1956 Chevy Pick Up Truck
Gary Richmond's 1956 Chevy Pick up Truck - A Masterpiece
Gary Richmond regularly browses the sale listings for pickup trucks, so when he came across the vehicle stock list at Special Interest Autos South Australia in May 2004, he knew he’d found something rare. He explained “It was a 1956 Chevrolet Short Bed Stepside Custom Cab Pick-Up Truck,”
“It had no engine or transmission, and it had been imported from the US and was left-hand drive. It was a typical farm truck with damage to all panels. But I knew it had a lot of potential, so we took delivery in May 2005.”
Gary began work at DuPont in 1999 and now works for the company when required as a maintenance contractor. He made the decision after getting approval from RTA engineer to keep the originality of the body of the old truck, and fit late model computer controlled fuel injected drive train, suspension, brakes etc.
• Front suspension removed and replaced with a 1983 XJ6 Jaguar front end, including power steering and 4 piston ventilated brakes
• Fuel injected 5-litre engine, 4-speed Turbo 700R4 auto transmission and steering column retrieved from a 1989 Chevrolet Camaro
• Gary built/constructed his own custom 90L fuel tank which uses commodore in tank pump
• Imported fibreglass bed lid, supplied by Gaylords Longbeach California USA
• All new stainless steel work polished by Alan McCoy of Moulding Repairs and Polishing, Riverstone
• Heavy duty Ford 9-inch differential installed with monoleaf single leaf rear suspension
• Gary created custom stainless steel tailgate latches and cables
• 10" American racing Torque Thrust 2 wheels were fitted to the rear which meant the truck required custom wheel tubs in the bed of the pick-up. They are shortened & reswaged Land rover Discovery rear wheel tubs. 7" American Racing Torque Thrust 2 are up front
• Dash converted to right-hand drive
• Vintage Air air-conditioning and heating
• Custom electronic instrumentation installed including cruise control
• Custom alloy step treads
• Recontoured 1998 Chevy Silverado front seat
• All wiring, including computer wiring, installed by Gary
• American Lokar gear shifter with control module installed
• Hand Sanded & varnished American white oak timber installed in the bed floor
• Paint colour applied is Spies Hecker Heligen Blue in 2 pack. All paintwork completed by Warrick's Auto Barn
• Upholstery completed by Hy-Tone Motor Trimmers in Riverstone
