Were customized trucks common in 1950's

Having not been alive in the mid-fifties to the early sixties, I have always wondered how many customized trucks graced the high school parking lots, burger joints and speed shops. Other than the RC dream truck and Copper Cart, I don't recall reading about many. Anyone that was alive and involved in the custom scene during those years care to enlighten us. Thanks!!

 

A lot of the old wreckers I've seen in junkyards were decked out with every accessory, probably culled from wrecks. A fair amount of shops had custom shop trucks too, as a way to advertise. And Model T/Model A/32 trucks have been made into hot rods since the beginning.

Can't say I was there, but I would bet customized 40's and 50's pickup trucks were rarer then than they are today. 54-56 F-100's being the exception.

 

In Iowa, where I grew up, trucks were for the farmer-boys and had mud tires on them year round. I graduated high school in 1961...and early trucks ('30's/40's) were still used to haul hay, eggs, and daughters to town (Friday nites were egg and daughter nite-the farmers brought both to town...!!!)

R-

 

Farmers takin' their daughters and eggs to town on a Friday night. There's something poetic in that.

I was alive during that time, but more involved in filling my diaper than the custom scene. Still, I think the answer is basically as you suggest...not many custom trucks. Modified...maybe yes. Actual customs...no.

 

I can only speak from the sixties, there was no such thing as customized trucks. Check pictures from those days, you won't see any trucks period. Trucks came along way later.

 

Yeah,,on one hand,some freshly laid..others waiting to be laid..LOL

 

I was born in '44, a gearhead from the start and reading car magazines by the mid '50s. In the Midwest pickups were primarily work vehicles but some got a little extra attention. Typically, whitewalls and wheel covers, maybe a sunvisor or other accessories. But in my observation. very few got real customization......i.e chopped tops or frenched lights or grille swaps. I lived in both city (St. Louis) and rural areas during the '50s & 60's.

However, the car mags of the time, Rod & Custom, Rodding and Restyling, Hot Rod and so on, featured pickups from time to time, the most memorable, of course, was the R&C Dream Truck mentioned in an earlier post. As I recall, most of the featured pickups were '30s era....'32-'34 Fords, and early/mid '50s Fords, for example.

 

A lot of racers had mild custom push/tow trucks; look at the vintage mags and their race coverage. You'll see more than a few mild custom trucks in the background....

 

There was a short lived fad for fixing up new pickup trucks especially in California in 1955 and 56. It came about like this.

The first OHV V8s came out between 1949 and 1951 and all the hep cats wanted one. But they were in $4500, 5000 pound cars like Cadillac and Chrysler New Yorker. Even the Olds 88 and Studebaker were in the medium price bracket. Figure $2500 and up compared to $1600 for a new Ford.

Then Ford (1954) and Chev (1955) and Plymouth brought out their low priced V8 models.

A 2 tone BelAir, Fairlane or Fury hardtop still cost $2500 and a stripped 2 door post with a V8, $1800.

But you could buy a brand new pickup for $1400 with V8 and stick shift.

A lot of guys bought cheap pickups because they didn't have the dough for a BelAir or even a Mainline tudor. Ed Roth was one. In an interview with Tony Thacker he describes how he wanted a Chev hardtop but couldn't afford one, so he bought a 56 Ford pickup and fixed it up.

You could buy the pickup for $35 or $40 a month and start saving up your extra pennies.

The first week you could take it to the muffler shop for lowering and a set of duals with Smittys. Next week to Roth for some flames and pinstripes. Next week, a set of Fiesta hubcaps or moon discs.

After a few months the cheap OEM tires would be worn smooth (especially the back ones LOL) so time to invest in new whitewalls.

Then, a trip to Tijuana for tuck n roll upholstery and a tarp or tonneau cover over the bed.

After a few months, you could have it fixed up pretty nice.

Guys who owned body shops, garages and speed shops often fixed up their shop trucks, partly for an advertising showpiece, partly for the fun of driving it and partly because they couldn't leave anything alone.

But the hot rod pickup fad, for the general public only lasted a year or 2. By that time, if you couldn't afford a new car you could buy a 55 - 57 off a used car lot cheap.

Ed Roth bought this 56 Ford in late 55 or early 56, and sold it a year later to buy a 57 BelAir hardtop.

Note that it started as the cheapest short box with NO chrome, not even the grille or bumpers. Then he added the flames, stripes, hubcaps and tonneau cover.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/143833781822387641/

 

I can remember in the early sixties my dad had a fellow who worked for him that owned an early 50's Chevy pickup and he changed out the six banger for a 283 SBC and I thought that was the coolest truck. I don't recall if he did any other things to the pickup. As stated earlier this was rare and pickups didn't get much attention back in the day.

 

Here in e. Tenn. trucks were for hauling stuff, dirt, rocks, straw, farm supplies. Work trucks. They weren't for hauling ass.

 

There it is.

Except for when the farmers took their daughters to town on Friday nights.

 

Where I lived in the 50s not many folks had trucks, station wagons and utility trailers did the hauling and when you thought customs or hot rods cars came to mind.

 

Don't know about the 50's but in the 60's guys liked to drag race the Elcamino because it was light and kool. I do not remember any old pickups being customized.

 

How about hot rodded pickups in the 60's?

I remember a Hemi powered 54 F-100 and a 54 Chevy with an Olds in them. One of the vehicles I drooled over in 66 was a "new" short/wide black 64 Chevy with a hot 327/car 4-speed and black/white rolled and pleated interior. Rallisracing's dad had a 40 Ford pickup that anyone here would love to have today.

But maybe it's a Texas thing.

 

I have a box of the small car magazines from the 50s and do remember a few trucks,I think they were mainly early to mid 50s trucks.

 

The original question was about the fifties, during the sixties I belonged to a push truck club and yes there were hot rod and customized trucks then. Mine was a customized 1956 GMC sitting on the running gear from a 1965 GTO. I could keep up with most of the hobby stock cars until the first left turn.

 

I don't know what was in the magazines but I know what was on the street. I remember a lot of hot rodded trucks in the early 60s in So Cal. My brother in law had a sweet '56 Ford pickup with a 312 and the neighbor across the street had a baby blue '51 Chevy with a 283 instead of the six. Both with chrome steelies. I thought those trucks were so bitchin when I was a kid. I still do!

Most of the hot rod trucks just had a hopped up V8, nice wheels/tires, paint and a custom interior. Nothing too radical. I NEVER saw a tail dragger pick-up until the 70's and even then it was a "vato" thing. A low rider truck still looks weird as shit to me.

Actually he mentions mid-50's to early 60's. I couldn't tell you about the 50's, but the 60's I remember.

 

I wasn't alive in the early 1960s but I have crawled junkyards for 30 years. the only customization of trucks I have seen from junked trucks of that era were necker knobs, Packard "pelicans", '56 Chevy hood birds, vintage bed headboard headache racks and huge grill guards.

 

I do remember an engine swap in a pickup from the '60's. There was a guy who was well known in the region for his dirt track cars...always powered by nailhead Buicks, and a variety of streetable engine conversions. His name was Fuzzy Tobias. About 1967 he bought a new Chevy 1/2 ton and in no time had an equally new Buick 430 and turbo 400 in the truck. It was his tow vehicle for the race car. Not so much a Custom as a Hot Rod!

 

You sure about that?

 

Perhaps you led a "sheltered life" ......

 

There were LOTS of mild custom pickups around here in the 50's.
Almost everyone with some kind of circle track car was towing with a pickup. Many had
some brand of big V8 in them.
Here's a pic on mine. 55 with 56 grille and other hardly noticeable body mods.
345 ci roller cammed Cad and Lasalle floor box.

 

Growing up in Pueblo, Co. in the '50's and 60's, I remember a lot of Hot Rod and Custom trucks. Everything from the early T buckets to Model A pickups and always popular '53-56 F100's. Then in the 60's, trucks like Cameos, El Caminos, and Rancheros were pretty popular. Even at the drags, pickups always were a favorite. I've never been without a pickup since I started driving. I drove a '59 F100 short/narrow bed with a 400M/C6 for more than 400,000 miles. Now my daily is a '66 F100.

 

In the farm community I lived in (I'm too young for the fifties) there was very little customizing going on in the 60s. Pick-ups were for farmers and the only time you saw a young guy driving one was because he didn't have a car and "the old man" wouldn't let him have the family car for a night out.

 

Really? I've seen a lot of custom trucks in my collection of "little books" from the 50's, I even have one that all it featured was trucks. Sure, not as commen as cars but they were out there.
In the very early 60's my brother bought a truck, a 57 Chevy. Didn't take long for it to have wide whites, caps, custom interior, chrome bumpers/grill and tonnue cover.

 

I had a 59 in 73 ,custom cab short bedw/327 4sp /12 in rear 7in front.dark brown interior white paint body.all original ,rootbeer metalflake dash.small campershell ,ran like a bat out hell,dailly drivergot in a lot of trouble. another one that got away

 

In Bethesda, MD in 1957 there was a guy on my paper route that had a 54 Ford pickup mild custom that was lowered and had 55 Chevy pickup fenders, no bumpers and chrome exhaust stacks that ran up the back of the cab----very cool with loud steel packs. At that time it was in gray primer. I always loved that truck. There were other hot rods and customs in the neighborhood but it was the only truck.

 

In the Cleveland Ohio area nobody had a pickup much less customized. Some garage owners had jeep wagons for plowing but I started hot rodding in 1954 and didn't know anybody that owned a truck.

 

AMBR winner in '58 was a truck. I'd speculate that the Ala Kart's success in the show circuit had something to do with a rise in popularity of trucks in general. You see 'em pretty frequently in the little pages from that era. Most seem to be in California, but the majority of the stuff in R&C is in California anyway...

Most of these images came from http://www.kustomrama.com - AWESOME website