56 longbed dilema

[norcalvp]

I may be getting a 56 longbed in the next month or two and have some questions on what would be the best route to go with it. I don't have a lot of information of the truck other than it's a 56 longbed 3/4 ton... It was my Wife's Grandfathers truck and has been sitting for almost 25 years.

Let me give you a little background on me, i am 25 married, with a son (4 months). I am really into 4Wheeling and have been considering turning my truck into a trail rig only and trailering it to runs. I have also always had a love for well built hotrods especially when the work involved with building it was exceptional. Now with that being said, here are the two options I have with this 56.

1) Turn this into a hotrod and make it drive and handle great, and include all of the creature features like AC, cruise, blah blah blah... It would only be driven on weekends, and for the ocasional drive for the Wife and I. This option would have some sort of Gas V8.

2) Turn this into a two rig. I'd use it to drive around every day, upgrade the suspension and brakes to handle a 5-7000 pound trailer with no problems. This option would include probably a diesel engine with a manual tranny. With this option i would also need to take the whole family with me.

Now here is a little more info to make the decision. Both option's would be ground up resto's. The first option would probably be all stock sheetmetal with some minor updates to the body. The second option would be much more labor intensive, and i'd have to cut and create a crewcab with functioning rear doors. I'd probably have a short bed and extend the frame. All suspension would be upgraded and the brakes would be 3/4 to 1 ton truck running gear.

I am leaning toards the second option, it'd be pretty unique, Very functional, and comfortable to drive. I don't know if i'd be able to enter it in any shows, but i'd try. I understand that this will be a 5-10 year project, and am willing to put in the time and money to make it look right.

Suggestions? flaws in my plans? flames......

I'd also be interested in seeing any pics of hotrod longbeds, and any that have had custom body work done. I am O.K. at body work so i'd probably have to pay someone to make the double cab...

Steve

[rico_bob]

I hate to see ZEROS (unanswered posts)

A tow rig would be nice. You would want to put in a motor and drive train designed for towing. A manual transmission would be preferable I would guess and a heavy duty rear axle setup perhaps a DANA rear end or something built to tow the loads you anticipate.

The braking should be heavy duty and front suspension should also be heavy duty. Consider doing a swap over to a Chevy Suburban front clip (70's era) or a heavy IFS like the ones we sell from Martz Chassis Engineering.

Power assisted disk brakes on the front as a minimum. The rear springs should be replaced with new components and helper springs as well. Most 3/4 long beds had the helper springs and hangers. We sell replacement springs also. Hope this helps.

Best of luck and welcome to the Board. rico_bob

www.ricos-rods-and-relics.com