My good buddy Dave asked me to start a build thread here on the HAMB to share his build of a pretty bitchin' RPU. It's not going to be 100% traditional but it's going to follow a traditional theme and hopefully you guys will get a kick out of what he's doing. In the end it's going to be a nice, reliable, drive anywhere truck with some really unique touches. So enough with the babbling. Here's the history. Like I said this is my friend Dave's truck but he's getting a little help from some other good friends and long time car builders, Bob and other Dave (how's that for confusing). This project started out with a Last Refuge (Norb's place for those in the know) RPU body, Model A bed and tailgate, and one of the their '32 style frames. Hence the AKA name. Dave knew some of the bad history of Norb and we warned him to read the reviews on the internet but he took a chance and ordered one. He did get some of the run around with un-realistic delivery time and broken promises. But...through it all Norb did keep in touch and finally delivered, actually bringing it to S.C., in a few months. The quality is great and there have been no surprises so far. Here's a day of two after delivery set up in Bob's garage. New Body by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:30 PM New Body 2 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:30 PM And this is what started the whole idea in motion. IMG_1670 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:47 PM
Dave picked up this bitchin' GMC 292 from a friend of ours EdWeird here on the HAMB. It had been built by his father who has since passed and it had been sitting for a while. He picked up a cool reproduction Howard 5 deuce intake and Fenton split exhaust manifolds. He got it running but unfortunately a couple of issues have caused the decision to rebuild the motor once mock up is done. IMG_2062 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_2059 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_1671 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:50 PM IMG_1672 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:50 PM The trio has been knocking this build out very quickly. In a few weeks they have almost mocked the whole truck up. IMG_2058 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_2064 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_2063 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM The windshield is also one of Norb's Duval styled piece made specifically for these bodies. It's a pretty cool piece and really well made. IMG_2057 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM Bed is just sitting here for the moment. It will be mounted to follow the profile in the cab with filler plates fabricated. IMG_2061 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_2065 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM I'll post some more information later when I have the time and keep posting updates as I get them. I hope ya'll enjoy this build.
Great engines and really hard to find. It took me a year to find a 270 for my '59 GMC. That little truck should not be hurting for torque.
man that thing looks cool hope it will make it to the beach for the eat and meat. So will Ed pull some stripes on that .
It came with a recess but they still made a small modification on firewall where the back of the valve cover hit.
Doubt it will be ready by then. They are busy at it but not rushing. Plus the engine needs to be pulled apart and rebuilt. Im not sure if Dave has any plans for stripes. Good question.
Unfortunately things have been busy for me so I haven't been by to get pictures like I wanted to. Here are two I hadn't posted showing the steering colum. IMG_2060 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:44 PM IMG_2067 by k5hart posted Feb 25, 2015 at 10:55 PM It's a '40 Ford modified to fit. Shifter is actually going to be manual as Dave is using one of three options he has, a T5, Saginaw 4 speed, or tri-five chevy 3 speed overdrive. I think he is leaning to the T5 at this point. Pedals you can see are out of a late '70s chevy truck made to work. Hand made tranny cover. There is actually a Bob special hidden turn signal lever tucked up under that dash. As of Wednesday this week they were already begining to disassemble things to begin paint and finish work on the chassis. Hopefully more to come later.
Long overdue update. A lot has been done to the truck. It's really coming along nice. It's been blown back apart already and painted red oxide primer color. This is the color it is staying for now. Motor should be back from the machine shop in a week or two. Making some bed filler panels. Side view. Firewall close up with recess for the GMC six. Start of the windshield mock up. Pedal assembly with custom linkage for the drivers side mounted brake master cylinders. Notice the plain flat dash is gone! Bed mounted, suspension done, and gas tank done. Side shot of the bed mounted with some custom tail light work going on. Big upgrade on the dash. Modified '32 with Auburn style insert. Cheezy kid picture of my future hot rodders.
A couple months have gone by so it's time for an update right? The truck is pretty much finished. It still has a couple things to finish, bugs to work out, and proper paperwork to get legal. Can't wait to take a ride in this with Dave. The little GMC. Completely rebuilt and looking good.
Killer letter job done by Edweird here on the HAMB. Cockpit views. The dash is just sexy and that wheel is just icing on the cake! That's it for now. I have a short video of it running I'll post up when I figure out how to get it off my phone. It's a great sounding 6!
The Jalopy Journal
