Being proud owners of a Norman Rockwell, small acreage setting in Karns, Tennessee which consisted of a five room house with a big front porch and a huge oak tree. I decided I would like to find an old truck. Just a simple farm truck with no frills would meet my needs; one to haul hay for our animals and fertilizer for our huge garden.
Since my dad was close by and retired, as well as experienced at working on old cars, I turned to him to help. The next thing I knew we were on our way to Ivey, South Carolina to check out a 1953, five window Chevy truck, a treasure rusting in a salvage yard! When we returned, my mother was not as enthusiastic about the project as my dad and me, but now that the project is finished, she is quite pleases with the result.
We set about our project down restoration lane! Excitement grew when we planned a simple original farm truck; not too hard. When we sand blasted the body we discovered so many holes in the sheet metal we nicknamed the truck “Lacy”. There was a large hole in the floor board and you could actually see the ground. Although the old truck was all there and relatively straight, the thought of restoring it back to original, was soon discarded in favor of upgrading to current standards.
In as much as the original 6 cylinder engine was stuck, and the suspension and brakes were worn out, we opted to install a GM 5.7 engine, an automatic 700 R4 transmission, Mustang 11 front suspension, rack and pinion power steering, Ford explorer rear axle and 4 wheel disc brakes.
With the help and assistance of LMC, we were able to replace all the deteriorated sheet metal as well as replacing the instruments, windshield wipers, with electric motor, glass and other miscellaneous parts.
Although the project has stretched out longer than originally planned, I am extremely happy and proud, and the grandchildren are all looking forward to driving it, and keeping it in the family.