Giant Pickup Is A Real Eye-Catcher

Giant Pickup Is A Real Eye-Catcher PICKUPS Miscellaneous Les Miller grabs lots of attention on the road and at car shows with the big pickup he made by replacing the grain box on a 1959 Chevy straight truck with a 1989 Chevy dually bed I had a 1936 Ford one ton with a flat bed that I traded for the 1959 grain truck explains Miller I sold the truck bed for $1 200 and paid only $600 for the dually bed The engine drive train rear end and springs remained original in the truck However he did begin by tearing down the engine and rebuilding it To match the dually bed Miller shortened the wheelbase by 38 in but that was one of the few major changes needed The bed lines fit the cab lines almost perfectly says Miller I did have to put a roll pan in the back of the bed to lower the line of the bed I also put a 12-in drop bumper on the bed to get the hitch down where it would be on a pickup Hanging the drop bumper left open space between it and the wheels Miller fabricated filler panels out of diamond plate curving it up from the bumper to the fender panels He also used diamond plate to make a toolbox look-alike for the bed to enclose an L-shaped gas tank He dressed up the side panels with extra trim at the front and back of the wheels and replaced the taillights with LED lights However he did retain the original fender lights on the dually bed He also added simulator chrome hubcaps to the truck s spoke wheels All tires including rear drive wheel tires were replaced with steering tires for a less aggressive tread A set of TrailBlazer 6-way adjustable seats replaced the old bench seat says Miller I also replaced the steering column with one that had tilt steering and all new wiring Everything else in the cab was brought back to 1959 vintage including a new but original style radio in the dash Miller turned to LMC Truck Olathe Kan for vintage style window glass heater windshield wiper kit and other parts LMC is a great supply source he says Door handles and dash knobs all look original Miller figures he spent about a year working on the truck including the paint job He used Cady pearl white and purple with a little pearl added I ve got around $2 500 in the truck and a lot of time says Miller I can park it along side a Hummer and it makes the Hummer look pretty small I call it my Hummer Dinger Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Les Miller 2111 W Perry Rd Ligonier Ind 46767 ph 260 894-3813; les@ligtel com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.