Mean Green "Bob County Edition" Build

[OLDIRON69]

#4 gets my vote!!!

You will have to get shots of his face when he see's the truck!! Great build and priceless motive!

[SCOTI]

# 4 for sure w/a camera present to save the memory (and his facial expression).

[ksjh1316]

#4 for sure make sure there is a big red ribbon and bow on it as well. The only other idea I can think of was place the keys in his stalking and have the truck parked in the drive just before gifts are opened and he won't be back outside to see it, timing may be tricky. You may have to do a neutral powered down delivery to get her in undetected.

[OLDIRON69]

Maybe a door handle wrapped in a box....along with the keys...

[SCOTI]

The keys in some sort of antique box is a good idea too . . .....

[lpaine]

or you could make it a kind of "treasure hunt" with clues to get him to the garage/truck-in a big ribbon, however you do it your f-i-l is going to flip when he lays eyes on his truck, lucky man! You'll have to be sure to video tape or get pic's of this momentous occasion.

[ksjh1316]

Just checking up are you going to make the deadline great thread have a Merry Christmas

[sixnine]

Any updates?

I really like the "grandkids in the garage" idea. Instead of having him take out the trash, just sneak the kids out to the garage after everyone has opened their presents and have them start honking the horn.

He'll wonder, "What the heck is going on in the garage"?

[topnos]

Sorry for the late update, but I have taken off some time from work and have been up at the body shop for the last couple of days workingall day on the truck. I am going to make the deadline ("kind-of"). The truck will be sitting pretty, but not ready to be delivered. We ran into a problem last night, the tailgate. The body shop forgot to install the necessary pieces to allow for the new hidden-latch tailgate to be installed. Also, the time waiting on paint to dry enough for part installation has been irritating. As you might know, even though the paint is baked in the booth. it is still soft and requires some dry time so it isn't so tacky. However, the truck starts and sounds really strong so we will be able to present the gift, and show it off. Unfortunaely, it will not be road ready, but that is an afterthought, knowing that I am still waiting on the lost title to be completed and the inspection to be done.

Based upon all of the input, we will give the gift with all of the grandkids in the bed. Pics will be posted of the delivery. Here are some pics to enjoy. An update will be coming soon.

[OLDIRON69]

Looks great!! I know he will love it!

[1Ton]

I agree. I really like the colors on it. Different. Really make it stand out in the crowd. This is even better than being OverHauled.

[Shock_Me]

Hey topnos...how'd it go? Was he surprised??

Pete

[OLDIRON69]

Same here..did he faint?

[1Ton]

Howd it go?

[topnos]

Sorry for the late post. We have been pretty busy with the kids since X-Mas. As a matter of fact, we finished baseball camp at Rice University yesterday evening. It might not be as cold in Houston as other places up north; however, 9-10 hours a day outside on a stool makes for a very long day.

Now back to the build thread. I can say my father-in-law was absolutely surprised!!! Although he started to get the idea that his present was in the garage, since I wouldn't let him in to air up the tires on the scooters they brought over for the grandkids, he had no earthly idea as to the contents in the garage. To give you an idea of who my father-in-law is, he is never at a loss for words. He always has something to say, and until that day, I never saw him at a loss for words. I had my dad running interference while I packed the bed full of blankets so we could put the kids inside the bed for the revealing. Taking that into consideration, I wasn't able to run the camera to take a reaction photo. However, the only words that came out of my father-in-law's mouth for about 15 minutes was "That's my dad's truck!!!!!". He could not believe it was the same truck, and that this truck was sitting a year ago in the field with a tree growing out of it. No tears from the guy, but I have to admit it that i teared up a bit (although no rollers made it down the cheek).

Unfortunately, we were only sitting pretty for X-Mas, since there are a couple of loose ends that need to be tied up, and we need to get back to the body shop for touch up paint and bed modification for the tailgate. However, my in-laws were headed to Gonzales for a couple of weeks, so we loaded up the truck so he could take it up there to look it over and listen to the engine purr (somewhat loudly with the Flow Super 40's on it). The picture book full of about 400 pics up to this point has kept him amazed as well. By no means is the thread finished until the truck is delivered and a pic of all of the people involved is attached (including pics of the truck completed). With that in mind, I have a couple of weeks of down time away from the truck to get my mind back in the right place, but not bad for about 8 months of work, including baseball and soccer seasons for both of the boys.

Here are some pics, with others to come. Here is a pic of the tailgate painted in the booth and a pic of my old shop dog. You always have to include the dog in a build. Seriously, many thanks to my moter-in-law (Linda), my understanding and loving wife (Kenna), my best friend Brandon (and his understanding wife Melanie), as well as my buddies at the body shop (Curt and Jaime).

[topnos]

more pics (including a baseball camp photo of my almost 7 yr old and my new outdoor kitchen).

[1Ton]

That looks great. I envy you. I want one of those outside kitchens.

[Shock_Me]

Great job on the stepside! Love the color.
The outdoor kitchen looks great too. I want a Big Green Egg!

Pete

[OLDIRON69]

Great story, keep us updated when drive day gets here..

[PanelDeland]

Did you do a build thread on the outdoor kitchen?I'm really wanting one.
The truck and story with it are great.It's not often you get to do something that big for someone important to you.Great Job!!!

BTW I've been following the build thread but just couldn't say much that hadn't already been said.

[slammed1]

What an awesome build thread,and what a great gift to give a father in law. I really like the mods done to the truck that make it unique as Im sure he is thrilled as well. I cant wait to see and hear more.

[race18]

Great job on the build!!!!!
Also a very good story to go along with it.

When I seen that outdoor kitchen I had to back up to see where you were from. My brother In-law from Rollette TX does alot of custom stone work for pools and outdoor kitchens.

[ElGracho]

Are there any final final pictures of this truck? With the tailgate etc...

[jay-dawg]

way to go!