Inventory Listing

Professional build, 3500 miles since completed. 383 Chevy stroker motor, automatic transmission, coil-over suspension. Beautiful paint and bodywork, fun to drive, ready to go!

The color is a 1996 Ford color called “Thistle” that looks great rendered in luscious Martin Senour paint that gives it a shine that’s a mile deep. The bodywork was done by an expert who was building this one for himself, so the gaps are excellent, the doors fit well and close without a major slam, and that two-way butterfly hood latches closed without any real effort. There’s a great deal of time wrapped up in the sheetmetal, and it’s worth noting that everything on this truck, save for the fenders and running boards, is OEM steel, so it feels substantial going down the road. Up front there’s a bright chrome grille which is apparently so difficult to locate intact, that the builder had to buy an entire parts truck just to get it. They refrained from extensive body modifications beyond a 1-piece windshield and a rear roll pan, and the delightful ‘40s accents such as the headlight-mounted parking lights make you smile every time you see it. The bed is probably too nice to work for a living ever again, and while it doesn’t show up particularly well in our photos, it’s worth noting that the oak in the bed and throughout the interior has been finished using a stain with a slight purple hue, making it tie in neatly with the rest of the truck.

The tidy cab now offers a set of gray bucket seats from a late-model that are a neat fit in the early Chevy pickup. The upholstery is new and ties in neatly with the matching door panels and bulkhead, and there are new gray carpets on the floors. The original gauges were replaced by a billet insert with a full array of Dakota Digital instruments, all of which are fully functional, and a late-model GM tilt column makes it easy to get comfortable. Overhead, there’s a built-in Pioneer AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo head unit that powers speakers in the kick panels and behind the seats, so it sounds impressive. The original controls for the heater and defroster, plus a cowl vent, make this truck as comfortable today as when it was new, and heavy-duty floor mats and a pair of cup holders in the center mean you can use it regularly without a second thought.

It’s also bloody quick thanks to a 383 cubic inch Chevy small block V8 under the hood. The block is from a ’70 Chevy C10 pickup and it’s been fitted with a steel stroker crank, heavy-duty rods, and forged pistons, all topped with a set of Dart heads, a Weiand intake manifold, and a Holley double-pumper carburetor. Inside there’s a hydraulic roller cam from Howard’s and a big Walker aluminum radiator keeps it cool, even in traffic. The block and accessories were painted to match the body, then topped with a set of bright orange ‘383 STROKER’ valve covers that advertise the performance potential just fine. It starts easily and idles well, even when it’s cold, and once it comes off the choke, throttle response is instantaneous and it moves the truck around with a big shove of torque.

Underneath, the original frame was straightened and refinished, then fitted with Fatman Fabrications coil-over suspensions front and rear, which also includes front disc brakes and power rack-and-pinion steering. The transmission is a TH350 3-speed automatic that snaps through the gears with appropriate agility and out back there’s a 10-bolt rear end with highway-friendly 3.08 gears inside. A custom dual exhaust system with block-hugger headers and side pipes dumping just ahead of the rear wheels gives it a unique sound and look that we really like. The floors have been finished like the rest of the bodywork and we see no signs of major sheetmetal replacement or patches, so this must be a truck from a warm climate. It’s also a tidy handler thanks to a big sway bar up front and fat BFG rubber on classic C3 Corvette aluminum wheels.

There’s a lot more than the asking price wrapped up in the construction of this cool little truck, and the driving experience is easy and fun. Professional build quality combined with reliable, proven parts makes it a vehicle that you drive anywhere, anytime, and service will always be easy and inexpensive. And isn’t that what Chevy trucks have always been about?