Brand loyalty in a different way

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Boise69

This is not about money, this is about keeping a blood line pure and is it that important afterall.

For me, no, not at all. I have never had a desire to build an all original vehicle; car, truck or otherwise. To me, in that sence, keeping the "blood line pure" would result in a bone stock rebuild or restoration. Not what I want from my toys.

I don't look at it from a money point of view either. I look at it from a "what do I do here to make it like I want it?"

For most, I don't think there is as much of a need to hodgepodge. I think panhandler62 said it best:

I rather lean towards keeping the rarities fairly pure and having fun with the rest.

[CochinoFilipino]

Boise69,
That's cool. I can appreciate your point of view. And you should definitely build your truck to your criteria.

Welcome to the site BTW. And pretty cool thing you did with the hammer give away. Too bad I was late.

[Boise69]

I don't want bone stock either, i mean if i saw one that was, i would appreciate it for sure but for me 18 in polished rims and low profile tires, a 383 chevy stroker in a really clean engine compartment, smoothed out firewall , pristine stock interior, disc brakes, updated supension and most important deep deep killer paint job is the chevy c-10 i dream of. thats keeping the bloodline pure and sweeeet.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by Boise69

I guess i was hoping for more than "hey its my truck and i'll do what i want" yea i get that but come on doesn't it bother you when at a car show you peer into the engine bay of a 55 T-bird and you see a 350? isn't that the easy way out? I know Ford makes some nice stuff i think it should re-main all Ford and Vice a versa. I agree anyone can do what they want with their rides but call me a purist i guess.


My business puts me in and out of all GM, DCX (Chrysler) and Ford plants on a monthly basis I've been in 74 auto plants throught N. AMerica. Our hammers are used on every one of their assembly plants and Drivetrain. I guess seeing it first hand makes me feel different about the subject.

every one on this forum is an artist! and i guess artists have total liberty of what they create but can't an artist make the best of what the original artists (OEM's) started out with? is GM's front suspension so bad that you are better off with a Ford mustangs? If so, then i have a lot to learn.

A couple yrs back, my oldest kid was driving a smallblock chev powered 89 Ferd ranger , that was built by a little fat man in a beard(ME!) I can for damn sure tell you that it WAS NOT the easy way out! Every freakin bracket was custom made on that truck. Now the easy route would have been to just purchase the mount kit/headers/ radiator, & drop a 302 ferd right in......not me, I like a challenge Dare to be different(the hotrod theme for many yrs)......build what ya got, & run what ya brung! I dont have problems with a stock truck......cept I dont wanna drive one Welcome to the board from Illinios (hills blood from Missura)..... L

[corn]

ding ding, and the winner is...

Originally Posted by Shane

Why should anyone else give a rat's a$$ what I do or what parts I use on my truck.

I don't give a rat's a$$ what you do with yours.

[Boise69]

well it was supposed to be a conversation of give and take, and if you feel shane did just that then you are right, he won, but i got nothing from that. but glock, cochino and crazy got my vote

[Jason915]

for me it's like this I hate to see a 5.0 mustang with a 350 1st off it isn't any faster, 2nd it's just not cool. Now a guy I work with has a 56 F-100 with a 69 370 HP Pontiac 400 and that is too cool. In the old days it was cool to have an old coupe with no fenders side pipes and no matter what make it was it had a small block chevy. I can respect that but when I see late model stuff with alternative powerplants it rings HILLBILLY to me when people say "you know how to make a Ford run?? Purt a chevy engine in er"...Yeah when your building a sweet hot rod it could have a SBC a Ford 9" a mustang 2 front end ect, and that is fine with me and generally others but you'll allways have the brand loyals that only want it all GM, Mopar, Ford ect and I wonder if they get paid to endorse that company because hell why not use the best parts no matter who makes them when your building a custom rig?

[Pl4yboy]

Hmm this reminds me of a saying my dad always used...

"It ain't fast unless it says Chevy under the hood."

Pretty much my opinion on this is... make your truck YOURS. If I see someone with a 350 in a Ford Ranger, bad ass. Good job for them for taking the initiative(sp) to do it to their taste and needs/wants. I'm not going to shun anyone for having mixed parts on their vehicle, or not having it completely restored to stock. I was never a fan of big rims until I decided to build my truck. When I decided to build it, I thought that bright chrome 22s would look sweet as heck on a candy apple red longbed. As a matter of fact, as soon as my truck is out of paint, I'm putting a new posi in it... and it won't be GM.

To each his own.

[67 cst swb]

Ok. Here's my personnal opinion...
I'm Ok with seeing a Chevy 350 with a Turdo 350 trans in a '30's Ford or Dodge, but not Ok with the same set-up in a 55 T-bird...
I'm Ok seeing a late model Chevy 5.3L & 4L60E in our 67-72's... BUT,... The 88-98 Chevy stepside bed's on our trucks are beginning to get me uncomfortable...
What I'm saying is... That's what make's each of us unique... I'd hate to see someone build the exact truck I'm building... Yet, I'd like more people to appreciate my truck, than people that hate my truck... It's just how we as people are built...
If Chevy had a IFS set-up with Rack-n-Pinion that was as clean and easy to find as a Mustang II front end is, I think we'd see more chevy front suspensioned Chevy street rods than we currently do.
The coolest 3 cars I've ever seen were 2 different '66 Nova's, one with a Camaro front stub, one with a Mustang II front end on a tube Chassis, the 3rd being a totally pro-streeted '70 'Cuda... Hemi Orange, with a Big Inch Hemi Motor, Ford 9" rearend, Chevy Powerglide tranny, and Mustang II front-end, and stock interior (except backseat)... That car looked totally stock, except for the Wheels Tires, and Enderle scoop sticking out of the hood, Although it was far from Chrysler/Mopar other than the Body, motor, & interior... I'm a Chevy fan, But that's still my favorite car I've ever seen pull onto the street... especially out from a Sonic Drive-In in Garland/Mesquite(?)Texas...
Hell, I've even seen a BB Chevy in a Pantera,... That was kinda cool, But a BB Chevy in a '75 Ford P/U,... that's just wrong...
But,... Those are all just my personnal preferences...
...Sorry So Long...

[see ten]

I thought pure bloodlines were only something people were concerned with at dog shows and horse races. I can appreciate your desire to not muddy the water by keeping your ice cream all one flavor. I think we just have to admit that all the good parts ideas and engineers don't all work or come from the same place. That old small block turns up in everything because it is simple and reliable, not to mention usually it's cheaper than what it's replacing. Did you know you can buy SBC valve covers with Ford script on them now? I think it's to make the ford guys a little more comfortable popping the hood when the bloodline sniffers are around. That 9" Ford turns up in everything for a couple reasons, one of which is it's nearly bulletproof. The ford also has straight (not tapered like a 12 bolt) axleshafts which make them a snap to shorten to get that custom width out back. That Fatman or Heidts frontend isn't cheap but it will put you in the weeds. These things are a Godsend for people like me who are low on fabrication skills. There are guys on this board who have gotten just as low by Z'ing their frontends notching their crossmembers and building their own control arms. I guess they are closer to stock than a Fatman frontend and loads cheaper but everyone doesn't have their skill or vision. I see lots of cars and trucks at shows and cruises that I look at and think "hmm I wouldn't have done that". I'm also pretty sure there are just as many people out there who look at mine and say the same thing. Do what makes ya happy brother and welcome to the board!

[pritch]

I admit it. I installed a f*rd part on my Panel. But it fits so nicely and works so well and I didn't have any junk GM's laying around with anything similar.



Now I have a fully functional map light.

[Boise69]

BUT,... The 88-98 Chevy stepside bed's on our trucks are beginning to get me uncomfortable...


Amen to that !!

Finally i'm getting responses that are inline to what i was thinking as well, i just needed to put a face on my thoughts and thank you forum for helping me with dat.

I agree with 80% of the feedback but 10% is right on.

I got my truck running last night and thats all that matters to me!! Last night at 2am if i could have found a Ford starter and dist to start my truck i would have said hell YEAH, but with a little more purseverance my aftermarket mini i bought on ebay did it! can i get an amen? amen

[see ten]

The first 88-98 stepside I saw I really liked. The owner had put all of the 72 moldings on the newer bed and they lined up perfect! Now it's been done so much it looks just like what it is............wrong.

[67 cst swb]

see ten - "The first 88-98 stepside I saw I really liked."

I agree,... the first time I saw it, I thought way cool,... the 1 millionth, 6 hundred thousandth, 4 hundred and twenty-ninth time I saw it,... I though alright already....

[69face]

I used to ask all of the old guys growing up "how did you get that to work it isnt even form that car?" the response was always that hot rodding is in the most modification to make something fast as hell or look good as hell and ive been a hot rodder ever since. whatever it takes to make it look good or go fast type of guy. i put a 6.0L vortec motor out of a cadillac escalade in a buddies 1970 ford shortbed and there isnt another ford (new or old) truck thats going to keep up,

[TP from Cntl PA]

I think rare trucks should be kept in OE condition. But without guys swapping engines/transmissions in, trucks with 292's and 305V-6's from the factory wouldn't be rare..........So I guess they did the favor for the guys who still run those powerplants.

I have FERD west coast junior mirrors on my '72 K-20.............I honestly thought they were GM because we have a GM set on my '69 1-ton and they look the same, but I discovered the FORD inscription when I was sanding/bead blasting them for paint. My dad said we should have covered it up, but I left the "FORD" on the bottom. It is so small you can't see it unless you look, and since I know alot of guys who like Ferds, I left it to make them feel good that Ferd actually built something that lasts

But, I like everyone else like doing different/sometimes stupid things. Yeah, a Cummins in a '71 C-20 is NOT what GM intended, but man does it run like a raped ape.........Especially when loaded!

Someday, I'd love to swap a 300 Ford Inline 6 into a 1/2 ton or Blazer.......Just to show everyone that even though it seems every Ford guy WANTS a GM powerplant, some GM guys recognize that Ford did build a GOOD one, actually, the 300 IMO is a great engine.

[67 cst swb]

So, How does everyone feel about me turning my factory '67 Longbox CST 327/TH400 A/C, P/S, P/B, factory buckets truck into a shortbox?

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by 67 cst swb

So, How does everyone feel about me turning my factory '67 Longbox CST 327/TH400 A/C, P/S, P/B, factory buckets truck into a shortbox?

Cut away.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by 67 cst swb

So, How does everyone feel about me turning my factory '67 Longbox CST 327/TH400 A/C, P/S, P/B, factory buckets truck into a shortbox?

Well, you will want to read this first!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=123624

That should tell you my opinion!

[panhandler62]

Guess I'll throw a log on here.. lol

I don't know if this will all come to pass because it won't be easy, simple or inexpensive but here is what I hope to do with mine.

I have a 68 C-20 with no special options.
She started life with:
307
granny +3 4sp
Basic instruments
AM Radio
dual mirrors

She has now
350 (74 4v truck motor w/small port FI heads, EB performer manifold, Q-Jet & Acell HEI)
granny +3 4sp
Full instruments (no tach, vacume .. )
AM Radio (medium/low end stereo .. dual amp, one sub)
dual mirrors

What I want to do -- (front to back from inside out)

1.) Replace front suspension with C4 and custom components w/shockwaves.
2.) Minor enhancements to existing 350 (heads, intake, cam, carb, headers and bling)
3.) Tranny upgrade.. 5 speed or auto.. still ruminating on that one (like a 6, but I think a C-30 lwb might be too heavy for one of those)
4.) Relocate fuel tank to underbed area, preferable in front of rear axle
5.) 4 link or modified 4 link with Ford 9" type rear also with shockwaves
6.) Back interior using late model split bench seat
7.) Custom intruments
8.) Quality stereo, not a barm blaster, just good quality components mostly hidden from view.
9.) Some kind of aftermarket or retrofit AC
10.) Conversion to wood bed
11.) Orange paint with orange accent "crab claw" flames (think OSU Cowboys team colors.)

I'm looking for about a 7/9 inch overall drop in stance, reasonable handling, strong (though not drag racing strong) acelleration and a clean, mostly stock loking, body finish. Probably no outward bling besides the paint, better looking mirrors and whatever rim/tire combo I end up with (not planning to go bigger than 18s on the rims)

So... am I planning a respectful hot rod or messing up a classic?

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by panhandler62

a respectful hot rod

There is my opinion. But, if someone does not like what you want to do to your truck, I'm sure you could come up with a reasonable price for it so they could take it off you hands and keep you from messing up a classic.