Classic Truck Performance

When it comes to the year ranges for the trucks we feature, since we started out back in 2020 we’ve capped off our coverage (tech- and feature-wise) at 1998. On the opposite end, however, that’s always been kind of a gray area as far as how early we go back; 1940s … late ’30s? Since our sister publication Modern Rodding can and will devote pages to early trucks, we don’t want to step on their toes, as for the most part, the majority of those are “hot rods” with pickup beds! So, to nail down a hard cutoff date is kind of hard, but let’s just say for practical purposes, once the fenders start getting more curvy than flat (mid-’30s and up), we’ll shine some CTP light on them ……

1. INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION KITS BY SCOTT’S HOTRODS ’N CUSTOMS Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs independent front suspension (IFS) kits are available for any vehicle from 1925-87. These built-to-order IFS kits feature a one-piece crossmember, tubular upper and lower A-arms, CNC adjustable upper A-arm rod ends, Aldan American single-adjustable coilovers, 11-inch plain vented rotors, single-piston GM calipers, and a manual rack-and-pinion. Scott’s Hotrods offers the MOST upgrade options, which include, but are not limited to, Wilwood disc brakes, sway bars, coilovers, motor mounts, custom track width, and ride height. Maybe you want to lay frame and the answer to that is the Scott’s SuperSlam IFS. Instead of coilovers, the SuperSlam IFS features Slam Specialties Bags and Ridetech HQ single-adjustable shocks. Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs designs, engineers, and manufactures the most complete…

It was back in 2011, I believe, that my cranky old buddy John Jackson first (photographically) introduced me to Jason Graham Hot Rods with not one but three of Graham’s uniquely styled early Ford hot rods—which ultimately landed themselves on the cover of Rod & Custom magazine (RIP). Not long after (2017), I had the pleasure of editorializing the stunning “Sexy Blonde” 1940 Merc custom in Street Rodder (RIP), but following those initial builds, I watched as Graham’s style began to progress—especially as he started messing with classic trucks during that same time period. I believe it was Todd Williams’ 1961 Ford Unibody (now owned by Kent Matranga and also another of Graham’s cover-quality achievements) that really caught my attention and showed what real versatility Graham possessed. More classic commercial…

I think even from the beginning we always knew that we wanted to flush mount the glass in the truck. It was a series of modifications that I wanted to hold off on for quite a while, though, for a few different reasons. I didn’t want to get into it right away just in case the project took a turn early on. The bed, engine bay, hood, and various other panels and modifications seemed to be far more important to get done “early” on in the build. The last thing I would want is for the project to stall and you need custom glass just to seal up your truck [laughs]. Another reason is that I didn’t actually know the best way to do it. You don’t really see these…

We’ve all marveled over the truck builds unveiled by Premier Street Rod in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and that trend continues with the release of its latest 1957 Chevy pickup project. With other showstopping builds under their belts, Ross Logsdon and his talented team at Premier have proceeded to apply the same winning recipe to past Chevy 3100 legends, such as “Sonic,” “Patron,” “Sinister 56,” and “Snow White,” but introduced a secret ingredient to shake things up a bit with the creation of this ’57. Premier’s customer Rob Chesson had just one request: to receive a Pro Touring–style Task Force pickup that was a little different than the rest. Aside from featuring the same insane level of badassery, each of the aforementioned 3100s built by Premier have all been outfitted…

(Footnote regarding the initial decision NOT to use Flaming River’s updated Type 2 power steering pump kit: The OE pump (reservoir) not only created cramped quarters for the steering linkage and plumbing, but the worn-out pump itself didn’t put out sufficient pressure, thus creating an overly sensitive steering situation. We followed up shortly thereafter by installing the new pump and, wouldn’t you know it, newtruck steering response! We’ll cover that in part 2.) Back in February of 2022, we introduced you to Flaming River’s direct bolt-in 1967-72 C10 cradle-mount rackand-pinion kit that we installed in a 1969 SWB … with overwhelming results (ease of installation topped by vastly improved steering response/driveability). So, when the opportunity arose to test out their recently released cradle kit for the 1973-87 Chevy/GMC (PN FR318NC),…