Hot Rods Buying or building a utilitarian hot rod instead of buying new

My old 2002 Ford parts getter is still hanging in there, but it is tired.
The wife and I have been talking about buying or building something to replace it. We started looking at prices for new pickups and about fell over.

I have been thinking about building a 60-66 Suburban or maybe a wagon. I use a truck a lot, but the reality is, it's usually hooked on to a trailer. So, what would you build to pull a trailer or use as a general all around parts hauler.

I know a lot of you have already done this.

 

C10 chevy up to 1980 ish,or F100 up to 1978 ish.They look good.Parts are cheaper.You can rod one pretty easy.A 55-57 wagon would be a great hauler too.

 

Had a 64 Dodge Townwagon on a late model Ramcharger frame with running gear. Looked cool, drove like a newer truck.

 

60-66 subs are a great choice. my wifes daily is a 63 sub. my daily is a 66 c-10 pickup. the additional heft in the rear of the sub makes it better for towing than the 1/2 ton pickups of the era. of course, everything is available for them. i put a 6.0 engine in the sub that rhymes with "hell yes", excellent reliability and power for a tow rig, and again, an engine family that parts are available literally everywhere.

 

^^^^^

 

COE flatbed with removable wood sides.
Eliminates the need for a trailer.



Or a electric utility.

 

Im with Ray , 64 to 66 Burb , with proper sway bars they tow well. and look handsome doing it.

 

Barn doors are more user friendly.

 

I would love to find a truck like the Electric Co COE that Petejoe shows, never seen one like that ! Would really look great with the overhead rack gone and short enough to be a good driver.

 

yes, sway bars are a must have with the subs.

 

I’ve liked to old Power Wagons crew cab versions. I prefer trucks and need the interior space for my best friend who enjoys a good road trip. Suburban’s are nice though and should be a lot easier to find parts for.

 

I am currently doing this with a 68 C10, main goal is just a super nice driver for daily driving and road tripping. A suburban would be a good choice or a wagon. There are great deals on 3/4 ton trucks of the mid 60s if wanting to build a nice towing rig.

 

Hot rod trucks are practical if you lower your standards enough...



-Abone.

 

Working on this one right now. '64 C10 on '03 Silverado chassis. Sorry about the crappy picture. Since this was taken I've moved the rearend centered under the wheelwell. Best of both worlds.

 

Sold this back to my friend, the original owner, who had it 20+years and bought my '29 with the money. That's why I'm here now. It towed great and I miss it but my buddy was very happy to get it back. I won't miss it so much when my pickup is done. I did put good size sway bars on it. They worked great. If you get a Suburban I know you'll be happy with it. I loved mine.

 

My 66 Suburban as purchased about 1990, pretty utilitarian.

Started out with just a sway bar change, lower ride height, discs, p.s. etc.


Then things took a turn, so much for utilitarian.







Makes a good storage container now!

 

Suburban. It'll even handle the not often used, dreaded, flat tow. My 70 bbc 4x4 burb handled two small blocks complete with transmissions stuffed in the back and flat towed a bb elcamino from coast to coast. Another advantage of the burb over a pickup is you don't get wet sleeping in the back in the rain.

 

my vote. reasonably priced, economical. very handy. spacious. only bad thing would be towing a trailer. pretty light weight pre 65 so hamb friendly

 

I totally agree with the element of a truck with a utility body. I had a cool 56 IHC S-110 retired bell telephone line service truck. The utility body was made by Hiway MFG and are hard to come by these days, but if you know what you are looking for, these are bomber built and can carry a lot of stuff. The 56 IHC is easily re powered as there is a lot of room in the engine bay. The floors are flat and easy to deal with when it comes to choice of transmissions. The barn doors make it easy to load stuff. I wish I would have never sold mine, it was the perfect unit for a variety of applications. The black one is a picture from the internet. The yellow one was mine.

 

We have a small travel trailer, I've often thought about building a Chevy sedan delivery for a tow vehicle.

 

I used several of them over the years...my 59 chevy pickup, a 66 Suburban, 57 Suburban, 57 one ton, etc....and I guess I'm getting old now. I bought a used Tahoe for 6k a little over a year ago, I really love how quiet it is inside, how comfy the seats are, the heat, defroster, and AC work well, etc.

Maybe it's because I do get out on the road in old crap often enough still, that I really appreciate the modern comforts.

 

I used my old 46 as a truck. Was on a later blazer/K-10 chassis. Called it the incredible hulk.

 

I have one of those already. It’s a bit cramped for long hauls.

 

Dang @Rocky! That thing is cool!

 

460, 4" thick wall bumper will pull anything, roomy inside

 

I would like something late enough to have weatherstripping, overhead valves, decent parts availability, room for at least 6 folks etc. I am leaning towards the Suburbans. They have a trailing arm rear suspension, most had V8's. I love the 55-59 Chevy wagons, but I think the Subs are still a better choice. I would love to find one that someone has already dumped a ton of money into and is tired of it.

 

I have actually been thinking similarly since both of my dailies are pretty much junk. Thinking I might rather spend a little on my 66 C10 to just make it more friendly to drive on the highway since that is where all my travel happens. Otherwise, I will also have to put stiffer springs in the rear and would have to put a brake controller in it to stop my car hauler. This is basically what I did for years before I thought I needed creature comforts like a radio or A/C.

But, I would actually rather build a 60-66 Suburban so I could also haul crap inside similar to what I currently use my Yukon for. And, I could haul more people than what I can in my truck if needed.

 

The $200 future parts getter

I use the bus in the background all the time for parts hauling.
Find a cheap truck, rebuild the brakes, make it go and zoom zoom

 

Ambulance doors would be a plus.

 

That simply won't due!