Browns Camp recap added October 19 from Marshall’s report and the shared album. Earlier build records reviewed October 13. Work is reported by the crew. Source links below open Notion or Discord; Discord requires server membership.
October 16–17, 2026 / Browns CampBuck Test 1 · Crew report
FIRST DIRT. BETTER THAN EXPECTED.
Buck left the driveway for Browns Camp, and the crew’s verdict was better than expected. Marshall reports that Buck did great, with departure angles surprisingly less limiting than anticipated on this outing.
The real Buck at camp / October 17. More photos and a short trail clip are in the camera roll.
The top of the truck needs attention. Marshall describes the upper structure as loosely connected and rattling around. A lot of straps served as a temporary band-aid for the test; proper connection and welding work is still ahead.
The first night also brought an idle problem: Buck stopped idling and kept dying. What the crew called “a little Italian tune-up” helped for the night, and the symptom did not reappear the next day. That is an observation from the trip, not a diagnosis or a completed repair.
Next workday
Address the upper structure’s connections and welding, and investigate the intermittent idle/stalling issue. Keep the good trail result and the open repair jobs on the same page.
Recap: Marshall’s October 19 report. Photos and video: crew’s shared Google Photos album, dated October 16–17.
October 13 / Before the testWork underway · Test planned
FLOOR FIRST. DIRT NEXT.
The tape measure got its turn. The September 29 recap reports bed measurements taken the day before, and Notion now marks bed measurements and mounting points done. Some heights need the old floor removed; October’s drawings and cut list are still ahead.
Deck work underway · posted October 5 by Tra$h in #photo-dump. Exact capture date is not confirmed.
The newer action notes report lights working, with mounting and hazards still on the list. The liners are marked done. Driveshaft and U-joint work has been deferred after a preliminary road test that reportedly felt fine; that is separate from the planned off-road test.
Buck Test 1 now targets October 16–17: Friday camping, Saturday wheeling, with Diamond Mill the latest crew direction. Andy is listed for chase-truck and tool support. Walkies, warm gear and camp chairs are on the packing list. Insurance and trip-pass arrangements still need final confirmation.
Next move
Close the test preparations, capture the findings, and use them to shape the next phase. Body-lift and traction options remain proposals before a second test and alignment; the upper structure still needs a floor, drawings and mounting details.
Before the deck, horns, and movie-night ideas came the less glamorous work. The August 31 recap records oil and filter work, battery attention, and moving Buck to a home base where the crew could keep working.
That early checklist set the direction: work through the truck first, then build the ridiculous part.
The lesson
Keep the service record dated. An early recap and a later closeout can describe different stages of the same job.
Derek reported picking up the tire set on September 1. The mounted tires had reached the crew by September 17, and by September 18 the update was better: tires on, Buck starting.
The larger tires also contacted the body. Getting them mounted was a milestone; making room for them was the next job.
Earlier tire-fit photo. It is not an after-photo of the later trimming.
Still to reconcile
The installation date differs between earlier project notes and later crew messages. The journal uses “by September 18” rather than assigning an exact installation day.
The September 21 action list records all eight NGK spark plugs and wires replaced, with a heat-shield obstruction cleared along the way. The PCV hose and filter are also marked complete.
A good build story is sometimes a collection of small, stubborn jobs getting crossed off. This was one of those chapters.
Keep the details
The closeout tells us what was reported complete by that date. It does not establish the exact day each part went in.
The thermostat housing was resealed with RTV and the leak recorded as fixed. The same closeout lists fluid service and an ATF top-off.
That is a useful, specific win. Replacement of the thermostat itself is not confirmed in the reviewed records, and this repair does not close out every earlier leak concern.
Next useful record
After the crew agrees Buck is ready for an outing, capture any fresh leaks or changing fluid levels in the next update.
By September 21, Marshall reported that the crew had cut the body and considered tire clearance adequate. The tight tire fit had turned into actual progress.
A full-range or loaded clearance test is not documented in the reviewed updates. The liner task is now marked done in the project action list; that does not document a full-range clearance test.
Next useful photo
A dated after-photo, with the crew’s clearance findings, would make this chapter much easier to follow.
Bed dimensions were the September 28 meeting goal. The crew also wanted material samples, connection details, and a clearer understanding of the available steel.
The recorded sequence puts the floor before the upper frame. Cab-to-frame movement and the frame/exhaust layout are still questions to work through. At that stage, measurements were a goal. The September 29 recap later reported them taken, while October 12 still described design work as unstarted.
Help move it forward
Share the recorded measurements, remaining height checks, material photos, and mounting-point details with the crew. Open the materials brief ↗
