Stick shifts are bad news. Even the newer Gen I sticks have syncro problems and shorter life expectancy. You also chew through clutches, u-joints, and bent drive shafts if you wheel a 5spd LWB due to shock loads. Not to mention wheeling is hard as hell with a 5spd! WHeelers use Autos almost exclusively today, for a reason.

Didn't mean to touch a nerve with the AT versus MT thing in the Gen I V6 models! Only reason I mentioned it was because my LWB V6 that died in Amarillo is an MT, and my daughter was looking forward to learning how to drive it.

There's a nice Gen I LWB V6 AT down in Redondo Beach that looks pretty much like mine, but since it's an AT, I can't teach her how to drive a stick with that one. But it's good to know that the AT is a solid tranny, better for wheeling than the MT. She definitely likes the LWB better than the SWB, mainly because of the room (she could sleep in the back and haul more stuff), and the V6 has more grunt than the 4-cyl. Guess I'll have to decide if it's better to have a LWB V6 with an AT or MT, and go from there.

But the most off-roading I expect her to be doing is at the beach, or maybe some light snow, no rock-crawling or anything likely to bend or break parts.

If you do end up getting your truck to us don forget that We're in the middle of Lloyds build and that won't be finished until october if we stop hitting snags like partially severed toes and stuff.

Okay, I'm leaning towards just having them scrap the LWB, cut my losses, and look for something already smog-legal here in So Cal. I'll call the repair shop in Amarillo this week and talk it over with them.

Thanks for all the suggestions and offers to help get it back on the road, but I think this is a bridge too far.

Wow, this is one of the saddest things I have seen. You have a beautiful 20+ old truck that has everything working (including A/C!), but has a blown head gasket or possibly a warped head and you are just scrapping it?!?

How much will they give you for it? I am only 6 hours away from Amarillo, I would consider matching their price.

The repair shop said I'd probably get $500 for it as scrap. I'm trying to work something out with John B from the AZ crew, to see if he can get her fixed and running for under $1000, not including the cost to ship her from Amarillo to Phoenix.

I too would hate to see her get scrapped, and would much rather see her go to someone who'll fix what's wrong or use it for a pretty decent spares vehicle. But with the vehicle being inop there in Amarillo, and me being over 1000 miles away in So Cal, my options are kinda limited.

Anything but the crusher!

Okay good, I am glad you haven't given up on it completely... Let me know if it doesn't work out. I know it has got to be hard trying to figure out everything from a thousand miles away.

On a side note. Some of the mechanic shops around here are crooks. You might make sure that you are not being charged a $100 per day "storage" fee.

Take care,
Ryan

Ship it back to VA... I'll do the head gaskets . No charge, other than the parts.

If you decide to cut your losses
; it is understandable,but regrettable.You have to do what's best for you & your family.There are other rigs out there & you don't owe anyone or Monteros/Raiders anything.I'm sure your heart will lead you to do what's best for you.

Happy trails, my friend.

Yeah, I'm going to call the shop on Tue and give them an update on what's going on. I'll ask them about any kind of "storage fee", which they didn't mention at all when I left. Hopefully they'll feel sorry for me, and just let it sit out back for a little while longer at no charge.

Ship it.

AZ Crew standing by.

John B.