PROJECT: How would a Chevrolet dealer build a shop truck in the early 1970s?

[mattfranklin]

Here's what I'm thinking...

I love stock trucks. I love radically modified trucks. I love the middle ground, too.

Suppose your local Chevy dealer were to build a shop truck in the early 1970s, with mostly stock parts. What would it look like?

I'm thinking it would have a '70s 'Vette LT-1 and Rally wheels. And maybe a Muncie 4spd. It would be minimalist. Maybe it would get a disk brake upgrade by swapping in '71 truck parts and convert to five-lug bolt wheels?

I think my project will be in the spirit of that, but not necessarily to the letter of the law. For example, my budget doesn't allow me to get an original LT-1, but I can follow the specs. Instead of the Holley 4150 with 780cfm, I'd use the 770 Street Avenger (which is basically a 4150 with 770cfm). I can find some 2.02 heads. I can copy the cam specs. I might keep my Sanderson short headers or look for the 'Vette model of rams horn exhaust manifolds. Maybe in the future I'd look for a somewhat correct set of valve covers and air cleaner. If I can find the correct intake manifold inexpensively, that would be cool, otherwise, my existing Edelbrock Performer will be fine. And I might allow it to have 2" drop spidles, though those would not yet have been available. ;-)

BOTTOM LINE: Kind of stock, but with parts that would have mostly been available off the dealer's shelf in the early '70s.

Maybe it would have a clean '70s vintage door logo from a performance-minded dealership. Maybe Yenko, maybe something else. Maybe it would have something from long-gone rural dealership.

Anyway, that's my vision. This build will probably go slowly as I'm on a budget.