Hello,
     Gil had a good idea. Gill's idea would be the most perm. fix. How about this: make a 2meter J-pole using 300 ohn twinlead and house it in 1/2 gray PVC pipe. Make the antenna and slide it into the PVC. Then clamp the PVC using hose clamps off the back of the jeep. The J-pole does not require a ground plane and you could try different lengths to obtain the best coverage vs height limitations. Another way to go would be to use a marine antenna because they function without a ground plane.
Keep us posted on what you do, neat ride, looks like too much fun.
73'S  KA5SIW

     I have worked in electronics for over 38 years. In this day and time for the most part tube testers are joke. Tube testers measure DC gain of a tube, how that tube works with the RF freq. is a different measurement. I have checked 1000's of tubes that passed tube test and would not function in the circuit. The second part of this issue is where are you going to get tubes? With the transmitting tubes coming from China, many times the old tube in the radio works better than the new tube you can buy. The Russian tubes are a bit better than the China tubes by not much. If you replace the tubes in a high-power HF amp you have to buy the tubes as a matched set.
     Most of the older ham radios with 6146 output tubes will work for well over 30 years with the original tubes, assuming one of the tubes did not short between the elements.
      The Yaesu and Swan radios that used sweep tubes along with many of the CB amps have their own set of problems. The 6146 is a much better tube that the sweep tubes and they lasted 1000's of times longer. The old hybrid Kenwood radios and the Yaesu FT-101ZD use 6146 and those are the only tube radios worth messing with. Hope this info helps you out, 73'S  KA5SIW

     Guess you could call me a boy scout drop-out. With the fishing, hunting trips as a kid, my Father made me do much of the prep work. As I got older I started camping almost monthly. Growing up in Texas the big push for prepping was the weather. We went through hurricane Carla in 1961 then add in thunderstorms in West Texas and North Texas ice storms. A hurricane on the coast or an ice storm in North Texas can strip the store shelves bare in just a few hours. With all my camping, I figure prepping just a long-term camping trip at home. When working on my ham license in 1975, I did some tornado spotting and talk about a very interesting subject. Yes, I have had dreams/nightmares about bad camping trips or issues where I have lived in the past.
     Living out where I live I am not too worried about race issues, more worried about some lone drifter looking to five-finger stuff as he makes his way near the railroad tracks. I live about 1/4 mile from the RR tracks. Another issue is a railroad derailment with chem. spill.
     I still use one of the old scout handbooks as a prepper guidebook, along with one of the army survival books. I do need to buy a good guidebook on eatable plants. Also I need to stock up more on rice, beans and canned meat. My wife does not understand prepping. That is an issue I need to overcome.

You might not want to work with that truck. If this is the early  Diesel, it was just a converted gas motor and had major problems. I think the later 6.2 liter was a better motor but still has issues. We use six of ten 6.2 liter trucks where I work and it is starting to be hard to get parts. Fuel MPG was not that good on those motors either.
Do you have to worry about smog testing for registration? In some states a truck from the early 1970 does not have to be smog tested. I know car dealers in New Mexico that go to Texas just to load up with older trucks since New Mexico does not require smog testing outside of Albuquerque. Good luck,  73'S  KA5SIW

Gramatron,
     Welcome to the site. There are some good people here, almost every time I check out the site I learn something. Good move with the slimjim antennas. In years past my friend built a pvc walking staff with a slimjim 300ohm twinlead j-pole inside the pvc pipe. Just connect a short length of RG-174 coax and that antenna would work circles around a rubber duck. That is one reason I prefer the BNC antenna connector for HT,s easier to connect and disconnect coax. The SMA connectors are a much more fragile connector.
     Ask lots and lots of questions everyone here likes to help someone out. When you get ready there are good used radios out on the market, that can save you major money over new stuff. Almost all my HF rigs I bought used, many I have bought, repaired then resold when I found something else I just had to try. 73's  KA5SIW

          My wife and I have been bike riding 2 to 4 miles a day. We are getting ready for Burning Man. I bring the 2mt HT along and visit with hams from all over New Mexico while I am on the bike. Hey, it's not rocket science but it is fun.
          I have always dreamed on trying HF bike portable and I may try that using my IC-703 and a 20mt. ham stick. I do have some 12volt 7AH gel cells and that makes a do-able station. Think a 17 foot counter poise would be a good addition.
          Maybe if I add a front basket, mount the antenna mount to the bike frame. Use wire ties to mount the gel cells in the bottom of the basket. Add a piece of 1/4in plywood on top of the batteries, then mount the radio to the plywood.
           I have to help a friend out at the gun show this weekend. Gee, I have a ton of work to do before this trip, this bike HF station sounds just to good to skip. I will let you know if I get it going. 73'S  KA5SIW

Camping, fishing and hunting serve as excellent "practice" for preppers, along with being good family activities. Something to remember, propane can be stored for a very long time and still function 100%. When I refill my propane bottles I refill 6 or 9 bottles at a time and the propane dealer charges me the bulk gallon price, cheaper than the price for each cylinder. Most gasoline goes bad in about 1 month if you don't add stabilizer when you buy the gasoline.
Part of your practice should also be to remember to check the dates on your food stores and rotate food stocks. This is one short coming in my current system, I don't have near enough food stores. That will be on my hot sheet for 2015. Think about 50 lbs of rice and beans should be a good start. 73'S  KA5SIW

Lugi has a good point. Amateur radio is an excellent accessory hobby. I enjoy doing Ham radio when I am doing other hobbies. Bike riding and ham radio, camping and ham radio. You get the idea. Even when I sit down at my radio desk I can turn my chair 90 deg. and work on my electronics bench at the same time.
Even copying the mail on the local repeater, it is amazing to range of activities other hams are involved with. One of my Elmers once said, working in electronics sure ruins a good hobby.
Years ago my Wife and I had our direct TV disconnected and we save about $90 per month. One of the smartest things we have ever done, I stopped watching TV 4 hours a day, become more active, lost weight and we use that $1000 a year to pay for one of our vacations. In the winter I spend lots more time repairing radios and working the bands too.

     Back in 2012 I was at Burning Man using my Icom 7200 to work some 20meter SSB. As I sat there calling CQCQ a pretty young lady rode by on a bicycle. She stopped and ask what I was doing. I explained about amateur radio and that I could talk to other hams all over the nation. Do you know how hard it is to explain amateur radio to a young lady when she is wearing only a pair of cutoff shorts?
     I can't wait, August 25 we will be out on the playa setting up camp. 73'S  KA5SIW

     After hurricanes in South Texas, tornados in West Texas, ice storms in North Texas and a lifetime of camping, fishing and hunting, the lines between prepping, amateur radio and life just kind'a fade. Like a country song, I can skin a buck, run a trotline, make an inverted Vee antenna or repair a radio with equal skill.
      I live where I want to live. I love my job. This morning I stepped out on the front porch and I could hear the elk and wild turkey.
     Two weeks ago I butchered a lamb I bought from one of my neighbors. This Fall I will be hunting deer, dove, goose and ducks. Sunday we will enjoy a first class dinner of dove breast wrapped with bacon and slowly grilled with a beer and butter sauce.
     Bug in or bug out, the best made plans will have to change as conditions shift. One problem with the prepper movement, people just want to buy guns and stuff, they should be working on building skills. I feel I am much better prepared than 80% of the people and I am still progressing. Am I ready for SHTF, NO!

BINGO, we got tickets, Burning Man here we come!
Now I have lots of radio work to do.
1. I want to get a 2meter and HF rig installed in the pick-up.
2. I have to set-up a battery box with solar panels and controller.
3. I have to order a wouxun dual-bander.
Fun, here we come.
73'S  KA5SIW

Hello, we are trying to get tickets to Burning Man. I consider Burning Man an exercise in prepping. A week camped out in the desert is not for the faint of heart.
I am busy packing the camping gear and plan to take a HF rig and use a 20meter inverted vee antenna. Sure hope we can find a nice place to set-up camp, last year was a disaster. The Black Rock radio club has 2 repeaters and I will bring a dualbander HT for sure. Any other amateur operators planning to go?
73'S  KA5SIW

Summer Heat! My radio shack does not have AC. About the only way I can do summertime radio work is after 10PM at night. This spring I was busy with all kinds of activities except radio, think I have logged one contact in 2014. Here in New Mexico our monsoon season brings lots of afternoon thunderstorms. I don't even try to use 80 meters due to static crashes.
73'S  KA5SIW

Shakespear used to make a 2section CB dipole vertical. That antenna could be used on 15 meters tuned with a tuner. I used one back in my novice days.
73'S  KA5SIW

10 Meters can be erratic, my farthest contact ever was on 10meters, from Grapevine Texas to New Zealand on about 20 watts SSB. When I first turn on my rig, I tune through the bands just to see if 10meters is open. Sometimes I hear activity on 10meters and 15meters will be silent. 73'S  KA5SIW