This is kinda long but please bear with me. I have a 1956 chevy PU. (Not one in picture)and being 17 years old, I see a lot of potential. I realized that making it look cool is a little harder than it was making my Lego trucks look good. So far it is a stock stepside longbed. It will have (in next 2-3 mnths.)a new transmission and engine. Turbo 350 w/shift kit and stroked 350 with 440 hp from eBay. Now to make it look good. I am not trying to be a poser by having everything cool, but there is so much outthere that people have done to cars that I might like to do as well. Anyways, I want to put headers->sidepipes w/ no shrouds, chop the top, lower the front end and tub the rear wheel wells letting me put on some fairly big tires. As well as someday getting a a stronger rearend(currently stock), power steering, and independent front susp. I want to paint it black, with chrome grille and red radiator, as well as painting a red black widow hourglass on top of cab. Interior is last, and really dont care about at all. So basically all I would like is some other ideas for my dream truck. I hope to turn this into a weekend warior for out at the local drag strip, Sears Point. Thank you.

[ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: Mr.56Chevy ]</p>

Well Mr. 56 you pretty much have a great start. I would first consider putting the hourglass on a tonneu cover on the bed instead of the top of the cab. Its a great idea, in fact one day that was going to be one of my paint prodjects a black widow. After you tub it and lower it body mods such as your chopped top will personalize it a bit. So since your on the custom black widow theme carry it out with red accents such as red polyurethane bushings for your black susp. parts, a spiderweb theme in the engine bay with a black widow at the center painted atop your aircleaner or custom engine shroud or airbox. Carrying the theme into the interior would be have a bench with a custom red leather or vinyl or even a red tweed with a raised or concave spiderweb and spider in the seat pattern itself. As a shift knob make a clear one with an actually black widow in the clear resin. I made one of these about a month or so ago from a large black widow I caught from a nest. This is a rather risky mod, and if your unsure you can pull it off or don't even want to attempt it, a plastic or small rubber one looks almost the same in a resin ball as the real thing. Make a custom stearing wheel to match the theme if you have acces to a plasma cutter and are a decent welder. Red neons look pretty cool too, but a little goes a long way, so one mounted under the hood to illuminate the grill or two under the doors will suffice greatly. Just keep with the theme and you'll do great. If you need any helpon how to pull of any of the ideas in this feel free to e-mail or PM me.

HK

Wholly **** that sounds so awesome! I like everything you said, and most of it doesn't take that much money or effort, you be a hotrod consultant or something like that. Im amazed. Thanks.

Only if that was a real job

Happy to help

HK

Well you have the same thing that i do
i have a 1956 chevy truck 3/4 ton. But i have to tell you i am taking it apart and it can easily be a 1 ton truck the way that it is built. The only advice that i can tell you is to tell you what i am going to do with mine.

My truck is probably not in as good as shape as yours but i have to do a compleate frame off restoration. I am going to change the tires so that it is a 5 spoke and i am going to go with a mustang 2 front suspention. I sort of like the hight that it is now. I am probably going to lower it but i don't want it to become a low rider. I have seen trucks like that and the underneath is compleatly scraped up. The rear is going to get narrowed with a new axle and i am going to put fat tires on it.
In the box i am going to get rid of the wood bed and make a frame and lay star plate for the box. It will hold up better in the rain (if it sees that kind of weather.)
I have to do lots of body work to do so the color is going to turn a primer gray. Everything that is supposed to be crome is going to be black for a while. It will have a nice runners look. I will probably trace some flames onto it. The engine i have for it is an olds 400 and will have a 400 transmission.

Just as a hint. you can probably put a super charger underneath your hood and probably still close the hood.

After i have spent a ton of money getting it running i will probably paint it a dark blue and crome the parts that were black. I would like to find a 455 old and then get a supercharger kit put on mine. I like that classic look untill you open the hood and find a huge engine.

I don't know if i help any but some people get ideas by lissening to other people ideas

it will probably make a good truck to haul a drag car to the track also

The sanctum door opens, the sound of bubbling fluid from the vault and the smell of gas, oil, and metal grinding fills the air. The Madd Man is here!
"Did someone say 56 chevy Truck? Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and pain."
you both are talking my lanuage! I have the truck in the little photo&lt;--- and a 57 panel. I have been dinkin' around with the flat bed for 7 yrs now. Sits on a 75 elco frame and has 455 Olds power. The panel's time is finally here. I too am in the drawing board, design phase of the panel. You both sound like you have a plan. My advice, for what ever it is worth, would be this:
a) Do something every day. I don't care if it is taking off a small part or bullin' and thrashin' to get the body off the frame. I step every day
b) If it runs, drive it the way it is now. You'll be more motivated to change the wrongs and just get into it more.
c) Do what you can do. If you know mechanics, start with the mechanical. If you know welding, start with patch panels. do what is with in your control to do well.
d) If this is a first project, NEVR, and I mean NEVER stop having fun with it. paint can be sanded off, welds can be ground, dents can be fixed, so by all means try something. Be outrageous, it's free.
Over the holidays, I hope to scan some of the picture of my truck sitting in the manure, out in the pasture the day I took ownership.
This site is a killer place to solicit help and ideas. (Sometimes they come in upside down, but we all know how to hang by our feet)
Don't be afraid to ask. ANYTHING!
Have a great time. These trucks will be you when they are done.

(Door closes, the sound of a Jack bottle clinking a glass, and then the whine of a grinder)

As the lover of a 57, i really enjoy these post from you guys. That is where it all starts,with the dreams that become plans, and plans that become reality.
There are many sites to help you with your dream. Check out "Custom Classic Truck Shop" for how to`s!
However i think this is still the best site ever!!!!!!! These guys become like real , to ya after awhile. I am happy you are 17 and into trucks and hot rodding. Enjoy and keep us posted.
Slider in Wa.

Mad is right do a little something everyday even if its just staring at it and dreaming. I work about 80 hrs a week get home about 9pm and I still fiddle with something on my truck before bed to get ready for weekend projects on it. Its been a year ago thanksgiving since I twisted the first rusted bolt off my '49. Currently I have a rolling chassis painted, new IFS, new rearend, and a dummy SBC and empty tranny case in it to set up all my mounts. Cab is stripped and primed, still needs some patching and stuff. Set some goals and try to achive them, but dont worry about it for you dont. Have fun with it!

Mr.56Chevy...
If you decide to get rid of some of your stock parts, let me know. I'm going a slightly different route than you, so finding stock stuff is my goal...well, for one of my trucks anyway.

I do remember seeing a company who makes steel c-channel "boards" for the bed of the truck. I always thought it would look pretty sweet in a custom. It keeps the spacing of the original boards, but gives quite a different look. Just an idea....

Chrome email me with a list of parts that you need and I will let you know if I plan on removing them. The bed is always the distinguishing part of a pickup, and I think I am going to combine HK's idea of tonneau cover with hourglass with a little classic engineering. Putting a typical wookd kit in the bed, with the red hourglass painted around the chrome strips. Right now the bed has painted plywood, with a piece of |_|metal going down the middle (between two pieces of ply). The guy I bought my truck from is into those old fifties bikes, and he just secured the bike in the middle. WhichI though was a pretty good idea so he could show it off as he drove it.

My bed and stepside step have a ton of holes in it, not rust holes but like someone took a cordless drill and drilled almost fifty hoels all over the steps and parts of the bed walls(sides). They are totally randomly placed, like something was mounted on the steps. I know a trick to fill all these holes, but the holes on the steps will be the hardest to fill. I am going to start a topic on how to fill these holes in the xterior forum. Thanks for all the ideas, please keep em' comin.

I have a friend that has a 56 that has been chopped , channeled and dropped about as much as you can one of these old trucks he tub the rears and used black oak for the floor of the bed. runs a blown 454 with a powerglide trans and it is his every day driver.I think he said he use the frame from a early 70 model truck. and if you really want to finish the spider effoct on the truck you need these rims http://www.coloradocustom.com/image...rge/CRAWLEY.jpg I am thinking about these for my 54 pontiac

oh they have a steering wheel that matches the rim too
http://www.coloradocustom.com/item_...teering%20Wheel

great ideas! keep in mind your body must be perfect to paint black. i love the slammed prostreet look. but... i bought my truck for the box because i was in construction and still hope to be again, can't very well slam a service box. it begged for 4 wheel drive so that's what i gave it. if your bed is in bad shape dont forget an early 90's bed looks great. also, having a 3/4 ton it will take more effort to drop it as you want to lose the 8 lug pattern. i can't recommend to highly the best mod you can make is 4 wheel disc brakes. these trucks HAVE NO BRAKES in stock form. they weigh 5000 lbs so go with the discs, you can rob the master cylinder, steering column, porportioning valve, and brake pedal assembly from a 73-87 chev truck and have it all. and know that replacing a crappy job is always worse than repairing it once right the first time. good luck, wish i hadda nother one to slam.

I've gotten an idea, since HK is helping us both with our trucks, yours being a Chevy (BOOOO) and mine being a Ford, (YAAAAA). We could get someone to do a Desktop Dyno run when we are finished.

BTW, sounds like you got a nice car going so far, dont get to excited and take it out and break something. Im lucky im only 15 and dont have my license yet. Good luck to ya.


HRK <img src="graemlins/pimp.gif" border="0" alt="[pimp]" />