1948 Chevy Pickup - From Primer To Polish

Did you ever wonder how and when one crosses that line between building a low-buck beater and a show-quality classic pickup? I know I have, and you can bet Rodney Harris is still scratching his head trying to figure out just exactly when he zigged when he planned to zag.

It all started out innocently enough when he found a solid '48 Chevy about nine years ago and grabbed it while he could. After installing a new frontend and chopping the top, the truck sat for years in the back of his shop waiting for a bit more attention. After a while Rodney ended up selling it to his brother Troy, who figured he'd finish what his brother had started. Well, as it happens more often than not, Troy also never got around to working on the Chevy. So, about three years ago Rodney convinced his wife, Chris, to give him the okay to buy it back--just to build a low-dollar driver, mind you. Seeing as Rodney had just sold one of his street rods, Chris relented and the '48 was towed back to Rodney's shop.

The plans were, innocently enough, to finish up the top chop, throw it in some primer, drop a well-running secondhand drivetrain in place, and let it roll on a set of steel wheels--just like he said--a low-dollar driver. Well, at first the work went just as planned. The finish-welding was done on the roof and door window frames, the holes in the firewall were filled, and the door handles were shaved. It was supposed to stop there, but all of a sudden, Rodney found himself filling the cowl vent, filling the hood seam, and replacing the truck's original bed with one he'd hand-formed himself. As the bodywork began to take shape, something happened: While on a trip to the paint and body supply store, he ended up coming home with more than a couple gallons of primer--mysteriously, there ended up being a couple of cans of PPG Mystic Silver and its associated ingredients in the box, as well. How'd that get in there, we wonder? Well, if it was gonna get painted all nice and shiny, it might as well get an attitude adjustment, a set of nice wheels, and some new upholstery, shouldn't it? Of course it should. The rest is, as they say, history.

Rodney picked up a quartet of polished American five-spokes (17s for the front, and 20s for the rear) and a set of BFGs to go along with them. He then had pal Terry Jones help him with the fabrication and installation of some fresh oak for the floor of the newly fabbed cargo bed. A quick call to Air Ride Technologies garnered a full complement of Air Ride components, and Rodney then whipped together a fresh 400ci small-block and a TH350 as an upgrade to his original choice. Things were on track...it just wasn't the original track.

Once the bodywork and paint were finished, the air ride system, new wiring, and drivetrain installed, and the fresh, new bed wood in place, it was clear that indian blanket interior just wasn't gonna cut the mustard. Rodney added a set of VDO gauges, a Vintage Air unit, and a top-of-the-line Pioneer stereo system to the mix. Upgraded upholstery was left in the talented hands of Cullman, Alabama's Paul Atkins who stitched up an awesome red leather interior as the finishing touch.

We're sure you'll agree that Rodney's Chevy is right up there with some of the nicest classic Chevy trucks on the road today. Not bad for a low-dollar driver, right Chris?