The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk My truck is too skinny

I've read that the Advance Design truck cabs were widened 8" from the previous generation. While this may be fine for the smaller pickups, looking at the front of my '53 6400, given the height, it seems out of proportion. I think they should have added another 8" or so in width. Using the magic of computer photo manipulation, I did just that to my truck to see what it would look like. You can see some pictures here (I hope that link works).

Any opinions? Am I whacko to even consider doing something like this for real?? It'd be tons of work. I originally figured I'd fix up this truck as is (fairly stock), but I just can't seem to leave well enough alone, and I keep coming up with nutso ideas on how to modify the thing. :rolleyes:

A wide cab Chevrolet looks neat.You could buy a Heavy Duty GMC, back then, with a wider cab.

Whacko, nutso, maybe, unless you're one heckuva body man! Sounds kinda like you and Chip Foose should get together. Maybe taking about 2 1/2 inches outta the top would bring it back into proportion (for you). Personally, being a big bolt owner myself, I think they are dead-on right from the factory. Big Bolts are something special, save the mods for the smaller trucks.

I think it looks awesome!

Looks good to me. I met a Danbury, CT man who widened his fenders 3" by inserting a section of another fender. This was done to accomodate a '71 4wd frame under his '48 canopy express. Looked good.

GREAT JOB wish i was more of a computer person. is there a way to manipulate tire and wheel combos on the computer? i have a didgital camera. ron

Tom at Tommy's Trailers has already done that. He widened his '51 GMC COE to make it work better on a late model chassis. I sounds like a lot of work.

[img]http://www.tommystrailers.com/Bertha_4.jpg[/img]

My 46 cab is the same size, but I widened my fenders 8 inches. Have a look here and if you want to see more pics of the work in progress go to my photo album.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sublime589/album?.dir=d9d2

I had thought of chopping the top a little, but my head comes awfully close to the roof as it is. With that stiff suspension, traveling down a bumpy road, my head might end up like Herman Munster's.

I know Foose did that 52 GMC Overhaulin' project, but i'd like to see what he could/would do with a big bolt.

I had also thought of just widening the fenders so I could fit in a wider front axle. I think just widening the front track (and maybe rear) would be an improvement, in both appearance and handling. It almost seems like there is enough room in the fenders as it is to widen the axle 6" or so with no tire clearance problems.

Ron, it should be possible to try out different wheel/tire combos on the computer. I've thought of trying that myself, but I've never gotten around to it. I'm no expert at this, and the program I have is an obsolete Adobe program that came free with one of my peripherals. I've run across something easier, though, but I haven't tried it yet, either. Go to 1010tires.com and try their "Custom Car Wizard". You can upload a picture of your vehicle into their program and try out any of the wheels they sell.

I probably won't end up doing any significant body mods on my truck. I would like to try to shoehorn a new Duramax diesel into the engine compartment though.

Yep, you're nuts.

I'm planning to drop a big bolt cab and fenders on a P30 frame. The P30 track width is about 8 inches too wide, and I haven't decided if the answer is to narrow the track or widen the fenders.

I'm also thinking I need an extended cab, but that's making it longer, not wider, so I'm not nuts like you.

Tommy's truck looks like he used a Suburban roof, and maybe second window. Does anyone know the details of his modifications?

I know he widened it 22" and it looks good up close.

thanks xram 53 i went to the site but have don't time now to play with it, getting ready to got to work. also need to take a side shot of the truck. snowing now not the best time. thanks again. ron

Tabasco:

That's a crazy looking COE - I like it.

are there other pictures/info of it on the web?

-W

See Tommy's COE here on his site.

He's also got a Chevy COE for sale here.

Wow! Great COE there! And on an Isuzu chassis, my favorite! Wonder if the COE list knows about this one? I'm gonna tell!

I think Tommy's truck would look alot better if he had somehow used the orig. grille, & bumper, on that truck. As it is now, if you don't look at it good, & not really familiar with these trucks, you don't recognize what it used to be.

O.K. xram, now you're talkin'! Duramax diesel?
AWESOME!!! You could turn this thing into a real work horse. If you can add some width to the front axle enough to fit the tires into the fenders a little tighter it might make the truck look a little wider. Maybe Alcoa makes some aluminum wheels that'll fit, (duals in the rear) it might look like a downsized semi tractor, maybe some chrome stacks.

Chrome stacks and aluminum wheels?? Somebody's been reading my mind.

I was playing with my photo program again. I added a picture to my gallery showing some (crudely drawn) exhaust stacks.

I was going to start another thread, but I may as well ask here, since it was brought up--exhaust stacks on a big bolt: cool or tacky...(or something else)?

Cletis, is that the same truck that we saw in Decatur last yr?? and wasn't it for sale,,,Fred

We be Old: If you need an image manipulated or restored just go to my site. link below.

Yep Fred, that's the one. It was at the meet in Fort worth in Nov. also.

Spanky, I know what you mean. The first time I saw it I had to stare a bit to figure out what it was. A real mind bender.

The first time I saw that COE, my first thought was, someone ruined a perfectly good COE. Yes, it has been For Sale before, & I'm a firm believer that it's "Radical" looks, are keeping it from selling. Xram53, the '47-'55 GMC 400, 450, & 470 series trucks, had wider wheelbases than the Chevrolets, which called for them to have larger, wider, fenders.

xram,
I have the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton pickups drawn on AutoCAD and that how I paly with different ride heights and wheel combo's. Its just a line drawing, but it works pretty well. I like the stock wheels and hubcaps, but its easy to draw any of the custom wheels and place them in there. All I need is a picture of the wheels to look at.
Ralph