# First work truck



## Dpeckplb

Hello, I was just wondering what everyone on here's first work truck was. I was recently given a really beauty... It is a 14' 1988 GMC Grumman step, that is about 10 years past it life span. It only has about 300,000 on the chassis however it is on its third motor. It was a previous snap-on tool truck. It is a royal pos but it is mine and I try too keep it spotless...haha. So what is some of the beauties that others were first given?


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## rjbphd

First truck I had passed down to me was 69'chevy 1/2 ton with Reading ulitiy box with extra inside box... never went back to panel truck or van since...


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## plbgbiz

'81 Chevy Caprice two-door with landau roof. :thumbup:

I was stylin' and profilin' :laughing:


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## PlungerJockey

1991 Chevy extended cab


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## Will

plbgbiz said:


> '81 Chevy Caprice two-door with landau roof. :thumbup:
> 
> I was stylin' and profilin' :laughing:



Really??? :laughing:

In all seriousness though, you could probably get a K1500 in that trunk

1992 GMC Forward 4500 was my first, threw a piston out the engine block, RIP old friend....


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## plbgbiz

Will said:


> Really??? :laughing:....


Yep, really.

Tools in the backseat, materials in the trunk, 16' extension ladder bungee strapped to the roof. It was all cool till the ladder turned sideways on the highway and extended across the lane next to me. :lol::lol:

You guys really don't understand what starting with "nothing" really means.


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## philoplumb

Given? All I could afford was a 55' Chevy P.U. with a 230cui straight six and three on the column. It had a "Salvage" title, which means it was totaled and I was too dumb to know. It never left me on the side of the road, and made me money. Way more than it cost me, and I miss that truck to this day. Wish I had a picture to share, but it wouldn't do justice to the fond memories I have.


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## Hoosier Plumber

The first vehicle I was ever allowed to use for plumbing was a very beaten up and old chevy, somewhere around the late 80's I would guess. Guy I worked for didn't believe van appearance mattered a lot. :laughing:

Second Plumber I worked for put me in a mid 90's Astro, then I upgraded to a early 2000's Chevy express after one of the guys left the company. 

Been in Chevy Express vans ever since, and not likely to change.


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## Dpeckplb

First guy I worked for was a one man show, he had 2003 Chevy express and he believed religiously in truck appearance. It saw the car wash every morning and if it needed something it got it right away. It is in brand new shape even with 400,000. I'd buy a express in heart beat after working out of it. 
I hate working out of this Grumman however gotta start somewhere.


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## rjbphd

philoplumb said:


> Given? All I could afford was a 55' Chevy P.U. with a 230cui straight six and three on the column. It had a "Salvage" title, which means it was totaled and I was too dumb to know. It never left me on the side of the road, and made me money. Way more than it cost me, and I miss that truck to this day. Wish I had a picture to share, but it wouldn't do justice to the fond memories I have.


Three on the column.. them old days..


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## FEDguy

Mine was a '79 Chevy pickup with three on the tree. We all worked out of pick ups in those days. We also had pagers and two way motorola radios. 

I don't miss those days at all. :yes:


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## Plumbbum0203

My first truck was a 2001 Mitsubishi fuso with hackney box. Now I'm in a 2000 Hino with hackney box.


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## jmc12185

Mine was a gmc savanna. Bought it for $750. Spent days cleaning all the squirrel and birds nests out of the engine compartment. After about $1500 in work and a good cleaning, she ran like a champ.

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


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## Plumber

I don't remember the first service truck, but the first delivery truck was unforgivable. 

I started at the bottom rung delivering stock to job sites. That's when I learned to hate new work...:laughing:

This is a similar '52 Chevy. It was a freaking nightmare to load, unload, drive, park, clean. I parked it on a slight hill one day and it rolled down the hill and through a fence.

I was 16 and it wasn't much older.


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## Plumbus

Can't beat a '52. Does that require double clutching?

'64 chevy stepside, three on the tree tranny. No heat or radio. Pops was old school and didn't believe in pampering the help.


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## wyrickmech

76 Chevy utility bed they put new fenders and paint on it. I caught a dumpster with the front drivers fender within six months. Drove it for three more years with the dent.


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## timrath

First one was 2000 GMC box truck and now I have an 07 Isuzu with a hackney box


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## tims007

in the military i had a 1987 dodge ram 250 service bed .... god i miss that truck.... my own persional van is a 97 e350 with a v10 and salvage title ... one owner accedent in 99 ...


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## Plumber

FEDguy said:


> Mine was a '79 Chevy pickup with three on the tree. We all worked out of pick ups in those days. We also had pagers and two way motorola radios.
> 
> I don't miss those days at all. :yes:


Yeah, yeah! My first service van was a '70-ish Chevy van bought from Ma Bell. Remember pay phones? Or using the customer's phone?

Those days totally sucked except for the girls. And the drugs. And the big paydays for this ghetto kid.


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## Best Darn Sewer

When I was a ranch hand we had several old work trucks but the best was a beast. It was an '80 Chevy flat bed one-ton with PTO. I was driving it in the mid 90s but it had been THE ranch "one-ton" since it was brand new and it was a Hoss. The PTO still worked but driving it was like driving on rims. It was loud and rough. 

You had to put it in 1st gear before starting it in the morning because it was next to impossible to get the engine to idle down enough to get the synchronizer to work. Once it got going though, it could haul any load up and down very rough terrain. It just had one tough clutch.


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## gear junkie

My first work truck back when I was a helper in 98 was a 1990 f150. I worked in residential ac. Almost died because the owner used retreads and a tire blew. 

Went to commercial ac and worked out of a chevy 3500 with a reading service body. That truck was badass and worked out great.

When I finally worked for myself, I worked out of my 03 tundra with a contractor cap. Finally got my current vehicle which is a 10' 01 chevy stepvan.


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## affordabledrain

I started with a 1993 Dodge Dakota with extended cab. Paid $ 450.00. Spent another $ 35.00 for a new tool box to sit in the back


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## Dpeckplb

Well, the 88 green beast left me for dead yesterday. Backed up to the shop loaded it up, went to start it to leave....nothing. Solenoid worked but no start. It is -10 yesterday when it died. Didn't do enough to kill it, the boss had it fixed already. Didn't try hard enough.
On other hand my personal super duty pulled it all locked up pretty good. O well I'll shut up and go to work, gotta work up the ladder to a better truck and jobs.


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## plumberkc

Yeah my alternator went out in my 95 GMC 4500 just the other day. Cost was just over $1,000. These big trucks are definitely more expensive to run.


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## MACPLUMB777

66'S FORD VAN, I CAN'T REMEMBER STICK OR AUTO, BUT WAS ON A STEEP FREEWAY GRADE AND DROPPED THE REAR UNIVERSAL THAT TOKE OUT THE PARKING BRAKES, COSTED BACK WARDS WITH NO BRAKES IN TRAFFIC !
LOTS OF FUN :whistling2:


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## triadplumber

2014 f150


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## plbgbiz

triadplumber said:


> 2014 f150


Your first work truck?

That's just not right.


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## Master Mark

plbgbiz said:


> Your first work truck?
> 
> That's just not right.


 

Its a 2014 E-150.... that is way too light duty for plumbing....

if they put any weight in it at all it will be riding down the road on its back axle in no time.

we made that mistake a long time ago....



my first work truck was a 65 350 ford dually 
with a utility bed on the back..... it was a pain every
time it rained everythign got wet inside and out

.


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## redbeardplumber

1996 dodge stratus....


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## Gene S.

First was a 97' Chevy 3/4 ton van I think. Now driving a 2001 f150 w extended king crew cab, but only a 5' bed. I love the truck but hate working out of it


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## tims007

redbeardplumber said:


> 1996 dodge stratus....


how???? i mean i get tools in the trunk and all .. but ... how long till you got a van or truck? ..


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## redbeardplumber

^^^^^^ haha a month, then I got an f150, and if I didn't need MUCH pipe, I would use the car to save on fuel, because I was driving far and wide to get work at first.

Should have taken pics. Comical and unprofessional.... But ya godda do...


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## love2surf927

Oh what the heck, '98 Toyota tacoma xtra cab with shell, still in it. Good mileage and I don't keep much stock. Doubles as the family vehicle, we only have one vehicle and I can't drive the fam in a van. Still trying to decide on the next move, I need something a little more professional looking, but I love my toyota pickup!


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## tims007

redbeardplumber said:


> ^^^^^^ haha a month, then I got an f150, and if I didn't need MUCH pipe, I would use the car to save on fuel, because I was driving far and wide to get work at first.
> 
> Should have taken pics. Comical and unprofessional.... But ya godda do...


Its OK I did that with my2003 VW Passat w8 for a month till I got my e350....but I only had my tools ..no hauling of
anything ..unless it was awater heater then I would borrow my friends Tacoma lol


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## redbeardplumber

Your Passat is a little nicer than a Stratus. Lol


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## tims007

Heck rims n tint baby got to be rolling in style Lol.....


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## redbeardplumber

Sharp
Looking
Dude


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## tims007

yeah but a van is much much better .. more "professional" looking


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## theplumbinator

SewerRat said:


> You got State Farm Insurance on that [email protected]?


No progressive! Wait isn't that a conflict of Phacking interest?
My first work truck was an Enterprise rent-a-car, think it was a Ford Taurus with a ladder rack on top. Got a great deal on the rental!


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## James420

My first truck since I started in '94 as a helper was an 88 or 89 Taurus Station wagon with my boss. That car was awesome and never got stuck, when I became a Journeyman in '98, I got '87 Chevy van from the same guy. 

If and when I go on my own it will be my '99 Dakota. Which could be any day at this point.


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## Drain Pro

I started out by doing side work out of my 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. I would fold down the rear seats and put everything I could back there. If I had a sewer stoppage, I would load the k-7500 in the bed of the truck. I did this for 8 months until I started a full time business. I then bought a 1999 Chevy 2500 van. Just last week I picked up my new truck, a 2014 E-450 box truck. Needless to say I have a lot more room now than I did with the Sport Trac....lol. If we're talking about the 1st truck we ever worked out of as mechanics, I can't remember the year and model but I do remember it was a total **** box. Pretty sure it was a short wheel base Chevy van, prob from the late eighties.


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## SewerRatz

My fathers first new truck that he bought was in 1977 He had ordered a 1 ton Chevy with the straight 6 three on the tree. That van is still being driven today on the Northside of Chicago. Prior to that he had pickups, I don't know the years on them, I do recall he made a custom wooden enclosure for one of the pickups. It went over the roof of the cab for storage space, and the back overlapped the tail gate and it had a chain attached to the inside which dropped through the floor of the pickup and he secure it with a padlock.


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## tylerbee

SewerRatz said:


> My fathers first new truck that he bought was in 1977 He had ordered a 1 ton Chevy with the straight 6 three on the tree. That van is still being driven today on the Northside of Chicago. Prior to that he had pickups, I don't know the years on them, I do recall he made a custom wooden enclosure for one of the pickups. It went over the roof of the cab for storage space, and the back overlapped the tail gate and it had a chain attached to the inside which dropped through the floor of the pickup and he secure it with a padlock.


I'm setting up a company right now and doing some service here and there, I'm basically using a civic sedan... Great fuel mileage and I fan actually fit 10' lengths of pipe in it, they come about 8 inches from the front windshield and right to the back of the trunk lol.. I can fit 3 bags of tools in the trunk too and load full of parts wherever I can fit.. I like it, but can't wait till I graduate to a van


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## ToUtahNow

Three year old 1969 Dodge Van.

Mark


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## Coolcanuck

An old tired out chev van. Had to replace the 2x4 every few days to keep the leaf springs from making a bigger hole in the deck. I liked the high school locker mirror I fashioned to the side mirror. Every few months I would touch up the rust with a spray bomb as well. Could fit a bunch of swivel chairs in the back as well (upside down buckets). Now I'm in the north and have been in a truck for 10 years, I miss vans.


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## Dpeckplb

Finally got rid of the old 88". It just cost too much to repair. So I worked plumbing out of the AC truck for the past months, which sucked as it was a 10' disaster of a step van. (Heating guys never keep clean trucks). It was worth the wait though as I'm now in a 2000 14' step van. This was my second week in it and I love it. nothing like having your own layout.


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## 4Aces Plumbing

Dpeckplb said:


> Finally got rid of the old 88". It just cost too much to repair. So I worked plumbing out of the AC truck for the past months, which sucked as it was a 10' disaster of a step van. (Heating guys never keep clean trucks). It was worth the wait though as I'm now in a 2000 14' step van. This was my second week in it and I love it. nothing like having your own layout.


Any chance of pics? Gathering Intel on step van set up for when I get add one to the fleet in a few years.


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## Dpeckplb

4Aces Plumbing said:


> Any chance of pics? Gathering Intel on step van set up for when I get add one to the fleet in a few years.


Yes for sure, I'll post some of the ones as I was building the shelves. I will take some tomorrow when I go back to work.


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## Dpeckplb




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## Dpeckplb




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## Dpeckplb




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