Most seasoned rodders don't build a hot rod overnight-they build it many times in their mind well before the first wrench gets turned. What's more, most of those guys have been collecting parts for a car for years before they really decide exactly what type of ride they want. That way, when the decision is finally made, they've got most of what they need to not only get started but get well into the build with a full head of steam.
Having started gathering parts in the late '90s for some type of hot rod, Chuck Gould, from Muskegon, Michigan, hadn't actually settled on what kind of hot rod he wanted to build until he came across a steel '26 roadster pickup in June 1999. Some of the parts he'd been collecting came to him in a rather unique way: he received a driveshaft from Inland Empire Driveline that was a door prize he'd won at the NSRA Nationals! He had also found an engine, transmission, and a front end for a project but it wasn't until he'd run across some photos of a track-styled roadster pickup in an old magazine that he thought that might be the type of ride he'd like to build.
With that mindset, Chuck went through his stack of old hot rod magazines from his 50-year collection, eyeballing wheelbases and different suspensions. He thought a 109-inch wheelbase might be right for his pickup (he ended up with one dialed in a 109.5 inches), and soon started on a frame using 10-gauge C-channel bent to his specs at Midway Sheet Metal-a local metal shop. What they did for Chuck was roll a generous radius in the 'rail edges so it would look like the car has a rolled bellypan.
The drivetrain centers on a '69 Chevy II 153-inch four-banger that was bored 0.060 over by Varney Automotive and assembled by the owner with Arias 10:1 forged aluminum pistons and a Sig Erson cam. The head was first refitted with larger valves and the intake manifold was then match-ported. Clifford Research created the twin 45 DCOE sidedraft Weber intake for the 153 engine, but Gould modified it to clear the hood support while also adding a balance tube. An MSD 6A box and coil supply the spark for the banger, and exhaust exits a set of headers made by the owner and swap meet side pipe mufflers.
The transmission is a Borg Warner T-50 (found in the Monza and Vega) while the rear (3.73:1) is out of an S-10. Chuck was able to find enough parts at swap meets to convert it to a bolt-on disc brake setup. Out back Chuck had a local shop build a set of 36-inch leaf springs with '55 Chevy eyes to help smooth out the bumps; a Magnum tube axle, spring, and Panhard bar were used up front.
An interesting mix of old and new ideas, the car sports a sideways-hanging clutch and brake pedal assembly from Kugel Komponents and the clutch fork was moved to the passenger side to free up a little more space for the driver's feet. A narrowed '32 Ford roadster-type dash was installed, to which a group of six Classic Instrument gauges were fit. Steering is handled by a Vega-type steering box from Flaming River and the four-spoke steering wheel (an 18-inch Bell type cut to 12.5 inches) is thickly wrapped with friction tape. The bucket seats-Camaro bases with stripped down aluminum back pieces made by Chuck-hold the passengers in place along with a pair of RJS five-point safety harnesses.
The front half of the car features owner-built aluminum hood sides, bellypans, and flooring, plus a track nose (which was narrowed about 2 inches) and insert from Superior Glass Works. Out back Chuck made a stock-appearing truck bed (with stake bed pockets too), though it is 2 inches taller than an original box and quite a bit shorter. Wondering if the purchase of a louver machine would ever pay for itself, Gould also added 485 louvers to his roadster, which should quiet any misgivings about buying the press.