The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Ugly Truck Beautification project

Anyone remember my 64 C10 affectionately known as, "Ugly Truck?"

[img]http://www.chevyasylum.com/64c10/64C10_047r4.jpg[/img]

That's what it looked like when I bought it. Then I did a little rat roddin on it:

[img]http://www.chevyasylum.com/64c10/20040403_26r4.jpg[/img]

That's "Coop" layin some stripes on it at the Rat Fink Reunion.

Well, the rusty old fenders started gettin to me...and besides, I already had a chrome bumper and grill ready to go in....so after I got my El Camino back on the road (new 3.73 posi rear end) I started in on the truck. After a day and a half here's where she sits:

[img]http://www.chevyasylum.com/64c10/64c10_111r4.jpg[/img]

Most of the metal is off the front and the bumper will be, just as soon as I finish fighting the rusted bumper bolts. Then the new stuff goes on: fenders, grill, bumper. Then we start on the motor with some hop-up stuff. I love spring...and I sure miss doin this stuff durin the winter.

Ray,

I wouldn't have termed it "ugly" to begin with. It started out looking better than mine does now.

Looks like you're making good headway.

Weather has been great, and I pulled off my hood pod fillers, headlight covers (eyebrows), and grill today. I was going to get real industrious and start sanding them down to the bare metal, priming, and painting... But, I got to thinking that these parts are the very ones I want to eventually replace with chrome... So, I did a "touch-up" job with fresh white paint, and called it good.

I'll put the work into the parts I'm planning on keeping.

Ray, what's your paint scheme going to be? It looks absolutely "devilish" in black and red.

Husker

the black paint with the red bumper and grill look cool.

-W

I'll be keeping the satin black and red theme. It's kind of a mirror of my El Camino, which it torch red with a black tonneau.

Anyway, I like the satin black rat rod thing. But the new grill and bumpers are chrome.

What the heck....if I don't like something, I can always change it.

Ray-

Nice work for a sweet old school look. Thumbs way up! I know it doesn't ring the bell for everyone, but I think it's cool bro.

As for "ugly," I think what was ugly about the truck when you bought it was the lack of care and attention. Do whatever you like, but do it! Don't let those rigs rust out, deteriorating out in the pasture.

Gotta go, the two hulks in the driveway are callin' my name!

I call trucks like in the first photo "a diamond in the rough". No such thing as an ugly old chevy truck!

Hey ChevyAsylum,

I have a REAL basic question. What is a "Rat Rod?" I've seen the term on several sites and even on those truck make-over shows on cable. What's the diffference between a rat rod and a hot rod?

PhatBoy: Thanks for the thumbs up. I'm just havin a whole lotta fun with it. I agree about savin the old ones. They ain't makin 'em no more...so we gotta save the ones we got.

Thirlwell: A rat rod is almost a "lifestyle concept" as well as a style of vehicle. Unfortunately it's gettin WAY overused. If ya remember back to the 50s and 60s and think of the "jalopies" and "kustom kars" that the kids we called "greasers" built and drove, that's pretty much the definition of rat rod.

For example, the satin black paint, red wheels, (forthcoming) baby moon hubcaps, beauty rings and wide whitewalls all fall into that retro category. But so do things like rockabilly music, "duck's [censored]" haircuts (that doesn't look good with white hair, btw) and t-shirts with the rolled-up sleeves and a pack of Pall Malls in one of 'em.

I think it's more of a statement that the "new-school" Coddington and Foose customs are WAY over the top and have probably far exceeded the original concept of hotrodding.

In my case, I prefer to build an old truck and keep the 292 motor (no computer-controlled EFI here), 2-50 air conditioning (as soon as I get the passenger window to roll down) and indian blanket seat cover. Don't need no custom leather interior, no Vintage Air and so on. I just want a fun old truck like what I grew up with...and one that I can still drive all year round...and without a quarter-million dollars' worth of insurance on it.

Sorry for the rant...but that's my take (and reason) on rat rods. Btw, there's no billet stuff on my truck, neither.

I agree with ya in principle....but there are a coupla reasons that truck got its name. First, me darlin bride objected strenuously (maybe that's too mild a description) to my original proposal for a license plate: "PEE CUP". It was available, too. I think she mentioned something about sleeping in the truck if I got that plate...I'm tryin to forget that discussion.

The other reason is that me neighbor HATES my old Chevys and the truck in particular. No, he's not a F**d or M*p*r guy, he just thinks everyone should have little white jelly-bean cars and put them in the garage so nobody can see them. In short, the guy's a jerk. He reported my truck as an "abandoned vehicle" within 4 hours of my bringing it home. So now that it's licensed and legal, I usually park it in front of his house, just to [censored] him off. I bleeve he hates the idea of anyone havin fun with old cars or trucks...and seein mine on the street just eats away at him.

So "Ugly Truck" is a term of endearment in my eyes and an eyesore in his. Seems to fit all the needs.

Hey, Ray

Way to go, bro'! I can't wait to see your latest pics with the new grill, etc.!

Sure is fun, ain't it?

It's lotsa fun, Alan. Lotta work but a lotta fun. I feel pretty lucky to be able to "play with my toys."

I should have pics of the new shiny stuff here in a coupla daze. I've been fightin with the bumper bolts (I found that the best way to remove them is tighten the hell out of them with an impact wrench until they break)...just a couple more to go.

I can only work for 20 or 30 minutes at a time and then I run outta breath. So I'll go back and try to get the last ones removed and the brackets cleaned and primed tonite. Then a coat of paint and the sparkly bits will start gettin bolted on.

go to the parts store and get some "pb blaster".it will make those bolts come off much easier.

Those bumper bolts had already been hit 3 times with PBlaster...and still had to be snapped off. They wuz stubborn!

It's ready for some Rustoleum and boltin back together.

It's my opinion that rat rods were white trash rods in the very beginning. They've come full circle.

But anything can become a fad and get totally outta control. Look at cruisers. A few years ago there weren't a whole lotta cars at cruises in this area. Now they're mobbed by guys who buy resto-rods from clone shops at outrageous prices and then expect to (and sometimes do) take home the trophies...without ever turning a wrench.

But then I doubt that Robert Hirohata ever turned a wrench on the Mercury that the Barris brothers built for him and it collected a fair abount of hardware. I guess some things never change.

The "rat rod" idea sounds kind of like what I'm going for in my '61. It's my first project, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm a hands-on type. So, outside of coaching and mentoring, I want to do the work myself. It probably won't look as nice, definitely won't be as fancy, but it'll be mine. I want the smile on my face to come not only because she has "style" but also because I earned every scraped knuckle, bruised joint, sanded finger tip, and bump on the head that went with getting her and keeping her on the road.

Had an opportunity to buy a cherried-out '57 chevy stepside a couple of months ago. Paint was gorgeous, drove like a dream, but I knew I'd have more fun and satisfaction fixing my own than buying one already done.

Okay, I'm off my soap box. It's a great truck, Ray. When mine is ready to hit I-15, maybe we'll cruise up and say "hi."

Husker

I'm like you, Hukster. I keep thinking, if I ever get "finished" with my truck, I'll HAVE TO get another one and go from the frame up!

This is way too rewarding!!!

I think I am afflicted with the same disease as Husker.

-W

Keep at it Ray, you will "get er done". I've been working on mine on and off (more off than on) for almost 3 years now. I have the bed off of the truck and I recently painted the bed and it looks great. Hopefully I will have the rest of the truck done soon and will post pics. I have done all of the work myself and that is what makes it so rewarding.

The "keep at 'er" thing is ever-so true.

I've been doin that with my El Camino for about 6 years:

[img]http://www.chevyasylum.com/80elky/80Elky1.jpg[/img]

This is what it looked like after I cleaned it up and put new wheels and tires on it shortly after purchase. I got it for $400 cuz it had been sittin in a field for 9 years with a blown tranny.

[img]http://www.chevyasylum.com/80elky/071303_23r4.jpg[/img]

After a little work (6 years worth) it looks fairly nice....and runs like a raped ape. (Whatever that is.) Yeah...I'm vaguely familiar with the "keep at it" methodology.

Nice, although I kinda prefer the other grill you had on the elco.

no chevy is ugly !no matter how un loved it is as I tell my mentally challanged **** loving buddy I'D RATHER EAT WORMS THAN DRIVE A ****