plan_20020922

September 22, 2002

I think the plan is becoming clearer to me. I want to build a serious custom, but I also want to drive my old truck every day. Kind'a like eating my cake and having it too. And I'm lucky enough to see a way to do both.

If you've been following my meanderings, you know about the '54 Chevy. If not, you can catch up here. I bought the '54 thinking parts for the OldSub, but with wife and daughter fighting over who gets to drive it I think my options are limited. It needs to become a driver. But nice as it is, its a long way from running down the road on its own. Its got a better body than the OldSub, but the OldSub has much better running gear.

So the OldSub will continue to be a daily driver, while the '54 becomes a wife friendly driver. The daughter might not like it, but the wife came first, and after 20 years, she is still first. The process of transforming the '54 into what I think it should be might take a few years. So be it. I'll describe what I mean by wife-friendly driver a little later.

What this means for the OldSub is that for the immediate future it will continue to be maintained, and when changes are required I'll try to make sure they are consistent with the long-term plan, but for right now it remains a driver. The '54 becomes the active project. This means that I'll continue collecting parts for the OldSub, and likely will continue to make changes, but my project focus will be the '54.

So it remains to be defined what I mean by serious custom in the context of the OldSub, but we'll get there. It still might take a long time to really get that figured out, but since I'm doing the '54 first, I've just bought my self a year or two to do that, while still being able to enjoy the journey on a daily basis.

Now, what will I do with the '54? And what does wife-friendly mean?

Wife-friendly means the girl who never learned to drive a manual transmission won't be forced to do so now. It means she won't be forced to develop biceps I'd find intimidating to steer the truck, and most important of all, it means I won't be worried when she drives off alone in the thing. It will have an automatic, power steering and power disk brakes. The motor may not be exciting, but it, along with the rest of the chassis, suspension and drive train must inspire confidence.

She likes the way it looks right now, so it will not need any body modifications, just cleaning, some repairs, de-rusting and paint. The interior needs to look inviting, but she likes the original type bench seat and the basic look of the standard interior. It will be a light color, the upholstery will be new, carpet on the floor, and a modern radio with CD player. I see a tilt-wheel column with all the standard controls on the column.

I see it sub-framed for the modern IFS, brakes and steering. I see a 4.3 V-6 with automatic. I see this as taking a while to build, but not requiring that Stu or I learn any challenging new skills.

And while that is going on, we'll need to learn hammer-welding and MIG/TIG welding because I see top-chopping, channeling, sectioning, third door construction, and a new floor in our future. But all that can wait while we finish the '54. When the '54 is ready to drive, it may require a year or two of shakedown before I feel comfortable letting the wife drive it. By then the daughter will be off to college and no longer a contender.

And that, on September 22nd, 2002, is the current plan. Standard caveats apply.

Last updated: December 31, 2006