PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Charlie how the hell are ya?

 

Great! Recovering from eye surgery nicely!

 

Good to hear Sir

 

OK, most humorous moment you've had while taking a photo of someones vehicle?

 

That's why I don't do it anymore. I have no problem with people getting suspicious and asking questions, but one can be civil. Most people are civil and I wind up making a friend. A select few have a total meltdown and go batshit crazy. Lesson learned, Carlisle Fairgrounds and Raceway Park provide hundreds of vehicles that it is perfectly fine to take pictures of...

 

On a couple occasions I've been mistaken for a meter maid, and vehicle owners assume my camera is some sort of scanner that is logging their license plate. Once they realize I'm taking the picture because I like their vehicle they are fine with it.

 

Your sig pic likely represents the same frame of mind some people would get into if you are taking pics of their truck.

 

I'll let you photograph my truck, but time have to wash it first. That's the deal.

 

sig frame of mind?

 

?

I'm saying that some people would probably feel the same way when you take pics of their rig... "Do NOT screw with my TRUCK".

 

@LocoLocal
@Plain Jane Taco
@shakerhood
@El Duderino

My funniest and scariest incident was in June 2013. While driving to my Grandma's house, I stopped at a used car consignment lot known for having classic truck in stock to look at the vehicles and take a few pictures. It was Sunday so it was closed, and on that day there happened to be a lot of cool old trucks on the lot, including an early 1980s S-10 extended cab that had been customized into a race-ready but still street legal pro street drag truck. There was also a mint condition S-10 Xtreme extra cab, red in color with lowered suspension. The used car/consignment lot shared property with a garage, but all of these vehicles were in an open area. Nothing was locked or totally fenced in and there were no "NO TRESPASSING" signs or anything.

About ten minutes after I arrived, this redneck couple (woman driving, man riding shotgun) in a red Dodge Intrepid pulls onto the used car lot, pretending like they were going to run me over but turning left before they got close. This grungy guy in a wifebeater gets out immediately demanding to know why I was taking pictures of his car. I demanded to know why they'd made like they were gonna run me over, and the vibe I got from him was that they were justified in scaring the shit out of me because they assumed I was taking pictures of their vehicle for nefarious reasons.

I assumed he was talking about the red Chevy S-10 Xtreme I'd been taking pictures of when he and his lady friend showed up. After a minute or two of arguing with the jackass, I realized his car was a blue 1992ish Buick Roadmaster, parked directly behind the S-10. I've honestly never seen a better candidate for the 2009 Cash for Clunkers program. This Buick was an absolute pile of shit. What happened was I was kneeling so I could get a good angle on the S-10. This moron and his friend happened to pass by and didn't have the best view. From the angle they were at, it looked like I was taking pictures of the Buick. Once it became obvious that I was totally innocent, he eased up a bit. The reason he gave me for being so confrontational was that he thought I was actually taking a picture of his car (I later went through all my photos and found that the blue Buick didn't even appear in the background of any truck photos; time for an eye test, dumbass), and he also claimed that his friend owned the garage on the property and he wanted to make sure I wasn't casing the joint or stealing anything. This is where it gets sketchy...

He was so worried about his shitty car that didn't even look roadworthy, but could care less that I was taking pictures of a custom S-10. If you're a car thief, what would you steal?

I shared the story with family and friends.

My uncle believes the Buick was up for repo and he was afraid I was getting ready to repossess his car. I deemed that to be highly unlikely given that the fact that just the STEREO in my Tacoma was probably worth more than his ENTIRE CAR. Even the poorest of people could afford to pay cash for a 20-year old beater.

Pennsylvania is one of those states that suspends driver's licenses if you are late on child support. My cousin's theory was that he was a deadbeat dad. Highly possible.

My dad believes the guy was storing something illegal like a stash of weed in the car.

It gets better and even more sketchy... Several months later I was at the same car lot during business hours and had the opportunity to meet the owner of the garage. This guy was very nice and said I could come by any time to look at and take pictures of vehicles on his property. He also did not know anybody with a blue Buick Roadmaster nor did he even remember working on such a car. I think the owner of the blue Buick was up to something illegal and was stashing the car there for some reason.

Also, this guy was absolutely clueless. I have no problems with anybody taking pictures of my truck. However, if I caught this guy peering through the window of my truck or wandering around my property dressed the way he was dressed, I would have chased him off the property with my aluminum bat.

It was broad daylight and I was wearing a floral shirt and cargo shorts, and driving a very nice late model Tacoma. He was at least 15 years older than me, looked like he'd partied hard in his younger days, dressed like a bum, and was being driven around by an equally sketchy woman in an old Intrepid. Who should be suspicious of who?

Normally I am NOT one to profile or judge based one's personal situation, but this guy was just such a jerk...

 

In my opinion, DO NOT SCREW with my truck means don't touch. I've actually entered my truck in shows before and would be insulted if people didn't take pictures of it. My philosophy is photograph and admire, but don't touch.

 

One time while on vacation in Malibu, I met this guy with a beautiful S-10 Blazer that was like OCD impeccably maintained. He didn't have a lot of money, so I gave him $8 for gas in exchange for him letting me take pictures.

 

Understood, but in some peoples minds, you taking a pic of their truck may be the gateway drug to you touching tier truck. Not saying it's rational, just saying it might factor in with some people. Either way, IDC, knock yourself out

 

@shakerhood
@LocoLocal
@Plain Jane Taco
@shakerhood

I feel the same way about tracking down and photographing rare and/or unique trucks, SUVs, and vans in the wild, or in their "natural habitats" (like parking lots, highways, car shows, flea markets, construction sites; anywhere but dealers or museums) as the late Steve Irwin felt about hunting crocodiles.

As such a an avid photographer and truck enthusiast, I would be a hypocrite if I objected to someone photographing my truck. Heck, I'm flattered when someone shows interest in my truck.

In my opinion "DO NOT SCREW WITH MY TRUCK" means this: Photograph and admire but don't touch or otherwise tamper with my truck, and I make an exception for people I know. A few years ago, like in 2012, I was at a friend's house and had my truck parked in their driveway. Their neighbor came walking by with his young grandson, who happened to be a huge fan of trucks like most boys his age. With grandpa's permission, I lifted this future Tacoma owner into the driver's seat, pulled the seat up, and let him play in the truck pretending like he was driving. #KodakMoment right there.

More recently, I let a coworker's 3-year old son sit in the driver's seat of my truck as well.

All car enthusiasts and show veterans know an unwritten rule is to look but don't touch.

One time in the summer of 2013, I was supposed to meet my friends at a frozen yogurt place before we went to a movie and then went out drinking. I got there first and spent about ten minutes waiting in my Taco with the A/C blasting while I listened to the radio. I had pulled through and my front end was facing out. About 5 minutes in, a white Toyota Sienna pulled into the spot to my right. Two middle-aged men and a bunch of little boys in baseball uniforms pile out of the minivan. I think nothing of it, until I noticed something odd out of the corner of my eye. One of the little bastards had placed his right hand on the rear window of his dad's van and stretched his left arm across the hood of my truck and was doing pull-ups!

I just laid on the horn and the kid practically went airborne he was so startled. I did not initially make contact with the group, hoping they would either go into one of the shops or get in the van and leave. However, my friends were running late and the little leaguers were still there. Guilt got the best of me and I got out of the truck and apologized. The two men were on my side, and one of them said it was no problem and he'd told his kid not to touch other people's cars. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

 

@LocoLocal
@Plain Jane Taco

In April 2014, I was at Fred Beans Chevy in Doylestown on a Sunday, taking pictures of recently traded vehicles and customer vehicles that were in for service. I actually know the owner and namesake of the Fred Beans family of dealerships and have his permission to take pictures of vehicles on his property. There was this immaculate metallic black 2006-2010 Ford Explorer XLT with 20-inch rims and a tan leather interior. The Explorer had a license plate with a current registration sticker on it, but it was parked among a cluster of recently traded vehicles and customer vehicles waiting for service. There was nobody around, the Explorer was parked in an open public area, I'd been coming to Fred Beans Chevy to take pictures for years without incident. I left my Taco running nearby and went to take a few pictures of the Explorer from different angles. All of a sudden, this not-to-friendly-looking blonde middle-aged man comes out of nowhere demanding to know why I was taking pictures of his truck. I explained the situation, how I knew the owner of the dealer, how I liked taking pictures of trucks as a hobby, and how I thought his Explorer was basically part of dealer inventory. He initially seemed very understanding, but then approached me rather aggressively and made a grabbing motion for my $700 Nikon camera while demanding I delete every single one of the photos. I could have ran to the Tacoma and driven off, but I was too scared to move. He stood over my shoulder while I deleted every last photo. On the phone with my parents a few minutes later explaining the situation, I noticed the same guy in his black Explorer a couple cars behind me and promptly freaked out, thinking he was following me. I headed in the direction of the police station, but he turned right and disappeared a few blocks before the police station. My friends, family, and I have come up with all sorts of conspiracy theories on this one; everything from the Ford Explorer was up for repo to he was an FBI agent or something. His suspicion was understandable but he way overreacted and I still can't figure out why he acted the way he did...

 

@Plain Jane Taco
@LocoLocal
@Iamraiderpower

Here's a situation I was involved in where the shoe was kind of on the other foot...

All car enthusiasts and show veterans should know that the unwritten rule is to look but don't touch.

One time in the summer of 2013, I was supposed to meet my friends at a frozen yogurt place before we went to a movie and then went out drinking. I got there first and spent about ten minutes waiting in my Taco with the A/C blasting while I listened to the radio. I had pulled through and my front end was facing out. About 5 minutes in, a white Toyota Sienna pulled into the spot to my right. Two middle-aged men and a bunch of little boys in baseball uniforms pile out of the minivan. I think nothing of it, until I noticed something odd out of the corner of my eye. One of the little bastards had placed his right hand on the rear window of his dad's van and stretched his left arm across the hood of my truck and was doing pull-ups!

I just laid on the horn and the kid practically went airborne he was so startled. I did not initially make contact with the group, hoping they would either go into one of the shops or get in the van and leave. However, my friends were running late and the little leaguers were still there. Guilt got the best of me and I got out of the truck and apologized. The two men were on my side, and one of them said it was no problem and he'd told his kid not to touch other people's cars. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

 

A good number of people I've dealt with have not been vehicle owners or even concerned passersby, but overzealous security guards who take their jobs too damn seriously.

 

Funny, I have a story related to that... when I first bought my truck, I noticed there weren't many on the road with the exact same setup as mine. I finally saw one in the parking lot next to where I work, and I got out to peer inside the window to see if indeed the interior setup was also like mine (dumb mistake). The security guy at an adjoining business came flying out yelling "Hey! What are you doing!". I told him "sorry, I just bought one of these, see, it's right over there, and I wanted to see if this one is the same bla bla". I knew I'd done a stupid thing as I was trying to explain. Needless to say, his demeanor didn't change much as we parted ways.