Current Plan -- December 13 , 2004

December 13 , 2004

This is an update. Its two years to THE DAY since my last update. I find that mildly embarrassing, but oh well...

Things have changed a little over the past two years, but almost nothing has been put together.

I've added a third truck to the planned hot rods. This third truck will be a dually intended to drag things around. The proposed running gear donor is a '78 Chevrolet P30 chassis and associated stuff, all pulled out from under a motorhome. I think a 454/475 Turbo and a 12,300 LB GVW should be adequate. I expect to combine the body and bed from a '52 Chevy 2-ton truck combined with parts from my '52 Suburban parts truck to create an extended cab dually.

Now since I'm building this dually I feel I can make make some changes in the OldSub plan. It no longer needs a big block or the suspension to support towing heavy loads. Its load capacity needs to be adequate to support four adults with luggage and a smaller trailer. I had begun to see a 50's look for the OldSub, but have returned to thinking it should have a modern look.
For those who are offended by modern looking hot rods I need to mention that the other two will either have a 50's look or perhaps a patina left over from the 50's.

The Little Red Truck has not changed much, and by that I mean I've not done much work on it, nor have I changed the plan much. The final color has changed, forcing a name change. Details are below.

This web site is about my truck toys, not the life occurrences that might distract me from these projects. However one summer '04 event which consumed a lot of time was also a truck project. My friend Gene moved his family (wife, two kids, mother and mother-in-law) about 1,500 miles to resettle in Colorado. My '72 Chevy pickup made the 3,000+ mile round trip as part of a '55-'57 Chevy convoy. I towed a '57 two-door. Also made numerous trips to both the dump and the local junk yard to help dispose of stuff that wasn't worth moving. The whole thing was a lot of fun, but it also delayed the projects you come here to read about. Please accept my humble apologies.

Okay, here is the current plan!

	Little Suede Truck	OldSub	Dually
Primary Driver	Teri	Steve	Steve
Basic Concept	Car for general use locally, and occasional run to a car show. Must be comfortable for Teri to drive, since after all, this is her truck!	Light truck, with some capability for pulling a trailer. Also might get used for family trips of two hundred to six hundred miles.	Heavy truck, with capability for heavier use such as pulling a loaded trailer. Also might get used for iron retrieval trips hundreds of miles. Probably with some tool boxes to give a service truck look.
Basic Look	Original, lowered with wheels, stock bumpers. Standard door handles and such. Suede paint.	Classic body built today. Implies modern bumpers, smoothed doors, smoked glass, low as the driveway will allow. Hidden gas cap. Leave the gutters because we live in a rain forest.	Original 50 years of patina, NW rusted body held together with tape and bailing wire. But its an extended cab model that few have ever seen. And won't see till I build it...
Engine	Spunky, but mild mannered and very reliable. Chevy 305*.	Torque with power to pull a trailer with a truck on it. 350 Chevy. Ready to cruise 70+ all day long.	454 Chevy (from the motorhome).
Transmission	Automatic. Turbo 350*. Lokar classic type floor shift.	Automatic (Turbo 350 or 700R4).	Automatic (Turbo 475 from motorhome).
Front Suspension	g-body Subframe	S-10 pickup stuff.	P30 IFS
Rear Suspension	g-body Subframe	S-10 pickup stuff.	P30 rear
Brakes	Disk/Drum	Disk/Drum	Disk/Drum
Wheels/Tires	Classic look: beauty rings, red paint and Chevy hub caps.	The big slots I've been hanging onto for 20 years...	Stock painted P30 wheels. Probably painted black to match stock wheels on the 2-ton truck.
Steering	Power with tilt wheel. Classic steering wheel.	Power with Tilt and modern fat wheel.	Power with Tilt and some wheel.
Electrical	12v with alternator sized for the need	12v with Alternator sized for the need. Multiple stereos, power seats, windows, door locks… Needs a big alternator and battery.	12v with Alternator sized for the need.
Comforts	What? Good heater and defrost	Air conditioning, heater and defroster, power windows, door locks, power mirrors. Cruise control. Rear heater/defrost.	Seats, heater and defrost.
Seating and Interior	Heated, power, leather seat from a Cadillac Sedan Deville.	Four leather buckets (power!). Posh with everything upholstered and power everything.	Yes.
Sound	AM/FM Stereo with CD Player	At least an AM radio… Full stereo system with Cassette/CD, and should have separate front and rear audio.	At least an AM radio…
Glass	Stock clear glass	Tinted glass in front, mini-van type windows on sides and back.	Yes.
Dash Board	As stock as possible	Modern instruments in stock look dash panel.	Stock. Maybe just stock look...
Controls	Updated stock type	Modern, column mounted. Heater controls with the three dial approach.	Whatever
Bumpers	Stock	Wrap around with modern look.	Big.
Exterior Lights	Stock look with modern turn signals and side markers	Halogen and LED.	Halogen and LED and side, top and rear marker lights.
Time Frame	Start as soon as Sub is a driver again…	Driver now, customization begins when ’54 is a driver.	Back burner for now.
Donor Car?	’78 Chevy Monte Carlo. Its mostly gone except for the parts I kept...	I need an S-10...	'78 Chevy P30 Motorhome.

Last updated: December 31, 2006