R&C artist's concepts/sketchpad renderings.....real life BUILDS??? TRUCKSTERS!

Did anyone see that abomination in the latest issue of R&C? There's a tiny pic of one of these gone horribly wrong with a not-so-friendly thank you to the artist for putting this idea in the hands of people who don't fully think about the idea before executing it. And execute is what should have happened. It gives rat rod a whole new dimension.

Thank god for Kustom Builder - attention to detail.

 

as i was looking through the newest issue of R&C yesterday, a**** all the nice cars at the autorama coverage, was a pic of a 60's chevy done in this style. the caption read simply "Thanks Thom!" i'm sure their sarcasm was lost on most readers.

 

heh, don't know how i didn't see your post on the same pic!

 

hey sinister and kustombuilder, anything new on your builds? i have been following this alternate body thing for a couple of years and it seems that you guys are going for it. i have done numerous web search's with little return on building a fenderless, or hoodless hot rod with a 60's era cab. if you know of any other web sites or pictures of this, could you please p*** them on? i have a later 60's chevy cab, roadster style project coming along nicely. i took a differant aproach to the proportions. it was to be a 2-3 weekend project, using rusted out s**** yard bound parts. yea right! a little over a year later, it going into final ***embly. i started this with no research or real metal and body skills. i felt the main problem was that the cab had to short of a cowl to work, i never thought about sectioning, or narrowing the cab. ****. but i built a custom firewall and extended the cowl several inchs. i like it. my front nose leaves some to be desired. i will work on that after i get it where i can drive it a little. anyways i am very intrested in these types of projects, so if anyone can direct me to any other web sites thanks. pkj

 

pkj.....not much progress....been busy working on '68 Chargers and doing bodywork on my wife's '66 Impala. Gotta get her car going.

Still in mockup stage. Trying to get the "eyebrows" for the upper firewall narrowed and looking right. I'd like to work on it more, but other projects have priority.....I'll post some pics once I get the firewall finished.

 

Sinister: any progress ?

 

Not much Ian.......I have the eyebrow pieces from the '61 Chevy hood narrowed and tacked on.
And some frame rails partially made.
This is a long term project that gets worked on when I have some extra time (which seems to be very little these days, ya know?).......
But now that you've brought it up.......I think I'll do some more welding on it today.....and if progress goes OK, get some updated pics.

 

Seen these on another site, hope he don't mind.

 

Whoa.....that's wild.....he'll be done way before mine....hahahaha!

I'm not diggin' the roof though....

Thanks for posting that Old Gold.

 

I don't belong to the site or know the builder. It looks like the top is removable?

 

Possible, not sure.

 

I did some linking around, and found a bunch of build shots on this guys my space page "millers chop shop" out of nevada. pretty creative thinking on the build-I must say....
Yes the top is removable, looks like they started by sectioning the rear of the cab, then angle cut the doors. Then they cut the dash out, spun the cab around and welded another rear cab to the old front to create a new rear.

 

Hey Sinister, why'd you steal that guy's idea?

 

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...viewPicture&friendID=240674456&albumId=619820

 

Hahaha....well, if the dates are correct on the pics, then they started that project way before the article in R&C, and before I found the Hamb.

I dig it!

I guess I'll throw mine in the s**** pile.........

 

I am not sure how I feel about the trucksters, but I can't wait until our very own E.Black's design is completed. The Idol was in Rod & Custom over a year ago and really took my breath away. It has created an interest in a car where there was none before. I can't wait to see the concept realized (and eblackdesign.com updated!) so that I can start thinking about my very own '58-'60 Thunderbird. Inspired by the Hirohata Merc, it's really a thing of taste and beauty. This is the only pic I could find of the design.

 

It's not a truckster, but here's my '36 "Fordillac" project, inspired by Thom Taylor's "How to build a Roadster from a cheap sedan" artwork in Oct. '05 R&C. It's not a direct copy, as I didn't shorten the body quite as much, but I bought the car (or rather, what was left of it) after I got the magazine.

It's a '36 Touring Sedan body, shortened about 16", *******, and per Thoms art, the bottom 6 inches or so were trimmed off. Rust had done most of that, but I tidied up the edges!

The windshield frame is mid '60's MGB, narrowed an inch. The top bows are '02 Chrysler Sebrin, as is the fabric which I also salvaged. Not using the Sebring gl***, it won't let the top stack properly.

Fenders are the original '36 spare ring up front, '37 Buick sidemount covers in the rear, which I need to widen a couple of inches to cover the 7.50x16's. Front tires are 5.00x16 cycle tires. Rims are '35 Dodge front, '35 Olds rear.

Frame is 2x3 box tubing, "Z'd" front and rear. Front susp. is '35 Dodge axle and parallel leaves, rear is 93 Caprice wagon posi, using the GM lower control arms, homebuilt uppers, and Kia sedan coil springs.

An .060 over '68 Caddy 472 with MTS cam and valvetrain, ported heads, 10:1 compression should provide ample power, right? Turbo 400, also m***aged, driving, if I counted right, a 3:23 ratio posi rear.

Right now it's primed, ***embled. I'm having a stainless steel fuel tank built by a buddy who's a sheet metal bender, and I have a 6 point roll bar mocked up in PVC pipe to be copied by a local fabricator in DOM tubing. The interior will be all bead blasted aluminum panels, homemade bomber seats with buff colored Ostrich cushions (I like the color and texture).

I'll get it wired, plumbed and finished up the winter, and paint the body shell when the weather warms up. Olive green body, black cloth top.

It's been published in R&C a few months back, I was thrilled. It should be a riot to drive, I'm really happy with how it's looking.

 

FlyinBrian, I dig it. Hopefully you will take it to the Detroit Autorama in March.

 

I like this one[http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=257146&d=1167161261]

 

Looks very cool, but narrowing the curved windshield might be tough.

 

Unkl Ian,

don't know if you mean my MGB w/s, or the artwork of the cut down chev truck cab, but cutting curved w/s gl*** is easy with a sandblaster and duct tape. The severly narrowed pickup cabs as shown would present a problem as the center cab is removed, but a divider bar would look cool and would make the cab look suitably "old". As I have a sheet of 1/4 Lexan, I think I'll use it initially, and when it's scratchy, and my hot rod fund is replenished, I'll get an MG w/s and trim the edges down to fit.

 

Here's a homebuilt I did from a set of "A" fibergl*** fenders, a '24 Chevy cowl, a '27 Chevy grille shell and sheet metal.

300 Ford six powered - 2.47:1 Ford 9" rear.

Runs 11s. 2000 Track Champion in Street Cl***.

 

That is such a cool concept by Thom! It actually made me buy this! I picked it up pretty cheap and I also got the ***le(?), what a find! I was pretty lucky on this deal.

 

Heres one built from parts, started it in about 2000, still havent done much to it!



Doc.

 

....even the resin model kit guys are onto this style!

 

sinister, don't s**** bin it... no 2 people have the same ideas, use thoms suggestions, and go with it... remember that second set of sketches?
I have 5 60-66 cabs laying around, and I fully intend to build some sort of truckster with them in the future....

 

Cutting windshields is not a problem, but the dramatic curve on
the edges would be lost if you took the same amount off each side.

A bar in the middle MIGHT look cool, if it was planned out correctly.
Or it might look like an after thought.

Reworking the cowl to create a Vee **** might be first choice.

 

hey looks good. let us know how things progress and if you need anymore measurements or ideas let us know

Thanks
Millers Chop Shop@ www.myspace.com/Millerschopshop

 

pretty bad***!!! different in many ways than what i have planned for the two we have parts for.

i've done a little more on the 54 Ford "Truckster" but not a ton. it's outside under a tarp right now (will start on the Chevy one later) but like Sinister i have been distracted by some 60s projects. i've got a 68 Firebird i'm putting back together to sell and i have a buddie's 63 Chevy wagon to put back together. that''ll take up most of my winter and i have a few smaller projects to work on here and there but i hope to be back on the truckster by spring. we will see.