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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
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| | | | Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 874 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 874 | I was thinking the other day and wondering...who
was the first to put a small block chevy in an
Advance Design truck, when did they do it, and what were the circumstances.
Obviously it would be 1955 or later.
What do you think? | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | That's easy-Doane Spencer. It was installed in the Rod & Custome Dram Truck, which is a '50 Chevy. Spencer had purchased a new Bel Air in October of '54. Apperently, there was a porblem with the early 265s, and most of them were replaced. The dealers were instructed to have local scrpyards destroy the blocks, but Specer slipped the scrap deale $100 to get the engine. This is generally considered to be the first recorded smallblock swap. Here's a pic of one of the early incarnations of the truck. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=149228&d=1136077204 Don't let the cab fool you, it is a '50, but the chopped cab was a new (at the time ) '54 cab that Spencer ordered from the dealer specifically to chop so he could still drive the truck. At the time, it was his daily driver.
Bill Burmeister
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,897 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,897 | That's a nice looking truck... mostly! | | | | | Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 439 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 439 | Kinda neat.
well, original and different thats for sure.
-shrug- | | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,276 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,276 | I never liked those east coast customs.Have a lot of respect for builder like Big Daddy Ed Roth just don't care for their taste. But that is a cool piece of bowtie history. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 153 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 153 | They should teach this kind of history in school!Thanks for the lesson! | | | | | Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 324 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 324 | I wonder, what ever happened to that truck? | | | | | Joined: May 2005 Posts: 1,624 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2005 Posts: 1,624 | Not that I am anything like an expert, but as a street rodder and I'm into what they use to call "hop-ups". I always through Doane Spencer was a pure Ford man. A west coast guy at that. His claim to fame was a black and always black '32 roadster. If he ever built a Chevy of any kind it's news to me.
Six volt guy living in a twelve volt world
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2002 Posts: 3,440 Moderator - The Electrical Bay | | Moderator - The Electrical Bay Joined: Dec 2002 Posts: 3,440 | If one built a truck like that today, they might be crucified... yikes!!!
Another quality post.
Real Trucks Rattle
HELP! The Paranoids are after me!
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 874 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 874 | Longbox, Thanks for that info...interesting. What tranny did he use, did he keep the stock rear in it? If one built a truck like that today, they might be crucified... At least around here anyway! That is quite a homely truck in my opinion. To each his own though! | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | I'll have to look it up, I have an issue of R&C that has the article on it. I do know that the truck is still in existance, and it has been restored somewhat close to the third incarnation of the truck. Basically the same as the pic I posted, exept it's pearl white insted of Lime Gold. It currently has a 350/350 combo in it with the original 50's speed parts. It's also running a modified Corvair front suspension and a passenger car rear.
It almost met an ufortunate end in '59. Spencer was flat towing it to a show behind his '59 Fleetside when the tow vehicle had a blow-out on the rear. This resulted in the '59 flipping over, taking the Dream Truck with it. The cab got crushed pretty bad. The truck kind of bounced aroud the L.A. area for a few years after, with different people attemting to resurect it. Spencer had even considered trying to get it back himself, but every time he saw it, he just got dicouraged.
Bill Burmeister
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