Premier Street Rods is a family...
Premier Street Rods is a family owned and operated manufacturing and wholesale/retail classic truck and street rod company with decades of service and experience under their belts.
For years, it seems as though the street rod guys have had all the luck when it comes to the availability of reproduction bodies in both fiberglass and/or steel. All those lucky rodders had to do was open up a copy of
STREET RODDER or
ROD & CUSTOM and they’d find multiple sources for brand new Model A’s, Deuce roadsters and coupes, and countless other year and style reproduction bodies and body components. Over the last decade, we classic truckers have had access to a lot of reproduction parts and body repair panels but now we can share in the good fortune with the availability of brand-new, complete, all-steel ’47-54 Chevrolet 3100 cab assemblies from the craftsmen at Premier Street Rods of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Here we’re going to give you a glimpse of what goes into assembling one of their Real Deal Steel truck cabs. Premier Street Rods’ ’47-54 truck bodies are assembled at their factory in Arizona with 100-percent fresh 18-gauge steel. The quality and craftsmanship of these brand-new cabs surpass that of even the originals as they’ve used the best components, the most modern technology, and professional craftsmanship to ensure their cabs are the best available today. Each and every truck cab is manufactured one at a time using high-grade steel with modern welding techniques, and the individual sheetmetal components are completely EDP coated for superior rust prevention as well.
Above and beyond the Chevy...
Above and beyond the Chevy pickup cabs we’re focusing on here, Premier also assembles and sells all-steel ’57 Chevy passenger car, ’65/’66 Ford Mustang convertible, and ’70 Chevelle convertible reproduction bodies as well.
If your old cab is to the point of retirement, or you’ve just found an old barnyard survivor, instead of spending immense amounts of time doing body work yourself or paying upward of $100.00 an hour in labor time (not to mention the additional cost of material and repair parts) to a professional restoration shop, why not just replace it with a brand-new (higher quality) all-steel cab for the incredible price of $6,995.00? This is far less than you’d invest in a shaky old rust bucket. It seems to me that the choice is clear. That said, let’s take a look at one of these awesome cab assemblies going together.
The morning I arrived at Premier,...
The morning I arrived at Premier, I started out my visit with a nickel-tour of the facility by Premier Street Rods owners Rob and Kerry Logsdon. Out in the production facility stood at least half a dozen completed pickup cabs ready for shipment to many of the company’s nationwide distributors, as well as a couple that were assembled but still waiting for a few finishing touches (Premier performs much of the body prep prior to shipping).
Before the guys (Rob and Kerry...
Before the guys (Rob and Kerry Logsdon’s sons Ross and Brad) began a fresh assembly process they were kind enough to take the extra time to lay out the cab components so I could see what a complete cab consists of component-wise. There’s actually more parts involved than one can see in a completed cab assembly.
Consistency and quality are...
Consistency and quality are ensured by the use of an extensively engineered multi-piece jig assembly for each assembly step.
Premier also is equipped with,...
Premier also is equipped with, and uses, a combination lift and rotisserie, which allows perfect access to every facet of assembly. Here, the lower portion of the jig and the main floor pan are shown being located and bolted into place on the rotisserie.
With the jig base and floorpan...
With the jig base and floorpan assembly located and secured in place, the next step is the installation of the first of two door frame and roof section jigs.
With the two side sections...
With the two side sections of the cab jig secured, the balance of the upper jig components are located and tightened in place.
These images show a closer...
These images show a closer view of the door opening component and the many attaching and clamping points which hold it in perfect alignment.
The time and engineering spent...
The time and engineering spent by the company in manufacturing the assembly jig, and the high-quality sheetmetal cab components themselves are, along with the expertise of Ross and Bradley Logsdon, the primary reason these pickup cabs are as high or perhaps even higher quality than original OEM assembled vintage cabs.
With the floor and door opening...
With the floor and door opening components clamped into place the next step was the location of the upper forward roof panel support and A-pillar sections.
The upper cowl panel is located...
The upper cowl panel is located next and clamped into place to both the jig and the door opening/inner cowl side panels.
With just four or five components...
With just four or five components clamped into place at this point, the guys step back and make a slew of measurements and slight adjustments to make sure the components are perfectly located and secured before continuing.
Satisfied that panel positioning...
Satisfied that panel positioning and anchoring is perfect, the guys proceed to resistance-weld critical points using large industrial resistance spot welding equipment identical to the equipment used in many OEM assembly plants. As I said earlier, Premier Street Rods’ assembly methods and techniques mirror those of any OEM manufacturing concerns with the added insurance of ample time for quality workmanship versus the assembly speed focus of the typical assembly line environment.