1964 Chevy Shortbed - Son's 1st Truck

When reminiscing about our first vehicles, some of us have tales of woe. Others are fortunate to drive very cool rides as soon as they get their license.

Such is the case for Jacob Smith, a 16-year-old whose first truck is light-years beyond nice. When we asked his dad Dan why he and Jake built the PPG 2-stage Black beauty '64 Chevy shortbed, Dan simply replied, "It's my son's first truck."

Five years ago, Dan bought four '64 Chevy trucks from the horror flick What Lies Beneath. He traded three of the longbeds for one shortbed and kept the other longbed for his wife, Kimberly. Father and son wasted no time in taking apart the shortbed and sandblasting the frame. They utilized Classic Performance Products 2-inch drop spindles and a 1 1/8-inch sway bar and Doetch Tech front shocks to renew the stock IFS. Improving the steering and stopping came by adding '70 Chevy-truck disc brakes and the '70's power-steering unit. CPP 4-inch lower rear springs and 2-inch lowering blocks brought the tail down nicely, especially since the rear wheels were moved back 1.25 inches to center in the wells. The restored 10-bolt differential received CPP custom disc brakes and new Doetch Tech shocks in addition to a NASCAR-style 7/8-inch-diameter rear sway bar. D&J blew apart the mocked-up chassis and applied PPG's DP90 to all appropriate frame components.

Selected for reliable daily driving duties, D&J installed a '03 Chevy Performance RamJet 350ci crate engine within the enhanced front framerails. A 1,900-stall converter and No Limit Engineering trans cooler-improved '80s 700-R4 trans was rebuilt to back the 350-horse engine. Apart from the No Limit-installed one-piece side windows, father and son performed most of the Chevy's bodywork. Chief among their masterful metal massaging, they removed the stock fuel filler and made a custom bedbox. After all the exterior panels fit spot on, the hobbyists artfully applied the PPG 2-stage Black paint job, achieving bodyman-black perfection.

Before D&J took the pickup to the auto trimmer, they modified the stock wiring harness to wire the truck with all its custom additions. They installed a Rockford Fosgate CD/DVD/MP3 player, complete with a 9-inch video screen, two JL Audio 300-watt amps, a JL Audio 500-watt amp, four JL Audio 6.5-inch subwoofers within their custom-crafted enclosure behind the seat, and two 6.5-inch Diamond speakers in custom-made kick panels beneath the dash. From the outside, Jake's '64 shortbed looks like an extremely well-restomoded ride. Upon further inspection one appreciates all the custom work that went into the creation of the Chevy. Superior fit and finish, attention to detail, and nuance are all elements that comprise the best custom classic pickups. Jake and Dan's '64 Chevy 1/2-ton is an emphatic example of a most worthy CCT cover truck. And that, gracious readers, speaks volumes.