Converted to a ‘pickup man’

I have some pretty evil friends who enjoy a good taunt. When we were in high school, and I was driving my ’62 Cadillac Coupe deVille and they were driving trucks (1980s Dodge Rams and Chevy 1500s), the song “Pickup Man” by Joe Diffie came out.

If you know the song, you know the lyrics include the line, “You can set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill, but I still wouldn't trade it for a Coupe deVille.”

Well, they played that song over and over and over again, just because they knew it drove me nuts. But now, after all the taunting has died down, I can admit there’s a little bit of “pickup man” in me, too.

I haven’t sold any of the Coupe deVilles, but I bought a truck to use as an everyday driver, particularly in the winter. And I love it.

Other than being pretty good-looking vehicles that remain as easy to work on as rear-wheel-drive cars, there’s also a huge aftermarket parts network to personalize trucks. Headlamp covers. Brake lamp covers. Custom grilles. Lift kits. A huge custom wheel selection. The combinations are absolutely endless to make a truck your own.

I haven’t tacked on any accessories to my two-wheel-drive 2000 Silverado 1500 yet, but I have been eyeing a few covers and grilles. I’ve already snapped up a used flat lid to cover the truck bed and bought a set of factory wheels that are in better condition than what was on the truck.

My friends have since stopped playing that song to taunt me, but I’ll have the last laugh yet. I plan on using that truck to save my Coupe deVilles from the ravages of winter, and to carry around parts for the finned machines. And while I love the way the truck rides and drives, you could set that truck on fire and roll it down a hill, and I’d be happy to trade it for a Coupe deVille. Preferably a white 1960.

I guess you can put the man in the pickup, but you can’t take the Cadillac out of the man.

Here's a recent picture, with the bed cover removed to haul and after a wheel switch. These steel wheels have what I believe is a stainless face so they won't corrode like the aluminum wheels originally on the truck. Plus they are shiney, and shiney is always good.