I bought this truck my senior year of High School (2006). The body shop I was working for at the time had a guy who would scrap vehicles. One day, when I showed up for work, I saw this truck sitting in the parking lot. I asked the guy if I could buy it. He said, sure I’m just going to scrap it. By all means, this truck should have gone to the scrap yard, but I wanted to save it. I was so excited to get it home and tear into it. It was in very rough shape. The motor was complete junk, rust everywhere… Most of the cab was gone. There was faded lettering on the doors, my last name (Marks) Paving Contractor. I thought for sure it was in my family. A 1988 and kept in the family. This truck instantly meant a lot to me. I spent a lot of time fixing up what I could. I was still new to the auto body world. I replaced floors pans, inner and outer rockers, and cab corners. New doors. New motor and transmission. I pieced it back together to get it running and driving. It wasn’t pretty, but I was happy to drive it. Life happened and my truck sat for 8 years. August of 2018, I told myself it was time to work on my truck. I wanted to make it reliable and look good. The project started off slowly, only working on it here and there. I took apart just what I thought I would fix. The more I got into it, the more I realized it wasn’t going to be a quick fix. I came up with a game plan and a vision. My dad helped me do the mechanical work. We spent evenings and weekends taking things apart, painting parts, and during reassemble, we built the engine compartment out piece by piece. My mom helped me do some interior work. We recovered my headliner and door panels. Made visor covers and a shifter boot to match. Memories with them I will cherish forever. I got to a point I worked on my truck just about every evening and weekend. Sanding, welding, body work, painting, reconstructing wiring harnesses. July of 2023, I completed my frame-off restoration. When I look back at all the photos, I remember the hours spent in my garage, the feelings of being overwhelmed and the moments of pure excitement. This truck makes me smile and I’m proud to drive it every day.