Top Kustom Shop Trucks of the 1950s

Vintage Shop Trucks rule. A faithful hauler with greasy suspension parts in the bed, but still looks killer where it counts. There’s something nice and honest about a truck being used for it’s intended purpose- Work! I’m not opposed to “show” trucks like the Kopper Kart, Ala Kart, Wild Kat, or the Rod & Custom Dream Truck, but I get far more excited about a vintage Bonneville pusher or a period parts store runner. Let me rattle off a few you probably already know well, and please post a reply about your favorite 50s era shop truck.

1. Gene Winfield’s 1935 chopped Ford truck, used from 1961 to ’63, which was found and restored back to it’s golden glory! Lots of cool mods like running board exhaust and custom bedside logos. The dash was stripped by Tommy the Greek. This beauty is definitely on the more ‘show’ than ‘work’ side of custom trucks, but it was a driver!

2. George Cerney’s Plymouth Wagon. Ok, it’s not exactly a truck, but it was a custom ‘commercial vehicle’ used to promote the owners skills. And I personally flipped out seeing the 1955 R&C magazine cover car still alive in it’s original chopped and DeSoto bumper glory at Paso back in 2005.

3. So-Cal Speed Shop Ford truck: I’ll always picture the cover of “Best Hot Rods” with the entire red and white So-Cal race team, headed by the famous belly tanker, T Roadster, and 32 Coupe and Roadster. I imagine the matching-paint shop truck was parked somewhere just out of the shot, waiting patiently to trailer the tanker back home or push the roadster to another record-breaking run. She finally got her own cover shot on Hot Rod in May of 1954…

4. Chuck Porter Body Shop truck: The heavily modified 1949 Ford F-1 has a long history, including a Hot Rod feature article in 1955, and then a number of owners after Chuck sold it. I’m happy to say that it made it back to the hands of his daughter and was restored to it’s original Goldenrod yellow version, after which it was shown at the GNRS and featured in TRU #63. Happy ending to a worthy truck!