Posted By FarmerJ on April 29, 2010

Please note: This post is for all of you who peek in to see what Darling Husbie has been up to.  I know by now you must be gacking from all the boring posts regarding menus and sewing!

Bubba is Darling Husbie’s ‘new’ 1976 Dodge Ramcharger 4×4.  His heart is a hummin’ 318 and he sports a manual transmission.  First gear is an ultimate granny gear, so starting out in second gear actually gets you off the starting line before tomorrow comes.

Bubba has lived his entire life in Alliance, Nebraska, and Darling Husbie is the very proud third owner ~ the second owner basically bought it from the original owner just to flip it and sell it to some other Mopar loving man…who better than my Husbie?  [If you know my Husbie, you know of his passion for Mopars.]

For having spent 34 years in Nebraska, Bubba is an incredibly clean vehicle.  He has very minimal rust and, surprisingly, several factory original features remaining.  You know, things like little plastic and rubber clamps, that cardboard-y form stuff around the wheel wells ~ all the things that have long since dried up and cracked away on the Arizona and New Mexico vehicles we’re used to.  He even has the original doggy dish style hub caps that Darling Husbie loves so much.  By the way, those are now on the Grocery Gitter (the 1983 Dodge Ramcharger 2-Wheel Drive you can see in the background in the above photo).  Bubba’s now wearing the brand new 31″ shoes we recently put on the Geople (the 1987 Jeep Wagoneer) and the black steel rims.

Bubba has the split tailgate and top hatch that we like so much, as opposed to the full hatchback the later models have…like the Gitter.

Bubba has all the original interior, too.  Well, the upholstery may be newer, but the dash, the door panels, and even the little rubber foot mat under the pedals ~ all things we’re not used to having, at least in such good condition in the ‘sun’ states ~ are all amazingly pristine…for being 34 years old, that is.  He’s got that fun, funky school bus steering wheel, and that shift lever that goes on forever.

I think I see a smile on that man’s face as he’s opening his new engine bay.  Of course, Peanie’s there amidst all the excitement, too.  She rode many-a-miles in the Ramus, and knew exactly where ‘her spot’ was in Bubba when we opened the door.

Here’s the hummin’ 318 in all its…um…glory.  It runs great, of course, just like any Chrysler Small Block does.  But, it needs some love.  And, love is what it’ll get.  Undoubtedly.  Darling Husbie has already ordered and received a new MegaSquirt III system ~ if you’re not familiar with Husbie’s previous MegaSquirt endeavors, it’s a do-it-yourself system that converts a carburetor set-up to an electronic fuel injection set-up.  It’s just too cool, let me tell you.  The Ramus was never happier when Husbie installed his.

So, there you have it.  You now know as much about Bubba as I do.  I haven’t spent much time getting to know Bubba yet.  But, I anticipate I’ll be back in my ‘Captain’s Chair’ in Darling Husbie’s shop telling him the correct firing order, holding his bolts, handing him tools, and fetching him nice cold beverages.  I guess I’d better refresh my memory on the firing order ~ it seems all I can recall is Clockwise: 1-8-4-3…somethin’, somethin’, somethin, somethin’.  [Shhhhh.  Don't tell Husbie I can't remember.  That was something I could recite better than my own Social Security number.  He'll think I'm getting old if he finds out about this.]

It’s taken several months to get to this point after losing the Ramus in the shop fire.  Although losing the Ramus hurt the pocketbook, it’s not the materialistic aspect that hurts most.  It’s the sentimental aspect that feels like a grievous wound.  All the fun times the Ramus allowed us.  All those evenings and weekends spent with my Beloved on that little cement driveway installing the rebuilt 360, the Dana 40, the Dana 60, the NP-205.  The Ramus’ maiden voyage, on the El Camino del Diablo, no less!  All the incredible 4×4 trips to Moab.  And, on and on.  (If you’re interested in seeing more about the restoration of the Ramus and the blasts we had with him, you can check out Darling Husbie’s site, AutoInsanity(dot)com.  You can learn more about his sickness passion for Mopars there, too.)

Will Bubba ever replace the Ramus?  No way.  But, he’s what we’ve got now, and he’s eager to be a good truck.  He’s a part of a new season for us.  We live in new terrain ~ uncharted territory ~ and Bubba must be our ticket to explore it!

Oh, in case those of you who know Darling Husbie are wondering…Bubba??  I named him.  I know, it’s quite different than The Mighty Ramus.  But, Husbie took the girls and I for a ride in him the first night he was home.  He’s definitely ‘Bubba.’  Trust me.

And, so, Bubba’s story begins…♥

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