Vehicle Description
"Clean" is one of those words used so often in automotive culture
that it's almost lost all meaning. Everything from Ridler cars down
to primered Hondas are subjected to a once over and an approving
nod before that dreaded descriptor rears its ugly head again.
Unfortunately, dropping the word all together poses some problems.
What else could we call a creation like this incredible 1948
Chevrolet pickup? Sanitary? Tidy? Nah...this thing is clean.
Probably even clean enough to reinvigorate the word and remind
others exactly how it should be applied. The beneficiary of an
8-year, frame-off restoration, receipts total up to the tune of
$269,969 with nearly $64,449 in paint and body alone. And, driven
just 533 miles since completion, the pickup has already claimed a
Classic Custom Trucks feature and numerous accolades including Best
Interior, Best Engine Compartment, Best in Class, and Best of Show.
Ready to fill that empty space in your trophy case? Just keep
reading!
BODYWORK/TRIM
The project began with a standard 1948 5-window Chevrolet pickup
that had seen very little aside from hard work during the course of
its life. Like a lot of restorations, it started out as a simple
OEM build but turned into something MUCH bigger along the way.
Looking over the truck today, there are some modifications that
quickly jump out and others that take some time to fully reveal
themselves. As the first thing most will notice, the paint is
probably a good place to get the conversation started. If "clean"
is the goal, what better color than white? It's a GM variant,
traditionally found on Monte Carlo sheet metal. The paintwork shows
well from every imaginable angle and gives the truck a level of
class most ex-work horses can only dream of.
Of course, the majority of that $64,449 was spent on work that
hides underneath the top coat. The most obvious modification is the
roofline, which sits roughly five inches lower thanks to a chop.
The windshield has been V-butted while all the other glass, and
there's a lot of it in these 5-windows, has been custom cut to fit
inside the new proportions. Around the cab, the windshield vent and
side cowl vents have been smoothed while the 2-piece factory hood
was scrapped in favor of a sleek one-piece unit. The front end is
capped by a show-ready chrome grille, frenched headlights, and a
deleted bumper. The side profile benefits equally from the
smoothing process. All badges are gone, the door handles are
shaved, and the heavily modified running boards are now neatly
molded into place. Behind the cab, a bed borrowed from a 1989 GM
pickup serves as the foundation for more wild custom work. The bed
itself was narrowed 30 inches before the tailgate was welded shut
and a new rollpan was burned in. The rear end is rounded out by a
pair of classic Cadillac taillights. Inside the bed, a removable
panel shows some American pride while protecting the crisp white
paint on the bed floor.
ENGINE
Under the one-piece hood, the engine compartment strikes the
perfect balance between show quality cleanliness and cross country
reliability. The core is a 305 cubic inch GM V8 that produces an
estimated 300 horsepower thanks to the addition of a few high
quality upgrades. Under the polished and finned scoop, a 600cfm
Edelbrock carburetor bolts up to a polished Edelbrock intake
manifold. At the sides of that intake, cast iron heads are dressed
with ball-milled valve covers, which provide a nice contrast to the
black engine block. The front of the engine hosts a sturdy billet
accessory drive which spins a polished alternator, a modern power
steering pump and a polished AC compressor while a Walker radiator
keeps the small block running cool. Pertronix Flame Thrower
ignition fires the engine to life while spent gases are ushered
through coated headers. Visuals remain equally nice around the
engine thanks to a shaved firewall and custom inner fenders. And
details like the billet thermostat housing, machined aluminum
timing pointer, and polished hardware ensure that there are no
disappointments on any level.
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
Put this pickup on a lift to discover a detailed undercarriage
that's fully prepared for battle on the show field. During the
restoration, the original 1948 frame was updated with a Mustang II
front-clip, then sandblasted, primed, and shot with a sleek coat of
dark blue Durabak to protect against rust and chips. Aside from the
added durability, it looks great and serves as a nice break from
the sea of white above, Behind the small block, a GM
Turbo-Hydramatic 350 3-speed handles shifting duties, dressed with
a Lokar dipstick and polished aluminum pan. Power is fed down the
custom driveshaft to a 10-bolt, 8.5-inch GM differential that was
borrowed from a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. That pumpkin features a
posi-traction differential and 3.25 gears. The truck's aggressive
stance comes courtesy of Heidts tubular control arms, drop spindles
and leaf spring shackles. Sway bars can be found at both ends while
new shocks round out all four corners. The updated suspension
further benefits from a power rack-and-pinion that keeps steering
light. Braking is equally competent thanks to a power front disc
conversion from Heidts. Those classic fenders are filled by a set
of polished 17x8-inch American Racing Torq Thrust IIs wrapped in
new Falken rubber.
INTERIOR
The smooth theme continues into the interior where a sleek
dashboard is devoid of anything other than a hybrid
speedometer/tachometer. More instrumentation can be found both
overhead and below, where a neatly placed set of Classic
Instruments gauges keep tabs on voltage, fuel, time, oil pressure,
and temperature - one even shows which gear the automatic
transmission is currently in. A chrome T-handle shifter offers
authority over said transmission while, further back in the
console, controls for both the stereo and HVAC system remain under
a lid and out of sight. At either side of the console, Recaro
buckets from a 3rd-generation Trans Am have been rewrapped in white
and bolted in over attractive blue carpeting. Behind the seats, a
Jensen marine AM/FM/CD stereo offers a direct connection for iPods
and Sirus radio. At either side, custom door panels incorporate
sculpted arm rests over traditional tuck and roll while a taut
white headliner caps of the cabin in style. Driver input is offered
through a polished Flaming River tilt column topped by a Billet
Specialties steering wheel while billet gas and brake pedals reside
below. While a chopped-top pickup may not sound like an ideal place
to spend time, there is a plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy
the modern conveniences hidden away in this sleek space.
OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION
A 3-ring binder that features a 44-item Table of Contents and a
3-page Build Prologue
Restoration receipts
Restoration photos
Restoration notes
Component literature
A copy of the truck's Classic Custom Trucks feature
There's an interesting "Cost of Build" page in one of the notebooks
that breaks the build down in very direct terms. Of the eight years
it took to create this custom, an average of 144 days per year were
spent on this pickup. That breaks down to roughly 1,152 days, 5,760
hours, and nearly $172K in labor. Where that time could have
resulted in some untamable 1,500 horsepower show beast, it instead
produced an amazing custom pickup that can be shown just about
anywhere and reliably driven on nice weekends in between. You don't
get much more "total package" than that. If you're read...for more
information please contact the seller.
