This is our little hotrod project. A true hotrod survivor from the 1970's, here's a little background history on it:
It was built in Dauphin Manitoba in 1978-79 by my childhood friend Kent McKean and his father, Charlie. Charlie owned the local Texaco station in Dauphin. A few times I got to help out a little bit during construction, doing minor things like sanding and stuff.
In June of 1979 I turned 16 and got my drivers license. Kent and I spent alot of time cruising around Dauphin and driving it to various rod runs in the area. This was the first hotrod I ever got to drive, back in 1979.
In August of '79 our family moved away to Calgary, and I didn't see the truck again until the spring of 1986.
The last time I got to drive it was in Winnipeg in the summer of 1986.
Due to other projects and space constraints, Kent parked it in 1988.
It sat in a storage unit in Dauphin neglected and almost forgotten.
When Karen and I moved back to Manitoba in 2008, Kent asked if I would be interested in buying the Essex.
Would I? Is the Pope Catholic??
A deal was struck and we brought it home on Feb 17, 2008.
Some details...
It's a 1927 Essex truck cab that started life as a 2-door sedan. They found it already shortened, presumably done back in the 1940's.
It's sitting on a 1930 Chevy frame, with stock '30 Chevy rear springs.
The fenders, running boards, rad shell, sun visor, and bumpers are all 1930 Chevy.
The hood was thought to be '30 Chevy, although I believe it may actually be an Essex hood.
Drivetrain is a 225ci slant-six/auto from a '74 Dodge Coronet coupled to a 7 1/4" rear axle from a '67 Plymouth Belvedere sedan,
and it has '65 Chevy Corvair front suspension.
Kent was nice enough to lend me his photo album of early pictures of the truck to scan.
In the beginning...
Winter 1978, in front of Southside Texaco...
A young Kent McKean posing with the finished truck, spring 1979.
The following summer Kent pulled the Ford axle and springs out and replaced it with a Corvair front end...
The Essex "shed find", Feb 17 2008.