Bel Air Engine Goes Down the Road

The '53 Bel Air engine has been sold and will be picked up today, as preparation for the chassis swap continues. Some have expressed concern that swapping in the '91 S10 chassis will devalue the truck. I would agree if we were talking about an all original '49, but this is not the case. Mine wasn't even original when my brother bought it in Missouri and drove it home to Connecticut in 1981. The original blue had been painted over, it was on its second engine and Pete swapped in a different '49 chassis that was in better shape.

For as long as I live the truck will never be for sale for any price anyway. The real value for me is in the story, and how it's all dedicated to Mom's memory. When the swap is done we'll have a comfortable, dependable driver that will get me not only down to the Sycamore and other nearby events with ease, but also across the country and back, allowing me to cross the epic road trip off the top of my bucket list.

Looking forward to working with and learning from Jason Woodage at Custom Conversions in New Milford, as we write the next chapter in the history of this old beauty.

Thanks for stopping by! See y'all down the road!


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Dream Trip First Look

Time and circumstances will tell whether or not it actually happens, but I figured I better start planning just in case. So let it henceforth be remembered that on Halloween 2016, the overgrown boy posted a rough draft of the epic, top of the bucket list road trip he hopes to take in the old truck in the summer of 2018. I'm thinking Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, CT would make a good starting point...


(click photo for larger version)
Some of the numbers you see are just waypoints to mark the route, but there are several that do actually mark planned stops. There will certainly be more added before the route is final, but for now here we go... #2 is Sawdust, Tennessee, where the fine folks at Possum Holler Garage have provided immeasurable inspiration for my truck project with perfect restorations of trucks like mine. #3 is East Adams Street in Chicago, where Historic Route 66 begins. The Mother Road was decommissioned as a highway in the 80's, but about 85% of the route remains driveable. This trip will follow it from beginning to end. Along the way, stop #7 is the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Definitely gonna bust out the spray paint and leave my mark there.

Slight detour northward for #9, Grand Canyon. Flew over it once and was blown away. Can't imagine what it will be like standing on the rim...

#12 is the Santa Monica Pier, where the trip west will be complete and we'll splash the truck with Pacific Ocean water. Then it's a short run south to Huntington Beach for #13, a stop at Foose Design and hopefully a meet and greet with Chip Foose (who you may know from the show Overhaulin'), another huge inspiration for the old truck dream.

A cruise up the Pacific Coast Highway is next, with a right turn at San Francisco to start headin' back east... #14 is Kindig It Design in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Dave Kindig and his crew have been doing killer custom and restoration work for a long time. Their show on Velocity is called Bitchin' Rides, and every one they do fits the show name perfectly. Hope to meet Dave as well, another huge inspiration.

#15 is Eagle, Colorado, where my friends Bob and Laura live. I've been saying for a long time that one day my truck will sit in their driveway and we'll do some cruisin' through the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Really looking forward to that.

#16 is the big one, and the whole reason I want this trip to happen in 2018. The goal is to roll into our 50th family reunion that August in New Matamoras, Ohio, finally returning my '49 Chevy to the place where I saw it for the very first time in the summer of 1981.

I certainly understand that the whole thing represents a pretty tall order, but I figure screw it, if you're gonna dream you might as well dream big. It won't be the end of the world if it doesn't happen, but it will mean the world if it does. And it will all be for Mom. If you're not familiar with the whole story, please check out the link to it on the right of the page here.

Thanks for stopping by! See y'all down the road!


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Still Looking for Space

I might be eating cheese and peanut butter crackers for lunch for a few weeks, but when my part time radio station pay hits the bank on Monday, I'll have the money to pay for the '91 S10 and actually take it into my possession. This is a very solid, running, driving truck - a pretty amazing find, actually - and a perfect candidate for the chassis swap. There will be some fabrication involved to make it all work, but we will basically be simply swapping out the S10 body and replacing it with the '49 body on the S10 chassis. This will give us the modern suspension, power steering, power brakes, 5 speed manual transmission and highway friendly gearing we've been looking for all in one shot. The cost of adding all those things piece by piece to the existing chassis would easily run into the thousands, several multiples of what I'll be paying for the S10. The existing V6 will supply the power while I save up for the 350 that will eventually replace it. It's a fantastic deal, and I'm thankful for the patience of Joe, the current owner, while I raised the money to complete it.

The problem now, however, is I have no place to put the S10. We have no garage here at the house, and already two extra vehicles in the driveway. No room. I've been cruising the classifieds, making calls and sending messages trying to find either an enclosed spot with enough room to remove the S10 body and clean up the chassis, or simply store the truck safely outside while I continue the search. And of course the fact that this is a low budget show doesn't help.

If you happen to be local to the Danbury, CT area and know of something around here that might work, please feel free to contact me directly anytime via the email link on the right side of this page.

Thanks! See y'all down the road!


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