Been wanting to build a truck for some time. Was looking for a 64/65 Chevy when my Brother in law told my wife about a 57 he was wanting to sell. Deal was made and drove the 13 hours to Oregon to pick it up.
Pulled it all apart and started with the frame. Installed a Mustang II front end and step notched the frame for the big tire I planned on running.
A buddy's dad passed away and had a late model dirt car motor sitting in his garage. 383 660 hp at the crank on the dyno. Sounded good to me!
I'd been dreading getting to the cab because I really hate body work and this thing needed a lot! New cab corners, new steps, re-did the entire dash etc...Started with the fire wall.
I was struggling with getting the doors/fenders to line up. My brother in law came for a visit, took one look and asked for a 2x4 and a sledge then told me I should go get the mail...
On to wiring, which quite honestly, I think I hate more than body work!
On to the interior. I will be adding the required roll cage, so I had to keep that in mind while setting things up. I was grinding to get this thing streetable for an upcoming show/cruise up in Roseburg, OR that many of my wife's family members travel pretty far to attend. I wanted the interior to be done before the show for wife comfort, because this little small block made some serious noise with the barely muffled black widow exhaust.
Been doing a bunch of body work to finally get the exterior painted. My brother in law called me one night when I was drinking and offered a big block he had built and ran in his 70 El Camino. He ran low 10's with it, but wants to get into the 9's, so he built himself a 489. The deal was I haul the truck 13 hours north to his shop and we would fab/install the big block. How could I resist! Just got home on Tuesday; took about 2 1/2 days to get it done.
A good friend who lives up there has a really cool youtube channel and wanted to document the install. It's a little long, but there is a couple small burnouts. The outakes at the end show the truck in its current state. Roll cage will go in, in the coming weeks, then more body work/sanding and finally paint! I am motivated again after this install. He is a great mechanic and fabricator and I cannot thank him enough! Check out the video:
Pulled it all apart and started with the frame. Installed a Mustang II front end and step notched the frame for the big tire I planned on running.
A buddy's dad passed away and had a late model dirt car motor sitting in his garage. 383 660 hp at the crank on the dyno. Sounded good to me!
I'd been dreading getting to the cab because I really hate body work and this thing needed a lot! New cab corners, new steps, re-did the entire dash etc...Started with the fire wall.
I was struggling with getting the doors/fenders to line up. My brother in law came for a visit, took one look and asked for a 2x4 and a sledge then told me I should go get the mail...
On to wiring, which quite honestly, I think I hate more than body work!
On to the interior. I will be adding the required roll cage, so I had to keep that in mind while setting things up. I was grinding to get this thing streetable for an upcoming show/cruise up in Roseburg, OR that many of my wife's family members travel pretty far to attend. I wanted the interior to be done before the show for wife comfort, because this little small block made some serious noise with the barely muffled black widow exhaust.
Been doing a bunch of body work to finally get the exterior painted. My brother in law called me one night when I was drinking and offered a big block he had built and ran in his 70 El Camino. He ran low 10's with it, but wants to get into the 9's, so he built himself a 489. The deal was I haul the truck 13 hours north to his shop and we would fab/install the big block. How could I resist! Just got home on Tuesday; took about 2 1/2 days to get it done.
A good friend who lives up there has a really cool youtube channel and wanted to document the install. It's a little long, but there is a couple small burnouts. The outakes at the end show the truck in its current state. Roll cage will go in, in the coming weeks, then more body work/sanding and finally paint! I am motivated again after this install. He is a great mechanic and fabricator and I cannot thank him enough! Check out the video:
