76 Chevy pickup convertible rat

[4chevyman]

I started fixing up this 76 Chevy longbed that my dad bought in 1977. It had been sitting dormant for years when drug it out of my parent's yard. I purchased an 85 cab and went to hacking. I transplanted the floorpan, rockers, and cab corners from the donor cab. I even fixed the 76 to accept the 85 front cap. Then, on Apr. 27, 2011, disaster struck-----F4 tornado did this:

The only damage the pines did was to the roof. I could have fixed it, but I have always wanted a convertible, so this past weekend I did a little surgery.

I plan to move the rear axle closer to the cab, cut the front fenders even with the firewall, leaving the motor open. I haven't seen too many of these trucks given the rat treatment, let me know what you think!

 

[Bamamav]

Looks like the Big'un cleared that hill side off nicely! That was a bad day, had a small one drop down right over my house, but didn't touchdown for another 1/2 mile or so, and then tore up the town of Berry a bit.

As for the truck, only suggestion I would have is don't try and use a narrow grill shell in front. The cab is too wide for the early narrow type shells, and will look out of proportion. Look at lots of pics to get an idea, and go for it! [P
Not every build suits everybody else, just suit yourself and be happy!

 

[Dirtyrat]

Well, lets see where this goes [P[P[P

 

[maddog1949]

like the truck, this will be different .

 

[Ezheimers]

This Will Be A Nice Ride.... We B Watchin'...

 

[4chevyman]

Looks like the Big'un cleared that hill side off nicely! That was a bad day, had a small one drop down right over my house, but didn't touchdown for another 1/2 mile or so, and then tore up the town of Berry a bit.

As for the truck, only suggestion I would have is don't try and use a narrow grill shell in front. The cab is too wide for the early narrow type shells, and will look out of proportion. Look at lots of pics to get an idea, and go for it! [P
Not every build suits everybody else, just suit yourself and be happy!

Yeah Bamamav, It made one bad mess. Luckily we bugged out bout 30 mins. before it hit. Right now I'm cleaning out my shop to make room for my project. I want to reduce the length of the thing, so I thought about cutting the frame in front of the front spring hanger and stacking that on top of the frame behind the cab. It would be about a 10" section that was stacked. There is a crossmember that would be on top, so I thought I could remove the rivets and bolt the frame sections together. Along with some welding, I think it will be strong enough (I won't really hauling anything). Has anybody seen this done before?

 

[05snopro440]

Yeah Bamamav, It made one bad mess. Luckily we bugged out bout 30 mins. before it hit. Right now I'm cleaning out my shop to make room for my project. I want to reduce the length of the thing, so I thought about cutting the frame in front of the front spring hanger and stacking that on top of the frame behind the cab. It would be about a 10" section that was stacked. There is a crossmember that would be on top, so I thought I could remove the rivets and bolt the frame sections together. Along with some welding, I think it will be strong enough (I won't really hauling anything). Has anybody seen this done before?

Bolting in a main crossmember isn't a good idea. It should either be welded or riveted to stay together correctly. Bolted connections are never as tight as riveted.

Also, if you're stacking the frame you'll need to plate the connection to make it stronger.

 

[4chevyman]

I was planning on welding some plate to connect the frames together. I guess I'll have to notch the frame on the bottom to accept the rivet heads from the crossmember. Thanks for the advice!

 

[sgtpontiac]

very nice.....but hey I like late models....lol

This is absolutely "if life gives you lemons, you make lemonade"...so far looks very good and some interesting concepts.....[P[P

 

[Old Iron]

Looks like a lot of fun to me [P [P