How does a senior agent for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation get the nickname, Flatfoot? Normally, that comes with the territory of being a cop, but for Bob Almon, it's because he drives fast. Bob doesn't drive quite as fast these days unless duty calls, but in his younger days he was a menace at the local dragstrip, which is how he picked up the moniker that's stuck ever since. Normally, that comes with the territory of being a cop, but for Bob Almon, it's because he drives fast!
Bob has had plenty of hot rods in the last 20 years and got the hankerin' for an old truck a while back. As luck would have it, a good friend of his by the name of Dusty Cox, who runs Dusty's Collision Center in Pocola, Oklahoma, had a '48 Chevy 3100 and that was the start of things to come. The truck wasn't too bad to begin with, but you know how things go, so Bob took it to Paul Stevens in Greenwood, Arkansas, for a little chassis work. Paul built a new fully independent frame for the '48 using a good deal of parts from an '87 Corvette, which was no small task. The IRS uses the stock Corvette 3.08:1 gears and, paired with the 700-R4 transmission, makes for an awfully comfortable highway cruiser. After the frame was done, all the Vette parts were detailed and the 'rails painted black before Bob threw on the polished 17-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels and Grabber tires.
Bob knew he was gonna drive the snot out of this truck so he opted for reliability and economy under the hood and picked up a Jon Barrett 330hp Econo Cruzer that's topped with a GM throttle-body injection setup and a bitchin' Cadillac-style air cleaner painted to match the body. All the necessary Vintage Air components are mounted on the front of the motor to help keep Bob cool in the sweltering Oklahoma heat.
Not content on leaving well enough alone, Bob had Dusty chop the top of the Chevy 2 inches in the front and 2 1/2 inches in the rear along with shaving the door handles and trim. The cowl vent was saved, and Dusty set it up so that it's now controlled by an electric motor-cool. After all the mods and bodywork were done, Dusty squirted the '48 in PPG black and then laid down a set of his well-known flames.
To coincide with this being set up for long hauls as well as around-town cruising, a RodDoor's bench seat was installed that Dusty covered in red tweed along with any other plush items inside the cab and matched with red wool carpet. Dusty also filled the dash and punched new holes in it for a full set of Auto Meter gauges. A GM tilt column now holds a Billet Specialties wheel and below that is a custom Harley-Davidson gas pedal. This pedal is usually eclipsed by Bob's foot since the truck has been all over the country to Goodguys shows, vacations with his wife Debbie, leisure trips, or any other excuse to lay down some tracks.
If you drive through Oklahoma and suddenly see a flamed '48 Chevy in the rearview mirror, you may get a ticket for impeding Bob's cruising!