White Christmas

Merry Christmas from Slick's Speed Shop!

We had our first White Christmas here in 24 years, must be more of that global warming.

 My son's truck covered in snow

Outside the shop

Old springs

Got out in the cold shop and pulled the stock springs from under the frame. Next up will be hours of cleaning off years of gunk.

                             

Moving to the rear

We lifted up the back of the truck and pulled out the rear end. This is the stock unit with 3:90 gears. That is just a little to much for me, so I will be replacing it with a rear end from a 1969 Chevy with more friendly 3:73 gears.

Of course nothing can get done without the help of and inspection of Blazer. Our shop dog deluxe.

We passed inspection and Blazer has gave his OK to precede.

New truck!

Back when this body style first came out I fell in love with them, and promised myself I would someday have one.

Well this past week I was driving by a lot and spotted this little truck setting towards the back. I stopped and took a look, liking what I saw I looked inside. A stick! Hard to find a manual transmission any more it seems.

To make a long story short, they wanted $4000.00 + TTL, which would be $661.00. The salesman had been eyeing my Impala (look back at older post) since I drove in, and asked me if I would sell. I said sure, and he asked how much. I said it just so happened I wanted $5000.00.

Well I drove off with the truck and $339.00 dollars and he had the Impala's title in hand.

So here is my 1995 Chevy C-1500 Cheyenne, 4.3 liter Vortec V-6, and 5 speed manual transmission.

Slow goings

12 days since my last post, wow. Time marches quicker than I sometimes realize.

Not a lot has been done, I've been down with a chest cold, I had a family member's funeral to attend, and yesterday was a sand storm the likes I haven't seen since I was a boy.

But I have got a little accomplished. The bed has been pulled off. Rusty, broken bolts and all. And the front windshield and back glass have been removed.

                                       

Moving on

The Model A is sold and has been taken away. I had big plans and high hopes, but the new truck spurred more "want to" in me than did the Sedan. So now with a pocket full of cash, and a goal in sight we continue on.

Interesting engineering

A few post ago I mentioned that a lot of things on this truck was cobbled together. I took a few pictures to prove my point.

First off, here are the motor mounts. Not completely terrible, but certainly not the way I would have done it. Seems to be some sort of brace of un-known origin, welded in place. Not very good weld by the way. Then a piece of galvanized pipe bolted in, with a square tube bolted in from side to side, running under the oil pan.

Next is some highly customized exhaust work! I gotta admit I had to laugh at this one.

Front sheetmetal

The front sheetmetal is now off. This should have been a easy job, but the previous owner welded the bottom of the front fenders to the cab. so it took a little cutting to get them apart.

Thinking engine...

I pulled the hood off, just to say I had done something. What a depressing sight this motor is. I ran the numbers and the 350 the owner says is in it, is really a 305. It's not that I was going to run this motor the way it is, but had it been a 350 I might of considered re-building it. Knowing now it's a 305, well, it's headed for the scrap yard.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but I have a nice 283, with a set of power pack heads. I will want to go through it before I put it in, but this may be what I use. Good solid motors, and with a few little tricks can be made to be a healthy little street engine, that won't break the bank keeping the gas tank full.

Here are a couple of pictures to show the sad shape everything is in. The cats had to be some of the worst cobblers I've seen in a while.

The beginning

   After much moving about, and after a good sweeping, the new truck is in the shop. With winter moving in it will be slow at work and I will have more time to work on it. I have already bought the winter supply of of wood to burn in the wood stove, and I know what needs to happen next.
   So with that we're off and running....

setting goals

Give or take it's 177 days till the next Lone Star Round Up. I am wondering if I can get the 58 there!

A lot to do, I am thinking I'll sell The model A to finance the build.

New project!

This past weekend was a local car club's swap meet. I went and looked around some and came across a 1958 Chevy Pick-up that I really liked, and wasn't totally put off by the price. I wasn't looking for anything really, but sometimes a project will just speak to you. This one was talking up a storm.

I took the guys name and number, and went back home. A week later I drove by his house just wondering if it had sold. There it was setting in his front yard, still for sale.

To make a long story short I became the owner of a 1958 Chevrolet Apache 1/2 ton pick-up. Maybe I was feeling nostalgic, thinking about my old yellow 56. Or maybe it just because I have always had a thing for trucks. What ever the reason it's home now, and yes I was able to drive it here, and I have a new project!

Car show this weekend

This weekend was the car show in the park at the next town over. Registration started at 8:00 so at 7:00 we were loaded up and headed out. Me in my 68 Impala, and my son following behind in his 54 Chevy Bel-Air. My wife took this picture of our son following us on the highway. Rather menacing look in the rear mirror!


After we got there we were told where to park, cleaned up the cars a bit, set out our lawn chairs, and began a long day of looking at cars. There was some great cars there (121 in all), and we got to see some friends we haven't seen in a while as well. The weather stayed perfect all day, and we had a great time.

This show draws a lot of newer stuff, and while my taste tends to run towards the older, I enjoyed looking at everything. These I would have liked to taken home with me for sure!

                                                       Very sweet little Dodge Pick-up

                                                                    Loved this Ford!

                                                                       Great C-cab

                                                 Who doesn't like a well done Trans Am?
                                                          This one really took me back

But the biggest thrill of the day was when the awards were given out and our son was called out for 2nd place in Modified 50s. This was his first trophy and we were all excited for him. But it didn't end there. My Impala was picked 2nd place for stock 60s class! Bringing home a nice trophy for the Road Rockets.

The boy's 54

Our 68 Impala

1947 Mercury

Another blast from the past. I bought and re-built so to speak this 1947 Merc around 2006 to 2007. It was running a 351 Ford with a FMX transmission, and a un-known rear end.

I rebuilt the front with a reverse eye spring, and a 4 inch drop axle. Installed a 350/350 combo, and a 54' Merc rear end.

Soon as I finished it I sold it. I never hated a car as much as I did this one!

Before & After:

memories

Going through some old boxes the other day and came across a old picture.

 Imagine it's 1980 and you've got a lot more dreams than you do cash. So with what you have you buy a beat  up 56 Chevy P/U, grab a 350 from a totaled 79 Blazer, buy some wheels at Sears, do some trading with a buddy for a set of side pipes off his vette (cause his girl is tired of melting her hose every time she gets out), and then your parents backyard becomes a body shop/paint booth.

Next thing you know your a highway star! God I miss this truck.....

For whatever reason.... I want one!

The Reliant Robin

Now doesn't this look like fun?

Into the sunshine

Pull the Sedan outside to stand back and see if it looks right. I'm thinking it turned out just about right.

Moving on....

The Impala for the time being is back in service and  despite the weather (107 degrees yesterday and supposed to beat that today) I have been able to scratch out a little progress. Smoothing out the welds that pieced the top back together.

There might be a small delay.....

Something about the best made plans... I can't remember it all right now. But the jest of it is that life happens, and while I would like to spend all my time at work on the Sedan, other things always pop up.

In this case it is my daily driver, a 1968 Impala Custom Coupe. It spun it's Harmonic Balancer and while not a big job in it's self, this is the second time! So there will be a little detective work as well as tedious repairs.

Oh well this shouldn't take long....... Famous last words?

Putting the pieces back together

Weld baby weld

Starting back

We set the top back on after taking 4 inches out. Gives the Sedan a whole new look!

A little off the top

I thought long and hard about this one. I looked at a lot of different cars and while I knew I was always going to chop the top, I had a hard time deciding how much. Finally I decided on 4 inches.

Into the shop the Sedan went and out came the saws, grinders, and other implements of destruction. I welded in some simple bracing to hold everything together, and set of to destroy a piece of 81 year old history. Forever changing something that had remained unmolested all those years.... tends to make you a tad nervous. But! Nothing ventured nothing gained?

Fenderless

I have pulled all the fenders and both running boards. This is the look I am planning to run with. I have always liked the fender-less, highboy style.

But I am thinking about keeping the splash aprons on. Like a lot of the old salt flat racers did. Pulling the fenders off to race, then throwing them back on to go home and drive it on the streets the rest of the week. Pulling the aprons meant pulling the body, so they stayed.

Note: Notice the Deluxe Speed Shop Roadster a couple of post back.                      

Party at Bobs!

The Road Rockets had a little get together this weekend, sponsored by Owens Salvage. Not all the members could make it but for those of us who did it was a fantastic weekend! Good friends, good food, and great cars.

Thanks Bob!

inspiration

I love going to shows and walking the rows of cars admiring the handy work of others, and perhaps spotting something I like well enough to incorporate into one of my own. I do the same here of the web, pouring over photos, all the while building my dream in my mind.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Lone Star Round-Up in Austin, TX. Talk about sensory overload!! But after settling down and thinking about it awhile, there was a couple of cars that really made a impact on me and seemed that the builder and I are on the same wave link.

The car I found myself going back to time and time again, just to stand and study it, was the "Deluxe Speed Shop Roadster". What a car, to me it screams pure Hot Rod. Although it stands on un-altered suspension, the chopped top, the missing fenders and hood, makes sure there is no mistaking the purpose behind this car. It is pure and raw, a step back to a more perfect time in Hot Rodding history.

Although not everything on this car is the way I plan to do our Sedan, it is a design I would be more than happy to copy. Simply beautiful!

And so it begins.....

After hunting over the distance of 4 states & for more than a couple of years we stumbled across our Model A project less than 30 miles from our front door. Funny after all those road trips, hours standing at auctions, and miles of swap meet isles our jewel would be as close as a ad in the local paper.

So here it is Our 1930 Model A Tudor Sedan. Really excited to get started, and with a head full of plans, we jump feet first into this one.... Just gotta come up with the right name....