A new guy...

[Hblee]

...just getting started on my 57 3100. This is my second TF truck, my first was a 56 that was my daily driver and took me to OK for college in the late 70s and was extremely reliable. I have known the 57 that I have now my whole life. My grandma's neighbor in the Panhandle bought it new. My dad said he remembers him bringing it home. It was always garaged. The old guy putted around in it for almost 30 years until he passed. His idiot grandson then got it and put a Ray Charles paint job on it and swapped in a Muncie M20 and drove it for a while. My uncle bought it after that and used it for his landscape business until 1996.

My brother bought it from my uncle and drove it to the Houston area where we live and he and my dad started a restoration. This thing is so straight and rust free, the only rust at all is the lower portion of each front fender. They took it apart and blasted the frame and got about 20% of it done. My brother became ill and died about a year later and my dad lost interest in it. He told me a few years later that he was going to give it to me. It has sat in his garage untouched since 1998. Dad passed away a little over 4 months ago so now I have to get the truck out and get it somewhere it can be finished up.

I've decided against another restoration, I've done that with early Z/28 Camaros and a big block 67 Corvette and now I want something with big block power, a/c, low stance, etc. that I can get in and go somewhere. And I'm tired of having numbers matching this and that, correctly dated everything, etc. I have enough parts to build a 427 shortblock and I have a 12 bolt out of an A-body. I'm thinking a MII front end from TCI or others, 4 wheel discs, better seats, tilt, you guys get the picture. I can do most of it, except if I end up with 2 stage paint. I'm an old lacquer guy and I haven't messed with the newer stuff much.

Glad to be aboard. Sorry it was so long.