There are several schools of thought when it comes to building a vintage car or truck. On one end of the spectrum are the purists who strive to restore vehicles to assembly-line accuracy, right down to the firewall chalk marks and "correct" hoses and clamps. On the other end are custom fans who aren't happy unless every body panel and mechanical component is modified in some way, shape, or form. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of this scale, but few blend the two ends of the spectrum together as well as Clay Clark has with his '61 Chevy pickup.
With the exception of shaved tailgate chains, the exterior of Clay's Chevy appears stone stock at first glance. Remove the 17- and 18-inch Weld wheels and you might be inclined to think the pickup is all original. Then you notice that the Glenwood Green finish looks a lot smoother and glossier than anything Chevrolet turned out in 1961 (besides the fact that it's technically a '62 color). The stance is also decidedly more slinky than GM engineers ever intended. The more you look, the more you realize this is more than just a resto ride with fancy wheels.
Clay's desire to keep appearances original and "truck like" probably stems from his youth. "Growing up in east Texas taught me to appreciate trucks," Clay says. "So when I decided to get back into street rods I called longtime friend and Chevy guru Jon Krogh to ask if he knew of any complete pickups that were for sale. He told me his brother Mark had started a truck but had lost interest and wanted to sell."
It turns out that the project was a clean, low-mileage '61 Chevy with a finished frame and bed. Mark had already updated the pickup by installing a '78 Chevy truck front suspension and an '86 Chevy rearend. Now it just needed finishing. "I told Jon that I had neither the time nor the tools to complete such an undertaking," Clay continues. "Jon then referred me to Bryon Ruetten, who agreed to help me out. It didn't take long to realize how fortunate I was having Bryon work on the truck. Not only was he honest and hard working, he was also very talented."
Though Clay decided early to keep the truck relatively stock looking, he and Bryon kept its mechanical side moving in a hot rod direction by installing Air Ride Technologies air springs at all four corners of the chassis. They also made sure there was plenty of muscle under the hood, where a very healthy 400-inch small-block now resides. Jon Krogh takes credit for assembling the engine with all the right parts, including a Comp Cams camshaft, AFR heads, Crane roller rockers, an Edelbrock intake, and a Speed Demon carb. A B&M-equipped Turbo 400 backs up the potent mouse motor.
Ironically, maintaining the truck's visual simplicity wasn't always so simple. It took some restraint to let Lenard Hill spray the paint without making any significant body modifications. And it took extra effort to reduce visual clutter by hiding the Air Ride controls in the glove box, the MSD ignition box under the seat, and the Optima battery behind the seat. A Custom Autosound stereo adds modern tunes without detracting from the original look of the dash, and the original choke and throttle pulls have been converted to floor vent controls. The '91 Suburban seat, Weld wheel, and Chevy van column add modern touches, but somehow look right at home in the Chevy's gray interior.
Clay is well aware that a lot of truck enthusiasts consider '60-61 Chevys ugly ducklings. He could have easily swapped on a '62-66 hood and grille to appease such critics, but we applaud his decision to maintain the truck's original identity. We also like the fact that he carefully selected his modifications to make the pickup distinctive while still retaining an original feel. Blending hot rod and restoration elements isn't always a recipe for success, but Clay seems to have found just the right mix.