Operation: TOW M8R

[LaterMater]

Hello Folks,

Here is Operation: TOW M8R

Its a 1956 GMC 250 that came out of Colorado Springs looking exactly as seen (with the exception of the front rims). The guy I purchased it from had never heard of the CARS movie or Mater. He had done some spot repair in the usual locations (head lights and lower cab corners) and used some crazy primer that is a blue/green/yellow combination which makes it look frightenly like Mater's faded paint scheme from the movie. The rest of the truck is solid. The driver's floor pan is worn bare metal which is pretty cool to see with no rust. I will be continuing the transformation into Mater with additional over-spray and some Mater inspired changes like a 59' Caddy air cleaner that is HUGE to make it look like Mater's air cleaner from the movie. Whoever made this into a tow truck used a Fleet-side bed and overlaid diamond plate on top of the original wood, cut the inner wheel houses and expanded to fit over the dually rearend. He also grafted on a set of fiberglass wheel flares to cover the dual wheels.

[OrrieG]

cool, I love old tow trucks. Monster tach with shift light is a nice touch, probably to keep from over revving in granny gear!

[LaterMater]

More pictures. Mater has a Tulsa Winch running off of a PTO with controls at the rear of the truck. Also has a MIco line lock for locking the brakes when hooking up a car to tow.

[hotrodsbyray]

As I look at the giant Tow-Mater poster on my garage wall - I think he had step side bed. So if you want to give me that short fleetside bed, I will gladly give you my short step side - LOL

Just kiddin - that is one really sweet looking find!

[LaterMater]

I actually thought about fabricating a tow bed that looks like the movie truck as opposed to the fleet-side (I believe it is from a 58' or 59'? Anyone know for sure?)

But after starting to work on the truck, I am just so amazed at how close this truck is in color (base color sort of looks like Mater's desert rust patina) and in how it was converted into a tow truck.

So, my goal now is to leave everything as it was found if possible and just make modifications which do not alter the original truck. So the list of things I plan to do is as follows:

1. Over-spray blue on the front fenders and fleetside with no modification to the areas previously worked on by the previous owner.
2. Over-spray the doors in the mulicolor faded greens that Mater had and add the hand lettering which reads the same as the movie truck.
3. Add yellow rotating light to roll bar.
4. Remove hood and keep.
5. Move battery tray down to passenger front corner to get it off of the firewall to look more like Mater.
6. Fabricate outside mirrors similar to Mater's.
7. Fabricate plate steel rear and stripe the same as Mater's along with A 113 license plate like the movie. A-113 is from the Pixar studios.

Eventually I may:

1. Make custom sheet metal to make Mater's mouth and integrate into the front between the head lights after removing and saving original bumper and front sheet metal.
2. Perhaps make the custom wrecker bed with the correct Holmes wrecker unit that Mater had and swap, but save the one that is on the truck.

[mr48chev]

It would be interesting to know the history of that truck. I'd say it was either put together as the tow rig for an independent garage or a repo rig.
I'm not much on theme rigs but that one has the makings of a fun truck that can still work when you want it to.

[northerngmc]

Wow a fancy truck, radio, deluxe heater and the deluxe gauge package.

Yes the bed is from a 58 or 59.

[entourageguy]

[hotrodsbyray]

Don't mean to distract the thread, but will a short fleetside bed like that fit a 55 - 57 easily or does it take a bunch of mods to fit?

[Fred T]

I like the look with the bedsides you have. It's more along the line of what we had for wreckers in the 50's. Most were a unit built inside the bed, the older ones had an armstrong winch. The first wrecker bed like the movie truck that I remember was on a 63.

About the Mico brake lock. With hydraulic brakes, don't use it for a parking brake on a regular basis. If you have a wheel cylinder with a slight leak it won't stay slight for very long. They are okay for short-term use. You might want to make a pair of wheel chocks, they used about anything back then from wooden blocks to angle iron.

[Rocfrog]

Nice Truck! Really COOL idea!

I live in Colorado Springs and have seen that truck before! If you don't mind me asking who did you buy it from?

Nick

[57ToyBox]

Nice find. Luv the licence plate LOL

[LaterMater]

Originally Posted by Rocfrog

Nice Truck! Really COOL idea!

I live in Colorado Springs and have seen that truck before! If you don't mind me asking who did you buy it from?

Nick

I bought it from what appeared to be an Ebay dealer back in 2007. He was spinning mostly muscle cars. He said the previous owner was an older guy, but I did not get his name. The dealer's name was Tony.

[LaterMater]

Originally Posted by Fred T

I like the look with the bedsides you have. It's more along the line of what we had for wreckers in the 50's. Most were a unit built inside the bed, the older ones had an armstrong winch. The first wrecker bed like the movie truck that I remember was on a 63.

About the Mico brake lock. With hydraulic brakes, don't use it for a parking brake on a regular basis. If you have a wheel cylinder with a slight leak it won't stay slight for very long. They are okay for short-term use. You might want to make a pair of wheel chocks, they used about anything back then from wooden blocks to angle iron.

Fred, the truck also has a hand brake for parking, but I need to reline it with new friction material. I purchased some friction material and am proceeding that way, BUT does anyone sell a new hand brake 'band' with the new friction material already on? I checked the resto place out of Missouri and they did not carry anything like that.

[Rocfrog]

Originally Posted by LaterMater

I bought it from what appeared to be an Ebay dealer back in 2007. He was spinning mostly muscle cars. He said the previous owner was an older guy, but I did not get his name. The dealer's name was Tony.

Huh...ok. We have a couple of those type dealerships in town so its hard to say.

Well cool find! The wife loves Mater so I'll be following your build!

Nick

[Bigblue29]

Love this truck!

[LaterMater]

Well today I took off the hood in preparation for the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2 weeks. It looks a lot more like Mater without the hood. I will post a picture later

[LaterMater]

Here is Mater with his hood off and battery relocated to the front passenger between the radiator and the inner fender. I was able to fab up a battery stand and use one of the factory holes in the frame so that I did not have to drill any new holes. Also put the windshield screen in with Mater's eyes from the movie for when its parked.

[OrrieG]

I'd keep the fleetside bed. Seems like some where I saw a tow truck that had a fleetside with the top rail cut down to just above the rockets at the horizontal crease. Fun project.

[autoxr1]

Originally Posted by LaterMater

Well today I took off the hood in preparation for the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2 weeks. It looks a lot more like Mater without the hood. I will post a picture later

Cool project! Should be a lot of fun to drive around in.

If you're coming to the Dream Cruise, keep an eye out for this Tow Mater that was in last year's cruise. Somebody did a really awesome job on this thing, right down to the missing headlight. I'll be watching for your truck.

[LaterMater]

Thanks for the post. That guy's Mater is VERY COOL. I wonder if that front facia is fiberglass? I did not see that truck last year, but with so many cars and so many days of cruising it is hard to catch every vehicle. I'll have to keep my eyes out for him. Anymore pictures of the side or back? Thanks !

[autoxr1]

Sorry, but I only got the front shot. I'll keep an eye out for him as well to try to get more pix. This is my ride:

[LaterMater]

Nice Ride !!! I'll look for you also

[Keith Seymore]

I've been looking all over for this thread!

Someone posted this at work this week:

[LaterMater]

Awesome !!! Any idea where this truck is from?