Project Tornado: A Natural Disaster

[muddpile]

Since my 72 Long Fleet "Fast Orange" is complete, I figured I should tune all of you into my newest project. I bought it as an unfinished hot rod project off a friend of mine. It started life as a tool-hauler short fleet, then was bought and pieced together with a few other trucks to create a mismatched but nicely preserved unit. Next segment of it's life it received drop springs and spindles, rack and pinion steering, and a full 2x6 tube frame front to back with a healthy Z at each end. It was built as a pro street, but from what I've been told it didn't stay this way that long before it was parted out as a rolling chassis.

This is where it gets interesting. The new owner had this truck, and had an Olds 455 and TH425 transaxle mounted to a tube frame sitting around. The two were mated together in the bed area of the truck, some cables and hoses run, and a series of other additions done to make it semi-driveable. It was driven a couple times after that, but never did work quite right and wasn't what the owner was looking for, so it went up for sale again. That's when I took possesion...

To make this truck work right has taken a ton of work and money already, and more to come I'm sure. Nothing is readily available, and lots of parts aren't even special order, but rather custom fab. If you liked Fast Orange, feast your eyes on this, Tornado.