Vintage custom trucks are like fingerprints-no two are exactly alike. There are always going to be hobbyists who copy a trendsetting truck. One might see similar examples crop up, but builders will always add their own touches.
Marty Scott of Fuquay-Vacina, North Carolina, wanted to create a hot rod hauler like no other out of his '71 Chevy pickup. He began mentally building the Bow Tie by borrowing customizing ideas from pickups he'd seen in magazines and at shows and adding his creativity to the mix. Roger Belinger of T&R Hot Rod Shop in Apex, North Carolina, couldn't believe Marty had so many radical plans for the pickup. The Shop is much more accustomed to building old-school customs.
T&R began construction by replacing the spindles with 2-inch drop Belltechs and equipping the Chevy with Powerslot disc brakes. They removed the original rear axle in favor of a Ford 9-inch, which received an improved and adjustable ride via Air Ride Technologies airbags. A '71 Chevy disc brake conversion enhanced stopping power in the back. Behind the differential, T&R installed its custom 20-gallon stainless steel fuel cell. After plumbing the brakes and fuel lines with stainless steel pipes, hoses, and fittings, the chassis was disassembled for an electric blue covering of powdercoat.
With the chassis bright blue, brilliant stainless, and back together, T&R addressed the Bow Tie's bodywork. Per Marty's wishes, they filled the tailgate and blocked in a sheetmetal Bow Tie opening for the cab's rear window. Much metal-massaging, sanding, primering, and block-sanding ensued before the crew laid down the PPG custom-mixed green topcoats. Augie of Augie's Artworks added the none-like-it graphics.
Since Marty prefers the '67...
Since Marty prefers the '67 Chevy pickup's grille, his Bow Tie sports a chromed '71 Chevy truck front bumper with a '67 Chevy truck nose. The hood's also from a '67.
The owner, Marty Scott, is...
The owner, Marty Scott, is not a fat rat, but his truck is called 1 FAT RAT and is powered by same, hence the name and graphics. A contractor by trade, the C10 was Marty's work truck.
The power '98 Cadillac Seville...
The power '98 Cadillac Seville bucket seats were trimmed by T&R in bright blue leather and twilight blue tweed. Notice the enormous Blaupunkt speaker behind the passenger seat.
If you guessed that the dashboard...
If you guessed that the dashboard came from a '55 DeSoto, you know your cars as well as you do custom classic Chevy trucks. A B&M shifter makes for easy shifting of the saucy TCI Automotive TH400 trans. In the custom center console is a JVC KD-AVXI CD/stereo head unit. The steering wheel is a Trenz Billet item.
The craftsmen at T&R also...
The craftsmen at T&R also created the custom door panels, which house Blaupunkt speakers, leather trim, and Heartbeat of America Bow Ties.
Hedman ceramic-coated block...
Hedman ceramic-coated block hugger headers expel the 502ci rat motor's spent gases. Custom mandrel-bent and ceramic-coated pipes and Flowmaster mufflers complete the first-class exhaust system. A K&N Filters oil-filled air-filter element protects the prodigious powerplant when the engine's inhaling.
A major part of Augie's exterior artwork is a large rodent, which reappears on the tailgate, the dash, the back of the cab, the RamJet intake, and the engine. Nothing less than a fuel-injected 502ci big-block rat mill would do for Marty's one-off pickup. Ryan's Performance Machines in Garner, North Carolina, assembled the 520hp engine. For handling the horses and the torque, Marty selected a TCI Automotive TH400, which has a Gear Vendors overdrive, a Be Cool trans cooler, and a TCI 4,000-stall custom converter.
The owner's ideas for the interior were even more extensive than the rest of the truck. Somehow Marty found a '55 DeSoto dashboard, which T&R and Augie transformed with paint and graphics. T&R wired the Chevy with a Painless Performance Products harness. Stewart Warner instruments fill the custom DeSoto panel. Once T&R finished fabricating the center console, Radioactive Car Stereo, also in Garner, equipped the cab with an audiophile's CD/stereo.
You could say that this '71 Chevy has Marty Scott's unique fingerprints all over it. He always wanted something different and a head-turner. Thanks to his wife, T&R Hot Rod Shop, Ryan's Performance Machines, Augie's Artworks, and Radioactive Car Stereo, he got everything he asked for and more.
Enclosing the Memphis Belle...
Enclosing the Memphis Belle amplifier is another T&R Hot Rod Shop creation-a Bow Tie-shaped cabinet.
Billet Specialties wheels...
Billet Specialties wheels roll the Chevy in style, 17x11-inch in the rear and 17x8-inch in the front. They're shod with BFGoodrich G-Force radials, 245/45ZR17-inch in the front and 315/35ZR17-inch in the back.
Perhaps the only exterior...
Perhaps the only exterior panel that didn't receive graphics was the Gaylord S 2000 tonneau cover, although Augie did adorn the T&R-fabricated Bow Tie window opening.
All right, who let the rat...
All right, who let the rat out of the bag? That's right, Marty's much hotted and customized hauler also sports a cantilever bed. Now do you agree this truck's unique?
Covered with black wool carpet,...
Covered with black wool carpet, the bed also stores the air tanks and compressor for the rear airbags.
Yet another rat hides on the...
Yet another rat hides on the back of the rear cab wall.