The big inspiration for me was when I saw the January 1959 issue of Rod & Custom. The issue was almost entirely devoted to custom pickup trucks. The fact that someone actually customized a utility vehicle seemed really cool-I particularly loved the ones with the exhaust stacks. About the same time, I got hooked on hot rods, watching the "Kookie Car" on 77 Sunset Strip. Seeing that car really did it for me.

If you recall in last month's "State of the Magazine Address," I vaguely alluded to my latest project, which I've dubbed the "Dirty Thirty(Nine)." Well, here she is, in all her, well, dirty glory.

Like many of you reading this, Larry Putter is a family man-and lucky to have such a good one! He and his wife, Tammy, have raised two sons who have grown up to be gearheads, so much so that Larry made sure each one held the keys to their own classic trucks when the time came before building one for himself.

If you're one of the lucky few never to have undertaken a complete start-to-finish project, then you don't have a clue what a joy it truly can be. From the endless burning of the midnight oil (often at the expense of cherished family time) to the countless broken promises from shop owners, if you've never been there, done that, then you're probably better off than the rest of us!

As the 2008 production year dawned, Navistar International (known in the world market as a builder of heavy-duty trucks) thought it needed another way to introduce its new line of Class 8 tractor trucks-the Lonestar-to the public. This big truck is powered by a Cummins ISX twin-turbo diesel engine, which is one impressive motor in both size and performance. But of more particular interest is the Lonestar's exterior styling-it's a pure throwback to truck designs of bygone eras, most notably the '39 International D-series. As Navistar refers to it: "Advanced Classic" innovation and technology.

A lot can happen over the course of 18 years. In that amount of time, the average human can go from a newborn to a high school grad. But nearly two decades sure seems like quite a stretch for building an old truck, doesn't it? It depends on who you are, but more importantly, it also depends on everything else that's going on during that period-it's a little something called "life."

If you have a Classic Cruiser and want to see it here, e-mail at least six high-resolution photos and background info to the e-mail address above, or mail prints to: Classic Trucks, Attn: Grant Peterson, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870.

Back in 1971, Herb and Ellie Ramsey ordered a new C-20 Chevy truck from Hovey Dallas Chevrolet. Mrs. Ramsey made sure it was that snazzy new Hugger Orange color and was equipped with A/C; the rest was left up to her husband. Shortly thereafter, Herb installed a new Four Winds camper shell, and they would take their family, which included their children Kathy and Gregg, as well as their poodles Jacque and Nicole, everywhere in the new truck. These trips included going to the Lincoln Drive-In to watch the Godfather, while cooking Italian sausage sandwiches in the camper, driving to the Sierras for fishing and camping, and cross-country road trips to visit Herb's family in Illinois, just to name a few.

After 12 years, Rob Phillips, of Phillips & Co Hot Rods, finally finished his '69 Chevy...sort of. See, Rob has learned what many of you already know. No matter how much you do to a truck, car, or a house, for that matter, it is never done-but don't let Rob's lesson learned fool you, as his C-10 is nicer than most.

Talk about an attention getter! Retired Tujunga, California, computer administrator Gary Sutton owns this beautiful flamed School Bus Yellow '40 Ford pickup. Throughout the course of its existence, this truck has been owned/built by Pat Hughes, Kevin Green, and Gary Nelson. However, exactly who did what remains unclear.

It's hard for visitors at Meca Dragway in Malm, Sweden, not to notice a really well-built, orange '53 Ford F-100. The truck's owner is Thomas Cronemark, and he is in charge of the paddock. His word is the law at a race, or on any Wednesday evening during the season.

If you have a Classic Cruiser and want to see it here, e-mail at least six high-resolution photos and background info to the e-mail address above, or mail prints to: Classic Trucks, Attn: Grant Peterson, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870.

To each their own, or in this case, to each do as they will with their pickups...even if that means masking its true identity to a degree. In the situation of David Thompson, doing his own thing resulted in a little frontal cosmetic surgery on his '58 GMC pickup. If you hadn't already noticed, gone are the quad headlights and the very utilitarian grille and bumper ensemble-all in favor of the simpler, smoother look of a '55-56 Chevy front group. Purist Jimmy fans may undoubtedly disagree with David's particular approach, but as we're sure most readers have learned by now, so what...it's not their truck! And because of that, we'll let David himself tell the tale of how his '58 came to be.

Like many of us, Russell Post is a dyed-in-the-wool classic trucker. He eats, breathes, and drives old trucks like they were meant to be. Prior to his '55 F-100 we see here, he had two other early Effies that he literally drove into the ground until the rust, wear, and tear made them into donor trucks.

In this day and age, 24-year-old Riley Fanning is lucky enough to have a dad who supported and encouraged him getting into classic cars and trucks, and Bill, the elder Fanning, is lucky enough to have a son who wanted to. At 16, Riley found a clean, original '60 Ford F-100, complete with a 292 Y-block and three-speed that he would soon be the third to own. Being in high school and with a fresh license to drive, Riley was on top of the world, as was Bill-this is every father's dream, right?

When Kaufmann, Texas, car builder Jack Ellison wanted to get his 9-year-old son, Jonathan, involved with the business (Jack is the proprietor of North Texas Rod & Custom, Inc.), he went out and bought a '57 Chevrolet half-ton pickup truck that would serve as the beginnings of a father and son project. "Jonathan and I started working on the truck back around 1996 when he was just in grade school, and we finished it during his senior year in high school," says Jack.

If you have a Classic Cruiser and want to see it here, e-mail at least six high-resolution photos and background info to the e-mail address above, or mail prints to: Classic Trucks, Attn: Grant Peterson, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870.

What are lessons for if we don't learn from them? Mistakes. But when we do learn from them we can say "we've been there and done that," and when faced with the same situation again, hopefully it'll be an easier road. Father and son team Bill and Riley Fanning have been down a few of these aforementioned roads together with their F-100s. When Riley was in high school, they found a '60 F-100 to "learn from" (see the feature following this), and learn they did!

In a day and age when so much has been done to the automobile, it's nice to run across a truck that doesn't offend our senses thanks to its owner's wherewithal to make the truck work with itself. While that may sound like a simple statement, think about all the vehicles you see with many afterthoughts bolted on or extreme bodywork done to be just that-extreme-and not for the sake of proportion and pleasing lines.

What would you have bought for transportation back in 1954? For those of us who weren't there (or even close to being born), it's easy to say we would've bought a top-of-the-line Cadillac Eldorado, a rare Corvette, or a now ultra-desirable Porsche Speedster, right? Not too many enthusiasts would call out the short-lived '54 and '55 First-Series Chevy truck as their vehicle of choice, but maybe that's what sets them apart to this very day.

Butch Sprague's sixth sense for fast cars was developed in the 1960s while growing up in Long Island, New York, drag racing. He parlayed this passion into opening his own body and paint shop over 38 years ago, which became quite successful in the Long Island area. The business grew to 25 employees and had upwards of 60 vehicles under its roof, and Butch was able to structure it such that he didn't have to deal with customers, phone calls, or any of the day-to-day distractions that go along with running your own business. He stayed in the shop and worked, which is exactly where he wanted to be. As the years went by, he separated himself from the insurance and collision-work side of things and built a reputation for his top-notch custom and restoration work that gave life to many of the nice vintage cars and trucks cruising New York and the surrounding states.

As one of the primary sources for '37-54 Chevrolet restoration parts, Chevs of the 40's doesn't seem the likeliest source for a hot rod pickup. Recently, though, the company broadened its scope to cater to the expanding street rod market. Following in its parent company's footsteps, the new company, Street Rod Headquarters, is a one-stop source for '30s to '50s Chevrolet vehicles. However, it differs in one critical way: It caters exclusively to hot rod and custom enthusiasts. To illustrate the breadth of its vendors (several hundred, according to co-owner Rob Logsdon), the company assembled this '47 pickup using parts from its own catalog.

Classic Industries 1953 Chevrolet 1300 Pickup

Niels Vendelbo-Larsen from Denmark bought his first of about 20 Chevys at the age of 14. With help from his older brother, he drove it home where it sat until he turned 18 and could finally drive. That was many years and projects ago, and in 1989 Niels was on a trip to Southern California and found a '57 Chevy truck for sale in one of our local papers. It just so happened he sold a nice '57 Chevy car to finance his next project, which it looked like he'd found. After sorting out the paperwork, he drove his "new" '57 from Los Angeles to Miami and then north to Savanna, Georgia (a cross-country trip with no A/C), where it was shipped overseas. Niels said this about the trip: "You don't realize how big our country is until you drive across it." Amen!

Danish carpenter Claus Greve has a serious weakness for Chevys and for '57 Chevys in particular-he owns three. It all started with a '57 Chevy Bel Air that he restored in his 900-square-foot two-car garage behind his house in a Copenhagen suburb. And yes, he built both the garage and the house himself.