Introducing: Project Old School

You should never buy a classic truck sight unseen. You'd think a magazine guy would know that. But, when I was looking for my next project, that's exactly what I did. My name is Jeremy Cook. I'm the new Associate Editor here at CLASSIC TRUCKS, and the truck you see below is now my ongoing project.

I've always had a soft spot for '64-66 GM trucks. Before I was born, my family campaigned a door-slammer GTO that was towed by a '65. That same gold truck remained the shop truck for the family business for many years and was finally restored for my older cousin to drive to high school. My father also had a sky blue '64 Custom that was his daily driver for most of the '70s, until it became a victim of a hit and run. Both trucks are long gone, yet are intertwined throughout my early memories. So much so, that when searching for a project that was well suited for a truck magazine, the only choice (in my mind) was a '64-66--hence the hasty purchase. In fact, when I made the deal, which was the bartering of some late-model Chevy stuff, the only information I had was the year of the truck and its location--which was a less-than-stellar body shop. The truck was owed a free paint job, but I waived it as soon as I saw the truck. You're seeing what I saw that day, so you can understand why. Beyond all the haphazardly applied body filler, I noticed that the cab on this truck was originally sky blue, while the doors were originally gold. I took this as a sign and trailered the truck home. Upon further inspection, I realized that the recent rash of filler-slinging is by far the worst aspect of the truck. The stock 327 and Powerglide are intact and seem to run pretty well. The interior sheetmetal wore a thick layer of glue-pot glue from a "custom" velour interior, but at least everything was there. Now when I'm asked why I started with such a poor example of a readily available truck, instead of telling this story, I say I did it for you guys. Because if I can turn this thing into the truck I am envisioning (with the help of the amazing rendering from Jimmy's Hot Rod Design, www.jimmyshotroddesign.com), you can do the same with yours.

Of course, I'll have plenty of help along the way. The majority of the work will be performed by Chris Daley and myself at Totally Polished in Oxnard, California (read more about TP on the next page). Brothers Truck Parts and Classic Performance Products have also helped out tremendously with this project. These companies are definitely two of your best resources if you own a truck of this vintage. Eastwood, PPG, Stockton Wheel, Coker Tire, Chevy Truck Salvage, and Airlift also play important roles in the buildup, as you will see in the months to come. Finally, if you're wondering what prompted me to go the black suede, red steelie/wide white, Mexican blanket for a seat cover route on a '60s-era truck, there are two reasons. One is because I lack deep pockets. For the other, check back to the Jul. '02 issue of Jimmy Smith's Sketchpad. The gears in my head have been turning ever since.

BIG WINDOW OR BUST

Totally Polished Goes Big With Project Old School

When I took possession of our run-of-the-mill '64 Chevy, the first order of business was to transform it into something that would justify the large amounts of time and energy we were about to throw at it. In my mind, the coolest truck available in 1964 would have been a 1/2-ton, two-link, Fleetside, shortbed, big window with a V-8 and automatic. But, I also like the GMC dual- headlight frontend better! I'm well aware that is a pretty tall order, considering no GMC ever came with a V-8 and nearly all had leafs in the rear (a GMC with trailing arms was special order only). This truck had what I wanted, drivetrain- and suspension-wise, and the frontend swap would be easy enough. It was the small window and longbed that was going be a challenge. That's where Totally Polished comes in. I came across a '65 pickup that shop owner Chris Daley had just finished working his magic on. That's right, from a small window to a big window and from a longbed to a shortbed. While Totally Polished is known mostly for its super-low show-quality suspensions, Chris and crew have more than proven their metalworking skills in recent years with creations like the world's only '67 Chevelle two-door wagon (his daily driver) and '01 two-door Excursion (TP's 2001 SEMA vehicle). Follow along as Chris and Steve cut out our little window, and don't miss next month's Part II when the TP crew slices through our Bondo-ridden bedsides.