After reading my ramblings for the last dozen years or so, it's more than likely you've figured out that my taste gravitates toward traditional-style homebuilt hot rods. Luckily for me, you folks out there keep a smile on my face by continuing to construct lots of cool cars and trucks for me to admire and share with like-minded hobbyists through these pages each month.
The subject of my attention this time around is this neat '34 Ford pickup I spied at last season's Right Coast Association show in Syracuse, New York. And, though it has taken me a while to get around to sittin' down and sharing it, I really think you'll enjoy checking it out as much as I did.
A great color choice, nice...
A great color choice, nice rake, and a quartet of bias-ply wide whites make Eric's first-time project an impressive accomplishment he should be proud of. And, as is the case of all of us in the same situation, Eric credits his family for their support and patience, and all his friends for their help, as well.
The truck was built by a fella named Eric Hill up in Canada, and a couple of the things I like about it most are the facts that it was built in Eric's home garage and it was his very first whack at building a hot rod-two details that never cease to impress me. Though Eric has always been a car guy, it took a reintroduction of an old high school pal to turn him on to pre-'48 iron. Eric's friend, Neil Candy, moved back to town and took him for a ride in his blown five-window, as well as to a few local hot rod gatherings and the Goodguys show at Indy, and that was all it took to plant the seed. Next thing Eric knew, he and Neil were spending their spare time tin-huntin'.
After a false start or two, Eric ran across the '34, and the saga began in earnest. During his initiation into early rods, Eric discovered his taste tended to lean toward the traditional ('atta boy, Eric), so naturally that's the track he took. Eric was exposed to a bunch of like-minded compatriots, many of whom not only lent assistance but became friends, as well. Well, to make a long story short, two and a half years of wrenchin', searchin, and wheelin' and dealin' culminated in a cool hot rod truck I can honestly say is one of my all-time favorite pickups, and one I think you'll enjoy checking out as much as I did. So, without further ado, let me quit my gabbin' and let you check out the pics-I'm sure you'll enjoy!
Eric spent a lot of time and...
Eric spent a lot of time and effort on his traditional powerplant. It took three blocks to come up with a solid foundation-a '51 239 he bored 0.125 over and fit with a '51 Merc 4-inch-stroke crank, Ross pistons, an Isky cam, valves, and springs. The rare (at least for us down here in the good old U.S. of A.) aluminum Canadian cylinder heads help pump compression up to 10.5:1 for a powerful but high-test slurping flathead. Eric also fabricated adapters, allowing him to utilize a Chevy 409 water pump in place of the dual Ford units with which it was originally equipped. He then backed it with an old Ford top-loader four-speed.
The pickup's interior carries...
The pickup's interior carries on the traditional theme by keeping on the Spartan side. No frills, just a good-lookin' narrowed '36 Ford dash and some nice VDO gauges. The swan-neck shift lever was found in a local boneyard and grafted to a Jeep CJ shift tower Eric installed on the top-loader, which works well moving it forward and away from the front seat base.
Since Eric didn't end up with...
Since Eric didn't end up with a bed to go along with the rest of the sheetmetal, he utilized a pair of aftermarket bed sides and a tailgate, and then fabricated the rest of the box and supports to complete the job. He also had 30 louvers punched in the gate.