Pops 383

Not so much my story, but my grandfather’s.  He raced NASCAR in the ’50s and ’60s and was a GM tech for 60 years.  He bought this truck new in ’81.  I was born in ’83, so I’ve literally grown up with the truck.  Unfortunately he passed away a few months ago at the age of 86.

It has TPI 383 he put in it around 1992.  Over the last few years it has sat and he wouldn’t let me bring it back to life.  He’d tell me that I needed to save money and not worry about his “old” truck, but he would always cave in and we would go wrench on it a little at a time as he couldn’t really be up long because it really wore him out.  The last year, he would just watch and let me keep it running.  He left it to me but I still don’t call it mine.  It still needs work just like an 41 year old truck would, but that’s ok because he right there with me still, everytime I pop that hood.