Hey all! I thought I'd let you in on what my twisted mind is doing. I have had my 25 Chev 4 door for about a year now, and am getting to the point where I may need some help. I will point out that this is not "traditional", but I am building like they used to...with affordable parts that are readily available. It's just that some parts are a lot newer... Before we get started, there will be some comments that this is a '26 Dodge, not a 25 Chev, however, I have a title and ID plate that says Chev, so we will just go with that, OK? I first brought this car home on Oct. 15/08. It had spent most of the last 70 or so years acting as a scratching post for cows in a field near Gladstone, Manitoba. There wasn't much left of it, and what was there was rusted solid and riddled with bullet holes. That first weekend consisted of stripping it down and geting rid of the unusable parts. This is what was left! I will be doing multiple posts, so please hold the comments until I bring you up to speed!
At this point it was decided that a car was out of the question, so it turned into a truck build. And since we wanted room to put stuff inside(groceries, etc) a sort of extended cab was the way to go. For a frame, I chose an S-10, and before you balk at this, let me explain. First, I could get a complete S10 for 200 bucks. Second, my wife is disabled and needs a vehicle that can ride fairly smooth(she has several collapsed vertabrea in her neck) Third, I am a GM tech and know these frames inside and out. Now, in order for this to fit the frame, several changes had to be made to the body. The cowl had to be widened 4 inches to line up to the rear of the body I also had to straighten out the frame rails to get rid of the "hips" they have.
At this point, it was time for mocking things up, and I had to this a million times(or so it seemed!) Sliding the body halves together just to get the right proportions are critical. I decided it needed a 5 inch chop To get the right length with the rear doors removed, I would have to slice out another 10 inches from the rear body, and lengthen the front doors 6 inches. This is sort of a before and after on the doors, 6 inches longer and 5 inches lower. It's a little crude at this point, but that will change!
Now just to jump around a bit, this was gonna be the powertrain- a 2.5 4 banger with EFI and a 5 speed. I gave it a valve job and all new gaskets and paint. I even have the harnesses and fuel tank! If know someone who wants it, I could really use a set of cool tail lights!
Now, with parts coming together, it was time for a test fit on the frame. This is a little difficult when nobody is around, but you can figure ways around that! And once it was fitted to the frame, I could fill in the wheel-well(which is now a cab-corner). I also re-skinned the bottom of the doors.(it was easier to do than repairing the original tin) And, yeah, there's still some holes in the body to take care of!
Those ugly rally wheels had to go, so I picked up some steelies and had the rears reversed. I also grabbed some 62 Impala cop car hubcaps. I think they look kinda cool! Another item I scored was this cluster from a 63 Econoline. Here I just started fitting it in place.( and that Grand AM steering wheel will go to the trash, I just needed the coloumn!)
In August this year, there was a car show in Camen, MB called the Roadkill Rod-Up. A good buddy of mine suggested we trailer the body down and put it in the show for some laughs. And since I diddn't want to hang around it all day, I just described the work I had done on the door! So we loaded it onto a trailer and hauled it in his '47 Chevy. I even set a box of sandpaper beside it and let the kids help build it! I had painted the words "NEXT YEAR" on the firewall, so now I am commited to a deadline!
right on i like your build , i scored a grand am tilt column floor shift for $50 out of a junker cause it was in great shape had keys and would work good will follow your build keep on sending photos
Now this is the motor I am using- a Buick 231 V6 and a TH350 trans, all re-sealed, painted and installed. It looks more at home than the 4 banger! Some of you keen observers may notice the Massey-Harris 44 grille...It won't be staying. It is just for mock-up until I can find a nice chrome Chevy grille. And those headlights...they are the ones that mysteriously showed up at my door one morning...
The box framework is something I whipped up in a couple of hours using 1" square tubing. The wood on the sides is for mock-up only. I will probably use cedar or oak planks. You can also see that I built a steel roof. The corners I had to hammer out on an old tree stump(don't have a shot-bag). The majority of the roof steel came from the roof of a '83 Impala that was going to the shredder! So this is how it looks now, in all it's mocked up glory. It has come in under $1000 so far(if you don't inlcude the first motor). Whatcha think?
this thread has all the ingredients for a horror show. you pulled it off quite well. is that bolted together or just mock up? ...duh. guess it says mocked up right in the text.
Ought to be fun when you get it done. But, I am not a big fan of that steering box way up there. Keep us posted.
When I first read about your plans to use an S10 frame I was a little concerned. Now that I've seen pics of it mocked up, I'm impressed! Can't wait to see it in person!
You are right, the steering box location SUCKS! I'm gonna have to try and hide it with the fenders and some flat black paint.
Keep the massey grill just fill the corners to match the firewall radias. My 2 cents build looks fun.
Ok, so winter is finally over, and I can get back to the shop! This is my progress over the last few weeks. I got the body bolted to the frame... ...and I got the box wrapped in steel. I even built stake pockets, just in case I want to put haysides on it! I just got a deal on some oak planks from an old farmhouse that was just knocked down, so I'll be using them for the floor of the box. I'll post pics when they arrive.
My goal for this week is to fit the rear fenders on it. Now keep in mind that sedan rear fenders are only "half there"(maybe less, with all that rust!), so I think I have figured out how to make them "full size". I started tonite by clamping the two fenders together, so they would hold their shape evenly, and I could see how much material I would need. Isn't that rust purdy? At this point I realized the best way to make sure the tops of the fenders are straight, I should weld a single piece of sheet across them, then cut in half later. I hope this works, because sometimes things work better in my head than they do in reality! I'll let you know!
Yeah, it's nice to have some progress after a long cold winter! But I think my wife is happier now that I'm not in the house!
Hahahaha!! I'm sure mine is patiently waiting for me to start spending more time in the garage too. I gotta drop by your place some day to see the project in person.
Lookin good, Its hard to pull off the S10 on something that old but it looks like you got it! If you dont mind manual steering a repo manual Vega box (I think, check the S10 swap thread) is way smaller than the S10 power box and would be a lot easier to hide, from what I read its a bolt on, just have to reverse the pitman arm.
yup, that's a lot of work, I just picked up this 27 Dodge for comparison, looks a lot like yours did. Mines for sale but if it doesn't sell I thot about buildin it into a pickup also.
looking good. l understand the soft ride idea. l have 3 crushed discs in my lower back and all my toys have to ride decent or l can't drive'em. keep us updated, l like the looks of the truck. later
Like I said before, stop by anytime Al! BTW, we'll have to start on the paperwork on your Essex soon, too!
When's the best time to find you at home, weekends? Once it warms up a bit more I may want to take the Essex out for a cruise.
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