Motorcycle-Carburetor/dp/B07HGR9P59/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2GSLOL5S810V1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BD8aNduqBLVjF_hKaNT4v5_TYtKMAdxBJnYhuE-BnfJ5IMG2u6YUZfcD3rfQopBRrAgdMdHEGeAgyJBgsTwcX6BW0guZKzaKlKdx3o1IoycX8GfnDpmOGCDki7vW4RnVsYmK1Rb_KzfXqRJfj6TOZ6P1_1uKNmtfyBUq971dzgb95D4m7drE5Z7xR5wEIj_SxwP_q64gbbkKtHMag3hPpZAHwX4Oro1fQ-oLcNxQCg0.Nb1hWvJmBf7wjNHAnOg7UwV28MzFDgMp_TBA9Zh-Vb0&dib_tag=se&keywords=24V+electric+fuel+pump&qid=1711677498&sprefix=24v+electric+fuel+pump,aps,96&sr=8-3
2. If this causes your truck to run reliably then you definately have a air leak. Perhaps it will cause fuel to leak out of that spot now that it is positively pressured. This may help you find your leak.
3. If this also doesn't work then perhaps your tank vent is clogged causing a vacum in your tank. Or it is something else beyond these thoughts.
4. If the E-pump works it out for you then on those days when you have free time on your hands you can always disconnect the epump and troubleshoot searching for the air leak and make the "proper repair". In the meantime however you'll be driving.

Every modern vehicle I know of has a electric pump in the tank to push the fuel to the engine.

I bought that exact pump off amazon about 4 hours before you replied lol! Great minds think alike.

------------------

So I've spent the past couple days replacing ever single fuel line and clamp there is on this thing once I confirmed that it wasn't the IP. Still it was sucking in a massive amount of air. Absolutely defeated yesterday I just stopped working on it and enjoyed the rest of my day after I took a shower to soak off all the diesel. Today I started unplugging certain parts of the fuel system to isolate the leak to see if there is a certain part of hardline that had a tiny pinhole in it as mentioned above... still no luck tons of air. Finally, I bypassed the water/fuel separator. SUCCESS!!! It has a fresh, like brand new as of 2 weeks ago, fuel filter on it so I'm pretty confident it wasn't clogged. Took it all apart, O rings all checked out, lathered all rubber with grease and all the threads on it with thick grease aswell to minimize any small leak. Still, no luck it was sucking a massive amount of air. Then I realized I upgraded the filter to a 2-micron vs a 10-micron that my old one was. My only guess as of right now is that the extremely small micron count that it's filtering down to isn't letting enough fuel through the filter to run the actual engine. Ordered another 10-micron filter to test this theory. If its not that then my fuel/water assembly is bad in some sort of way. I'm just so thankful it isn't the IP, then again I would have just wired up that fuel pump as @robmobile73 mentioned to keep it trucking. Gonna keep that in my parts bin for any emergency uses I may need it for in the future... you never know.

Will keep yall updated if the higher micron filter fixes the issue or if it's the assembly itself

also to add a bit of humor to the end of this post... this popped up in my memories today. Spot on description

 

[svsisu]

New primer came with a copper crush washer, I see many IP's that all look the same/share the same parts. All using that bosch patented IP design it seems.

I did this and it totally solved the issue! Ran it off the tank and got clean strong pressure. Kept it as low as possible (underneath the troopy) to stress test its pulling capability. Good news that it's not the pump!

Exactly what I did next.

I bought that exact pump off amazon about 4 hours before you replied lol! Great minds think alike.

------------------

So I've spent the past couple days replacing ever single fuel line and clamp there is on this thing once I confirmed that it wasn't the IP. Still it was sucking in a massive amount of air. Absolutely defeated yesterday I just stopped working on it and enjoyed the rest of my day after I took a shower to soak off all the diesel. Today I started unplugging certain parts of the fuel system to isolate the leak to see if there is a certain part of hardline that had a tiny pinhole in it as mentioned above... still no luck tons of air. Finally, I bypassed the water/fuel separator. SUCCESS!!! It has a fresh, like brand new as of 2 weeks ago, fuel filter on it so I'm pretty confident it wasn't clogged. Took it all apart, O rings all checked out, lathered all rubber with grease and all the threads on it with thick grease aswell to minimize any small leak. Still, no luck it was sucking a massive amount of air. Then I realized I upgraded the filter to a 2-micron vs a 10-micron that my old one was. My only guess as of right now is that the extremely small micron count that it's filtering down to isn't letting enough fuel through the filter to run the actual engine. Ordered another 10-micron filter to test this theory. If its not that then my fuel/water assembly is bad in some sort of way. I'm just so thankful it isn't the IP, then again I would have just wired up that fuel pump as @robmobile73 mentioned to keep it trucking. Gonna keep that in my parts bin for any emergency uses I may need it for in the future... you never know.

Will keep yall updated if the higher micron filter fixes the issue or if it's the assembly itself

also to add a bit of humor to the end of this post... this popped up in my memories today. Spot on description
View attachment 3595178

You're looking good as a woman in a black bikini. Good sleuthing on your fuel issues... 2 micron is extremely fine filtration, way overkill, and typically causes more problems than "standard" filtration. Hopefully going back to 10 micron solves your problem.

I'll be out that way for a quick visit at the folks place. Fast turn around, but maybe we can meet up.

 

[robmobile73]

New primer came with a copper crush washer, I see many IP's that all look the same/share the same parts. All using that bosch patented IP design it seems.

I did this and it totally solved the issue! Ran it off the tank and got clean strong pressure. Kept it as low as possible (underneath the troopy) to stress test its pulling capability. Good news that it's not the pump!

Exactly what I did next.

I bought that exact pump off amazon about 4 hours before you replied lol! Great minds think alike.

------------------

So I've spent the past couple days replacing ever single fuel line and clamp there is on this thing once I confirmed that it wasn't the IP. Still it was sucking in a massive amount of air. Absolutely defeated yesterday I just stopped working on it and enjoyed the rest of my day after I took a shower to soak off all the diesel. Today I started unplugging certain parts of the fuel system to isolate the leak to see if there is a certain part of hardline that had a tiny pinhole in it as mentioned above... still no luck tons of air. Finally, I bypassed the water/fuel separator. SUCCESS!!! It has a fresh, like brand new as of 2 weeks ago, fuel filter on it so I'm pretty confident it wasn't clogged. Took it all apart, O rings all checked out, lathered all rubber with grease and all the threads on it with thick grease aswell to minimize any small leak. Still, no luck it was sucking a massive amount of air. Then I realized I upgraded the filter to a 2-micron vs a 10-micron that my old one was. My only guess as of right now is that the extremely small micron count that it's filtering down to isn't letting enough fuel through the filter to run the actual engine. Ordered another 10-micron filter to test this theory. If its not that then my fuel/water assembly is bad in some sort of way. I'm just so thankful it isn't the IP, then again I would have just wired up that fuel pump as @robmobile73 mentioned to keep it trucking. Gonna keep that in my parts bin for any emergency uses I may need it for in the future... you never know.

Will keep yall updated if the higher micron filter fixes the issue or if it's the assembly itself

also to add a bit of humor to the end of this post... this popped up in my memories today. Spot on description
View attachment 3595178

You've really done some good work finding your problem. I hate to tell you this, but you're on your way to becoming one of those guys who knows more about his cars than the people he needs to fix them because he doesn't have time to do it himself. Your only hope to escape the frustration is to continue to buy Toyotas that generally are reliable so you don't have to deal with repair shops so much........................You need that fuel pump. Buying it probably caused you to find your problem. Amazing you had to spend less than $20 to find out you didn't need it. Keep that on hand, you will always have a need for a electric fuel pump. Probably at least once every 18 months as long as you have project cars, boats, etc.

 

[FJBen]

nice work. That 2 micron is overkill for these old diesel. Probably filled up quickly and started causing all these issues.


Glad it’s running good , Bikini season is here.

 

[theglobb]

Bad news for the troopy but good news for me! I got hired as a steam locomotive mechanic locally here working on some old steam trains that are 100 years or so old. I guess it's good news for the troopy in the long run cause I'll finally have some money to put toward it! But all of the rust repair and the pop top conversion I was gonna work on this summer obviously will be pushed back to.... well I don't really know when. It will be a full time job, more weeks than not I'll be working 7 days a week at this place. Occasionally will have weekends off here and there but obviously not enough to do any substantial amount of work to a car. I'm just so pumped that out of 20 or so applicants that I ended up getting the job.

video I took right after I left my 2nd interview


also swapped out transmissions in the zupup, the 2 days ago. The slip yoke spline count for a 1977 Chevy Luv's transmission (the "new" one) is way different than the Isuzu Pup's for some reason. Exact same transmission, everything is exactly the same except for the output shaft spline count... weird and ANNOYING. Now I'm just waiting for one in order to get this thing back on the road.

Waiting on that fuel/water separator to arrive in the mail as it keeps getting pushed back, troopy is running great with it bypassed though!

 

[AirheadNut]

Congrats on the job, that sounds like a really cool and unique work experience!

 

[Rigster]

Congrats on the job, that sounds like a really cool and unique work experience!

Ditto... way to go @theglobb ! Even just having that on a resume is cool. A good conversation starter if nothing else with any future prospective jobs down the road once you are done school.

Can't wait to see all the mods you do on the steam engine... lift, Turbo, injectors, maybe an Isuzu transmission... with your imagination and tools, the sky is the limit!!

Seriously though, what a cool opportunity! Look forward to hearing all about it and seeing some photos.

 

[robmobile73]

Bad news for the troopy but good news for me! I got hired as a steam locomotive mechanic locally here working on some old steam trains that are 100 years or so old. I guess it's good news for the troopy in the long run cause I'll finally have some money to put toward it! But all of the rust repair and the pop top conversion I was gonna work on this summer obviously will be pushed back to.... well I don't really know when. It will be a full time job, more weeks than not I'll be working 7 days a week at this place. Occasionally will have weekends off here and there but obviously not enough to do any substantial amount of work to a car. I'm just so pumped that out of 20 or so applicants that I ended up getting the job.

video I took right after I left my 2nd interview


also swapped out transmissions in the zupup, the 2 days ago. The slip yoke spline count for a 1977 Chevy Luv's transmission (the "new" one) is way different than the Isuzu Pup's for some reason. Exact same transmission, everything is exactly the same except for the output shaft spline count... weird and ANNOYING. Now I'm just waiting for one in order to get this thing back on the road.View attachment 3598824

Waiting on that fuel/water separator to arrive in the mail as it keeps getting pushed back, troopy is running great with it bypassed though!

New job sounds awesome and a unique experience. At this point in your life you will have some life changing opportunities. My advice is to enjoy them as much as possible and learn as much as you can. Choose the ones that allow you to be with the best people.

 

[svsisu]

Bad news for the troopy but good news for me! I got hired as a steam locomotive mechanic locally here working on some old steam trains that are 100 years or so old. I guess it's good news for the troopy in the long run cause I'll finally have some money to put toward it! But all of the rust repair and the pop top conversion I was gonna work on this summer obviously will be pushed back to.... well I don't really know when. It will be a full time job, more weeks than not I'll be working 7 days a week at this place. Occasionally will have weekends off here and there but obviously not enough to do any substantial amount of work to a car. I'm just so pumped that out of 20 or so applicants that I ended up getting the job.

video I took right after I left my 2nd interview


also swapped out transmissions in the zupup, the 2 days ago. The slip yoke spline count for a 1977 Chevy Luv's transmission (the "new" one) is way different than the Isuzu Pup's for some reason. Exact same transmission, everything is exactly the same except for the output shaft spline count... weird and ANNOYING. Now I'm just waiting for one in order to get this thing back on the road.View attachment 3598824

Waiting on that fuel/water separator to arrive in the mail as it keeps getting pushed back, troopy is running great with it bypassed though!

Congratulations on getting the job! Can't tell you how many times we had to take my nephews over to Tweetsie Railroad when they were little; that place is so cool!

Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes for the @theglobb to start thinking about swapping a steam engine into the red rocket?

 

[Shyrock]

Congratulations on getting the job! Can't tell you how many times we had to take my nephews over to Tweetsie Railroad when they were little; that place is so cool!

Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes for the @theglobb to start thinking about swapping a steam engine into the red rocket?

NO ! I'm not sure I'd survive that one. And his Mom would likely leave me.

 

[theglobb]

This past Saturday there was the "biggest party in Boone" called Thaw Out massive event, more than 10,000 kids, and the main source of transportation for the event were 2 short buses ( powered by 7.3's) run by my buddy who owns the Boone Party Bus business. AND the Red Rocket of course. I drove for 14 hours straight, fueled by a Bojangles Cajun fillet biscuit and a couple of protein bars.

Ended up making close to $900 in one day which wasn't a bad run at all! Myself along with the 2 party buses had police escorts into and out of the event every time we entered to drop off/pick up more kids. The Red Rocket did amazing, full throttle, fully loaded, in a mountain town, full of stop-and-go traffic. It was actually the first time I've ever overheated my brakes, no matter how much engine braking I did I was still stopping the troopy with an extra 2000lbs in it over and over again. Took a 10 minute break and hit the highway at 75mph to cool them down some. I was too busy driving to take any photos so here's the only events I have documented of the day.

Picture I took 30 minutes before all hell let loose and the calls for pick ups started coming in

Had to rescue one of my best friends from the event who had a bit too much to drink as to where she couldn't even walk

This was what the line was like when you didn't have a police escort into the event, half a mile line

It was a good time! By the end of it my right arm and left leg were shaking from all of the shifting I had been doing, ontop of having no power steering.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the heartbreaking news for me but amazing news for the troopy. After about a whole month of deliberations, now it's pretty set in stone. My last post mentioned I was hired to work on those old steam locomotives. Well, I was hired by my boss who was a great guy, genuinely the first boss I have had that wasn't shady, like trying to steal money from me or this past summer when my last boss was shorting me half my paycheck and then tried to fistfight me over it... that's a story for another time.

However after a week or so after I was hired, the windowlicking smoothbrain that runs the HR dept did a background check/search on me, and came across a news article about the Isuzu Trooper explosion that I had almost burned to death in. Obviously they had questions as the article was last updated the night that it happened, didn't say that I wasn't at fault, and also said that the investigation was still ongoing. So I went in and explained everything that happened but that wasn't enough. My boss and I fought very hard to keep me employed there. I got a great recommendation from my landlord saying how my actions saved the entire house from burning down, went to the papers to have them update the article, and went to the fire marshall to get the entire written report saying I was not at fault for anything and it was a freak accident. No matter what I did or how much effort I put in the absolute child running the HR dept wouldn't change her mind, let alone even respond to my emails or calls about the issue. She finally did and just shut me down once more without giving me any reason or chance to meet in person about anything, couldn't even spell my name correctly in the email which is honestly the part that pisses me off the most. It shows how much she didn't care about anything and how I was just an annoying fly in her ear. This was all after $550 had been spent on safety toe boots required for the job, beating 22 other applicants for the position, and months of waiting to hear back from them from when I even first applied for it.

This is the end of my rant/update. Sorry to end it on a negative note, its just insane how much effort I put into righting any issues they would have had and felt like I was dealing with someone who has the maturity of an 11-year-old girl.

This means I will be using all of my anger I have for the waste of oxygen that is running the HR dept, to fuel my passion to do rust repairs, pop top install, and a repaint of the troopy this summer. Probably even more such as a properly sized turbo for the 4BD1T, rock sliders, clean up the wiring, etc etc. It's gonna be a GOOOOD summer for the troopy. Try to get it looking nice, all the dents out, and really transform it into what I've always wanted it for, being able to live out of it. Might even add power steering who knows!

 

[bj70bc]

 

[prwillard2]

Dude, so sorry to hear about the job. That is a huge bummer and they're the ones who will be missing out! Glad you'll be able to spend some quality time with the troopy this summer though!

 

[Felde]

Sorry to hear you lost that dream opportunity.
But epic story of those event hauls.
I'm always amazed what is possible at your place. Police escort for a cluttered black taxi .
Keep it up!
Cheers Ralf

 

[jblueridge]

Good on you for not setting her garage on fire.
It is these faceless, brainless bureaucratic automatons set in motion by lawyers that make life miserable for normal people.
These nitwits are everywhere but they seem to gravitate to the Virginia DMV (and HR dept's too).

 

[nuclearbeef]

This past Saturday there was the "biggest party in Boone" called Thaw Out massive event, more than 10,000 kids, and the main source of transportation for the event were 2 short buses ( powered by 7.3's) run by my buddy who owns the Boone Party Bus business. AND the Red Rocket of course. I drove for 14 hours straight, fueled by a Bojangles Cajun fillet biscuit and a couple of protein bars.

Ended up making close to $900 in one day which wasn't a bad run at all! Myself along with the 2 party buses had police escorts into and out of the event every time we entered to drop off/pick up more kids. The Red Rocket did amazing, full throttle, fully loaded, in a mountain town, full of stop-and-go traffic. It was actually the first time I've ever overheated my brakes, no matter how much engine braking I did I was still stopping the troopy with an extra 2000lbs in it over and over again. Took a 10 minute break and hit the highway at 75mph to cool them down some. I was too busy driving to take any photos so here's the only events I have documented of the day.

Picture I took 30 minutes before all hell let loose and the calls for pick ups started coming in
View attachment 3620001


View attachment 3620000

Had to rescue one of my best friends from the event who had a bit too much to drink as to where she couldn't even walk
View attachment 3620003
View attachment 3620004

This was what the line was like when you didn't have a police escort into the event, half a mile line
View attachment 3620040

It was a good time! By the end of it my right arm and left leg were shaking from all of the shifting I had been doing, ontop of having no power steering.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the heartbreaking news for me but amazing news for the troopy. After about a whole month of deliberations, now it's pretty set in stone. My last post mentioned I was hired to work on those old steam locomotives. Well, I was hired by my boss who was a great guy, genuinely the first boss I have had that wasn't shady, like trying to steal money from me or this past summer when my last boss was shorting me half my paycheck and then tried to fistfight me over it... that's a story for another time.

However after a week or so after I was hired, the windowlicking smoothbrain that runs the HR dept did a background check/search on me, and came across a news article about the Isuzu Trooper explosion that I had almost burned to death in. Obviously they had questions as the article was last updated the night that it happened, didn't say that I wasn't at fault, and also said that the investigation was still ongoing. So I went in and explained everything that happened but that wasn't enough. My boss and I fought very hard to keep me employed there. I got a great recommendation from my landlord saying how my actions saved the entire house from burning down, went to the papers to have them update the article, and went to the fire marshall to get the entire written report saying I was not at fault for anything and it was a freak accident. No matter what I did or how much effort I put in the absolute child running the HR dept wouldn't change her mind, let alone even respond to my emails or calls about the issue. She finally did and just shut me down once more without giving me any reason or chance to meet in person about anything, couldn't even spell my name correctly in the email which is honestly the part that pisses me off the most. It shows how much she didn't care about anything and how I was just an annoying fly in her ear. This was all after $550 had been spent on safety toe boots required for the job, beating 22 other applicants for the position, and months of waiting to hear back from them from when I even first applied for it.

This is the end of my rant/update. Sorry to end it on a negative note, its just insane how much effort I put into righting any issues they would have had and felt like I was dealing with someone who has the maturity of an 11-year-old girl.

This means I will be using all of my anger I have for the waste of oxygen that is running the HR dept, to fuel my passion to do rust repairs, pop top install, and a repaint of the troopy this summer. Probably even more such as a properly sized turbo for the 4BD1T, rock sliders, clean up the wiring, etc etc. It's gonna be a GOOOOD summer for the troopy. Try to get it looking nice, all the dents out, and really transform it into what I've always wanted it for, being able to live out of it. Might even add power steering who knows!

I've had a similar experience.
It's a real kick in the huevos!

With time, you will gain perspective and realize that you dodged a bullet!
No way you want to work for a place that is run like that!

Just soldier on. You will leave a trail of the small-minded and other idiots in your wake, throughout life.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

This past Saturday there was the "biggest party in Boone" called Thaw Out massive event, more than 10,000 kids, and the main source of transportation for the event were 2 short buses ( powered by 7.3's) run by my buddy who owns the Boone Party Bus business. AND the Red Rocket of course. I drove for 14 hours straight, fueled by a Bojangles Cajun fillet biscuit and a couple of protein bars.

Ended up making close to $900 in one day which wasn't a bad run at all! Myself along with the 2 party buses had police escorts into and out of the event every time we entered to drop off/pick up more kids. The Red Rocket did amazing, full throttle, fully loaded, in a mountain town, full of stop-and-go traffic. It was actually the first time I've ever overheated my brakes, no matter how much engine braking I did I was still stopping the troopy with an extra 2000lbs in it over and over again. Took a 10 minute break and hit the highway at 75mph to cool them down some. I was too busy driving to take any photos so here's the only events I have documented of the day.

Picture I took 30 minutes before all hell let loose and the calls for pick ups started coming in
View attachment 3620001


View attachment 3620000

Had to rescue one of my best friends from the event who had a bit too much to drink as to where she couldn't even walk
View attachment 3620003
View attachment 3620004

This was what the line was like when you didn't have a police escort into the event, half a mile line
View attachment 3620040

It was a good time! By the end of it my right arm and left leg were shaking from all of the shifting I had been doing, ontop of having no power steering.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the heartbreaking news for me but amazing news for the troopy. After about a whole month of deliberations, now it's pretty set in stone. My last post mentioned I was hired to work on those old steam locomotives. Well, I was hired by my boss who was a great guy, genuinely the first boss I have had that wasn't shady, like trying to steal money from me or this past summer when my last boss was shorting me half my paycheck and then tried to fistfight me over it... that's a story for another time.

However after a week or so after I was hired, the windowlicking smoothbrain that runs the HR dept did a background check/search on me, and came across a news article about the Isuzu Trooper explosion that I had almost burned to death in. Obviously they had questions as the article was last updated the night that it happened, didn't say that I wasn't at fault, and also said that the investigation was still ongoing. So I went in and explained everything that happened but that wasn't enough. My boss and I fought very hard to keep me employed there. I got a great recommendation from my landlord saying how my actions saved the entire house from burning down, went to the papers to have them update the article, and went to the fire marshall to get the entire written report saying I was not at fault for anything and it was a freak accident. No matter what I did or how much effort I put in the absolute child running the HR dept wouldn't change her mind, let alone even respond to my emails or calls about the issue. She finally did and just shut me down once more without giving me any reason or chance to meet in person about anything, couldn't even spell my name correctly in the email which is honestly the part that pisses me off the most. It shows how much she didn't care about anything and how I was just an annoying fly in her ear. This was all after $550 had been spent on safety toe boots required for the job, beating 22 other applicants for the position, and months of waiting to hear back from them from when I even first applied for it.

This is the end of my rant/update. Sorry to end it on a negative note, its just insane how much effort I put into righting any issues they would have had and felt like I was dealing with someone who has the maturity of an 11-year-old girl.

This means I will be using all of my anger I have for the waste of oxygen that is running the HR dept, to fuel my passion to do rust repairs, pop top install, and a repaint of the troopy this summer. Probably even more such as a properly sized turbo for the 4BD1T, rock sliders, clean up the wiring, etc etc. It's gonna be a GOOOOD summer for the troopy. Try to get it looking nice, all the dents out, and really transform it into what I've always wanted it for, being able to live out of it. Might even add power steering who knows!

Sorry man thats rough. All you can do is pivot. Its their loss as well. Like you said its a good excuse to really start cranking on your troopy. And trust me time like that to get things done is tuff in life sometimes. If I had more time You know I would have gotten the salt wagon all torn apart much quicker. Anyways If you ever need anything here on Ocracoke let me know.

 

[Rigster]

This past Saturday there was the "biggest party in Boone" called Thaw Out massive event, more than 10,000 kids, and the main source of transportation for the event were 2 short buses ( powered by 7.3's) run by my buddy who owns the Boone Party Bus business. AND the Red Rocket of course. I drove for 14 hours straight, fueled by a Bojangles Cajun fillet biscuit and a couple of protein bars.

Ended up making close to $900 in one day which wasn't a bad run at all! Myself along with the 2 party buses had police escorts into and out of the event every time we entered to drop off/pick up more kids. The Red Rocket did amazing, full throttle, fully loaded, in a mountain town, full of stop-and-go traffic. It was actually the first time I've ever overheated my brakes, no matter how much engine braking I did I was still stopping the troopy with an extra 2000lbs in it over and over again. Took a 10 minute break and hit the highway at 75mph to cool them down some. I was too busy driving to take any photos so here's the only events I have documented of the day.

Picture I took 30 minutes before all hell let loose and the calls for pick ups started coming in
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Had to rescue one of my best friends from the event who had a bit too much to drink as to where she couldn't even walk
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This was what the line was like when you didn't have a police escort into the event, half a mile line
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It was a good time! By the end of it my right arm and left leg were shaking from all of the shifting I had been doing, ontop of having no power steering.


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Now for the heartbreaking news for me but amazing news for the troopy. After about a whole month of deliberations, now it's pretty set in stone. My last post mentioned I was hired to work on those old steam locomotives. Well, I was hired by my boss who was a great guy, genuinely the first boss I have had that wasn't shady, like trying to steal money from me or this past summer when my last boss was shorting me half my paycheck and then tried to fistfight me over it... that's a story for another time.

However after a week or so after I was hired, the windowlicking smoothbrain that runs the HR dept did a background check/search on me, and came across a news article about the Isuzu Trooper explosion that I had almost burned to death in. Obviously they had questions as the article was last updated the night that it happened, didn't say that I wasn't at fault, and also said that the investigation was still ongoing. So I went in and explained everything that happened but that wasn't enough. My boss and I fought very hard to keep me employed there. I got a great recommendation from my landlord saying how my actions saved the entire house from burning down, went to the papers to have them update the article, and went to the fire marshall to get the entire written report saying I was not at fault for anything and it was a freak accident. No matter what I did or how much effort I put in the absolute child running the HR dept wouldn't change her mind, let alone even respond to my emails or calls about the issue. She finally did and just shut me down once more without giving me any reason or chance to meet in person about anything, couldn't even spell my name correctly in the email which is honestly the part that pisses me off the most. It shows how much she didn't care about anything and how I was just an annoying fly in her ear. This was all after $550 had been spent on safety toe boots required for the job, beating 22 other applicants for the position, and months of waiting to hear back from them from when I even first applied for it.

This is the end of my rant/update. Sorry to end it on a negative note, its just insane how much effort I put into righting any issues they would have had and felt like I was dealing with someone who has the maturity of an 11-year-old girl.

This means I will be using all of my anger I have for the waste of oxygen that is running the HR dept, to fuel my passion to do rust repairs, pop top install, and a repaint of the troopy this summer. Probably even more such as a properly sized turbo for the 4BD1T, rock sliders, clean up the wiring, etc etc. It's gonna be a GOOOOD summer for the troopy. Try to get it looking nice, all the dents out, and really transform it into what I've always wanted it for, being able to live out of it. Might even add power steering who knows!

This is heartbreaking. I am sorry to hear this. This HR lady, her name wouldn't happen to be KAREN would it?

 

[theglobb]

As mentioned before here are some photos of the rust the troopy has. There is always more than what you see on the surface...

It's pretty rotten! Gonna be interesting to see how much I fail and how much I learn while repairing it this summer, I'm going to be soaked in sweat.

With time, you will gain perspective and realize that you dodged a bullet!
No way you want to work for a place that is run like that!

Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement, figured this group would definitely understand. As many of you mentioned... it would have SUCKED to have to work under whatever Nazi-like rules they would have had. Such a shame though as it was the first time I had a boss who genuinely respected me, who knew my worth, and valued my presence. He was about in tears the first time telling me that this was gonna be an issue. Same goes for all the guys in the shop, everyone got along great and were extremely nice. A rarity in most shops up here where you have these big bad mean inbred Appalachian men who think good pay is $12/hr. It just blows my mind the guy who has been in charge of running the train shop for +30 years didn't have the final say over some childish lady who has been there for only 6 years. NUTS!!!

Good on you for not setting her garage on fire.

I would be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind... obviously just a thought and not progressing to an action, ever. But MAN OH MAN how ironic would it be if she was fired cause her car randomly blew up? Doesn't that just sound so ridiculous??? "Oh we see here your car exploded and almost burned you alive, that's horrible to hear. Well uhhhhh, yea, you're also fired"

 

[svsisu]

Fortunately, often once one is past the “gate keepers”, life in the shop can be grand and without the prying eyes of the minions. Unfortunately, you didn’t get past the “gate keeper”, which is their loss. Your boss in the shop knows this, as do the rest of the guys in the shop. Someone else, and you, will gain from that poor HR decision.

Get your welding skills dialed in and you can work anywhere.