Featured Projects The creatures Chevy truck

<-Glad you made it. @The Chevy Pope is usually a voice of reason on here, so pay attention. But if you find he's wrong about something automotive and have proof to back it up, call him out. It's what we would do!

 

Naw not gonna push my luck on this one. She's too much like her mama to try that lol

 

Welcome to The Creature. It’s good to have a young person and a female around here no less. There’s no better satisfaction than driving a car you built or restyled yourself.

 

Since many people here know what I look like whether from a pic on here or meeting in person here's a pic of "the creature" almost two years ago on her 14th birthday. She seemed to get more excited over starting my 53 than she did over going out to eat and seeing whatever bizarre movie we took her to that 14 year old her wanted to see lol.

 

The AD trucks are a great starting point. Lots of parts for them available at swap meets, or reproduction. Lots of ways to build them.

Here's a bit of potential motivation. Jag front and rear suspension is super easy install. SBC fits easy. I built this with mostly parts I had and a $500 Jaguar donor. Most expensive parts were the new wheels, tires and gauges.

 

Hers will likely get a gm v6 of some sort starting out. Likely a 4.3. we'll add cylinders and ci as she gains experience lol

 

It's bordering on the off topic, but I'll suggest an S-10 frame swap with a good running 4.3 already in place would be the easy button path. The nice thing is it would get completed quicker, helping keep motivation up.

 

If she’s a real red head you better not make her mad. You could end up with a truck on your chest.

 

If you’re thinking 6 Cylinder why not a 235/261 or even a 230, 250, 292?

235s are fairly plentiful, most people underestimate them as a hot rod engine and pull them in favor of a V8.

A stock rebuild is relatively inexpensive and with a few simple modifications like a split manifold really wake them up.

Same with the 230, 250, 292 plus they use the same bell housing as a small block.

There was a joke when NASCAR went V6 in the Busch Grand National Series because they got sponsorship money form engine crane manufacturers!

 

@Robert J. Palmer
Brings up a great point to consider.
I fully agree with putting in a 6 banger.
Easy to work on, and a person can get very creative with the parts support that is out there.
Here are a couple of pictures of what is possible.
Purely for inspiration, because what you see here, isn't cheap, but its a hell of a lot of fun when the gas pedal is pushed down!
Thanks from Dennis.

 

If it’s the 1.5 ton, the grill looks like the 54/55.1 pickup grill.
And @The Creature , please don’t search for your dads old post, you may never hug him again

Welcome to the the HAMB, and being the father of 3 girls, this works.
Dad, stop reading…





“But Daddy, I really want it”.

 

Another consideration, if they want to go late inline Chev. 6, they could pick up a late 6 cylinder Chevelle, Nova or early 70s to mid 80s truck for the complete running gear.

I don’t know what is like in other parts of the of the country, but in the mid 80s to early 90s the vintage oval track guys were running the late Chevy 6 so there is a fair amount of speed equipment on the loose at swap meets, in basements and garages.

 

@The Creature is well on her way to being a hot rodder, even her shoes have speed holes!

 

AND it will sound good - I love the sound of a split-6!

Russ

 

Sounds like a great project.

 

Reminds me of a similar truck project started by a friend when his son was about that age. They chopped the top radically with a sloped back windshield. Somehow the truck project stalled but years later when the son was way older, they got back onto it and finished it.

 

My son and I started with a pickup project for his first ride in high school as well. Things started out great, but his interest soon dropped because of the size of that 1st build and the time requirement required to get it to the street. The longer the project takes, the more they loose interest.

I found a more complete project to replace the pickup for him, and he got really involved again because it was progressing much faster. His first car was a decent late model beater, which he promptly killed the motor in. Fortunately, the "new" project was ready about that same time. He drove that all through his high school years.

A full build on a classic pickup could be a great first ride project, but just be sure you can move it along fast enough the interest doesn't go away. There will be a lot of things trying to get her attention in her teen years, if the interest in the truck project goes away, she may never get it back again.

The V6 is a great starting point. It has good power, and they are basically good motors. The step up to a V8 is easy if its planned for in advance.
The old inline 6 motors may be great for traditional rides with old guys, but until you dump a bunch of money into them they are ugly, low on power, and they don't have much value for the younger people.

 

Yeah I'm pretty good at keeping her interest up. And I'll be making her spend some of her own $. I'm mainly helping with the major stuff like cab and chassis. So her having a personal investment will help. And next year she'll be going to votech for either auto mechanics or auto body.

Thinking if she establishes she drive without playing bumper cars next year we'll put either a 283 or a 305 in for her senior year. Which one we do will depend on how good she is at vehicle maintenance. Basically if I have to stay on top of her to maintain it it'll get a 305 lol. Then maybe a 327 or 350 as a graduation present

 

That sounds like a good plan. My son was financially invested with the pickup project, and was also enrolled into an auto body class through his high school at the local college.
When the pickup project started to stall, I found the more complete project (we installed a motor/trans and he did some body work). I bought the pickup project from him so he could buy the new project. Him being invested in his project was a good move.

The pickup was still several months, and a few hundreds of dollars away from being road worthy, the new project was only a couple months from being road worthy and with the deal I found on a good motor, was much less expensive. He was driving it 3 months later, and he did some body work on it as part of his class.

 

I sold my 64 C20 to a guy for his 15 year old daughter. They live near by and saw my truck in the driveway when he would take her to high school. She fell in love with the truck and wanted her dad to stop and see if I would sell it. He never did, but I listed it online and he showed up really wanting the truck. The old truck had a 350, powerglide with no power brakes or power steering. He said that didn't matter, he just had to have the truck for her. It sat at their house for about a year with very little movement until the For Sale sign went up. I think the thrill was gone after she tried to drive it. He sold it quick.

 

Yeah this truck will have power brakes and steering. KC traffic is a bit hectic for a 16 year old to be driving a flatbed without lol

 

So what engine and trans are you thinking? Did the truck you're looking at have anything? The 51 has a decent running stock engine and 2 speed that will need a good home. If you're interested in it shoot me a pm.

 

Actually that's a running joke between us. She's actually "dirty" blonde. She just has the look of a redhead. I tease her and call her a day walker ginger in disguise lol.

 

Likely a 4.3 and an auto starting out. Like I said we need to see how she acts on the road before we get serious about a more permanent engine setup. And the donor for the cab hasn't had an engine since before I saw it the first time in 2017

 

Why not put a large pair of open chamber heads,two bbl intake, peanut cam in a 283/305? Probably won’t make the HP the v6 will.
Then when/if the time comes, upgrade the heads and cam and intake.
Heck, do one at a time, see how she gets along with it.

 

Dont forget these trucks are a lot lighter than newer trucks, does not take a lot of power to move them along just fine.
A v-6 or 305 would be plenty for a new driver, or for most of us unless trying for 1/4 mile records. I drove a couple of v-6 work trucks for 250K with no issues, hauling 6-800 lbs of tools daily, plus materials.