The restoration of Mr. Land ('85 Silverado)

[Metalshapes]

Let me paint you a picture. It was late April 2007 and I was running a small automotive repair facility here in OKC, it was a slow day not much going on and we had the doors open, I was under the hood of some Japanese piece of crap replacing a timing belt and I heard the unmistakable sound of a spun rod bearing pulling into the parking lot. Out stepped Mr. Land, he saw me and started my way, I met him halfway, and he said to me "I think my ol truck done give up the ghost" The truck in question is an "85 Silverado half ton long box with a 305 th350c and every option but the 8 hole 15x7 aluminum sport wheels. My shop had serviced and repaired this truck since it was new. (way before I worked there.) I took his keys and told him I would put together an estimate with a salvage yard engine and an estimate for a new engine and let him decide what he wanted to do. We jumped in my GTA Trans Am and I drove him home. Mr. Land was in his 70s about this time so it was pretty hard for him to get in and out of my car. I told him to call me or come see me the next day and we would hash it out.
Mr. Land was at the shop right around lunchtime the following day and as promised I had both estimates ready to present. I greeted him and he said something I will never forget. "Mama won't let me spend any more money on that ol pick up." I said "that's too bad." to which he replied, "you wouldn't happen to have any use for that ol truck would ya?" I said, "sir I have plenty of use for that truck but I have no money to take it off your hands." He said, "That's not what I asked you, let me try this another way, if I were to give you the title and the spare keys would you take it?" Naturally, I told him I would. I was as giddy as a child on Christmas morning, I couldn't wait to close the shop that day, that and it was Friday. I jumped in my new truck and drove that rattling thing home. (I only lived about 2 miles away from the shop so I figured if I took it easy it should make the trip.) I got it into the driveway opened up the hood and got started. I had and engine scattered all over my shop that I was going to put in my GTA, by scattered I mean completely disassembled, so it was crunch time. I had sold my GTA to fund my wife's engagement ring and the new owner was going to take delivery that Monday, so I had about 48 hours to get the truck right. I dove right in and by Sunday around 3:30 pm I had the new engine in and was setting the timing and tuning the carb.

That's where this saga starts........

[Metalshapes]

Disclaimer: I am not the worlds best at taking in-progress photos or chronicling my build but I will do my best at using descriptive language to fill in the gaps where there would normally be pictures.

[Metalshapes]

These are probably the oldest pics I have of my truck, so imagine if you will, this truck being stone stock. Silver rally wheels, 235/75/15 tires at stock ride height no tint, silver grille and headlight bezels, you get the idea. Upon getting the truck running with its new engine my wife to be asked an innocent question. "What are your plans for it?" I replied "Tint, Tires, and Tubes (exhaust)" Isn't that how they always start? I have a high school friend that just so happens to own a tint shop, so not even after a week in my possession the windows were tinted. That weekend I couldn't stand the silver rallys so they got sanded down and painted black. When I sold my GTA the new owner did not like my exhaust choice so I took the mufflers off and reinstalled the factory setup, that meant that I had a perfectly good pair of stainless steel MAC mufflers that were destined to go under the truck. I have been using the same exhaust guy since I was 16 so off to his shop we went and we bent up an h-pipe installed the mufflers through tailpipes and out the corners with stainless 3 1/2 Magnaflow exhaust tips. It sure sounds pretty, and best of all, no 2200 rpm drone like Flowmasters. It's been almost 2 weeks, I still haven't gotten my title in the mail and 2 of the 3 things I told my wife I was going to do are done, and by the way, my 275/60/15 BFGs will be at my shop on Monday.

[Metalshapes]

On a related side note, when I met my wife she worked at a convenience store about a mile up the road from my shop, I used to stop in every morning to get my drinks and what not, I didn't know it at the time that I had met my best friend. Mr. Land, it turned out, was a patron of my wife's as well, so this truck is something special to us both.

[crusty3030]

metalshapes great story my man. it's always nice to find people that care about there trucks and then finds someone to pass them on to that care as well. By any chance do you know the lowering kit height on?

[Metalshapes]

Thanks man, this is the start of my build thread so stay tuned and it will pick up momentum, I see a lot of threads on here and very few explain why this truck or how it came to be so I,m trying to make mine a little different, more personal if you will. The drop is a 5 1/2, 7 in as pictured

[RotaryRocketeer]

Cool story man. Sure wish I'd gotten mine for free!