They couldn't kill me!! Now I got some amends to make...

Trying to keep my head up bud, but mark my words....I'm seething under the surface. The fact that more isn't being done should angry every American with a brain. Excusing certain laws isn't the American dream, its bullshit.

Dude.......you have no idea. I think all my buddys were more depressed about the Tahoe being totaled than they were about me being in the hospital. Honestly.....I'm so bummed man. I can't even put into words how much work was done to that thing. Tugs at my heart strings just thinking about it. I know its just a truck but, theres some serious sentimental value wrapped up in that rowdy ass little monster truck.

Touche......maybe I'm just a prideful bastard that needs some softened up. But I appreciate it man. Like I say, I know she was just doing what she felt was right, I just didn't want anyone here taking it the wrong way, ya feel me?

Oh for sure man, I love talking about that old truck....things sewn to my soul. So...not to go into too much detail, but its another ridiculous story. I had everything done, all that was left is a clean up of the interior. So I got a reference and paid a guy to come out and do a shampoo of the floor. Was told this guy was the best of the best. I had considered doing new carpet, but the stock carpet is 100 times more durable. Anyway, I paid him up front cause he was a friend of a friend. I came back that night, rolled the truck inside. The next day I came to take a look at the interior.....when I opened the door I smelled rattle can paint. I kinda scratched my head and grabbed a mag lite. This f#ckin guy....another illegal working out of his truck, I shoulda known better.....SPRAY PAINTED MY ENTIRE FLOOR. Rather than shampoo it....this guy, I'm not even exaggerating, didn't even vacuum up the dirt. He spray painted the entire floor. Not only that, he used "chrome" spray paint on my gray carpet. As if this story isn't ridiculous enough, I had pulled the seats out for him. But he spray painted alllll along the base of where the plastic meets the floor. Dude, the picture you have in your head isn't even close to bad enough. He sprayed over my gas, brake, clutch pedals..........all the black plastic under the dash was either sprayed directly or oversprayed. Just to give you an idea, I'm an engineer by trade......along a part time machinist. So I think you have an idea of how I see details. I swear to you I almost went into cardiac arrest. Not to mention, being a 2 door, those plastics are near impossible to find. The chrome paint sucked into the old plastic and there was no way in hell of cleaning it.

Well......basically I say all that to explain what I did to the interior. I ended up stripped evvvvverything. I pulled every single piece of plastic out......I couldn't paint just the lower pieces cause after 20 years everything had faded together. So I got GM interior plastic paint and sanded/painted each individual piece from the console to the little bolt covers for under the seats. Turns out there were some spots with surface rust under the old carpet, so I wire wheeled the whole interior......taped all the windows and rust factory painted and sealed the whole interior metal structure. Then I figured I had gone this far......since evvvverything was out. I bought "Dynamat". I don't know if you've heard of it, but its like basically 3/8" thick pure tar with backing paper. They use it in competition sound vehicles. I literally went nuts. I knew I was gonna run it with cutouts, so I could run open headers with a switch and was putting in a good stereo, plus a 6" lift with 35" tires was gonna be loud as is. So I did the entire interior. The roof, floor, sides. Any piece that was exposed metal I dynamatted....then....I did it all over again and did two layers in the places that had the clearance. You have to cut out to clear certain places......but its pretty easy to trim. I covered the door panels in it. I had put a 5 speed manual......so I covered the cut out in the tunnel. Then the stock carpet also had stock sound deadening still intact from 96. I reinstalled the entire interior then. Let me tell you, I had done all the work at once and never drove the truck lifted without the stuff.........but I'm dead serious. I could use bluetooth to talk while ripping down the interstate at 85 with open headers roaring right by the fire wall. I mean, don't get me wrong it was still loud, esp when getting on the gas, but just the fact that the bluetooth worked was stunning to me.

If you do it, I highly recommend that you just spend a day and pull the majority of the interior out. You can't believe how much noise that empty tin sheetmetal structure makes....and if just a section is exposed, its enough to boom and wah with the road noise. If you take the time and do it right, it makes riding inside a joy.....virtually no road noise with even mud tires. The stuff isn't cheap and I think I have around $400 in just the dynamat. But get name brand stuff......the difference is worth it if you are going the far labor wise anyway.

You know how relationships are.....I am/was single. But Me an Ash been on off for many years....and you know girls.....the second she found out the condition I was in, she was right by my side. If you want the best way to rekindle a relationship, get in a serious car accident. lmao. I can't complain though, I live alone and doing everything by myself would be near impossible.

The stuff is amazing and is surprisingly easy to work with. Looks like you did a solid job. Pretty awesome what that stuff does for sound. Makes a decent speaker sound top of the line when the door isn't rattling like a tin box. Did Focal Aluminum Cones in the Doors, Pioneer double din in dash unit that took some serious cutting and molding, and a JBL competition 8". Not a bass machine....but amazing for rock music. The vocals are amazing. Sounds like you def know what you're doing. As far as the paint in the interior......its took between 1-6 years off my life. I almost had a heart attack.

Appreciate it man. Never dealt with a neck injury like this, but I've had my share of mx blunders and surgeries from head to toe....so I know the importance of letting the body heal. Strangely the hardest thing is sleeping, just no way to get comfy.

And ya man, when I say it was build.....I wasn't joking. Really bothers me overtime I think about it, I know its just stuff.....but to spend that many hours building to have this be its demise makes me pretty frickin angry. But I know sitting here stewing about it ain't helping....just hard not to.