Builds Vermont Troop Carrier - Tilda Bogue Service Station

[wngrog]

When you love 40 series Land Cruisers but you have 4 boys…….#vttroopy

 

[wngrog]

This all started way back a million years ago. The owner @fireball was my first paying customer at Tilda Bogue Service Station.

Weenie 3 was a great project. I learned a lot.

Fast forward to last year. Ben ordered up some ARB lockers for Weenie 3 and he was going to send it down. I tried to talk him into a Saudi 80 but he’s a 40 guy so he said “what else you got?”

We called up @Meshal on the repeater and gave him a budget and sent him hunting.

This was last October …..

 

[wngrog]

Ben wanted a Patina truck which totally baffled the guy that owned the Troopy.

We haggled with him some and liked this truck as it has factory air and power steering. (Neither of which work)

The only question I had was if the engine was good. The rest of the mechanicals are getting replaced so I did not care.

We got this guy on a FaceTime and his helper walked out. Tipped a battery upside down touching post to post and fired that bitch up.

We were screaming it was so great. I’m sick I don’t have a screen shot.

Interior was rough. It was used as a school bus up in the Saudi mountains.

 

[wngrog]

Things were going pretty smooth Money went to Saudi We gave the guy a list of stuff to do there before it shipped out.




Then Ben stuck a stick in the spokes and the wheels came off……

 

[wngrog]

“I really want a soft top. Can you make that happen?”


Uh. Sure.

Meshal.

Sure.

Shop.

Sure.

New years happens. It’s now 2024.

 

[wngrog]

Meanwhile Meshal is looking for material for said soft top. They have a complicated filing system

 

[wngrog]

January turned to February and then March. Frustration with the guy doing the work is at an all time high. He’s too far away from Meshal to personally go check on and he is charging way too much money.

Finally we get word it headed to Meshal.

Interior is done.



Top is done.

 

[wngrog]

Now it’s April. Finally we have the trucks and they are ready for the container. Timing is perfect. I’ll get Ben’s truck ready and he can enjoy the Vermont summer with his new truck.

We have washed the past down the river and all is well.

 

[wngrog]

My previous container was delayed due to the October Israel war.

This one was loaded and ready to leave and the Iranians retaliated.

No s***. Both of my last shipments were scheduled to leave on the exact days of both of these events.

 

[wngrog]

April turns to May and then we finally get word that they are floating

 

[wngrog]

Right out of the chute it took a delay.

So we start tracking the trucks across the pond. Slowly. More delays.

Finally last Thursday the ship arrived.

11 months from the start of this Odyssey, we are in business.

 

[majdomo]

Sub'd. What a story!

 

[wngrog]

I contacted my receiver and he said Monday they would have the trucks.

I cleared my shop out last weekend. Got all the projects done. Started inventorying my first round of parts.

All good.

Then it wasn’t good.

My container was “selected” for inspection and taken to a bonded warehouse.

Last time this happened they did a quick Xray and it was released. No charge.

This time they unloaded them. And they sat.

This is the result of that fiasco.

 

[wngrog]

So every day last week I was told it would be the next day. Houston is 500 miles away so I kept asking them to tell me when I could get it so I could drive down the day before.

Finally on Thursday at 3 pm they called and said I could pick up the trucks at noon Friday.

I hit the road.

I made it to Jennings Louisiana about 3 hours shy of Houston. Perfect.

I met @Yukon Kit in Houston to give him a seat for his 80 out of mine. Narrowly avoided a huge wreck

Saw this turd being offloaded

Grabbed lunch at a taco truck and arrived at 12 noon.

 

[wngrog]

Long story short. The trucks were not there and the guy told me to come back on Monday.

He and I had a few terse words and I decided I needed to speak to someone face to face so I went in and went full Captain Grogan on their asses.

The trucks arrived at 5 o’clock and I was loaded and out of there, screwed out of time and $3100 additional dollars.

I dialed up my Hilton app and made it back to Jennings LA at 9 pm.

 

[wngrog]

Today was a better day.


I got up early. Took my time. Had no traffic in Baton Rouge and dropped the 75 off at noon and made it home at 1.

Unloaded the Troopy and went for a drive.

None of the gauges work so I did not want to get too far gone but the engine runs fantastic.

 

[wngrog]

I never know exactly how to start a big project like this but I decided first it needed a good bath.

Zepp truck and trailer wash and a scrub brush and pressure and it came pretty clean. At least down to the chalky layer

Engine is nice and complete and unmolested.

Oil bath filter is cool

I’m going to get the soft top stuff out and I’m probably going to start by getting the hard top off and then polishing up the paint. See what’s what under here.

Stay tuned.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Nice. 45 Troopies aren’t easy to find, even in Saudi. The power steering on mine works but the AC doesn’t. I have a new compressor, clutch, and all new hoses. Will be interesting to see how this one progresses.

 

[Meshal]

 

[fireball]

"nothing good comes easy!"

go nolen, thanks for all your efforts on this one, can't wait to see the rest of the vision come to life.

can you count those backseats for me again? i think i've got room for a few more kids