I must be crazy but ...

[guitar man]

I'm finally going to do it. I have had this old truck sitting out back for a long time...I finally started stripping it down a couple weeks ago



When I'm all done, I'm hoping it looks something like this. :D



many, many hours of sweat equity ahead but when I'm done, I'm going to have one badazz ride. B-)

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. you are not Crazy ! dude!

*drool*

this is my dream:
http://image.classictrucks.com/f/8377674+w750+st0/0608cl_07_z+2006_chevy_gmc_nationals+1949_chevy_pickup.jpg

[guitar man]

2. Sweet

I love that old body style. I was looking for a cab like that to drop onto my '65 frame but they are getting harder to find and when you do find one in good shape they want a lot of money for them

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. no, yours is fine. It will be s-weet

so fine.

really, I would be proud of it. It will be one fine looking truck.

[guitar man]

8. thanks

I hope it turns out good. I'm going to do it up as a "retro" rod, like a typical street custom you'd find in the late 60s to early 70s. With the Superior metal flake and chrome steering wheel, chrome Hurst floor shift with an 8 ball or t-handle, the Mr Gasket "barefoot" gas pedal, bucket seats and a big ol Sun tach on the steering column :D

[kayakjohnny]

4. Good luck. I don't think you're crazy at all. I had a truck like that which lasted probably 20 years

after I got it.

My brother and I worked on it and made it look and run great.

Ours was a red Apache 10, 1961, with a 235. Very easy to work on.

We completely rebuilt it, body and all.

It made it from Florida to Colorado and back, as well as all over Florida for years and years.

We had the double front headlights, three speed on the column.

Short bed, fleet side, just like what you have in the bottom pic.

Though I see that yours will be a step side, which I really like a lot.

Good luck with it.

Parts should be no prob to find.

There are still a million of these things on the road all over.

Also had a 59 and even a 38 Chevy truck. I love those things.

Update us please, when you make some headway on it.

Cheers!

[guitar man]

6. I love the 60-61

the hoods are just too cool the way they have the turn signals mounted and the double headlights...too cool. If I find a good hood and front clip from an Apache I may just use them for the cool factor.

Not sure if it's going to be a stepside when I'm finished, you can't see it in the pic, but it's the long stepside bed rather than the short and I don't really like it. I may be on to a '63 short wheelbase frame that already has disc brake spindles and a power steering box mounted on it. If I can score it, I'll pull my cab off and mount it over on that frame. then the bed will be whichever I find, stepside or fleetside, as long as it's short I'm cool with it. If I can't find a bed I'll just make a flat/stake bed out of it.

I have the engine in the shed on a stand. It's the 283 V8 that came with it. When I'm finished building it, let's just say it won't be exactly "stock" :evilgrin:

[HopeHoops]

5. Did you remember an engine?

A 283 would be a good fit. You MIGHT want to look into the heavy load engine mounts (get a cop mount for a 350 - that will fit) because the 283 will throw out way more torque than you might expect.

[guitar man]

7. I've got it

It's in my shed on the engine stand...the 283 that came with it. And yes, I'll be beefing up the engine mounts because when I'm finished building it, it will be throwing out quite a bit of torque :evilgrin:

[HopeHoops]

9. Yeah, I had to have them put the cop mounts in my '68 Galaxie because my 390 kept breaking them.

It still broke the cop mounts, but not as often. The owner's manual says not to do more than 70mph in 1st gear (no joke), but I often shifted into second at 75 or more (with a manual). It was sort of fun to blow off a Camero and pretty much any of the 2X0Z things in just 1st gear, well, other than the 240. I swear those fuckers can fly.

[guitar man]

10. I had a '63 ford f100

Stepside pickup that I built a 289 for. Had to build my own mounts because the old "Y" block 292 that came in it mounted completely different than the 289. Took a while but I finally got them beefy enough not to break them.

I loved that old truck, sent more than a couple big block drivers home scratching their heads. :evilgrin:

[HopeHoops]

11. Hell, a 289 in a Falcon station wagon could blow the doors off of most "sports" cars.

That was funny to watch.

I had a '70 Maverick with a 200 straight 6 and that fucker could kick ass too. When I was young and stupid as hell, I'd race Cameros in that and often kicked their asses. Go figure. I KNOW they had 350's or something of that general size. Mine was lighter and had a better torque ratio.

[guitar man]

13. The driver has a lot to do with it too

All the hp and torque in the world won't do you a bit of good if you don't know how to drag. ;)

Then again, sometimes you just run up against something you can't beat. My little truck met it's Waterloo one night when a guy showed up in a very non threatning looking '56 ford pickup with very quiet mufflers. After he waxed my ass and I was handing him his money, he lifted his hood to reveal a mopar 426 max wedge!

Chalk that one up to lessons learned lol :)

[HopeHoops]

19. Yeah, but pretty much anything in a stock '56 Ford anything will kick some booty.

[guitar man]

20. Lol

Wasn't much of anything stock about that truck except the way it looked. I damn sure didn't expect there to be a big block Dodge motor under the hood lol

[Callalily]

12. Wow! A lot of work ahead,

but the end result will be well worth it.

[guitar man]

15. Thanks

I think it will be well worth it. It will be nice to have something for once that with resale value that doesn't plummet by the minute lol

[hippywife]

14. I hopes you does it.

That will be one cool looking ride. :hi:

[guitar man]

16. I am determined

I will persevere and get it done. It may take a while but anything made in '65 is well worth it. We have to keep at least a few of them around so the kids will know what a real ride looks and sounds like :hi:

[hippywife]

17. And the best part

as I once heard it from Baxter Black, cowboy poet and large animal vet, in a piece he did on NPR: when you open the hood and look down at the engine, you can also still see the ground. :D

[guitar man]

18. Exactly!

There will be nothing on it that is not absolutely necessary to making it go :)