G'day Shane,
Awesome truck mate!! I love what you have done with Big Bertha.
I have also just completed the same conversion to my '50 COE over here in Sydney, Australia. I used a 1976 C30 chassis etc, power comes from a 500" Cadillac, 3speed TH400, 9" centre grafted into the C30 rear end. We used an Aussie built(GM Holden) truck body for the dual cab graft - suicided the rare doors and a mid 70's XC Falcon (Aussie built) station wagon roof section to fill out the roof area. I also grafted in a right hand drive '59 Chevy passenger car dash complete with Dakota Digital gauges and a Flaming River column.
I originally brought the cab out from Calif some 9 years ago and its been an 8 year build. The ride from the C30 chassis is unreal. It hit the road 12 months ago and at the moment it's my daily driver.
I waiting on a 1956 GMC 100 pickup to come in from Calif and I will use it for my daily driver if it checks out OK. I will use the COE on weekends and to tow the race car to the track.
The truck took out a Top Ten spot out of 506 Hotrods and Customs at a Rock & Roll - Show & Shine Festival over this past weekend. It certainly generated a lot of interest as it is the only road going COE here - although there are a few coming in now and under construction.
The COE's were never available in the Aussie market back in the 40's and 50's so to have one here is vary rare.
I am from New Zealand originally but have lived in Oz now for the past 26 years- I'm 53 now, and ever since I was a teenager, I have loved everything American - especially old trucks. My first car in NZ was a 55 chevy 4 door sedan and then a 56 Chevy pickup. I have owned and brought out many American cars, restored them, hotrodded them and still own a fair number of them. You guys over there don't know how lucky you are to have all that material there at your fingertips.
We would give our right arm and left testical to be in your shoes. We are mad about old US Iron and anything to do with the nostalgia scene.
I have a link to my pics of my cars and toys - take a look and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed taking a look at your Big Bertha.
Regards
Harry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94367471@N07/
