'63 Model B
 

Hi all,

Here's a few pics of my shop truck. Have owned it a few years and work on it between customer projects. I'm finding out that these things are like hens's teeth and because I can't find many examples of them I ought to do my part and put the one I own out for others to see.

Mike

Re: '63 Model B
 

That is really cool! I'm digging the stance and those rear fenders. Ive never seen one either
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Re: '63 Model B
 

They're just funny looking enough that they're kinda cool looking.
I shortened the wheelbase 54" and lowered the cab 10". It originally had a 305 V6 which was replaced with a 283 at some point. I've got a 400 sm blk and beefed up T400 installed and I've been building rear fenders, running boards and a wraparound front bumper for it. Plans are to do built in toolboxes and a flatbed that continues the shape of the lower part of the doors and rockers.

Re: '63 Model B
 

That thing is awesome bro!
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I am a die-maker/designer, and I want to know how you made those running boards!
NICE WORK!

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Thanks guys,
The running board impressions were done using my 5 ton arbor press. I converted it to foot operation and do lots of different shaping operations with it. It was ideal for solving the running board issue.
I wanted full length running boards but also wanted to keep the cool looking pattern that the stock, short ones had so I made a die set and connected the halves with 1/8" x 2" cold roll. Flexible but strong enough to stay in register.

Re: '63 Model B
 

badass,...

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Holy Mackeral Batman !

I am in love

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awesome!

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Speechless....

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was it your intent to make the front bumper look like a GIANT 63-4 impala bumper?

it looks that way to me..

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Ha! It does look Impala-like. Things like the bumper drive me nuts at the planning stage. I did 30+ revisions to the design before I even started and sectioned 2" out of it after finishing it. And the ends still are up in the air. I was just trying to mirror the shapes you see on the hood and make the whole thing a little more like a passenger car and less like a commercial truck. At least it's good that it resembles a GM and not something from Chrysler.
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that is way cool dude !!

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holy cow!!! I love it!! great skills kat

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Man that is nice, love the extra wide rear fenders, so low too, awesome, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Re: '63 Model B
 

Welcome to the forum :D

Very cool truck and some great fab work and metal forming. :thumbs:

Did the sheet want to potato chip on you when you did the embossing on the running boards? Did you use 18-20 gauge?

Re: '63 Model B
 

That could be the coolest first post ever!! Nice job man!! What motor are you going to run in it??

Re: '63 Model B
 

Wow, thanks for the kind words everyone. Just trying to make it how I want it without screwing it up too much.
The running boards are 19 ga. AK steel, as are the fenders. You may not see it in the pic of the unfinished one but there was distortion between the individual stamps. I just cut a piece of 3/16" steel to fit tightly between the raised portions and hammered and chased it all flat working both sides of the surface.
The engine is a 400 small block that my brother put together for me. A Cummins with a Banks package would be a dream but I looked in every corner of the shop and I didn't have one.
-Mike
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Re: '63 Model B
 

Killer..subscribed

Re: '63 Model B
 

My Next door neighbor has one of those with a dump bed on it...sadly letting it rot away. It is his second home and he is hardly ever there.

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Dare to be different & preseving a little history at the same time. Have seen a few of these in Northern Ontario. There's one in a yard in Dryden that he won't part out. you do nice work and the concept is looking great.

Re: '63 Model B
 

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That look great, love the running boards.

What are your plans for the bed? Are you going to set it up to pull a trailer?

Can't wait to see more...:metal:

Re: '63 Model B
 

are you going to leave the gas tank where it is

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That thing is awesome.....I keep looking for one to do but can't ever find one to build. You are off to a great start,looks awesome,very creative way to do the running boards....Dig the build....I will be back

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Ok man, there are so many things about this rig that are so totally cool !!
Then there are your mad-bad-ass skills on top of it.

I cannot wait to see how this turns out, and the running boards are awesome, I always liked those.

:welcoem: to the board, hope you post often on this build !

Re: '63 Model B
 

Great looking truck and I like the direction you are going with it, the rear fenders really make it stand out from others I have seen.

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What a mind blowing rig. Simply unbelievable. My first thought looking at that running board was “holy crap that must have taken an insane amount of labor”. The top is so perfect it looks like it was punched out in one stroke with a giant die set.

I like the style. The front end almost makes it look like a 67 with the sloping angles and no blending into the cab. It seems the fender extension does all that. And that makes me wonder about the possibilities for a custom hood on a standard pickup, by using those pointed fender extensions.

Can’t wait to see what you do next. Thanks for sharing!

Re: '63 Model B
 

Crap, now I have to make some progress on this thing. My bread and butter is building one-off parts and pieces for hot rods and race cars, with some architectural metalwork now and then. I've always got a backlog of work so finding time for my own stuff can be a challenge.
It's a good thing to show this truck a little bit because it'll put some pressure on me to move forward with it. So for that, thank you for the interest.
To answer a couple more questions, no plans to relocate the tank, I did that for a customer years ago and gained no more room in the cab, save for storage space behind the seat. I'll have outside storage in the form of tool boxes below the bed, so thought it unnecessary.
Plans for the bed. A flatbed of some sort, just not sure about surface yet. This is a truck and will be used as one so it won't be something I will want to have to polish or cover or worry about. I do want to match the profile of the body with the perimeter of the bed though. I drew it up with a long bed box and dually type fenders and just wasn't happy with how high the bed and fenders looked in relation to the rear wheels, so I went with these fenders to match the fronts, using the fronts as a buck. It will have provisions for adding racks for long material hauling and a receiver for towing.
The number one goal though is to drive it to Bonneville next summer and use it to push my brother's racecar off the line.
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Re: '63 Model B
 

That thing is sick....

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Cool truck. Im in to see whats next
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Very cool truck, and very cool work so far. I'm in to watch the progress on this one.

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Very cool and different...awsome!

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Im locked in for this one!! :metal:

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GORGEOUS!

I wish I could find one of those and graft a suburban body to the cab.
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OK, this is bad ass.

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Now THAT would be something to see!!
Aerotruk63 and Motomech both know where to get one. Hitch up the trailer!
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Subcribed cuz it's an Awesome TRUCK!

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Imagine the 63 B, with big a big wide back tire, lowered, maybe a small chop, with a deck as a custom car hauler, man it would be cool, well it is already, just envisioning if it were mine. A big Hotrod.:metal:

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Awesomeness.