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April 2022
Preview Issue
Make It Yours. Make It Lokar. Modern Performance. Classic Style. Endless Options.
Lokar logo
Lokar logo
digital illustration of how to use a shifter
selection of steering wheels
selection of driving pedals
AxiShift logo
Lecarra Steering Wheels logo
Series Restored by Lokar
digital illustration of how to use a shifter
AxiShift logo
selection of steering wheels
Lecarra Steering Wheels logo
selection of driving pedals
Series Restored by Lokar
CTP TOC
InTheGarageMedia.com
Mike Toupin’s V-10–Powered '67 Dodge Sweptline
Reshaping '56 F-100 Fenders
Mike Toupin’s V-10–Powered '67 Dodge Sweptline
Reshaping '56 F-100 Fenders
Restoring a Good, Used Radiator
Levi Green’s '58 Chevy Apache
Joe White’s '68 Chevy C10
The Rodriguez Family’s '80 Chevy Stepside
Logos
CLASSIC TRUCK PERFORMANCE VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 20 • 2022
Classic Truck Performance April 2022 cover
On The Cover:
Before Tre 5 Customs sent her home to the East Coast, Brian “GrinderTV” Goude snapped this month’s awesome cover of Chef Michael White’s (aka Chef Bianco) All-Business ’47 Chevy, the “Bad Apple”!
Hot Rod
Classic Truck Performance ISSN 2692-2347 (print) ISSN 2692-2355 (online) Issue 20 is published monthly by In the Garage Media, 370 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870-6502. Postage paid at Placentia, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Classic Truck Performance c/o In the Garage Media, 1350 E. Chapman Ave #6550, Fullerton, CA 92834-6550 or email ITGM at subscription@inthegaragemedia.com. Copyright (c) 2022 IN THE GARAGE MEDIA. Printed in the USA. The Classic Truck Performance trademark is a registered trademark of In The Garage Media.
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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
BRIAN BRENNAN
bbrennan@inthegaragemedia.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ROB FORTIER
rfortier@inthegaragemedia.com
SENIOR EDITOR
NICK LICATA
nlicata@inthegaragemedia.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER & OPERATIONS MANAGER
YASMIN FAJATIN
yfajatin@inthegaragemedia.com
MANAGING EDITOR & AD COORDINATOR
SARAH GONZALES
sgonzales@inthegaragemedia.com
ART DIRECTOR
ROB MUNOZ
rmunoz@inthegaragemedia.com
Editorial Team
Rodney Bauman, Tommy Lee Byrd, Ron Ceridono, Michael Christensen, Ron Covell, Grant Cox, Dominic Damato, John Drummond, Fuelish Media, Eric Geisert, Joe Greeves, John Jackson, Barry Kluczyk, Scotty Lachenauer, Ryan Manson, Josh Mishler, Todd Ryden, Jason Scudellari, Chris Shelton, Tim Sutton, Chuck Vranas, Michael Yamada – Writers and Photographers
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Editorial contributions are welcomed but editors recommend that contributors query first. Contribution inquiries should first be emailed to info@inthegaragemedia.com. Do not mail via USPS as we assume no responsibility for loss or damage thereto. IN THE GARAGE MEDIA reserves the right to use material at its discretion, and we reserve the right to edit material to meet our requirements. Upon publication, payment will be made at our current rate, and that said, payment will cover author’s and contributor’s rights of the contribution. Contributors’ act of emailing contribution shall constitute and express warranty that material is original and no infringement on the rights of others.

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Copyright (c) 2022 IN THE GARAGE MEDIA.
PRINTED IN THE USA.

The Classic Truck Performance trademark is a registered trademark of In The Garage Media.

Still Hammerin’

InTheGarageMedia.com
Rob Fortier headshot
BY ROB FORTIER

To Haul … Or Not to Haul …

That is This Month’s Question
F

rom the get-go, each and every one of our ’30s-60s trucks (with the exception of those 100 percent aftermarket pickups, of course) were originally built for the same purpose: to haul, period. Luxury and comfort were not part of the selling point for consumers back in the day.

While it wasn’t until the late ’60s that comfortability came into play on the manufacturer’s end, pickup trucks were still produced primarily for utilitarian purposes. Not until later in the ’70s did any major aspect of luxury enter the picture. Today, on the other hand, it’s hard to find a new truck without gobs of factory accessories … at least while they’re still producing “real” trucks. (Don’t let the Super Bowl ads fool you—those ’23 models are just large cars with open trunks!)

Getting to the point at hand (finally!), my question for everyone who’s still reading this is: How many of you still use your classic trucks for its intended purpose? I fully realize that many of the high-end trucks we feature do only one kind of hauling (it rhymes with “class”), for the most part, but what about the majority of the trucks that fit in the “classic” category?

CTP  Parts Dept.

InTheGarageMedia.com
Quick Ratio K- & V-Series Power Steering Box
1. Quick Ratio K- & V-Series Power Steering Box
Borgeson Universal Company offers the only quick ratio power steering box to replace the Saginaw/Delphi 800 series in the ’68-91 Chevrolet K- and V-series trucks. This all-new power steering box has a quick 12.7:1 ratio with firm modern steering feel. The Borgeson Street & Performance power steering box will bolt directly to the stock location and fit to the original power steering pitman arms. Trucks switching from manual steering will require a power steering pitman arm. Steering box includes adapters to be able to use either O-ring or flare-style hose connections. This new Borgeson steering box uses a 3/4-inch 30-spline input shaft and all pre-’77 trucks will require a new rag joint connector (PN 990012).
For full application and technical information, visit Borgeson Universal Company at borgeson.com.
LS Classic Ford FE Intake Kits
2. LS Classic Ford FE Intake Kits
Lokar’s new Ford FE-style intake kit for Chevrolet LS engines emulates the look of a classic Ford FE engine. It gives you everything you need to adapt a GM 92mm throttle body and vintage carb-style intake manifold to your LS engine. The intake kit includes a single-plane aluminum intake manifold, billet aluminum fuel rails, round, single snorkel air cleaner assembly painted Ford blue with a chrome top, 4150 carb adapter plate, all mounting hardware, and gaskets. The system is designed to utilize GM LS3 OEM fuel injectors and GM four-bolt, 92mm, drive-by-wire throttle body (not included) and is compatible with GM and aftermarket ECUs and harnesses that support both drive-by-wire and speed density tuning. Kits are offered to work with rectangular or cathedral port LS cylinder heads. The air cleaner kit that is included in the intake kit is also sold separately. LS Classic Series products are designed to give your LS engine the look of the classic Chevys and Fords of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s while utilizing modern LS3 components, such as injectors and drive-by-wire throttle bodies.
For more information, contact Lokar Performance Products at (865) 824-9767 or visit lsclassic.com.
Feature
InTheGarageMedia.com
Duralast Feature of the Month
The Bad Apple title
Duralast Feature of the Month
The Bad Apple title
Chef Michael White’s More-Sweet Than-Sour ’47 Chevy
BY Rob FortierPhotography BY GrinderTV
“To piss off exotic car owners …” is, verbatim, how world-famous chef Michael White explained in one simple sentence why he specifically had his ’47 Chevy built. And after meeting and talking with him at length at the 2020 Git Down, I would expect nothing less than that from “Chef Bianco,” as he’s known in the restaurateur world.

Now, because I have a fascination for food—especially the cooking process—as well as real/raw pickups that mean business, Chef and I hit it off immediately. So, I figured why not kick off this feature with a little background on the owner himself before getting into the meat and potatoes of the story … pun intended!

CTP logo Tech
InTheGarageMedia.com
BY “Rotten” Rodney Bauman  Photography by THE AUTHOR
Comb-Overs 'n' Cover-Ups title typography
Restoring a Good, Used Radiator
J

ust about a month ago, while sorting out a coolant recovery system for our ongoing ’55 Chevy second-series build, we painted up some pieces—and they turned out real nice. Ordinarily that’s a good thing, but we were hoping to illustrate clever ways to fix minor imperfections, too. This time around it looks as though we’ll have our chance to do that.

With a little help from nearby Reynolds Radiator we’re wrapping up the truck’s cooling system. When we first received the job, it came with a functioning used radiator. It wasn’t much to look at, but at the time it seemed to fit in with its surroundings just fine. Now that those surroundings are shiny like-new, the radiator needs a little attention.

Just to catch us up, the truck’s OE-type used radiator has already been flushed, pressure-tested, and pronounced healthy to run. Our radiator guru, Howard Lilly, offered to paint it with a waterborne coating, but we opted to pass on that. Then sure enough, back at our own shop, we began to notice a number of cosmetic hiccups, like a dented top tank and mangled copper fins.

CTP Feature
InTheGarageMedia.com
King of the Ring
67 Chevy Camaro
Creative Rod & Kustom’s Award-Winning Family Truck Build
BY Fuelish Media  PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR
T

here comes a time in most fathers’ lives when they are able to share their passion for custom cars and trucks with their children. Sometimes that message of passion is received and the father-son/daughter relationship will flourish. More often than not, however, Junior might just choose wasting his time on the WiiStation over hanging out with dad in the garage or at a car show—it happens all the time.

Luckily for Joe White, a verified custom junkie in his own right, his youngest daughter Nicole learned to love fast, cool cars just like her old man. “My own dad was a huge car guy,” Joe says. “The stories he would tell sounded like they were outtake scenes from the movie American Graffiti. When I was 16 we built a ’67 Chevy Camaro convertible together, and it was pretty much the coolest thing I can remember from my childhood.”

To this day, Joe still has that Camaro. In fact, he just had it rebuilt back in 2015 to keep it up and running and relevant for his family to enjoy. To handle the job, Joe recruited fellow Pennsylvania natives Mark and Heather Giambalvo of Creative Rod & Kustom to go through this car and update it to last another generation. Joe and Mark became friends and started hanging out and talking about things other than what was being done to the Camaro.

CTP logo Tech
InTheGarageMedia.com
Blue truck
1. The stock truck chassis is seen here with the bed removed. These chassis were state of the art in 1955, but an Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) chassis will bring your truck’s performance into the modern era.
Behind the Scenes Title Typography
Behind the Scenes
Assembling an Art Morrison ’55-59 Chevy GT Sport Chassis with MetalWorks Speed Shop

BY Chadly JohnsonPhotography BY THE AUTHOR

M

any classic truck enthusiasts have very fond memories of driving a truck with a parent or grandparent when they were a child, or perhaps driving themselves to high school. Most of those trucks were likely less than a decade old at the time, so they drove and handled quite well. Flash-forward several decades and those same trucks are now classics. Being reunited with the same-era truck that is linked to your memories is a beautiful thing. The problem is you are now accustomed to driving your modern car or truck, so when you get behind the wheel of a stock classic truck … it doesn’t drive so great in comparison. For this reason, MetalWorks Speed Shop gets approached on a nearly daily basis with the question of “can you make my classic truck driver closer to my modern truck without ruining its look?” The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes,” and the simplest way to achieve it is with an Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) chassis.

Feature
InTheGarageMedia.com
BY Joe Greeves Photography By THE AUTHOR
Patriarchal Pickup
The Rodriguez ’80 Chevy Stepside
W

hile there are lots of ways to enjoy the automotive hobby, one of the best might be the bond that it creates within the family. Building a trophy-worthy car or truck certainly has its perks but the creation process is where the memories begin. Father and son interaction, where a boy learns from his dad, creates a connection that can last a lifetime. Arriving at decisions, learning new skills, setting priorities, and finally getting behind the wheel are life lessons that are even more important than the hobby. That’s how it began with Jorge Rodriguez and his dad, Jorge Sr.

CTP logoFeature star Tech
InTheGarageMedia.com
a blue Chevy truck with a longbed
a blue Chevy truck with a shortbed
The Long and Short of It … typography
The Long and Short of It … typography
Part 1: Brothers Trucks’ All-New ’73-87 Longbed to Shortbed Conversion
BY Rob FortierPhotography BY THE AUTHOR
F

or starters, don’t get me wrong, longbed pickups are cool. They definitely have their purposes, plenty of devout fans, and are an important staple in this great hobby of ours. That said, the first thing I’d do to any non 4×4 or full utility old truck is cut it down to a shortbed! And to all the complainers crying “just go find an SWB to begin with,” well, let me just remind you of the current surplus versus value (there are plenty of decent and affordable LWBs available, while the same cannot be said for their SWB brothers!). I will get off my preferential soapbox now and carry on with the story at hand.

In 2017, Brothers Trucks came out with their flagship longbed frame shortening kit for the ’63-72 Chevy/GM trucks—and it instantly became popular, due not only to how amazingly affordable it is ($469.99) but because of how extremely easy it is to use and, ultimately, shorten your light- or heavy-duty 2WD chassis … without fear of f’ing up!

Brothers accomplished their “failsafe” aspect by developing a one-time-use, dual-purpose framerail drilling and cutting guide that gives the user little room, if any, for error. In short (no pun intended), the guide or template, as it were, is used as a metal miter box to first remove the “long box” section of frame forward of the rear axle and just aft of the rearmost cab mounts, and then the remaining section from the tail end of the framerails. It’s also used to mark and drill the required holes for installing the frame-gusseting C-channel supplied with the kit as well as the relocation holes for the rear bumper.

CTP Feature
InTheGarageMedia.com
Vipahesque
Mike Toupin’s V-10–Powered ’67 Dodge Sweptline
BY John Machaqueiro  PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR
M

opar folks had it rough years ago when it came to building or restoring their muscle cars. They either used what they had, found nice used replacements, or dropped massive sums of money on N.O.S. parts. Thankfully that has all changed in the last decade or so with the explosion of reproduction muscle car parts. Ask anyone wrenching on classic Mopar trucks and they’ll tell you they’re still the dark ages. That was the reality going on for Mike Toupin when he decided that he wanted to try his hand at putting together a mid-’60s Dodge truck. “I’ve always liked trucks,” he explains. “After building a car, a patina shop truck is what I was after. I had seen a few like that and really thought it was a cool look.” Having spent four years building a 5.7L Gen 3 Hemi-powered ’63 Dart restomod, the truck wasn’t his first Mopar rodeo, but it was every bit as challenging to pull off.

CTP logo Tech
InTheGarageMedia.com
The Souza F-100 typography
1. The chassis has been modified to move the front wheels forward. This will allow the wheelwell opening to be visually centered in the fender.
Reshaping the Fenders
BY Ron CovellPhotography BY the Author, Michael Christensen & Gary George
T

he crew at Gary’s Rods & Restorations has been working diligently on Jason Souza’s ’56 F-100. The most recent work has been on the front fenders. For reasons that are unclear, these trucks were designed with the wheelwell opening far off the center of the fender, pushed back close to the back edge.

It’s a fair amount of work to move a wheelwell, but Jason thought the work would be justified, and we think you will agree when you see the finished product. Knowing this change was coming, the new front suspension was located on the truck’s frame so the wheels could be centered in the fenders.

One of the first steps in modifying the fenders was laying out the cuts for the original wheelwell, with the goal of placing the joints in places where the edges would fit together reasonably well in their new location. With the original wheelwell cut out, it was centered on the wheel and checked visually to make sure it looked good from all angles. It was raised about an inch and a couple of “nips and tucks” were required to get the proportions just right.

Feature
InTheGarageMedia.com
BY Rob Fortier Photography By Tim Sutton
Task Force Treasure
Levi Green’s Family Heirloom ’58 Chevy Apache
“I built this ’58 Chevy Apache over the course of 25 years but most of the work was done within the last five,” Levi Green told us back in 2019 as he was just finishing it up for a rather large-scale unveiling. “I decided to use this truck as a promotional vehicle to show what my shop, Hammer Fab, is capable of turning out. We debuted the truck at the 2019 SEMA Show and took home the Chevrolet SEMA Design Award for Truck of the Year.”
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Thanks for reading our April 2022 preview issue!