Truck of the Month goes to Bill Glau of Northern, CA. In Bill's words:
I grew up in a “hot rod” family. From as far back as I can remember there was always a car project going on, whether it was my father, grandfather or uncle. I guess you can say that hot rodding is in my blood. Although I’ve always had an appreciation for the cars my family built, my 1963 Ford Step side was my first project. I purchased the truck from my uncle in 1998 and he had done a mild customization of the truck. The truck was dropped about 4 inches in the front, new motor and custom paint. When my project started out it was with the intention of updating the suspension and making some other “minor” modifications to make the truck a fun, reliable driver. Being that this was my first project I really didn’t have any idea of what I was getting into. Before I knew it I was still working on the project 6 years later and had modified or replaced just about every piece of the truck. Starting with the suspension, It’s bagged with a Fat Man front end and a custom 4 bar package in the rear. The entire frame is boxed and the middle cross members modified to provide clearance for the low profile. There were many body modifications including, shaving the emblems, removing the drip rail, adding custom wheel wells, etc. The grill is stainless steel mesh and the Ford emblem is actually the pull for the hood latch. Under the hood is a 500hp 350 Chevy with a 700R auto transmission. Inside the cab I went with a Tea’s custom leather bucket bench. The door panels, head liner and console were also customized to match the seat. Other interior modifications include Vintage Air, Flaming River steering column and welded glove box with custom art work to finish it off. The entire truck was painted by Tom Fieber from Santa Cruz. The forest green paint is complimented Tom’s classic 60’s style pin stripping. Although the truck is highly modified I wanted to keep much of the classic hot rod styling. I have had the truck on the road for just over a year and couldn’t be happier with the results. Looking back on the projects my family undertook, I’m sure they wish they had access to the internet. Even though the 1961-66 Ford pickups are becoming more desirable to hot rod, many of the parts are not easy to come by. Larry, not sure what I would have done without your help. I’m in the bay area but hope to get down to some southern California truck shows.
To learn more about this truck, or to submit your truck for Truck of the Month consideration, please send an email inquiry to truck-of-the-month@blueovaltruckparts.com
