RIGGERIFIC

Freeway Rig Spotting

2006-12-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Once again, a long hiatus. Here's a good random freeway spotting of a great crew cab rig. 80's era, ball, lots of stuff in the long bed that probably hasn't left the bed in months. Good brown 2-tone coloring. Gotta be original paint. Enjoy.

We Are Still Here

2006-04-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I know its been forever since a post, but we are still here. Just a combo of life, and a severe lack of rigs...at least that we were in a position to take a picture of.

For now, here's an honorary rig I found on theforce.net. Enjoy.

More NV sightings and too many to even cover in OK

2005-10-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

While staying at the Silver Legacy hotel in Reno, this was a nice little jewel found in the middle of a very crowded parking garage. Note the era correct shell, and primer job on the door.

This was a quick overnite stay for a flight from Reno the next morning to Oklahoma for a family reunion. Soooo many rigs. It was overwhelming. Basically, every other car was a rig. It was like the normal vehicle choice of transportation there. And with all that material, I didn't get a single one, mainly cause I just didn't ever get a good photo op. Too far away, seeing while in a moving car, etc. But, totally unrelated, here is an Underground Home I found while crusing on my cousin's ATV. A true to life Hobbit Hole, for our Lord of the Rings fans out there.

Rig Art

2005-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

A sign our love for rigs is going mainstream. Go here if you'd like to add some taste to your living room wall at home.

What a Long, Strange Trip Its Been

2005-09-07T23:27:00.001-07:00

Stupid work and things like that getting in the way of my rigging. I'll try to make up for lost time with two great sightings.

This was found on the way to a fancy dinner in Fremont, CA. Late 60s Chevy from what I can tell. Multi-Colored, construction rack (also multi-colored), different wheels. A great find.

Another find while visiting the folks in Gardnerville, NV. Definitely Rig Country. Always see many of em there. The dents were very random as if each one occured on a different job.

All Around Average Rig, and other Misc. Car Sighting

2005-07-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Good all around Rig. I estimate mid 80's 1/2 ton Ford, diamond plating with ancient bumper sticker that had absolutely no relevance anymore. You'll have to take my word for it - I don't remember exactly what it said. Good manilla color (best color for hiding scratches) stock wheels, good mirror representation. Real all around Rig. Nothing that really stands out about it but good.

Doesn't really fit into the genre here, but had to show this. Frickin' Hostess cupcake plastered and dried up on the rear window. TAke the 3 minutes at a gas station even to clean it off!

Rig For Sale

2005-07-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

This would make a great rig for anyone interested in being a proud rig owner.

The Nevada Rig

2005-07-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ah, the Nevada rig. As Justin will attest to, the Nevada rig is not something to trifle with. It is big, it is mean, it is usually dented and it resides in one of the areas where a 4x4 can still be a rig.

These photos were taken during the 4th of July holiday. I actually was encouraged to hang out of the window to get the shot with our awesome little digital wonder. I got a little too close and the driver of the blue rig was not happy with me. Coincidently, this rig owner/driver did not look like a rig owner. He looked like more a van driver, in his shirtless, Dave Grohl, cigarette-flicking dude sort of way. Anyway, this first rig has all of the qualifications of a classic rig: diamond-plate bumper, era-correct everything, tool box, dent from good usage of the rig (maybe it rolled down a hill and hit a tree while loading lumber into the bed) and of course the ball.

This next Nevada rig is GOOOOD. For so many reasons, I have to admit this was my favorite one of the weekend. Check out that well-used bed. This rig has been used the right way, you can totally tell. Don't miss the "Keep on Truckin'" mud flaps.

As a novice rig enthusiast, I think the comments section would help with classifying how these rigs are good examples. Use your rig-knowledge. Flaunt it. Do it.

Dually Rig

2005-07-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

This was a great sighting we made on the street I used to live on growing up a few days ago. Really more like a re-sighting cause I'd forgotten about this rig, but remembered seeing it as far back as junior high school age riding my bike to the mall on boring summer days.

I apologize the picture quality is quite bad. It's a camera phone picture taken in a hurry as we stopped along the road. You also have to be careful as to who is watching you take photos, as not everyone is as understanding of our interests. They sometimes take offense.

This is a mid 80s Chevy "Cheyenne Super" 1/2 ton truck. Dually, which is not a plus or minus on a rig really. Most duallies are dual cabs as well, or at least an extended cab. This is a standard cab, which i found interesting. Means the dually feature might even be a custom thing. A custom thing in this case (if it is) would not be a bad thing cause it's not a cosmetic/restoration type thing (told you this stuff could get subtle and weird).

No flashy wheels, mud flaps are a plus. Love the original two tone paint job. Definitely considered something flashy in its hey-day which is considered kinda ugly-truck now. Throwing in the primer painted driver door to it just adds to its personality more. Enjoy.

The Rig Begins

2005-07-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

The origin of The Rig is quite simple: my dad was the first to answer an ad to purchase a 1978 Dodge longbead for $500. The seller: King County Utilities, which customized The Rig for a life of hard work. It served my father well during his residency in Washington, but when he moved to Utah plans emerged to purchase a 4x4 Rig. The Rig was then given to my sister Bonnie for custody. Here is another photo of The Rig in it's current habitat in Brown's Point, Washington. Oddly, this photo was taken almost exactly one year ago before the Ervin's annual 4th of July BBQ. Note the three-tone, scratched decoritive stripe. This is only one of numerous customizations originally adding to the truck's visual appeal which now have the opposite effect. Bedliners are normally controversial, but here it is clear that the bedliner is not intended to protect the bed's surface. Note the rig excels in the sticker department with Harley Davidson, the International Firefighter's Association, Sturgis 1998, and of course the Marine Corps all well represented.

What Makes A Rig

2005-07-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason I didn't specify in our site description as to what a rig is, is because the rig qualifications have varied a bit over the years, depending on which rig enthusiast you talk to. I'll try to sum this up as quick as possible so anyone new to the world of rigs can start to understand and get involved.

A "Rig," is a truck. A work truck. Whether or not the Rig owner uses it for work is up to him, but its important that the Rig show signs of a life full of service thruout the years. It's that old Dodge you see parked on the driveway of a neighbor's house you pass every day on the way to work. It's old (circa late 1960s to as late as early 90s but on a case by case basis when you get to that late a decade), but not too old lest it be considered a "Classic," and get put to pasture on a trailer for Goodguys car shows. It's beat up, rusty, perhaps has some primer mixed in with the extremely faded paint job complete with the pinstripes or decals that were a fashion statement for this vehicle back in its heyday. While there certainly is not much monetary or status symbol value to this vehicle, you can't help but notice it when you drive by. It stands out, speaking of a long, rich history of hauls and pulls with each scratch on the truck bed, and dent in the fender.

Not just any old truck is a rig, however. There are many features to appreciate on a rig that could go on for pages, so I'll focus on a few disqualifications:

1. No trailer hitch/ball: We've had many otherwise EXCELLENT rigs lose status because they didn't have a ready towing apparatus. A Rig MUST be ready to pull at any given moment. Even if the hitch is there, but the ball isn't, you're out.

2. No tailgate: Very similar to disqualification #1. A rig must be ready to haul at any time, and not having a tailgate would severely hinder this. A good rig owner knows there is more to life than gas mileage.

3. No Customization: Having a truck this old would cause case for things to be replaced. This is expected and encouraged, but it's often tempting for one to semi restore a vehicle after decades of use to sort of give it a rebirth. This blurs the line of "Rig," your do anything, take any abuse vehicle you can depend on with a "classic" you start to get afraid to take certain places and certainly don't want to haul your buddy's old, non functioning washer and dryer to the dump with. This is something that needs to be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine if this line is crossed, but basically once the truck is being upgraded with things that could increase its sales value, it starts to not be a rig.

4. No Four Wheel Drive: This is a somewhat controversial element. While a 4x4 adds to the rough-and-readiness of a truck, it could potentially give it what we like to call a sense of "uppitiness." Being lifted would certainly put it in the "customized" realm, and would make it lose its everyday work truck appeal. This also raises the resale value in many cases, which goes against the idea of a rig. We've made exceptions many times for this in areas where Four Wheel Drive is necessary just to get around, so this is not set in stone, but definitely a deal breaker in the Rig Spotter's home base of the SF Bay Area.

Man, this is long, and I've only scratched the surface. Once things get going, and the explinations have gotten out of the way, they're be a lot more fun postings with pictures and commentary, which is what this is really supposed to be all about. For now, here's perhaps one of the best rig sightings I've ever made in Monterey, CA.