I finally made a move and started working on my 34 pickup project. I took a week vacation from work so I could focus on it and make some quick progress. In the pictures it is just a bunch of mocked up parts that roll, nothing is mounted and it needs everything. I have been casually collecting parts for this project for about 8 years. It started when I was given a chopped cab with no doors for free. Here are a few pics from when I found it. It was in this building with another cab with doors and the bed. Also a 34 roadster that belonged to the property owner, Ray. Also on the property were a few rough 34 frames and another pickup cab. Ray didn't own any of the pickup stuff, they belonged to a friend who lived in northern California, Ray owned the roadster and has since the late 50's. I called the guy in Nor-Cal and asked if anything was for sale and on the phone he told me I could just have the chopped cab for free. I was blown away. Ray is a long time street rodder who has a 34 cabriolet that is 90% done and a 36 pickup driver. The roadster was sitting on a stock chassis but Ray had a boxed frame set up with 4 bars front and rear and wanted to switch them so I made a deal with him to put a new front half floor in the roadster, mount a Chevy engine in the frame plus some other misc' work in exchange for the stock chassis. So now I had a rolling 34 chassis and a chopped cab. So this is the cab I got on the new chassis, at this stage I had a flathead mocked up in there but that was just to store it. I already had the grill and wheels. A year or 2 later the guy from Nor Cal came down to see what he had stored at Rays so I went to see what he wanted to sell and I ended up buying the cabs in the earlier pics, 3 frames, the bed and some other truck parts all for $1000. I figured I would sell most of this to help finance the project. The bed would be for my truck along with the windshield frame, dash, door latches and regulators. I ended up piecing this roller together and selling it for $2,500. Good old Squeak Bell had a couple of doors for sale (chopped) for $700 so I bought them and now I had enough stuff to build a hiboy 34 pickup and it was pretty much free. I was happily surprise when I discovered the doors were chopped the same amount as the cab! I like to use stuff on hand when possible so I decided to run this Y block I have had for a while. It is completely stock from a 54 pickup, I heard it run and it reminded me of a sewing machine. It should be fine to push this thing around town. The cab is far from perfect, sanded some of the old bondo and scuffed it up good before shooting on a few cans of Rustoleum rusty metal primer so it could sit outside without rusting away. Maybe some real bodywork will happen in the future. I stored it on my driveway like this for a couple of years covered up but the time has come to put this thing together.
My plan is to make this basically a daily driver. I think these trucks can be cool looking hot rods but at the same time be a very practical little work horse. My work commute is about 15 minutes so should work fine for that. This will not be a show quality build, just a basic backyard built primer hot rod. It will have a heater for those cold mornings and maybe some quick install cycle fenders for rainy days. (maybe one day). Part of my plan is to run some vintage New Zealand speed equipment on it. Berry & Chung was manufacturing speed equipment in New Zealand back in the 1960's. They made intakes, valve covers, wheels, shifters and much more. I have a triple carb Y block intake, 4 speed shifter, gas pedal and dagger dip stick handle so far. Here is a fuel block I will be running. I picked it up in New Zealand but I am not sure where it is made, maybe Australia or England. Maybe a HAMber knows. It is a Lynx and has a removable end with a screen filter attached. I am going to run this orig' SW 5 gauge panel that I pulled out of an old big truck in a junkyard years ago. 3 of the gauges are curved lens and I changed the speedo. Here is the steering wheel I'll run. I picked it up at the annual Ventura Raceway swap meet for $20. A few years earlier I picked up this radiator at the same swap meet for $35. The inlet is on the wrong side for a Y block so I will need to build a cross over tube. I have a lot of misc' stuff on hand for this project, I have been putting parts aside for it for a while. So I have pulled the cab and bed off and now have the frame in the garage getting worked on.
Cool project Kev and love the old Berry n Chung stuff. Will follow this to the end, just love early Ford pick-ups (and Willys). JW
very cool build. Looks like a very nice start with little money invested. Thats hard to do with a 32-34 ford.
I'm going to have to follow this build. I really like the fact you are using a Y-block. Keep up the good work. I must admit I'm more than a little interested in these old Ford trucks.
Looks great! I've never seen speed equipment from NZ before. This is going to be good, I'm still blown away by the amount of cool stuff you have from my visit in 2009!
SWEET!!!!!!!!!! I've never heard of Berry & Chung...can't be too much of those around over here. LOVE the Y-lock. I also enjoy something being built as a true, daily driver. This will be good!!!
This is going to be fun to watch. I watch some of your builds on here you do damn good work. I have a 34 also im in need of frame then i can start on it. What is the front crossmember in your frame? It looks likea model a of 32 it looks like it's a little lower that if you had a stock 34 in there.
that "mister low buck build" lol i enjoy seeing all of your builds and envy the climate you work in tk
Love it , recycled -repurposed-scrounged- I don't care what you call it , there's nothing better than high speed / low buck projects ! I'm watching this build ! Thanks for sharing !
Larry....From memory it is chopped 3" but it was years ago when I figured that out so I may be wrong. The door window opening measures 12 1/2" so maybe someone with an unchopped one can chime in. cody1958.... That is a model A front cross member I bolted in there some time back to get it lower. I sold the 34 ft crossmember. That chassis had a good setup if I wanted to run a flathead, it would have been easy. I sometimes end up selling stuff I would rather keep to finance other things. I sold the complete rear end( 3.54 gears, juice brakes) to finance my trip to Bonneville on 08. There was a nice 32 heavy axle in there that I traded for something I wanted more but couldn't afford at the time. I replace the front axle with a cooler dropped and filled 32 heavy axle that a local rodder had kept since about 1962. I was doing some work at his house on his long term, chopped in the 50's, 32 vicky project (making the doors fit in the holes) when he came out with this axle and asked if I wanted it. He had bought it for the 32 vicky but it was too wide to work under his fenders. He gave it to me. Perfect axle for this project. I would like to think it's an Okie Adams axle but the peak along the top tells probably not, unless someone ground it in later.
Great story . Nice to see the collection of good ol kiwiana in the Berry & Chung goodies. We had planned to fit a triple carb y block into our 32 pickup , till we found length was a problem with stock hood and firewall.
Yes the Y block is a little long for the engine bay. I first moved the radiator forward 1" and then set the engine in place where a mechanical fan would work OK. Then set the cab in place and it was obvious the firewall was going to need a few mods to make everything work. I am also moving the cab back 1 1/2" to make everything work like I want. Since the cab is back a little that means the bed will also be set back making the rear end too far forward against the bed side swages. That doesn't matter to me because I have no rear suspension yet and I will compensate for it when I figure out the rear suspension. I am planning on making it parallal leaf springs.
Hey Kev, it was great to run into you at GNRS the other day and now this! This will be a great build and with the collection of goodies you have, I can only imagine the end result. Doing a Yblock myself so very interested. Subscribed!
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