No, this is not a picture of where the truck is in the timeline of the project. This is just a little inspiration…

The truth is that the truck is sitting in the yard of the lads who are going to help me get it back up and running. After going through the truck and getting the motor to turn over we have decided on a plan of action that includes some items we hoped did not need attention. The engine did indeed turn over, but after looking at the compression we found that four of the eight cylinders did not have compression. We also discovered that it was not the original engine to the truck. Somewhere along the line a larger V-8 had been crammed into the bay and they had notched the frame on both sides to get it in. Where they had notched the frame the frame had cracked on both sides. You can imagine my disappointment. So now, we have a firm plan on the build and with the help of my amigos at the Vintage Rollers Car Club we will be tackling the following:

New (old) motor – We will look for a donor car that has a solid Chevy 350. The guys will rebuild it to ensure it is sound.

New (old) transmission – Same deal here. The guys were trying to talk me into an automatic, but I want to keep the manual 4 on the floor.

New wiring harness – New electrical throughout. I will switch back to the double headlights, instead of the rarer single. I like the look of the double better and have already picked up the double bezels.

New brakes – We will stick with drums at this point but will refurbish them and run new lines.

New fuel tank – We will drop the old and see what it looks like inside and go from there.

New exhaust – Maybe go to double.

Fix cracked frame – I was thinking of bagging it, but will hold of for now, as I am getting in deep on the money front already. We will box the frame where it is cracked and the bagging and disc brakes will happen sometime in the future.

Suspension – Instead of bagging we will drop the whole ride by 3 – 4 inches all around and see how it looks.

Wheels and tires – Wheels will come off and get a tomato red powder coating and white walls will be mounted.

Patina polish – Erik the Viking at Hold Fast Kustoms will work his magic and I will acquire the missing brightwork, which I have already started finding.

Glass – Needs everything except the back window.

Drivers door – The door is cracked in a place where you can’t get enough metal to weld. Fortunately the truck came with extra doors, unfortunately I will lose the matching patina on that side.

There is a long list of things I have left off but this is the beginning checklist. This all told will have me in at around $7,000 without the patina polish.

Stay Tuned!