76 Chevy Cheyenne - Restomod -

[wildmanaaron]

Decided to share a little about a build I am currently working on now. I picked up what appeared to be a decent 1976 Chevrolet Cheyenne 2WD SWB truck from Alabama. I love the colors on this truck and the tiger woodgrain that came on the early 73-76 trucks in the interior. The bedsides were pretty nice, along with the tailgate, front fenders and the hood. I knew the rockers were very rusty along with the bed floor. At the time, I also figured it would need the kick panels possibly replaced. Of course the red interior was pretty rough, and when I got home to remove the carpeting I found a lot of surface rust.

She ran and drove decently so I decided to do a mild static drop using using CPP spindles, 1.5" lowering springs, and a shackle/hanger kit. The American Racing wheels that were on it definitely had to go for something more "hip" like a set of steel wheels with some original hubcaps. After searching car-part and eBay, I was finally able to get a set of Dodge 20" steel wheels, tires, adaptors and the yellow bowtie hub caps to add a little extra to the look of the truck. After getting some adaptors and then struggling to modify the VW clips to install the caps and making my own template, I was successful in getting them all installed.

I began sourcing parts for what I wanted to be a relatively stock exterior and interior with a better handling, slightly modified suspension and with a killer engine bay!

[Dads79GMC]

Looking forward to pictures!! Mike

[wildmanaaron]

I attempted to wait as long as I could to tear into the old truck. I had four LS engines sitting around in various conditions and with winter approaching I decided to start the transformation from cool beater to a modernized cruiser!

All was good until the carpet was removed, along with the firewall pad and everyting behind the dash. Even though the cab was pretty solid, it had some major rust damage on the bottom of the firewall on the inside, that led me to begin searching for a better cab.

A few months later I happened to get lucky and claim this "donor" not far from me in northern TN (from a fellow LEO also) for a solid cab to work with. Honestly though, what sold me with this $450 buy was the MINT front correct 76 grill it had. I was also very happy to see all the "junk" that came with the truck in the cab as well as in the bed, which was completely full of anything from unused road flares to a tote full of new Jersey gloves. Upon cleaning out the cab, I was also able to salvage some new Sharpie markers, carpenter pencils, and enough change to buy lunch for myself and my helper for the day!

[aggie91]

I'm gonna tag along on this one. That donor parts truck would be cool to lower and drive too!

[LT7A]

This build sounds cool. How's it going?

[mingoman]

I'm in, I have a weakness for Cheyenne trucks. The dash in your parts truck good? I've got dibs on it if it is lol!

[BIGglaSS]

Originally Posted by wildmanaaron

After searching car-part and eBay, I was finally able to get a set of Dodge 20" steel wheels, tires, adaptors and the yellow bowtie hub caps to add a little extra to the look of the truck. After getting some adaptors and then struggling to modify the VW clips to install the caps and making my own template, I was successful in getting them all installed.

I'm intrigued by this. Do you have pictures after the install?