wentysome years ago, give or take, I was heading up this little old magazine by the name of Custom Rodder (maybe some of you have heard of it?!). One of the most common questions—and subsequent debates—I fielded during my time on CRM was, what’s a “custom rod”? It was really a great question; unfortunately, my simple answer was not always taken, well, so simply. See, the problem was, a good number of readers just wanted to see the first portion of the title (customs: true, period customs), which we/I did feature. However, we also devoted as much if not more page space to “custom rods,” which by today’s standards were really just fullsize, post-1948 vehicles with a heavy performance twist, not so much a heavily modified “custom.” Well, the division between readers remained a constant, and suffice it to say, CRM is no longer.

Now, when it comes to the title of this magazine you’re reading at this very moment, well, there also seems to be a bit of an identity crisis—though by no means as drastic as the previous scenario. Nonetheless, I’d like to formally take the opportunity to clear up any misnomers.

In its natural form, the phrase “classic truck” has a very broad spectrum of application when it comes to the particular trucks it applies to—and that has increased substantially with the inclusion of what used to be referred to as “late models/sport trucks” (or OBS as the kids like to call them!). That said, it’s not the eras of trucks in which I’m referring to, rather, the build style and subsequent execution. A by-the-books-restored classic truck is just that: a classic truck. But that’s not what we set out to cover in Classic Truck Performance, hence the “P” in “CTP.”

The performance aspect, to us, is what clearly defines what we devote pages to in CTP. As much as we all love a 100-point restored 1955 Cameo or 1967 Ford Ranger, well, without that performance aspect—non-stock upgrades that separate them from their former off-the-showroom-floor guise—we just don’t have the pages in which to cover them. But more to the point, we really want to emphasize the performance aspect more than just the obvious classic aspect.

So, what exactly does that performance aspect entail? Is the addition of a newer V-8 engine considered such? Well, in literal terms, yes—a newer V-8 engine would, in fact, be a “performance upgrade.” However, if that larger powerplant were simply installed in an otherwise-stock classic truck, then that becomes a no. What truly qualifies a candidate for inclusion in CTP goes well beyond what’s under the hood: It’s what’s under the entire truck! Whether it’s a full chassis swap or a full stock chassis upgrade, it’s how the truck performs as a total package.

What if that “complete underside package upgrade” comes wrapped in a completely stock classic truck, you ask? One hundred percent CTP material! And when it comes to “breeds”—manufacturer origin—well let’s just say we welcome all light-duty (and some modified HD, as you’re about to see in this issue) domestic trucks from the ’40s-’80s.

I hope that helped clear up any ID crisis that may have existed. Now, enjoy your July edition of CTP … heavy on the P!