1965 Chevrolet Panel - Family Keepsake

Sentimentality can make us do crazy things. We fill our houses, garages, and storage areas with things that we'll never use again but just can't bring ourselves to part with. In most cases these items bring us back to a time or person that we connect the piece with. That in itself is generally reason enough to hang onto to something no matter how much our reasonable mind might try to convince us that we should just ditch it.

The sentimental items you hang onto might not be as large as this '65 Chevy panel, but the emotional connection may be as strong. John Dariano's connection with the truck goes back to 1967 when he worked for his father's painting company--using the panel to haul paint and supplies to the job sites. When not being used for official company business, the panel was pushed into service as transportation and sleeping quarters for family camping and fishing trips. John boasts that they took it offroad into areas that it probably shouldn't have gone but that it never let them down.

The panel lasted longer at the painting business than John did, but when it was finally retired, it didn't exactly have it easy. It sat at John's brother's business, exposed to the elements for almost twenty years and waiting for its second chance at life. Unfortunately, John's brother passed away before he was ever able to get started on it. Because his brother's wife knew it had to stay in the family, she passed it on to John.

The panel's dilapidated condition was more than John could handle, so he put his trust and the panel into the capable hands of the crew at Kenny's Rod Shop. The plan called for the finished product to be nice but drivable. The truck was torn down to the bare essentials, and then the chassis was cleaned up and powdercoated black to make maintenance easy. Kenny's called on Early Classic Enterprises to supply the suspension components to get the panel down closer to the roadway while still providing a reliable and suitable ride. A stock GM crate 350 backed by a 700-R4 continues the simple proven combination.

Fin's Customs and Classics had their work cut out for them when it came time to remove over 30 years of abuse and neglect from the massive body. The final result looks like it was blocked with a yardstick. The two-toned paint scheme laid down by Dean Massey complements the slab-sided bodylines perfectly.

The once utilitarian paint-splattered interior void is now home to several leather hides and more stereo and video equipment than you'd find in most houses (which is fitting since the rear seating area is about the size of small living room.)

Now that the panel is done, John couldn't be happier with the job done by all involved and says he wouldn't change a thing. And best of all, John's sentimental keepsake is not tucked away in the corner out of sight; it gets used regularly--keeping him in touch with his younger days and his family that helped make them so special.

John intended to drive this panel, so Kenny's chose to save the shiny stuff for other areas. The smoothed firewall and fenderwells frame the subtly detailed crate engine perfectly. Black powdercoated brackets from Bill's Hot Rod Co., along with an alternator and A/C compressor from Enos, blend in with the black painted engine.

Panel trucks were built to serve a utilitarian purpose. After Leon's Auto Upholstery got done with it, you'd never know that this one had been used as a work truck for several years. A '96 Chevy Tahoe gave up its power front split-bench seat.

An Astro van rear seat was used to provide a place for passengers where buckets of paint and supplies once rode. Video monitors in the headrests of the front buckets and a surround sound system with wireless headphones make up for the lack of windows by keeping the rear passengers entertained.

The stock dash has been smoothed and filled with a Vintage Air control panel and a Sony stereo head unit front and center for easy access. The stock gauge bezel now houses Dakota Digital gauges.