etalWorks Speed Shop has become known as one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier classic car restoration and speed shops. Likewise, Roadster Shop is a leading manufacturer of custom replacement chassis for a variety of cars and trucks. So, when they combined forces to build a 1972 four-wheel-drive Chevy pickup, the end result was bound to be spectacular.

As unlikely as it seems, this project began with a longbed, two-wheel-drive truck. Since the original frame and suspension were being replaced with an all-new Roadster Shop RS4 chassis, the truck’s original configuration wasn’t an issue.

I’ve done this so long I could do it blindfolded!” It’s just an old idiom, but in my own case it’s a good thing it’s true. Thinking back a bit or two, I’ve been in the painting profession for nearly 50 years. Like other grizzled paint shop vets, I’ve adjusted to constant change. Now well beyond retirement age, I’m intending to remain in the game, despite the old-guy physical challenges—and sadly dwindling vision.

On the upside, we’re busy in the shop! Our 1955 Chevy second series build is, for the most part, now in living color. Looking back through last summer’s snapshots, I sort of got to thinking that they might be helpful for others who may also be shy of sight, or even just struggling with inadequate lighting. Here, interspersed amidst gray primer-surfacer, we’ve got pinholes—scads of teeny-tiny, nearly invisible pinholes.

t’s been many months since we checked on the progress of the Souza F-100 being built at Gary’s Rods & Restorations. We think you’ll love seeing the work done on the bed, which is largely handmade, with a design that follows the contours of the cab. The outer portion of the rear fenders will stand proud of the contoured bedsides, so it will have a unique character—bringing traditional Ford styling into the modern era. Emilio Belmonte is the primary fabricator on this project, and as you’ll see, the work is done to a very high level.

A reproduction bed and rear fenders were sourced from LMC but they will be highly modified. The original bed was spaced about 1-1/2 inches away from the cab in the center, and with the curvature of the cab that left a sizable gap on each side. Extensions were made for the front of the bed so it closely follows the cab contours, and a piece of 1-1/4-inch round tubing was bent to cap the double walls at the front edge. The wide rear tires required inner wheelwells that were carefully shaped from new metal.