4RUNNIN' TO FREEDOM

How To Break the Routine

- JOHN MOTO

Have you heard the old proverb about turning tart-tasting lemons into lemonade? Sure, we've all heard that line, but there's so much wisdom in it even though the sentiment has become cliché. When life changes for one reason or another, and you must adapt to forge ahead, a helpful practice is to take inventory of what you currently have on hand to work with and sweeten it to taste. The scope of that statement is wide, so let's zoom in and focus on how it relates to truck building.

Most of us may feel the itch to go out and buy a shiny new pickup from time to time, but then reality sets in. Why commit to forking over a hefty down payment, annoying monthly payments, and a bump in registration and insurance when there's a perfectly good project truck already parked in the driveway? All it needs is time and attention—and money too, but not as much as an MSRP sticker, though (hopefully).

Either way, funneling those resources into creating a personalized, purpose-built rig is a far better investment. Plus, who needs a fresh paint job when all you really want to do with your truck is scale up treacherous hillsides and run it through the dirt? It's going to get thrashed anyway, and guys like Dean Graen of Trabuco Canyon, California, understand that.