Wickid 54 build

[wickid demon]

Start off by saying, truck has taken a while to get to the stage it is currently at About 2 years. With that said in those 2 years I have accumulated a good amount of tools and am ready to make some progress. The truck as of right now has been stretched through the doors 6” so it will have ample amount of leg room. I chopped it 2 ¾ which allowed me to bring the back window down to line up with the side windows. I just think it looks better when the windows are the same size. Replace all the rust spots and while repairing the firewall got the idea of matching the curve of the windshield to the hood body line. Another major thing is I moved the entire firewall back 3 or 4 inches I forgot how far it was total but all I know is I don’t have to run a recess for the motor. I have a 55 dash installed and I am building my own bed and with a few tweaks. O the front fenders I moved them up 2” by sectioning the hood and front of the cab this will allow me to run 20” wheels and still be low. But here are the pics hope you enjoy.

[wickid demon]

Here are a few of the truck through its stages.

[YahamaR1]

Very nice build, hope to see more of it soon...
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[Fat Mike]

I was hoping you would start a build thread. This is a cool looking truck and can't wait to see more pictures!

[oldman3]

Like what you've done so far. I wish went I made mine into a roadster I would have lengthen the doors, sure could use the room. Will keep an eye on your build....Jim

[wickid demon]

found some more Pics

[wickid demon]

and a few stretched.

[ricott]

I love the metalworking skills on this build. For all of us that dream of more legroom in these old trucks, please post more pictures (if you have them) of what it took to get this far. I would love to see pictures of the pancaked hood (if you have already done it), and overall profile of the truck with the modified hood on. Are you modifying the lip of each front fender (increasing the opening?). Now the obvious questions, are you going chevy Gen III or IV for power, or old school? What are your plans for front and rear suspension? Thanks again for taking the time to share your progress.

Ricky

[xpickup]

wickid demon, great build. I want to do the same thing you did with raising the front fenders 2 inches and the sectioning the hood on my 54 pickup. That is a poject for down the road. Did you do the hood yet. The picture with the hood on looks like it was before you raised the fenders. Keep up the great work.

Shannon

[wickid demon]

I do have some more pics of the processes of stretching it; I will try to get them in order and post with notes this weekend. Switch to a new computer and everything got scattered. I haven’t got around to sectioning the hood, it will be one of the last things I do. My chassis is the next step that’s needed. I want to get the chassis built so I can fit the sheet metal, Plus motor placement for the firewall. My original suspension plans were to go all on my own design, but with the extensive metal work I don’t want to worry about pulling the truck apart to redo my deign. So my best option is to hook up with no limit and run Rob’s engineered master piece. The chassis itself will be built by me including the rear 4 link, got a few tricks up my sleeve for that one. I have a 6.0 motor that will be built with twin remote mounted turbos. I have been in drag racing since I was 10 so the truck will be pretty powerful 1000+ hopefully. But with my new found love for road racing I am going to make it handle like it is on rails. I have some updated pics of the cab finished will get them up as soon as I find them. Thanks for the complements guys, makes me feel better about my dedication to my truck.
Ryan

[wickid demon]

Here is the beginning stages of my dash. It is a 55 car dash, made a new lower panel. I extended the bottom of the dash down to give it a beefier profile for the truck. Plus it gets rid of all the holes and everything else that was there.http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1334196216

[wickid demon]

I am still working on organizing my photos, but I stumbled across my firewall photos. The firewall has been moved back 3 in or so not real sure didn’t really have any metal to go off of. On the 54 the windshield curves so I figured I would curve the bodyline to match. I think with the firewall moved back I shouldn’t have to have a recess that was kind of my goal. I will know this summer Enjoy .

[shadow1967]

Wickid, Looking cool! I planned on stretching my cab as well. Being 6'4" my calf is almost straight up and down. I was thinking 4-6" for me.

[wickid demon]

I stretched it 6" but 4" would be plenty. If you did 4 you could get away with stock wheelbase. Just take the length out of the bed. Make the side rails as close as you can to the cab that is good for to 2 to 3", Just a thought. Best work you can do for a tall guy.

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by wickid demon

Best work you can do for a tall guy.

See I knew being vertically challenged would benefit me one day.lol

Nice work on your truck man.

[Rude Dude]

Wonderfull Job! Roadrace wearthy, I bet it will be better than the straight line you are use to, I still love drag racing only as a spectator!

[Fat Mike]

Any restrictions on your hood closing? Do you have to alter the hood braces?

[_Ogre]

nice work on stretching your cab
lot more leg room in the 55-59 cabs but i thought of stretching my 58 too... way too much work for me.

just ignore the comments from the munchkin gallery

[AUSSIE54]

Wicked Demon,

WOW!!! That is a serious amount of work that you have already completed. It looks fantastic. The stretch on the doors looks terrific and for a while it was a serious contemplation for my crewcab but have ended up opting for the easy way out (original size). Kudos to you for going the extra mile.

Regards, Trently.
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[wickid demon]

I appreciate the comments guys. I have a couple more weeks of school and I will be able to start making progress on my truck again, but have to get back to studying for my finals. You guy’s comments really help me continue my metal work. I keep on cutting and fitting thinking to my self just through bondo on it and don’t worry about it but I would know it’s not right. So I guess more cutting is in my future talk to y’all soon.

[wickid demon]

Here are the updated pics and info on my chasse. I wanted the truck to have a 5" ride height with a 26" tall tire in front and a 28.1 tall in rear. It will also have a 2” rake. I had to step the frame up and in. The reason for it stepping in, I wanted to make the chassis as wide as I could for stability and strength. The main reason is for the mounting of the cab and bed. By doing this I don’t have to make brackets off the frame to catch the cab mounts. Plus straight rails are easy.

[wickid demon]

I made these body mounts out of 2” round stock of aluminum. I wanted solid body mounts because of the gaping between the bed and cab is going to be close. I don’t want things flexing and getting into each other, So I came up with this. They are solid with a twist, most solid mounts will transfer harmonics through the mount and into your cab, but with mine there is a small o-ring on top and bottom. This will isolate the harmonics from transferring through the cab but will not have enough movement to disrupt body spacing; so it’s a win win.

[wickid demon]

Here are some with the fenders and bed on it. I am making my own bed but used my dad's bed for some mock up. there are some tricks up my sleeve for the bed.

[wickid demon]

These pics will give you a better idea of how wide the frame is and the trucks height. I,m 6' 2"

[wickid demon]

Pics I had on my phone.
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