My first truck I had before joining this wonderful community back in December 2020. I always wanted one of these trucks and although, when I got it, it was painted black. The last thing I will do is paint it. it looks good from a distance.
First thing I did was yoink the 327 and had it rebuilt. The wiring was a rat's nest so while that engine was being tore down, I went to work on the other things.
The truck had a plywood bed and tank behind the seat. Just kinda wrong for what i wanted. I definitely wanted more room in the cab and seats that would adjust for leg comfort. The gas tank relocation for me was the first thing to tackle. That went well. 8AN fittings all the way. No Apache emblems -- that will change.
I put in custom seats, carpet, steering column, new back window. I replaced vent assembly. Put in a long leaf pine bed. Replaced tailgate. Back bumper. Chrome instead of aluminum wheels. All wiring. It had front disc brakes with stock rears. (Still does.) Front leaf springs. radiator. M-22 Rockcrusher. Radio. Headliner. Exhaust.
Other than that, it's all stock -- rearend / differential, frame, driveshaft.
What is nice is that I can compare performance and driveability with the 1959 Panel (see my signature line for that story) which is exactly the same setup only with a M-20.
Here come the pictures.
