When Brad first set his eyes on his '57 Ford, it belonged to another man. It was around the year 1994 while Brad and his wife Betty Groth were attending a car show when he noticed the pickup. The truck stopped Brad dead in his tracks like trying to play a guitar with no strings. The truck's shape, or lack thereof, struck Brad as something he would love to get his hands on.

When you decide to build a classic truck, one of the things you have to consider is parts availability and or your ability to restore the parts you have. Now I'm not saying you couldn't sublet parts to qualified builders, etc., but what if the parts were nonexistent?

The itch for building a classic pickup is a feeling lots of gearheads experience as time goes by. Some scratch that itch early in life; some hold off until they just can't ignore it any longer. In Frank Tucker's case, it took a fair amount of time to start scratchin' and near 10 years to finally satisfy that itch. Frank's satisfaction came in the form of this way-cool '52 Chevy three-window pickup.

When Bill Meadows got the call from a friend that a neat old truck had just rolled into his junkyard, he wasted no time getting there to check it out. What he found was a 1961 Ford F-100 in reasonably good condition. The owner of the boneyard knew Bill would probably be interested, and after some typical negotiations, another project truck was headed to the Meadows' shop.

We meet lots of interesting people on the road and we find that major automotive events around the country are a great source for feature articles. When we spotted this unusual watermelon truck at a show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, it immediately got our attention. When we met the owners, it didn't take us long to realize that we had found a bona fide automotive power couple.

It's rare if ever that we showcase 4WD vehicles in CLASSIC TRUCKS; we normally save 'em for one of our off-road sister titles. That said, this one proved to be an exception to the rule. Kris Bramel, Ed's better half, sent us a few photos and a bit of info on her husband's awesome '57 GMC 4WD Panel. Ed's GMC just knocked my socks off and I just had to share it with you all.

After finishing up a few high-end fiberglass street rods, Rick Boothe wanted to change his diet of fiberglass and resin. If you have even been around or worked with fiberglass then you know how bad it smells. Not to mention cutting or grinding the darn stuff and letting the itching begin.

Being a highly skilled machinist as well as an accomplished fabricator, it's no wonder that when Scott Gifford put his talents to work building an early Ford pickup it'd end up being one of the coolest classic Fords out there. Scott's soft spot for the '68 F-100 was the result of growing up as a frequent passenger in his dad's pickup. Years later, Scott decided he'd like to have an old Ford just like his dad's. Well, not quite like his dad's ... but almost. Scott's version of the venerable F-100 is a heck of a lot more powerful, a lot better handling, and surely better looking.

Johnny's dad John Sr. purchased this C10 brand new from a dealership in Pickens, South Carolina. The pickup was driven off the lot for a measly $3,975 according to the original bill of sale and used as a farm truck. Farm life was typical of any truck around South Carolina because trucks were advertised as such and not intended to do much else. On the other hand, this was the time things were changing in pickups, like independent front suspension, power steering, disc brakes, and other such car-like features that made trucks like the C10 easier to drive.

1965 GMC C10

Automotive restyling was at its peak in the '50s and '60s since custom builders had some of the most iconic body designs to choose from, supported by an endless array of cool bits lurking in the parts bins at your local dealer. It was a time where if you could imagine it, you could create it and with names like Barris, Winfield, Starbird, and Valley Customs leading the way it was obvious there would be plenty of rolling sculptures to see.

We recently received some images and info on this beautiful Dodge from Brian Lawrence of Salt Lake City. Brian’s wife’s grandpa had purchased the D100 brand new in 1960. Before too long her dad (Brian’s father-in-law) in his youth began taking it out occasionally racing against his friends. The Dodge soon had a reputation as being the fastest truck in town. Years passed and the truck became his future father-in-law’s main transportation. Eventually the old truck was parked behind one of the family’s homes and there it sat. When it came time to sell the property, the truck had to go. That’s when Brian became the truck’s latest steward.

When you experience the automotive hobby at an early age, the fun stays with you for life. Dan Rowland, from Grant, Florida, knows that firsthand. Doing professional upholstery work for a living, Dan and has been an enthusiast as far back as he can recall. “I remember taking a wrench to my pedal car,” he says smiling. Growing up on a farm in South Florida, when machinery broke, you simply fixed it. Those skills soon transferred to a teenager’s first ride and now, a half-century later, Dan’s enthusiasm for the hobby hasn’t diminished a bit. Over the years, he has created nearly a dozen custom cars and this is his first custom truck.

Owner of NTA FleetServe in Kansas City, Missouri, Phil Heffron wanted to build something that was fun to drive and looked great doing it. Since his co-worker Joe Huffaker just finished his pickup (white ’50 Chevy), Phil was getting the itch to also have a neat old pickup to take to car shows and local cruise nights. Phil and Joe didn’t want to build the same truck over again, and to be honest, Phil said he is more of a Ford guy than a Chevy guy. So Phil started to look at the local Craigslist ads and found a few ’53-56 Ford F-100s that looked amazing in the photos.

Take a moment and think back to your first driving experience. I bet most of you wish that vehicle was still around. Well, in Merlin Koehn’s case he learned how to drive in a ’59 Ford pickup, the very pickup shown here as a matter of fact. Granted, this truck hasn’t always looked this way, but ever since 1962 when his dad bought it, young Merlin had plans for it.

Traditional-style hot rods, of both the truck and car persuasion, never go out of style. They may ride the wave of popularity as most trends will, but the old-school look will always be a part of the hobby. Over the years, the “beater” look has worked its way into the hot rod universe as well, and though it may be considered a fad by many, it’s a style that’ll be around for a long, long time.

A couple of weeks ago I received a few pics and a note from CT reader Greg Ford. As you might assume, with a last name such as his, there was a pretty good chance his classic pickup pictures sure wouldn’t end up being of a Chevy.

It all started with an email. Derek had sent us a bunch of photos and some info in hopes of getting his ’70 GMC Stepside into the Classic Cruisers section of CLASSIC TRUCKS. As soon as I checked out the images, I knew this pickup deserved a closer look. Since Derek and his pride and joy were over in the Phoenix area I decided to make arraignments to head over and see this baby in person.

Mopar purist, CLASSIC TRUCKS reader, and fellow Okie (born in Tulsa myself) Dannie Powell thought we’d be interested and checking out his ’72 Dodge, and we absolutely are!

There are times when simple straightforward designs have it all over wild extensive ones. James Mohoi’s way cool ’62 Chevy is a case in point. A tasteful good-looking two-tone paintjob, a great stance (both static and on the move), and a nostalgic wheel choice were just what James foresaw when planning the Chevy’s initial rodstoration.

Doug Boettcher of Doug’s Rod Shop in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, is a one-man shop. As Doug says “I work on anything except paint and body, but my goal is to help my customers complete their hot rod’s needs.” Doug does a lot of running around gathering parts and making sure he has all the supplied items to run a successful business. So he was thinking that sooner or later he would have to either build a truck or purchase one that supports the business.

Sitting under a tree in Watertown, Minnesota, with no motor and no trans, rotting away was a weathered ’56 Ford F-100. Now that paints a picture of what Mike Werson’s Ford might have ended up spending the rest of its dying days as – a dead carcass of a truck, but his vision was to rebuild it to a showroom finish. You may wonder why anyone would want to take a beat-up truck from a field and make it run again.

In 1967 Chevrolet described their new trucks as possessing “the most significant cab and sheetmetal styling change in Chevrolet history.” While we are not here to argue that point, one thing is certain, the fact that the clean styling cues of the 1967-72 Chevrolet have endured for 40 years is a testimony to great design.

One of the elements that define a true custom truck is completeness. When talented builders follow a carefully thought-out plan that incorporates unique touches in every area of the truck, it becomes a rolling work of art. That's the approach Art Walters used to create his latest example of Blue Oval artistry.

Some say a lowered and shaved truck is the cream of the crop; others may prefer a clean factory look. But the question has to be asked, is building a restored truck easier than building a custom pickup? I would say both have issues when building, but I would not say one is easier than the other.