[chevyrestoguy]

Thanks for the nice comments, guys. So far, this build has been one of the most enjoyable, fun things I have done in a long time. Although I've gone a little overboard on the gauge cluster, the rest of the truck has been a matter of hitting swap meets, wrecking yards, yard sales, and donations of parts from friends. I started this project with that intent. Between myself and my buddies we have tons of extra parts laying around. I've been trading off lots of my extra stuff for the parts I need. I've been very actively selling stuff on Craigslist and ebay, and those profits go to strictly to buying what I need. I'm not raiding the family checkbook at all. Because of that mentality, I have to keep my thinking cap on and my brain spinning. The vacuum gauge mod is one of those things that I've always wanted, but just couldn't bring myself to pay full pop for.

Here's how I envision the final "look" of the truck to be: A nicely patina'd exterior with lots of lettering to resemble an old shop truck. The suspension will be updated with all 73-79 components, and with the exception of the drop spindles and lowered coils, all stock and simple. The engine will be a 350 with a few internal mods, but rock-solid dependable and stock-appearing. The engine compartment will be nicely detailed. The trans will be a 700r4 to help with the fuel mileage. The interior will be a bit nicer, with a clean, fully optioned dash, factory A/C, and 100% sound deadener on the floors and doors. I want it to be quiet inside, dependable under the hood, and nicely "burnished" on the outside. I'm kind of a detail freak, so it'll be spotlessly clean inside and out. Believe it or not, my '55 was supposed to be done this way when I started building it in the '90s, but due to the fact that I kept changing my mind, it went waaay off course and became what it is today. I'm not going to do that again........Doing it this way is a lot more fun!