56 shop truck build

[dubie]

I've been gone from this forum for 8 years and start lurking again a few months ago. I have sold my MUTT 72 Chevy flatbed truck and have moved onto a new project. Since I was 14 years old, I've wanted a 55 Chevy shortbed pickup, so when I had the chance I took it.
Here's a brief story of how this came about

A little over 18 years ago, I asked a local car guy if he would consider selling me his 1956 Chevy step side that was sitting in his driveway. I got the typical answer, "nope, I'm going to restore it one day." I kept driving past it over the years and it gathered more junk and more junk and nothing was ever done with it. Fast forward to last year when this same guy came to me to have his Harley airbrushed. He pitched an idea at me and then asked what it would cost him. I didn't even have to thin about it, I said " that 56 pickup sitting in your driveway" He thought about it over night, and even asked his wife about the deal. Her answer was " can he come pick it up tomorrow?" So a deal was made, he got his bike painted and I got the truck I have been after for so many years.

When I got it, it was sitting on an 81 short bed chassis. I had done some research and asked around a few places and found a kit that would work to mount this body to that chassis. Only thing is, it wouldn't sit as low as I wanted it to. So I sold the 81 chassis and picked up a complete 56 from the local wrecker for a couple hundred bucks and stripped it for the stock chassis.

The entire idea I based this truck on was an old school shop truck. Say you're walking down the street in the late 60's and you come across a hot rod shop or your local garage and you see their shop truck sitting there. It's something from the 50's that's been used as a parts chaser, something to haul the garbage in but it cleans up nicely when it's washed and sports a mean sounding power train.
So with the use of a 3" dropped solid axle and a set of mono leafs, I've dropped the front and rear by 6" from stock ride height. The paint will be a patina's suede blue finish with my custom paint shop logo Dirtbag Kustoms hand painted on the door and then aged to match the truck. The interior will be sound deadened, rubber floor, no stereo, with a seat cover over the factory bench. I've already changed the paint on the interior from brown and copper to a semi gloss white. For power, a nicely built 350 from my buddy mud ma.rj from this very forum, backed by a TH350 and a 2500 stall. The rear is a 3.08 open end from a 65 Chevelle
This is the beginning of a long awaited story. I hope to have this truck completed by the end of May 2013, so please, stay tuned for more