48 chevy truck

[idrivejunk]

There IS a pair of Tempest quarters I cut off laying here next to me.   ha. And a rough Nomad gate complete, and a skin. 

I smell thinking. Carry on.

[kb426]

The referred Fairlane rear was the rollin dumpster. I decided against using it because of how narrow it would be. The nomad quarters could be put on like a cameo. Because there wouldn't be a top with a reveal down the middle, there wouldn't be the general indication that a mistake was made. Might be but not as obvious. I haven't cut any of the tubing to length yet. I need to find some dimensions of that quarter panel to see what I would end up with.

[idrivejunk]

I can measure tomorrow but just lip patches are in the $250 range and the rest could be made on a 4' brake, in halves. You'd lose the fancy tail light area but if you did quarters you wouldn't have the inside half. Inward from lamp. Fabbing the sides using lips leaves the bed corners / tail lamps open to other more practical interpretations. Maybe flush modern (like 88 up chev pu) tails could work in.

fyi I kept the wheelbase and used 15" wheels as reference and the length came out like you see with wheel position good. I think. Had no intention of making a postable image on that when I started. Just a hunch, but that 55 truck roof width fit good on the Nomad.  Do you want to see a flat back end on that? Hey I can just overlay images of truck and Nomad.

I remember you having to explain "reveal" to me. Have steered clear of cab narrowing in my thoughts since the red sketches but have wondered if altered track width is a way to go instead, without fenders.

I smell a flat-backed image brewing. Anything you want to try? I agree if you are going to build a box, no reason you can't have cameoesque slab sides.

[enjenjo]

Taper the whole truck front to rear. No fenders in front, louvered hood sides down to the frame, and bed sides cab width at the front, and tapering out to cover the rear tires at the rear.

[idrivejunk]

That! ^^^   With Alcoas and super singles on a dually axle.    Cartoonish, but would need top fuel mill hangin out everywhere to back it up.

Howzabout intertwining another interest by using just one front wheel, hidden. No nitro hemi just a pie slice with meats out back.

Heres some meat n taters. Only promise is I triple checked and the truck shot used had bigger rims in back but looked like 15s up front and I had the sizes close as I can with that. What should I measure? Say jamb to front of TL hole then top to bottom ahead of wheel?

Its not a perfect length match but likely do-able. Heres that Trans Am fender vent you always wanted.

[kb426]

It's getting more interesting.

[idrivejunk]

Well a Nomad qtr is 30 x 80" with wheel center at 38-9" from door. Length is from door to frt of TL hole, with tape measure running along bottom of gas lid.

Go, man.

[idrivejunk]

54 Chevy tail lights ought to do the trick on a flat back end.

[idrivejunk]

A slant on the louvers might be a thing. Or more or less or different.

Hot rod headlights mount on grille shell.

Cut cab at character line rather than windowsill.

Converted stock windshield (same angle, chopped) to cowl mount roadster configuration.

Hood front curve scaled down and reversed / inverted for rear pan shape.

Moved bed up slightly from last edit and eliminated Nomad lip at qtr bottom front and its partner I had on hood side bottom rear.

Bullitts off the F16. Thought about using gymkhana wheels to keep the faith. But the salt flats wheels look more appropriate to me, from previous image.

54 Chevy car tail lights.

Shaved gas hole.

Still just wild blue yonder in color and intent. Maybe a little better shade. Also embiggened image for your fullscreen slopfinding pleasure. 

It does look like something. Tried doing a freehand quarter view but man that ought to be more technically rendered requiring fuss. Sketch I started didn't lead me to believe we are talking up something too disjointed to look good.A fictional character but with potential, as I see it.

[kb426]

NOW, I'm getting excited. The lip at the bottom was already on the removal list. Your comment about just purchasing the wheel lip and fabbing the panel has me thinking.

[GPster]

You could just find a van that you liked the wheel openings on and just use the sides and side doors for metal. You might even find you could use some of the floor and wheel tubs. GPster

[idrivejunk]

Good point. ^^^ 

I believe a tolerable match between curve of cab and bed sides is a very relevant factor. A deal breaker. Fabbing from new or already partly curved would be ideal, to me. Because that would enable matching cab and bed heights for just a flat topped look over the whole truck. I'm not sure that is desireable however, might be too wierd.

I just don't have a reference to compare cab and qtr contours. Wait, maybe maybe at work. I'd want to cut a cardboard template. If the Nomad matches well as-is that strengthens the whole quarter buying case. Still awful high. One must value one's time for that to make sense.

I agree the suggested lips aren't a lock but dang if it don't just seem rightest. Craftily blending generations in a next-of-kin context isn't uncool. Wonder how HAMBers would react. Might crap a moon rock.

Bear with me. I kind of tend to want to leave the windowsills and vent windows and just chop the windshield then make a removable hardtop from the roof. And then, as with my 55 job, build bed rail caps that would stick up and carry the area between body line and window bottom (on door) all around the bed, matching the window bottom line cut of cab. Because roadster windshields just look silly like crooked fencepost death invites to me and when labor is considered theres a pretty big win. Don't think I have shown it that way but...

the result is two very different things as far as is it the fair weather only kind of roadster or is it a full function pickup.

Bill I feel confident that you've watched Grand Willys Marcus do enough big panel fab with improvised tooling to inspire you to consider this wildassed street freak idea. Plus I sense you wish to express wilder capabilities than you have. So I encourage, and caution, and like to watch.

Maybe I'll see about showing the higher cut line stuff. Lets hear any other thoughts please. Just stoking the fire and now I'll put my feet up next to it. 

[idrivejunk]

Fiddlestix. 48 Chevys don't have vent windows. OK. Strike everything I said about a hardtop with windows, it ain't feasible. Strike raising top of bed to meet top of cab flush. Boy I'm batting 1000% today eh.

Never mind. Sorry about this page and back to business, I think I've thrown enough gas on this fire to just watch it burn so to speak. Glad to maybe have played a part in cool results

[kb426]

Matt, one door is a 52 with vent windows. I can get another door, I just haven't decided on which year. I like the removable top idea. The possibility of a fold up cloth top over the window frames is not out of question. Now that I know a tiny bit about convertible top cloth, I could be dangerous. I have had some other stuff I have been using my feeble brain power on. I'm about finished with that and will get serious with some layout on this. A 4 season vehicle is becoming more important as I age and I travel year round. Years ago I would go 50 miles to a show. Now I may go 1250. Not being miserable has become more valuable. Lots more thinking before doing. Multiple heads are better than one. Several years ago in Pueblo on sunday morning when there's plenty of time to talk, I met 2 guys from Aurora Co. They had been life long friends. Together they had built a 29 model a pickup. It was a neat piece. Several times one of them said "2 heads are better than 1". Not meaning that they agreed all of the time but looking at something from a different perspective cause you to "broaden your horizons". I look forward to all of the input on this forum. Age and exp. are here. Very valuable. Thank you to all who contribute.

[idrivejunk]

It occurred to me that this might be one of those rare vehicles on which Moons would look at home.