LB7: The dream is becoming a reality

ctrump90

ctrump90
Jan 11, 2012
471
0
0
Clare, IL
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Corey Trump. I am a young man from Illinois.. born and raised. I currently work at a utility company, i will leave it at that. I have an associates in applied science in industrial maintenance technology. Its basically a fancy piece of paper saying that i am a jack of all trades with higher education lol.

I grew up in a small farm town and very poor. I learned a lot of life's hard knocks at an early age... 2 divorces.. raised by my grandparents.. my grandmother died suddenly for no reason.. lost my oldest sister to a rare form of sarcoma cancer.. was kicked out of my home a few days after high school graduation due to a disagreement over food.... looking back now i still have no idea how i turned out how i did, or how i even made it down the path that i did.

I come from a family of very talented yet very misunderstood people.. i have struggled with ADHD my entire life. I have never taken any medication. I refuse to take medication. I know that i have the strength to keep myself on the right track.. somedays better than others... it is a gift and a curse for me.. some that have it may understand this more than others.. The good thing about this is that when i can manage to focus my ever fluctuating attention it allows me to focus on something so much that i think i may get a sever case of tunnel vision.... i like to look at this in a positive light.. i believe it brings a level of passion into my life that not many may ever know..

I have always considered myself a cross between an old soul mixed with a bit of new school views... naturally.. raised by my grandparents mostly i have a good sense of reality.. i keep both feet on the ground.. and i go to work everyday.. i work myself to the ground everyday.. i never give up... a lot of my close friends constantly tell me that i need to slow down and enjoy life.. that i am always go go go... that i will regret making myself this busy.. and that i will regret not being young and wreckless... my coworkers think i am a bull in a china shop... that may be true some day's but on the other side of things.. no one will ever call me lazy.. no one will ever say that there wasn't something that i didn't try to accomplish on my own.. and most of all i built my entire life from scratch with my own 2 hands.. i take a lot of pride in the fact that by the age 23 i have gotten myself a fairly successful career, traveled a lot, bought every toy a young man would ever want.. everything i lacked and never had growing up i got for myself the moment i graduated college and got into the job i have now.. i worked 2 years straight 7 days a week multiple jobs.. full time school.. sometimes no place to live and not knowing how i was paying for my next meal... but i made it..

I am grateful for the upbringing that i had.. i appreciate everything and everyone in my life.. Growing up in a small farm town fairly secluded from the world i really only wanted one thing when i grew up.. a duramax... a couple local boys had them... i heard the sound of a straight piped lb7 one day and i fell in love.. i had to have one... then months later i rode in the first built engine truck of my life... and then i knew.. i had to have one someday...

The way my life started out i never thought i would be able to afford one.. boy has life come a long way since then.. i have been very fortunate.. i purchased my truck in 2011.. right after xmas.. found it in a local ad here.. i called up the owner the moment i saw the ad... he answered right away.. we talked about the truck for about 10 minutes and i realized that i had to see the truck.. come to find out the truck was 5 miles away from me stored in a shop... He is the only owner.. it had never seen a single winter.. always garage kept.. he was an older guy and never had touched the truck other than normal maintenance.. it was perfect.. was the exact color and cab configuration i wanted...

I met some fellow members on the forum here... and that is where the real story begins.. i did all the basic mods.. one by one.. then came the turbo swaps... then the fried trans... then the paint matching... and the list goes on and on.. i was holding out to do anything major to the engine until my injectors finally quit... the injectors finally started misfiring at 156000 miles... then the water pump quit.... so i decided it is finally time... time to start the rebirth of my best friend and the beginning of a child hood dream... i will post up some pictures from start to finish.. i am still working on it... its a slow but steady progress..

So far: i have ripped the engine out.. the entire front clip off.. i sent the engine to the machine shop... they were about to line bore it when they found several cracks in the block.. on the main bearing gussets.. luckily i had another engine sitting around from another truck.. i ripped it apart today and dropped it off at the shop.. along with a complete engine kit that i purchased from the boys at Dieselx.com... they hooked me up with everything i needed to do a complete engine build.. going with carrillo rods.. mahle race cast pistons.. arp everything.. twin lbz cp3s.. billet flex plate... ati damper.. exergy 60 overs.. screw in cups... head studs the whole nine yards... everything but a girdle.. i had to draw the line somewhere with the finances..

i am also doing several things to the chassis while i have the engine out.. repaint the frame.. new brake lines... fuel lines.. fuel sump.. new suspension components.. repainting the bed... new rocker panels... complete restoration and rebuild all the way through.. i will post up pics and update status as the build goes...

Hope you enjoy!! i know i am loving it.. can not wait to see what the future brings!!!!

the night i brought it home..
 

ctrump90

ctrump90
Jan 11, 2012
471
0
0
Clare, IL
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Xternal

New member
Aug 31, 2012
306
0
0
Nice truck, great read..it's awesome to hear your story and the ways you've managed to make it into a great passion for a vehicle. It's tough to read stories of people with rough child hoods, while mine was never to what you've explained but near prefect also. I hope the engine turns out well and you get that thing back on the road asap.
 

ctrump90

ctrump90
Jan 11, 2012
471
0
0
Clare, IL
I have tons of more pictures and info to put up.. I ran out of energy at 1:30 this morning. This is only up to date as to where the truck was a year ago!!! But thank you! I am trying to keep it chronological and as informative as I can... but it's difficult. There's a ton of pictures and 3 years of history in the making. It's amazing how much has happened in my life just due to this truck.

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ctrump90

ctrump90
Jan 11, 2012
471
0
0
Clare, IL
Nice work buddy and glad to.call you my friend.:thumb::hug:

Yes I must say I have found a great friendship in you scott... even though you are the Devils advocate. Any time I have needed anything you have been there. And I appreciate it! It's refreshing to have friends that are as odd ball as I am myself!! I have met many great people on here. Wayne!!! John!!! Craig!! And many more..




Cool ! Working hard and staying out of the BS gets you want you want! :thumb:
Yes it does!!! Although I have found amazingly enough a lot of people hold it against you... like being responsible and a hard worker is a bad thing.. like chasing down your dreams and accomplishing your goals is not what life's about.. but it's the certain people who actually matter to you that make the justification sweeter. Let's me know I can't be entirely wrong.



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flyinelvis11

Member
May 11, 2010
543
0
16
50
VG, IL (because my wife does)
Talk about long winded....that's three minutes of my life I'll never get back....j/k buddy, I'm honored that I made the short list! I'm a pretty good judge of character and I knew you were a good one the first day I met you and we put your manifold on!
 

ctrump90

ctrump90
Jan 11, 2012
471
0
0
Clare, IL
Talk about long winded....that's three minutes of my life I'll never get back....j/k buddy, I'm honored that I made the short list! I'm a pretty good judge of character and I knew you were a good one the first day I met you and we put your manifold on!

I said the same thing about your old lady. .... very long winded.. ;) hahaha jk jk. . Better to make the short list than the short bus!!! Haha.. that was the day that started it all... still liked ya after you dropped a ratchet on my face that day!

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