proud moment for many “gearheads” is to lift the hood of their truck and show off its engine compartment. Thanks to noted fastener manufacturer ARP it’s easy to replace boring OEM hardware with polished stainless steel or black oxide–treated 8740 chromoly bolts with hex or 12-point heads. It’s important to note that both are nominally rated at 180,000-psi tensile strength—fully 20 percent stronger than Grade 8 hardware and even more than OEM (which is typically sourced from the lowest cost vendor).

ARP offers complete engine and accessory kits for a variety of popular engines. The kits contain a dozen different fastener groups, covering most everything from the intake system down to the oil pan. They’re organized and on skin-packed cards and labeled. Moreover, buying the complete kit saves money over obtaining them for individual applications.

Many of ARP’s 5,500 fastener kits are for popular applications, like intake and exhaust systems, valve covers, as well as fasteners for specialized items like starter motors, water pump pulleys, and carburetors. For any application not covered with a specific kit, ARP offers a wide range of bolts in five-packs by size. These include both polished stainless steel and black oxide–treated 8740 bolts with hex or 12-point heads.

fter a bit of a lengthy hiatus, I found myself with a direct flight from Ontario, California, to John Glenn Columbus International Airport this past July for the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association’s flagship event. Now in its 28th year (can you believe since 1998?!), the Summit Racing Nationals has consistently turned the Ohio Expo Center into one of the nation’s top hot spots for muscle cars, hot rods, and of course, classic trucks—the latter of which I was a bit skeptical about till I heard about a special attraction put on by our compadres Jason and Eddy (et al) from Auto Metal Direct!

Turns out AMD commissioned the back of the Bricker Building (main exhibitor’s building) for not one but two amazing exhibits. First was The AMD Garage Live Ultimate Truck Experience that featured a display of nearly 50 years of classic Chevy/GMC trucks, showcasing a number of past and future CTP feature trucks. But smack-dab in the middle of all that was the Squarebody from Scratch Build: a live, three-day truck build led by our July cover model builder, Rockford Smith, and an ultra-talented team, including Mike and Jeremy from FiTech, Phil Cato from Cato’s Custom Upholstery, Kevin Tetz, and many others. It was quite amazing to see the all-aftermarket Fleetside come together in that short amount of time (of course, the No Limit Engineering chassis had been preassembled to help expedite). While all of this was going on, I was asked to join a live discussion panel hosted by Tetz alongside my aforementioned pal FiTech Mike Wahl and Dakota Digital’s Justin Olsen, Big Oak Garage’s Will Posey, and Rod Kraft from Griot’s Garage.

he term “barn find” gets thrown around so much that the words are on the brink of losing all meaning. But how often do you really hear about superclean “barn-built” customs being turned out on a semi-regular basis? Unless you personally know Chad Compton, you probably wouldn’t have believed that this truck was built in a barn in Orange County, California. Well, Chad does have an actual barn on property where he frequently gathers with his family and friends to tear into vehicles of all types. Being that his at-home workshop is only steps away from where he sleeps, Chad spends more time wrenching on his rides than he’d sometimes care to admit. But those invested hours are evident after seeing the quality and quantity of vehicles that have been restored in his old “garage.”

Chad’s latest project came in more distressed condition than he’s used to, but he is never one to shy away from a challenge. “I bought this 1974 GMC C15 Super Custom in 2022, but it was a disassembled basket cast,” he admits. “There was no engine installed, no bed mounted, and all panels and parts were removed and boxed up. The truck passed through Squarebody enthusiast Rene ‘C10 King’ Martinez and later Kyle Cooper of Orange, California, who invested heavily in parts before selling the unfinished project to me.”

s time goes on and our old trucks just keep getting older, more and more importance will be put on two major aftermarket components: replacement sheet metal and all-new chassis. But since only a small portion of us are into the “restoration” aspect, while the external body parts will remain true to OG manufacture, the chassis that are now being developed are anything but—and for good reason!

Today’s aftermarket truck chassis have all the benefits of modern trucks—but are better suited for our applications, obviously. Power disc brakes, power steering, and, most importantly, fine-tuned suspension components that, all together, provide a safe, comfortable yet aggressive ride for that “old” truck. Whether it’s a 1940s International Harvester or a “newer” C10, there are platforms out there for your truck. All American Chassis, based in Phoenix, has all those options—and then some.

t’s a fact of life that mechanical components with moving parts wear. That’s why regular maintenance, like engine and transmission oil and filter changes, pays off. It’s cheap insurance to protect expensive parts from excessive wear. Think of it as that old axiom: an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure applied to your classic truck. And if your truck has power steering, another ounce of protection to consider is the addition of a Classic Performance Products (CPP) power steering filter.

There are a number of moving parts in a power steering pump and steering gear, and as they wear, metal particles from them, along with the residue from worn seals, gets pumped through the system. All that debris is abrasive and that causes accelerated wear that eventually results in leaky seals, a noisy pump, and less-than-precise steering. Adding a power steering filter to the low-pressure return line from the steering gear is an easy and inexpensive means of prolonging the life of your truck’s pricey power steering components.

t really doesn’t seem that long ago when a set of paddle switches and analog pressure gauges were the norm for controlling your basic solenoid valve actuated air-ride system. But thinking back, it was the mid ’90s when Brian Jendro (Jendro’s Chop Shop, then in Escondido, California) did my first Air Lift Performance system in my 1954 Chevy! Thirty years later, I actually own Jendro’s 1948 pickup that he’d started during his Temecula Rod & Custom era not long after that.

Originally, the Chevy was equipped with a manual control system—no gauges, just an under-seat MIC-style toggle switch manifold … if it scraped, you just bumped the toggle up till it didn’t! Obviously, that system didn’t last long once I acquired the ’48, as Old Anvil installed a then-new Air Lift 3H system with dual FLO Air Ride tanks, which I loved. The system was easy (for an old guy like myself) and responsive, and having the ability to program various height settings was a great option, as it had been quite some time since I had a running vehicle with air ride!

Then, not long after, my buddy Mike Alexander sent me a sneak preview of Air Lift’s all-new, next-generation (and level) air management system: the ALP4.

or many years, the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) had a strict age cutoff, allowing only 1948-and-earlier vehicles to participate. The event was huge, but as interest began to sway toward Tri-Five Chevys, muscle cars, and classic trucks, the NSRA adopted a 30-year sliding cutoff, which allowed all sorts of variety into its regional events, as well as the Street Rod Nationals, held annually at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. This event has always been one of the largest shows in America and still retains its status as a must-see event.

Classic trucks are a big part of the Street Rod Nationals. The 30-year rule allows for a wide variety of trucks to enter the gates, and we saw it all. From ’30s street rod pickups to slammed Squarebody duallies and everything in between, the event had plenty of cool trucks on the property. We had our eye on that ’74 Brazilian C10 in the Alumicraft Pro’s Pick area—what a wild combination!