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1948 Chevy pickup "Motorama" concept car.

53K views 269 replies 19 participants last post by  MARTINSR 
#1 ·
Well, I thought being I actually put a wrench to my truck I would start a build thread on it. I have no idea how steady I will be working on it but we will see.

A little history, I bought this truck in Dec 73 a few weeks before my 16th birthday with $200 paper route money. It was owned by a family friend and had been used on a farm since new until he got it as his first car. His brother made the flat bed (it was like a piece of furniture, very well done) and he drove it to the same highschool my mom graduated from in 1936. He made the intake and headers with my brother in metal shop class and was quite ingenious if you ask me. The first photo is from the day I came home with it. Now mind you, I didn't have a license yet, only a learners permit so my mom was riding shotgun that day. :D







There was a two other trucks like this at school and I wasn't going to have one like everyone elses......so I chopped the top about two months after my 16th birthday. :D



And drove it to highschool looking like this as this photo was taken in the school parking lot.



I painted it orange, "Competition orange" or so I thought. I picked the color out of the 76 Corvette color chips, one problem it ended up being the only year the Corvettes were painted "Omaha Orange" a Chevy fleet color since 1936 and the color of the Cal Trans dept trucks! But after spending $33 dollars on that gallon of paint and with it masked up and ready to shoot in my garage, I went ahead and shot my second paint job ever Aug 1st 1977.



And off to my first rod run, Andy's Picnic Aug 7th 1977 with my brother and his Model A, the my first paint job ever. :D



And no, I was not taking this picture of the guy in the short shorts, did we really wear those in the seventies? YEOW
Nope, this was inside Andy's picnic and I was digging the attention MY little truck was getting. :D



Ok, that was the first "incarnation" of my truck, it looked like this up until 1979 at some time. This was the last photo of it before the big metamorphosis.



It was a 3/4 ton originally (with a foot or so cut off the rear of the frame behind the rear axle) when I got it. A replacement 1/2 ton frame was found and it would change forever.

 
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#2 ·
The first look at it with a bed on it, 1979 some time.



I went to put my Buick 401 in it and found that the steering box had to be moved way too much. I knew it was common to put the SBC in them but figured I knew better.:rolleyes:

So I started moving the motor around, over some, maybe back? Well I decided if I was going to move it back, I might as well move it ALL the way back! I ended up with the motor between the seats and a 16.5 inch long drive shaft back to the 64 Nova rear end.





I found a red I liked and started painting it.



Drove around a little like this.



And finished....







Drove around like this for a number of years, until around 1992 (as you can see by the date written by my smart *** brother on the back of the cab) and decided it needed a rebuild. I never liked the poor chop top I had done with two gallons of bondo on the roof. No kidding, it was an inch and a half thick in one area! So I picked up another cab at the wreckers and started all over again!



I sold the old cab (just found the bill of sale among the parts the other day) and I was off and running.

I made what I believe to be the biggest error in the 40 years I have owned it, I did a Camaro clip. :nono: They are clumbsy POS and I soon realized this.



Anyway, I sectioned the cab and was on my way to the next version of my truck.









And the story continues.....
 
#11 ·
I was just thinking the other day how I need to drive it around without any windows in it like I did as a kid. LOL, my parents let me get away with murder! I use to put on goggles and drive the truck around with no windows, and no insurance, and not registered!

Brian
 
#4 ·
And on to the trucks last (but will it be final?) version......

I came to my senses and sold the Camaro clipped frame buying another frame (the trucks third!) it's under the pile of parts you see.



A 51 passenger car front in....



And a 57 Chevy rear end (I will call it a 55 being they look identical)



I built a cart for the cab out of a piece of frame I got from the guy who bought the Camaro clipped frame.



And so the story continues....



 
#6 ·
I have had a love of the GM "Motorama" dream cars for many years.

1954



And 1956

GM Motorama Exhibit 1956 - YouTube

It's funny, my dad was a Buick salesman and actually attended the SF Motorama Shows many times yet I didn't know this as he never talked about it.

The first Corvette was introduced at the 1953 Motorama. These shows were like rock concerts, Broadway plays, they were SHOWS for GM to introduce their cars to the public, they were brilliant marketing tools.

Harley Earl was said to be the creator of the very first "Cream car" or "Concept car" with the Buick "Y job" in 1939.



Under his leadership at the GM design studio some of the most iconic designs in automotive history were created.









My goal is to make a 1953 "Concept car". One that could have fit right in at the 1953 GM Motorama shows. My first thought is that this truck is Harley Earls personal truck and he brought it down to the GM design studio and had them make a few changes. :mwink:

I will have a lot of artistic freedom as they could have done just about anything. For instance I have planned on using the 56-57 Corvette steering wheel and thought that was pushing it as I am after the early fifties Motorama, but in doing research I have found a photos of the 54 Corvette hardtop and it had one of these wheels! So, I have a little freedom so it's fun to think "How would they HAVE done it".

I am off and running to the next Motorama show at the Waldorf in New York 1953!
 
#12 ·
I will have a lot of artistic freedom as they could have done just about anything. For instance I have planned on using the 56-57 Corvette steering wheel and thought that was pushing it as I am after the early fifties Motorama, but in doing research I have found a photos of the 54 Corvette hardtop and it had one of these wheels! So, I have a little freedom so it's fun to think "How would they HAVE done it".
Of course I meant "How they COULD have done it". :rolleyes:

Brian
 
#10 ·
Randy, I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed doing what I did yesterday out there in the garage on MY TRUCK, my Gran Sport, I will pee on it. I like the car and all but I had no passion what so ever working on it, it was a chore. Working on my truck, making that cart up, it was like I was on a drug, I was high working on that stupid cart!

I am dying to get out there, as sore as I am this morning. :D

Brian
 
#19 ·
Guy's, I have to make something clear, I can't emphasize enough my comments about the Camaro clip were referring to MY truck, it was the wrong thing for MY truck. It would be akin to tubbing it, that too would have been the wrong thing for MY truck. I dig tubbed cars and will check them out, just saw a 63ish Falcon in town yesterday that was awesome, I dig it. But it wouldn't be right for MY truck and the build I decided to do. When I first put the clip on, it was going to be a totally different build, and the clip would have made sense. But when it changed into what I am doing now, it was all wrong, way wrong, so thus I did away with it. The frame clip if done properly is a great way to go. I personally just didn't want it on my truck.

Hopefully this is clear, I in no means meant to say that all you guys out there with Camaro clips were wrong.

Brian
 
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#20 ·
Took my first steps back on the truck a few days ago. Filling the gas filler hole in the cab. This filler and tank were moved to the cab in 49. In 47 and 48 these trucks had the tank under the bed on the right side with a filler coming out of bed right above the right running board apron. I have an NOS 47-48 gas tank that I will be using to gain a bit of room behind the seat and also to clean up the lines removing the filler from the cab.









Next I move on to getting the passenger door sectioned and installed so I can brace the cab and finish the top chop.




The cart I made is literally the exact same as the frame that it will bolt to later so bracing the cab isn't that needed but I will just for sake of eliminating future problems. I sectioned the drivers door back 20 years ago when I did the cab and I hung that door the other night, now to move on to the right side.

Brian
 
#24 ·
easy doors

Doors, quarters that have a gradual curve are easier to trim off the botton, I was in The College shop at UVU last winter and one of the guys was building a shoe box ford. I didn't have a camera to get picts , He was working on it there 5 years ago when I took one of the street rod panel fab classes. There was also a 46 international pickup "Top chop". They first removed the sheet metal inner roof panels and cut the roof skin loose on the front and above the doors. , they didn't cut the doors , they split the A posts and moved the windshield header down about 3 inches, and re-contoured the roof skin, taking out the bubble top hump. We are watching to see some of Brian's tricks. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#26 ·
I have decided to un-chop it a half inch so that I can install the stock rear window from my donor roof.



I won't be doing it until I get the roof back together once I finish sectioning the passenger door. But I wanted to do something on it today. I removed the lower section of the inner panel around the windows and was going to strategically cut up the donor roof one for it. But after looking at the whole thing a little longer I have decided to go ahead and un-chop it that 1/2 inch so that the stock center rear window will be the exact same height as the corner glass that are chopped making it sort of a wrap around rear glass like a 57 Buick.







I will then put the whole inner piece from top to bottom splicing it right along the bottom under the center window. I will splice it vertically right next to the corner windows.




I am still tossing around the idea of using a 54 curved windshield.

Brian
 
#28 ·
I don't know, I am thinking I may. I also believe I have a solution to my curved windshield dilemma. I think I am will run a very thin windshield divider between the two flat windshields. I am thinking this would have been something they would have done pre-curved windshield in the design studio. These trucks have a very wide moulding, an inch or so wide, then the rubber so total is about an inch and a quarter or so. If I run a very thin piece there, that will give me the look of the GM design studio in the late forties early fifties.

Here is a truck with the optional chrome around the windshield, even it's thinner than that center moulding. I am looking for some of these mouldings, I had one side years ago, I will have to go look but I think I sold it darn it. I have never liked the chrome running boards but DAMN this truck is nice!

Brian

 
#29 ·
Something to think about. For more of a Motorama feel, lengthen cab and doors. Poss lay back the windshield . Make roofline more 2 dr ht passenger car like , rear window and side 1/4 glass. Side spear starting bottom of hood swooping down door and back up on rear fenders. Rear of front fenders swooping back into door and matching spearcontour . Front of rear fenders swooping forward poss into door, coke bottle effect front and rear fenders into running boards. Back of window frame swooping more like passenger car 2 dr ht. roof 1/4 sail swooping forward to match door window frame. Package tray behind seat following seat contour. Not a production truck, more style design . Poss side by side dual headlights.
I don't know, just thoughts.

BB :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#31 ·
I'm with you BB, this could go on for miles, depending on how far I want to go. I am so far planning a pretty mild "styling exercise" more than a "concept car" really. As I go along things will change, like enlarging the rear window and un-chopping it. I never would have thought I would do these things. Especially the rear window. It never made sense to me to chop the top then enlarge the window? HUH:confused: But in this case, with what I am after it makes sense.

One of the biggest stumbling stones on a these trucks is the grille. With the hood being how it is changing the grille is HUGE, seldom do those it work unless it is a super radical change like the R&C Dream Truck, changing the grille just doesn't work. So I have some thinking to do there, if I change it, then that would necessitate some other changes more radical that I plan, changes like you have tossed out there.



Some grilles that they were tossing around for these trucks in the GM styling studio maybe?



As of right now, I am planning on using the stock grille with some bumper design and location changes, and changing the park lamps out from the grille. But we will see......

Brian
 
#34 ·
I hope your not leanning towards this truck... I can enjoy the time that went into this truck,, BUT !!!! It's not my cup of tea,,, I would never do what they did to this truck... Sorry,,

As far as the back glass goes.. I know you have to like what you build,, But leaving the back glass stock takes away from the chop for me... When you see it from the back they don't look chopped at all,, But from the side and front you will see the chop.. Build what you like brian,, Just something to think about,,, Not really sure why people chop a top making all the windows smaller and leaving the back glass stock... But that's just me...

Glade to see your back on it...;)
 
#32 ·
#36 ·
By the way guys, if you didn't know, this is how that truck looked sometime in mid 1958, it was sold off as junk.









Thank goodness someone found it some years later and restored this work of art (in my opinion). Great story on it ...BARRIS KUSTOM CITY BLOG: October 2010

Brian
 
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