The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk didn't introduce myself

hello all my name is mike i have a 1959 gmc longbed stepside with a v8 and right now a 4 speed truck tranny that has pretty much 2 granny gears, i just got the truck for $1100 and drove it home witch was about 350 miles away and it did fine. I am going to make it a good daily driver i can take to swap meets. I want to lower it as much as i can with no frame mods using a straight axle.I would also like to be able to pull at least a fully loaded 1 car trailer i also have a 61 buick, witch thanks to a brake problem no e brake and a brick wall at about a whopping 10 miles an hour is know a parts car with a 401 nailhead in it witch i was thinking of using in the 59 gmc truck and maybe even put the buick port holes on the side of the gmc hood.

A little about me: I'm 23 work at a hotrod shop in spring texas where i mostly do paint and body, but also chassi fabrication and the best part puting it all together, I went to school at wyotech thanks to my good old pops. He got me into cars at a young age. He has 2 56 chevy cars and an original 54 corvette with a straight six, with brings us to my main passion straight sixs.

I am building a 1940 chevy truck hotrod. just the cab pretty much. I am making the frame with 2x4 tubing, using a 37 caddy grill and a custom made bed and of course a hiperformance inline 6 with a t5 and quick change 1940 forg rearend.

Well i guess thats about it. any questions

Welcome aboard Mike. You'll fit in real good here. Before someone else beats me to it we're all gonna want to see some pics of your truck so when you get the chance go for it.
Have a question for you. What is your overall opinion of WyoTech and which campus did you attend. My 16 year old is leaning in that direction and would appreciate any pros and cons you can provide. In case you haven't noticed as yet, there are a lot of other Texans here so expect a to hear from them.

Welcome, Mike.

Bruce is right about there being a fair amount of Texas folk around here. So you are in good company, 'course you would be in the same good company no matter where you call home--even Australia--just kiddin', all you fellers Down Under.

Spring TX. I guess we are neighbors Mike. I live just north of Klein High. Sounds like you have a good project going. Post some pics for us to admire.

Houston54 your to close not to come see the rodshop. Have you even heard of bruces rod shop. I'm sure you have been to so-cal we are right behind them. Comeby any time from 8:00-5:30 on weekdays and i'll give ya grand tour of hotrod heaven.

the famous wyotech here goes, the full store. If you go to learn its great but ther not just going to teach you you have to show them that you really want it. ther are 30 students in every class and 2 teachers. The teachers are so used to having kids that really don't care that much or ther just so stupid its not worth the time to try to teach them But the 7 or 8 kids they grasp on to have so much to learn. just tell your kid that he has to realy want to do this for a living, it's not all fun and games, and actualy alot of it down right sucks. I had alot of fun at wyotech, the best 15 months of my life for a hard to shoulder $30,000 its not time to play around with. Ther are alot of distractions in laramie wyoming witch is the campus i went to because it was the only one in 2001 and it was still called wyoming technical institute, now i guess ther are hundredes with the new airplane schools.If your kid gives into peer presure, laramie is the worsts place to send him. Car guys are some of the nicest people you will every meet but ther are also alot of them that are just plan evil. when i was ther drug use was just out of control i mean it semed that every one in class but the luckey 7 or 8 were stoned or hungover. Don't get me wrong i know how to have a good time and can party with the best of them but ther is a time and a place and the classroom is not the place, ecspecialy since the class is a shop. A shop that has every thing you could posible ever need, its like a dream when you first get ther, the shop and all the projects would blow away most seasoned vets. Every thing was state of the art but they still have time to teach the good old stuff like leading, choping tops, sectioning bodies, suicide doors, frenching you can do anything you want after you get all the needed cridits. After learning all the basics, witch not all people every finish, youare left with about 3 weeks to work on your own project, i hade a 1950 gmc long bed and in 3 weeks i was able , with 1 other guys, chop my top suicide the doors box the frame, step notch the rear and make a custome ifs, the only thing i did not make on the ifs was the mustang 2 balljoints and sleeves, and finaly i set it up for air bags. To give you an idea of how good whytech can be, before i went i had never even touched a welder before or ever done any fabrication and the only paint i every sprayed was rattle bomb. 2 weeks before i graduated rod shops were calling me, and know i work in one of the best shops in texas, and have got to meet hotrod and custom legends, its a dream come true.

So if you stay focused and can make it through all the crap your dreams can come true. Like the comercials say wyotech changed me and my life.

Mike, many thanks for the view of WyoTech from the trenches. My son starts his senior year in HS in a few weeks so will see which side of the fence he falls on about a year from now. Am sure he would have a future in the automotive business if he "focused" his efforts in that direction.