26 Apr Post WWII Advance-Design Series: 1953 GMC Pickup
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Creemore Valley Classics VIP Stories #37
I bought a 1953 GMC pickup truck in June 2012. It originated in Western Canada. I was going to do a restoration on the truck, but was convinced by a friend to build a Hot Rod so it would be more dependable. This would be my first build !!!
After the dis-assembly of the motor, I had a chance to have a good look at the cab and decided it had too much rot to restore. Instead, I bought another cab from California, had it sand blasted and installed a 4″ firewall set back. The chassis was sand blasted and boxed in for more strength, as I had already purchased an LS3 engine for it.
Being a GMC, I did not care for the grill, and as a result, I decided to change it to a Chevrolet pickup that had different fenders, hood, and grill. I also purchased a new box and began to fit everything together. All work, except for the paint and interior upholstery, was done by myself with the help of a few good friends.
Ol’ Blue was completed in July 2016 with a boxed and powder coated chassis, Heidts Mustang 11 front suspension, and a triangular 4 bar with coil over rear suspension. The body has a 4″ firewall set back, with a custom one-piece windshield, a filled and smoothened hood and frenched headlights. The car has smooth running boards, rear roll pan with billet tail lights and a cherry hardwood box. The wheels are Billet Industries dagger wheels.
The interior dash has been filled and smoothed, with a hand-crafted centre console. Custom leather interior, power window, power seats and Vintage Air. The car has LS3 drive train and 435 hp engine, 4L65E Transmission and a Ford 9″ with 3:50 gears
Owner/Builder: Glenn Hopkins[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]