When was the last time you met a vintage custom truck owner who is 121 years old? Until today, the answer is probably never. That's a bit of a trick question.
The registered owner of a rapacious-red '38 Chevy called TQ Truck is rolling stock manufacturer, repairer, and distributor, Stockton Wheel Service of Stockton, California. One doesn't usually think of a business being the caretaker for something as cool as a vintage pickup. An old truck is apt to have such a rich history, with various caretakers over the years using it for what could be work in the oil fields of Long Beach, a horse ranch in Texas, or say, some orange groves in Florida. Compared to the robust history of Stockton Wheel Service, TQ Truck doesn't have the years of use to measure up. As a righteous hot-rod hauler, TQ Truck definitely makes the grade.
Four years ago, Stockton Wheel Service's owner, Frank Mauro, Jr., was given the running original '38 Chevy 1/2-ton as a gift from a local storage yard. Not long after, he lined up some shops to help him transform the truck into a shiny street rod. Jim Meyer Racing Products (JMRP) of Lincoln City, Oregon, completely boxed the original framerails. Comprised of Camaro spindles and ball joints with tubular A-arms, they added a JMRP IFS. Front and rear ventilated discs also came from JMRP; they're '70-'81 Camaro calipers and rotors. To give an adjustable and smooth ride to the Chevy, Strokers Rod & Custom (SR&P) of Ripon, California, utilized Air Ride Technologies ShockWave airbags at both ends, and installed the Dutchman Motorsports Ford 9-inch third member and 31-spline axles. When the chassis was all together, Strokers disassembled the foundation, painted it Sikkens Viper Red, reassembled the chassis, and fitted the disc brakes.
With a first-class foundation in place, nothing less than formidable forward propulsion would do for powering the pickup. Frank purchased a GM 350 Ramjet EFI crate engine, which Roger Segaar of SR&P fastidiously installed. A 700-R4 transmission from Bow Tie Overdrives was installed to receive the engine's energy and transfer it back to the driveshaft and drive wheels.
Making the exterior as nice as the now-running chassis was left to the talented hands of Roger and crew at SR&P. Every inch of the vintage metal was coaxed back into prime condition before Roger laid on the Sikkens Viper Red topcoats of paint. SR&P fashioned a custom aluminum grille. Hank's Custom Stepside Beds of Hemet, California, provided the pickup bed. Once all the exterior panels were fabricated and painted, SR&P painstakingly put the pickup back together.
Before the owner could transport the truck to the trim shop, Roger wired Haneline Premier instruments with a Ron Francis wiring kit and installed them in the modified and painted steel dashboard. Dante's Modern Auto Top in Stockton, California, modified the stock Chevy bench seat using wood and foam. They trimmed the custom bench in tan tweed and tan leather, and called a close to the pickup's construction by covering the floor in cocoa brown wool carpet.
Stockton Wheel Service's mighty TQ Truck took a mere four years to build. Thanks to the efforts of many craftsmen, combined with the right mix of street-rod components and friends Jerry Slattery and Bobby Pulido, the little red hauler is a perfect running business card for a revered company in our hobby. Though TQ Truck wears a brilliant Viper Red shade of Resale Red, somehow we don't think Frank Mauro, Jr. will be selling the pickup anytime soon. Maybe 120-odd years from now he might consider it.