hile you are enjoying all the fun you can have with your ride and reading Classic Truck Performance how about a few words on the fun we are having over here at Modern Rodding. We are moving into the Feb. ’21 issue of MR as we settle into our monthly production routine. Not an uncommon move for CTP Editor Rob Fortier or I as we are longtime monthly scribes. Yet, it’s a different world and everything seems to be moving much faster in compressed time. Could it be all of those technological advancements we hear about are allowing us to work faster and more efficiently while at the same time we are producing more and more in the same period of time as before and ending up with less time? I’m thinking that’s so. It looks like we have figured out how to put more into less … so to speak.

The 1955-1959 GM Truck Doors from Golden Star are rumored to be the best-fitting doors on the market! Stamped with all-new tooling, these doors are brand new to the market and have been test-fit on many original cabs with rave reviews for their fitment and quality. They include all of the factory-correct holes, pockets, curves—just like OE—and are coated in a silver primer for corrosion resistance. Golden Star offers the best in classic muscle car and truck restoration panels and accessories.

hen it comes to rear suspension options for your classic truck, you’ve got plenty. The decision you make all depends on a few basic factors to consider when choosing the right setup: desired stance, performance expectations, and chassis accommodations.

For many applications, the very same type of parallel leaf system your truck was originally equipped with is fine, for the most part, granted they’re new springs and related components. And then you’ll need to consider a couple modifications such as an axle flip and longer shackles if you want to lower that “old truck” high-tower stance. However, there are limitations as to how far you can go when it comes to lowering with leaf springs, not to mention higher-horsepower limitations.

wo things you won’t find on modern-day trucks: wing windows and manual cowl vents. Sure, they served their purpose back in the day but they also carried with them inherent problems, such as moisture leaks, not to mention the increased noise distractions. And thus, over time, people have done away with both factory options, namely to provide a cleaner look on so-equipped ’40s-’50s Chevy and Ford trucks.

While the omitting of vent wing windows is as easy as removing and replacing with one-piece door glass, in most cases, the deleting of cowl vents takes a bit more effort, not to mention there are no “kits,” per se, to convert your cowl from vented to non-vented. Well, at least not until now.

he aftermarket provides an abundance of reproduction parts for classic trucks, but there are some parts that are not available. One of these is a bucket seat cab brace for a 1969-1972 Chevrolet C10—and they are virtually impossible to find in wrecking yards.

Adam Cecil is building a C10. Being a person who likes challenges, he hatched the idea of making his own seat brace by utilizing the hammerforming process. A lot of people think that anything shaped with a hammer could be called “hammerformed,” but the specific process we are describing involves making a form of some durable material, holding a piece of metal tightly against it, and then hammering the metal until it takes the shape of the form beneath it. This is distinctly different from the freehand way metal is sometimes shaped with a mallet and sandbag, or with a hammer and handheld dolly.

ell, 2020 hasn’t been a total loss as far as events go. Under strict city/state guidelines, with masks up, the highly anticipated 10th Annual Dino’s Git Down went down without a hitch this past November at the Westgate Entertainment District in sunny Glendale, Arizona … and we were there to catch all the action!