'68 COPO Concept - Vulgar Display of Power

[mcbassin]

Dang, Sorry to hear about the flood. Glad to read that you are back in your home. Floods really suck.

[darkhorse970]

. It's about to get interesting around here...just need these temps to drop a little bit!

[nlped]

Okay, I met you today and I know you said you don't post much, but come on man....I need to see how this truck looks now.

[68 TT]

Haven't been on the board much in a few years and just found your thread.

Sorry to hear about the flood damage. I lost a childhood friend to flooding so I am relieved to hear your family is OK. Property can be replaced, loved ones can't.

Any updates on the truck project? The COPO 427 idea is pretty cool.

Its similar to the direction I have gone with the recent revisions to my stepside. I am building it like it could have been a factory built Super Sport package truck with all the Z/28 handling & braking upgrade options I can throw at it along the way. I'm having a hard time resisting putting EFI and overdrive on it though because I want to drive this thing as a daily driver

[darkhorse970]

I will begin by saying that time sure flies by when life is going on. The plan for this truck has shifted a little bit. Long story short, I am drawn to things (and people) that are a bit different from the crowd. The COPO concept cab, chassis and drivetrain will now be used to build a ‘67 GMC Super Custom short fleetside truck.

I love the side trim, chrome bumpers, chrome grill on these trucks so it won’t be as stripped down as a COPO Camaro, but the drivetrain will follow the COPO theme. Interior colors will be Fawn with Saddle upholstery. Exterior paint color will be unique, BUT still a period correct GM color.

I'm working to mock up the body, install AAW wiring harness, and Vintage Air this fall so the truck can be sent to Paint and Body shop.
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[darkhorse970]

These pics are what set me out along this new path.
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[68 TT]

I know what you mean about life getting in the way and plans changing. The plans for my stepside have changed more times than I can remember. At least three times in the past two years

Sounds like a great idea and the inspirational truck pics give me a pretty good idea of what you are thinking. It should be really cool looking when you are done. Good luck.

The current plans for my 69 stepside stemmed from my ground up custom creation of a "what if" build of a 1994 vintage appearing 454 SS truck with a few select upgrades and changes I wish they had made to them in the first place.

I bought a 1990 454 SS new and really liked it for a little while but it just wasn't very good at anything except spinning the tires. Having owned real muscle cars that truly performed at the same time it left me wishing Chevy had put a little more effort into the package. The things that were the worst about it were the anemic HP, average brakes, handling like an ocean liner, a ride height that made it look like a 4x4 and tires & wheels that belonged on a tractor just to get the list started.

I addressed all of those in spades in a ground up creation I built from scratch on a short bed regular cab 4x4 torsion bar chassis that eventually will get the front IFS reinstalled to make it selectable AWD or 2wd once I find a good Eaton E-locker for the 9.25" IFS and modify the headers to clear it. No point in having AWD if only one front tire spins or you don't have the power to do it

I nicknamed this creation "miSSed opportunity" since I built it out of parts GM used on other trucks or SUV's of similar vintage that were close enough to the 1994 model year that they would have been at least in development at that time. I picked 1994 because 1993 was the last year for the real 454 SS truck.

The down side to this creation was that it still looks like a couple million other trucks on the road, just a whole lot lower, faster, better handling and stopping. She is not finished yet but once I find the body pieces I need in good enough condition to use I will get the paint work done in classic 454 SS black and make it look the part. I will add 70 Chevelle style SS hood stripes to the cowl hood like are on there now but in the dark gray to match the 454 in the 454 SS bedside decals.

This lead me to wanting to make a muscle car era version of the 454 SS out of my stepside so I thought what if they built a prototype SS 350 truck with Z/28 style suspension and JL-8 4-wheel disc with all the CST goodies and A/C. That would make a great daily driver. OK, I can build that from parts on hand so that is where I am headed. Mostly there. Right now the clip and doors are off because I decided it needed nicer parts on it that what I had before so I took the beater drag race acceptable part off and am in the process of refurbishing the best of my other 67/68 stuff to go back on.

[darkhorse970]

Well, I’ve been making plans and collecting parts for long enough. I have gotten some motivation to get going on this thing. Put the bed together and on the chassis this weekend. I like the look, but don’t think it’s low enough 🧐

[darkhorse970]

Mocked up bed wood last night and will start sanding and sealing it this week.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by darkhorse970

Mocked up bed wood last night and will start sanding and sealing it this week.

I wish this board had a like button. I'd be hitting it.

[darkhorse970]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I wish this board had a like button. I'd be hitting it.

Thanks Kevin, it’s good to be back working on it and seeing it resemble a truck again! Paint colors, trim level and interior decisions are beginning to be finalized!
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