'53 Project List

The following list was put together shortly after the truck arrived here in Raleigh. It was an attempt to capture all of the things I thought would be a good idea to do to the '53, as time and funds permitted. The list has actually changed very little in the last month or so. Now, before you get excited about my deft ability to plan a project, I can assure you that the lack of churn is the direct result of starting with a very short list.

The short list was made possible by a grant from the buy-it-as-close-to-the-way-you-want-it foundation, a 501c status, non-profit group that helps buyers unlock the potential of purchasing vehicles that require very little additional work to finish. More importantly, these vehicles minimize the amount of changes required and work that must be undone or redone to meet the buyer's desired finished product.

Now, even short project lists need to be prioritized and sequenced. Well, don't they? I had no intention of falling into the trap of changing the oil the week before I performed the engine swap. What you've never heard of that classic gaff? Actually, my list was no where near that detailed. Sorry to dissapoint all you micro-manager types, but you may as well surf over to your favorite bean-counting website, if you want Gant charts suitable for wall-papering your garage with.

So I opted to define several categories of projects, in hopes that some logical priority and precedence would emerge from the chaos. But I didn't have a clue what those categories might be, so I started by scribbling down all the things I could think of, on the not-so-proverbial back of the envelope. When I didn't have to flip the envelope over to finish the list, I knew I had a prayer in hell for getting them sorted. Thanks buy-it-as-close-to-the-way-you-want-it, I couldn't have done it without you.

With the list in front of me, I noticed that the projects could be grouped in a few major areas. The areas were already familiar to me, but I didn't recognize them right away. When I set out to buy a cool old truck, the criteria was that it had to be safe, dependable, fun to drive, and cool looking. Funny that the list sorted itself into three of those four categories, without much effort on my part.

Safety

1. Dual Master cylinder (stock location)
2. Front Disc Brakes
3. 3-point seat belts
4. Relocate gas tank from cab to under bed
5. Gauges and Speedo
6. Rear View Mirror
7. Turn Signals

Driveability

1. New rear-end with better highway gears
2. Auto tranny (so wife can drive it)
3. Convert to open driveline
4. Upgrade front/rear parallel leafs
5. Install door poppers/solenoids
6. Hidden stereo and dash speaker

Appearance

1. Door panels, headliner, carpet, firewall cover
2. Replace cracked/worn steering wheel
3. Complete side glass install
4. Chrome interior window garnish mouldings
5. Door seals and all weather gaskets/seals
6. Door handles and window cranks
7. Dome light, shift knob
8. Replace wooden bed, strips, and hardware

A True West Coast Kustom

I can't take any credit for this cool '53 Chevy 1/2 ton, other than falling in love with it about a year ago. The style, colors, and paint were put together by Adam Barton, who is a bay-area tattoo artist. It was "the look" that drew me in when he posted it for sale on the HAMB last year. I did not make a move on it then, but did contact the new owner, Larry Cooper - a Fresno HAMBer. I contacted Larry again in February, and it turned out that the truck was mostly just sitting, so we struck a deal. Needless to say I was stoked!

So I sat there with an atlas and a calendar, trying to figure out how to get the truck from CA to NC, when I realized that Fresno was about 120 miles from Paso, and Memorial Day weekend was less than two months away. That's when I hatched the scheme to fly out and actually cruise Paso in the '53. For an east coast custom car/truck nut, it was like a kid getting to go to Disney World.


The truck was picked up in Fresno about a week after Paso, and arrived in Raleigh the second week of June. Since then, I've had a chance to "bond" with it somewhat. Hehe. It is amazingly solid for the type of vehicle typically worked hard and put up wet... we just don't see 'em this well-preserved here in North Carolina. The frame and all of the sheet-metal including floors, cab corners, firewall, cowl, and fenders appear to be original and rust free. The front bed panel and tailgate appear to be new. The bed wood is in dire need of replacement, but that is no big thing.

There is a white number stenciled on the (still blue) firewall, so perhaps this was a fleet vehicle of some sort? The truck seems to have been extremely well maintained over the years. The stock, dipper-oiled 235 has been replaced with a pressure-oiled version from 1956, and converted to 12 volt, but other than that, the suspension and drive train are bone-stock. I'm currently trying to track down more details of the truck's history.



The stance was achieved by removing leafs from the front and rear parallel spring setups, and 4" lowering blocks out back. It's running the original 16" 6-lug steel wheels, with Coker wide whites and early Olds (caddy-styled) sombreros..

The interior is still in progress. The seat is upholstered in a tasteful red and white tuck and roll, and the dash has been sprayed in red metalflake, with approximately forty-eleventy coats of clear, which makes it look like a late-60's drumset on steroids when the sun hits it. Hehe. It really just needs headliner, doorpanels, carpet, and window trim to be considered "complete". Oh, and a new steering wheel to replace the cracked original, and maybe some Moon gauges, and how 'bout a heater for winter cruising, and...


My plan is to maintain the truck's current "low-tech, west coast, mild custom" vibe. I plan to drive it as my daily, so there will be a few concessions for safety's sake. Key items include shoulder belts, discs up front, dual-master cylinder (stock location), possibly relocating the gas tank from cab to under bed, and turn signals.

The biggest limiting factor to hitting the highways is the stock rear gears. My (very cool) wife would like to get some wheel-time, but won't drive a stick, so I'll probably install a 2004R auto and convert to open drive-line. Otherwise, I'd probably just install a Patrick's 3.55:1 ring and pinion set and call it good. I like the way the I-6 looks in the engine bay, so I'll probably pick up another one cheap to build while driving the one in the truck (or possibly just freshen the one that's in there). There are hop-up goodies available that will boost performance on the road, and the cool factor when the hood is raised. Plus, the only engine I have ever fully rebuilt was a Chevy 292 I-6 (back in 1984), so I feel like I already know my way around this mill.

The exterior paint is thought to be some sort of late-model champagne color (possibly Chrysler, Cadillac, Honda, or ?? ) with a ton of flatterer added. You've heard of ghost flames? Well, this paint is like "ghost metaflake". At night, or even under electic lights, the finish appears very flat or suede-like - which is a cool look in and of itself. The roof is painted a flat ivory color, which also adds to the suede-effect. But, when sunlight hits all that curvy sheetmetal? Holy cow, the whole truck just lights up as if someone threw a switch.. The contrast is amazing.


With all new exterior chrome (including running boards!) and tasteful scallops, the truck really has a cool look. Mild custom mods include nosed and peaked hood, and shaved door handles, filler cap, wipers, and badges. The hood was already
pinstriped, and Skratch did a neat piece for me on the tailgate at Paso. Since this year's Paso was a tribute to Von Dutch, I asked Skratch if he could do a version of "Harvey Shaken From Cross Breeding", which Von Dutch did for a 1956 Rod and Custom story. I thought it would be cool way to commemorate Paso, and the California roots of a True West Coast Kustom.

-murph

Heavy Rebel Weekender 2005

This was the 5th year for the Heavy Rebel Weekender music, art, and car show at the Millenium Center in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. I've been trying to get to this show for years, but something always came up. This year I actually made it! The show was a total blast, but for me, the roadtrip there and back was equally enjoyable. This was the first REAL long distance cruise for the '53 at ~220 miles roundtrip.

The fastest route from Raleigh to Winston-Salem is I-40, but an enclosed drive-line and 4.11:1 gears makes the truck's top-speed in the 50-55 mph range. I had three main concerns going into the trip. 1) Would I get my doors blown off by passing motorists (or worse rear-ended). 2) would there be mechanical troubles on a trip that long and 3) would there be mechanical troubles due to the high-speed/high-rev nature of the route.

Well, I'm happy to report that the truck performed flawlessly. It's been hot as hell here lately and the humidity has put the heat index through the roof. To offset some of this effect, I rolled out of Raleigh by 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I packed as many tools as would fit in my larger toolbox, 2 gallons of fuel, a gallon of water, a quart of oil, and a cooler of beverages suitable for a hot day at a car show. I also took a boombox for tunes on the road.

Although the motor was winding higher than I prefer, I never really pushed it. The speedo is currently inop, but I believe I was travelling somewhere right around 50 mph. I base this solely on seat-of-the-pants comparisons with test runs I made the previous night, with my wife following the truck in our daily driver. On one run down the highway, I found what I thought was a "comfortable" speed for the truck. This was in the 45-50 mph range. On another run, I pushed it "slightly beyond comfortable" and this speed was between 52-55 mph. I tried to keep the speed/effort right at the start of the beyond comfortable point. This gave me a little extra top-end if needed to get out of someone's way, or accelerate for some strategic reason.

This seemed to work out great. The engine temp never climbed above 180, although I am not sure how accurate the gauge is. I do know that it has read higher in stop and go traffic, so the ram air effect must have been doing a great job dissipating heat from the radiator. The truck's road manners were pretty impressive, even with the bias-ply tires. The only real issue was a few bridges, where the transition to/from the roadbed caused the suspension to bottom out. This is defintely one of the areas I'd like to improve over time.

So, I rolled into the show by 9:15, registered, and hung out with some folks from the HAMB. I recognized a number of their cars first, and then figured out who their owners were. Talk about a great group of traditional car enthusiasts.

Folks drove from all over the
Southeast in vintage tin that looked like it rolled straight outta the 50's or early 60's. I don't have an exact count, but I think there were ~50 cars in attendance.

To call it a car show is really a bit of a stretch. Yes, there are cars parked along a closed off section of downtown. Yes, there are people walking around checking em out. Yes, there are a few awards to recognize stand-out cars/paint/interior/etc. But it's really more of a party atmosphere.

People are busy catching up on latest projects, playing "what if?" with body lines, colors, and customization possibilities. That doesn't leave too much time to clean bugs of off windshields or break out the California car dusters.

Most/all of the cars in attendance are daily-drivers for the participants, so "the show" part of it all, is really for spectators coming downtown to see what all the fuss (and pipe rapping) is about.














The "awards ceremony" was at 4:00, after which time the mud wrestling started. You gotta love the idea of hot chicks in 95 degree heat throwing down in a huge mud pit. Did I mention there was a guy with a waterhose squirting em down?

A few guys jumped into the pit, but fortunately they were outnumbered and did not clutter the otherwise enjoyable action. And it got pretty intense at times too. I was back with the rest of the crowd and still managed to get mud flung on my clothes and shoes. The price to pay for getting a few good shots.

Afterwards it was time to head home. The local police wanted all the cars off of Trade Street by 5:00, which worked out fine for me, since I wanted to head out early enough to get home comfortably before dark.

I gassed up at a local station and proceeded to spray fuel all over the interior of the truck. A shaved filler cap looks cool, but it kinda sucks for practicality. I do plan to relocate the tank beneath the bed. Not so much for additional room in the cab (which will create some nice storage space), but to avoid dealing with fumes, fuel spills, and the possible KABOOM sound that might happen when I hit the (to be intalled one day) solenoids to pop a door open.

The truck ran as well going home as it did getting there. Because I already had one leg of the journey under my belt, I was able to relax a little more. Even with heavier traffic and hotter temps outside, the truck proved itself reliable and comfortable, even while slightly pushing the speeds it was designed to operate at.

With the slick paint job and lowering, it's hard to keep in mind that it was once a farm or utility truck of some sort in it's past life. There's even a white serial number stenciled on the still blue firewall, indicating that it was part of a fleet of vehicles. It appears that the '53 was well-cared for, but many of these trucks were worked hard and put up wet. Hopefully after all those years, the '53 won't mind shuttling me to/from work, the home/car/parts store, and the occasional show or cruise-night. Geez, sounds like the type of retirement I'd like to have.

For additional pictures, event coverage, and list of bands from this year's Heavy Rebel Weekender, check out: http://www.heavyrebel.net . Be sure to bookmark the site, because HRW 2006 is sure to be even bigger and better.

-murph