Matt and Lunchbox c.2015
In dusting off the blog last week I found a post Matt had written that was never published (c.2015). At the time it was written, I think we were waiting on photos to share with it. But at this very moment, “Lunchbox” is for sale. Sometimes we all make the “adult decisions” Matt writes about below. Yet, at some point we regret them. I know I’ve had my fair share of adventures and memories in vehicles I’ve owned and know the pain the nostalgia brings, wishing for simpler times and machines. The following is an ode to Lunchbox, including photos of her, and other rigs we’ve enjoyed over the years. Here is Matt’s original, unpublished post:
I love fly fishing…well any fishing really. But, there is one thing I love more than fishing and that’s the automobile. Ever since I was a kid, cars and trucks have always been the thing that has interested me most. They have been the cause of daydreams as a kid (Countach, 911, Grand National, Syclone, the classics, etc.) as well as nightmares as an adult (like the time I decided to change the timing belt and water pump on my Honda Accord). A couple of years ago, I had a yearning for a truck/SUV once again. I had an early 90’s Bronco in college and traded it in for the Accord after graduation. I still have massive regret for doing that but, at the time, it was a sound economic decision and nothing more than that. That handsome Bronco saw many off-road adventures, a trip to Wyoming, and it is the vehicle I had when I started dating my now wife (btw: ladies love the Eddie Bauer edition) and I began to really miss those days. I also started envisioning my wife and two young sons piling into such a vehicle and heading to the Appalachians for camping and fishing trips.
So began the search. I scoured Craigslist and the interwebs for the perfect vehicle. I knew I didn’t want a newer vehicle as I loathe dealing with those stupid computer controls and emissions. Grand Wagoneers, Suburban’s, Broncos, K5 Blazers, Scouts…I looked at them all. One day, I stumbled across the vehicle that would soon be mine…a two-tone blue beast I affectionately call “lunchbox”. There is just as much blue outside as there is inside. If the Smurfs were shopping for a burly two door SUV, there is no doubt this would be their vehicle of choice. After 192,000 miles, it was obvious the old gal was getting really, really long in the tooth for power. My dad and I built 360 cubic inches of glorious cast iron power and on an engine stand in his basements it sat, and sat, and sat. Finally, the time came to give it a new home and “lunchbox” a new heart. Over 4 days, we pulled that really tired, leaky, oily 318 out and slid the fresh engine in. It certainly won’t be fast, but it should be able to pull some stumps. Hearing that engine fire off for the first time was thrilling, relieving, and exciting. We had many setbacks (two stripped timing cover bolts) and roadblocks (throttle and kick down linkage) but overcoming those hurdles made turning the key and hearing the Ramcharger’s engine come to life that much more satisfying.
Now the question is what do I do to improve my ride from here. I have plans for a slide-out drawer in the cargo area that will pull triple duty as a table, sleeping platform, and storage. I already upgraded my rear seats and I’m on the hunt for some new ones for the front. They never put leather in the Ramcharger, but I did. Air conditioning in the deep south is a must so that's on the list as are new tires, which at this point, are a necessity.
Stay tuned as the project moves forward. I am always game for questions/input and always looking at the rides of my follow outdoorsmen so let’s see them.
See you in the slow lane...
Remember; good trucks are hard to find, and they are even harder to part with.
