Powerbuilt team member Tanner admits he has a problem with project cars. Just ask his long-suffering parents who cringe every time they turn down their street, fearing they'll see yet another "quick and easy" rebuild parked in the driveway.
Here's Tanner's take on the latest 'easy' project, one literally handed down from his Grandfather.
1955 Chevy Truck Restoration
My Grandfather had this 1955 Chevy Truck around his Oregon house for a long time. Originally he bought it for parts, but as time passed, the parts stayed on...and more parts were added. The previous owner had shaved the door handles, installed a radio and made a few other mods here and there.
While the exterior had some nice mods going, the biggest issue was the motor - there wasn't one. My Uncle owns a repair shop and had access to a freshly built Small Block Chevy Vortec 350.
They dropped the motor in, loaded everything in a trailer and made the 800-mile trek down to Orange County where they delivered the truck to my dad as a gift. My sister was getting married later that same day, so my Mom was a bit pre-occupied and unable to shower my Grandpa with thanks for the "gift that keeps on giving".
My dad doesn't have the time to work on the truck as much as he would like to, so I'm pitching in on weekends to make improvements. So far I've added an MSD Pro-Billet distributor. Next up are new battery cables, an alternator bracket, suspension tweaks and more cosmetic touches like a stock bumper and taillights.
I'm prioritizing these minor fixes and upgrades with an eye towards reliability for weekend jaunts. There are lots of other mods on the dream list, including a brake upgrade, locking rear end, supercharger and all the other goodies to turn a reliable weekend driver into a reliably fast weekend driver.
While I've always admired classic cars, this truck is more my Grandpa's style than mine. Nevertheless, it's a fun car to work on and it's a family car to boot, so I'm all in.
I'm not sure my Mom is as enthusiastic, but that's a story for another day.
