Can you believe it's been an entire year with me on board? You know, I'm sure there are a handful of you who were just counting the months before the next "new guy" came along, but there was never a doubt in my mind that we would reach this first anniversary together. It may have been a rocky period at times, but like any true relationship that was meant to be, hurdles were cleared, obstacles avoided, and rough waters managed successfully. Are we in the clear from here on out? No, not quite, but at least we've somewhat all come to terms with the multi-faceted world of classic trucks...or have we?
For the first three to four months, I was wading through letters about the age thing (we all know what I'm talking about). It was pretty much split down the middle from the start-half for the later stuff, the other half vehemently against-but as time wore on, the percentage started to shift greatly toward the "pros" rather than the "cons. Among the naysayers, the majority were repeat offenders still trying to get their same old point across. Well, as you should all clearly see by now, we've stuck to our guns, and if I might say so myself, have continued to put out a well-rounded package month after month. The task of providing a fair share of early and late content has become quite easy from this end, as there seems to be a neverending wealth of material out there to work with. Albeit geared toward the GM crowd more often than for the Ford folk, that won't always be the case-even we know when enough's enough...I think.
The past 12 months have not been easy, that is no lie. On top of producing the magazine, the day I grabbed the reigns of CLASSIC TRUCKS, I also inherited a major undertaking in the form of the Sacramento Vintage Ford Mail-Order F-100. While it was not my direct responsibility in the beginning, it was part of the "package deal" that came with the job. It's no secret we're still at it with the '56, but I am proud to say that we're now beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. As I'm writing this, the truck is over at Westech in Ontario, California, getting fine-tuned and readied for its debut. I'll tell you what, I've seen my share of 100-percent aftermarket hot rods and kit cars go together, and they are nothing compared to a project of this magnitude. Whether or not we end up with the first F-100 of its kind remains to be seen, but no matter what, we will have proven that it can be done. More importantly, though, we will have probably encountered nearly all of the pitfalls associated with a project like this, in the end providing the solutions to keep future parties from doing the same. (Sure, many issues were due to "user error", but that's not to say others couldn't easily make the same mistakes...well, some of them!)
Outside of the magazine content battles and the huge in-house project, I have found some spare time to devote to personal projects. The most recent of which, my '53 Chevy, was met with much positive response, which I had greatly anticipated. While my '75 Cheyenne tends to lean toward the higher end of the spectrum in most cases-it is my daily driver, so I want to make sure it will withstand the constant abuse-the 3100 was meant to be a basic, budget-minded deal-and it still is. That's where I realized how important the average-type upgrades are to the majority of readers. I know the typical guy or gal reading this magazine may not be up to spending their entire nest egg on building a new chassis for their truck, whatever it may be (I also acknowledge that there are many readers who can afford and will do things like that). So while attempts to keep everyone alert to the new-fangled high-dollar gadgets that hit the market will not falter, just as much if not more effort will be put into showcasing things that blue collar folk, such as myself, can appreciate. If it means rehashing old stories from the past in a new light, or simply making use of simple products that have been taken for granted for too long, the idea of "back to basics" is going to be taken seriously. And that includes our feature truck coverage, too.
On to other matters at hand. With this first anniversary, I also celebrate the inauguration of my newest editorial cohort, Grant Peterson, otherwise known as the "other new guy." Stolen from the staff of Super Chevy magazine (where he was originally recruited by me to begin with!), Grant comes from zero magazine background...unless you count years of collecting and reading vintage Hot Rod mags as experience. What he does bring to the table is a great positive attitude, hands-on technical experience, and a true passion for vintage American iron. I honestly expect the magazine will truly benefit from his contributions-if not, we'll just steal another editor from Super Chevy and start over. All joking aside (you probably think that's impossible for me-you're probably right!), I'd like to officially welcome Grant and hope that by this time next year, he'll be celebrating his first anniversary with CLASSIC TRUCKS.
As for me here, well, the future does have quite a bit of potential. While other niche magazines are struggling with various outside issues, it seems that there's really nothing holding back CLASSIC TRUCKS. What little competition there is, isn't really competition at all. With the exception of the almighty Internet, we really only have ourselves as a worst enemy! So, here's to another great year. Hope you all stick around for the second lap and beyond.