67-72chevytrucks.com originated in 1997 as a resource page for 67-72 Chevy and GMC Pickup Trucks. In time we evolved into a community devoted to 1947- present Chevy and GMC Truck enthusiasts. From stock originals, to mud trucks, to show stoppers.. our members have them all.
We encourage you to register today. Once registered you can join in on our tech discussions, show off your ride in the forums and interact with others who have a common goal.. the preservation of the Classic Truck hobby.
So what are you waiting for???? Registration is free, just click here to get started.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions.. feel free to contact a staff member.
My Great, Great Uncle Howard purchased this Chevrolet Truck new in 1946, soon after WW2 had ended. He was a hunch-back farmer from Maynard, IA. He was never married, and there are no pictures of him (I understand he was embarrassed of his appearance. I believe he was barely 4' tall). My Grandmother was very close to him, and he took her to CA when she was 16 to visit family (I believe back in the 30's). Long story short (I will fill the details in a later post), my dad had been telling me for years that he was going to pass the old tuck on to me, but I didn't think it would happen anytime soon. To my surprise, Dad towed the old truck down July 10' with the title and some money to repair the front end.
For several years we have entertained the idea of doing member interviews. With all the amazing talent on this site, it would be awesome to get to know them a bit better. How better to start off our new project, then an interview with Delmo, from Delmos Speed Kustoms in Ca. Delmo spends alot of time in the 60-66 area, and is a bit of a legend over there. Once you check out his project and build threads, you will see why.
Thank you Delmo for allowing this interview with you.
Can you give us a brief bio? Who is delmo?
Born a little fat kid in small town Alberta Canada. My Father was a huge gear head and it wasn't long before I was following in his footsteps. I grew up racing motocross and helpin my Dad on his hotrods, chopping roofs, pulling engines etc when I was 12 years old. I owned a big hotrod shop back in Canada with big budget cars and trucks, a half dozen employees and a ton of overhead. Business was good, won a bunch of awards and such. My wife and I moved to sunny California so she could work as a nurse and I could play around with old wrecks. It wasn't long before I got bit by the truck bug and got back to my passion of working on the old Chevys.
What was your first vehicle?
Technically my first truck was a 1977 short box stepside my Dad helped me drag home from the auto wreckers when I was 14. I chopped the roof 4 inches and took the springs out. That was as far as it went, haha. My first truck I actually built and drove was a 1963 short box fleetside. Purple with the typical 80's heartbeat stripe. The truck went through some changes through the years but overall was my daily transportation for many years.
What was the earliest age you repaired something? What was the outcome on that?
Well my memory isnt what it used to be but I remember back in grde 9 we had a great automotive instructor in shop and we actually got to rebuild a small block chevy from bottom to top. We used all old parts as was never meant to run but what a great experience. Plasti gauged the bearings and everything. i put a note for the next guys in one of the cylinders before i bolted the head down. Haha.
How much time do you spend hunting for your trucks? Do you look for anything specific, or just what happens to come along at the time?
I spend a good hour every night looking on the usual sites for trucks and find myslef taking the long way wherever I go just in case a good ol truck is sitting there waiting for me.
With an unlimited budget and resources, what would you do to your truck?
This is a great question because this has been on my mind latley. I stopped over at Nelson racing engines and seen my buddy Tom and he took me for a ride in a twin turbo car with 1750 hp. Now my brain is on overload thinking of a way to do a all wheel drive, mid engine twin turbo 1970 short box. I'm collecting parts. Muhahaha!
How did you find this site? How long have you been a member? Did you join right away, or lurk for a while before joining?
I found this site through a friend of mine who is a member and always told me how much info and access to parts were on the forums. After lurking for a couple months I signed up and quickly figured out how helpful the people in this community really are and how much the site can help a person out with the hobby.
Recently you posted that you were getting motivated to work on ol’ blue balls again. Is it hard to find the time and energy to work on your own projects, when doing customer builds?
Ol Blue Balls definatley needs some attention. I get emails allot from guys pushin me to get it on the chopping block. Between customers rides and the hotrod it's tough to find time for her but I'll dig deep this summer and figure something out. it's a great old truck and deserves some love.
What are the most common mistakes you see folks make in their builds? Any advice on how to avoid them?
Well I hate to be critical about how anyone does there thing but I can tell you how I get things done. The most important thing for me is to make a list, usually a parts list and a to do list. This is so important to keep everything on track. I do a mock up to do list then a final assembelly list. As I get things done I check them off and try not to move on to the next thing until it's done. And I never leave a nut or bolt loose and try to... [Read More]