1950 GMC Truck * Carson Waterman * Salamanca, NY
Carson Waterman tells us this project started when the Europeans first arrived. "After contact was made, my ancestors traded beaver and buckskin hides, and other items for cloth and glass beads, therefore, an adaptation took place," writes Carson, a native American of the Seneca Nation. He's been a professional artist for 40 years, and with this '50 GMC pickup, he's figured out a way to combine his artistic ability, his ancestry, and his love for hot rods all in one project. Carson purchased the GMC two years ago from an owner who had done much of the work already, including the chopped top, transplanted front subframe, and shortened bed. The final cultural adaptation of the GMC will be applying the artistic native American mural on the hood and fenders.
| By The Numbers |
| Engine: | 383ci Chevy small-block |
| Transmission: | Turbo 350 |
| Front subfame: | '78 Firebird |
| Body: | top chopped 4 inches |
| Box: | shortened 3 inches |
| Springs: | '70 Chevelle |
| Rear: | GM 10-bolt |
1966 Mustang * Henry Scott * Conneault, OH
Henry Scott's story of a spiral into the depths of modification is familiar: "I drove [the Mustang] a couple of years before the motor spun a bearing. While I was working on the motor, I found some rust, so I started repairing it. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was fixing everything on the car." In 1989, Henry got married, and started a family, so the Mustang project got put on hold, but around 1998, he started working on it again. "I work on other people's cars to help pay for parts for my toy," writes Henry. So far, Henry has rebuilt the 289, added a Demon carb, and an Edelbrock intake. He also added tri-Y headers and a 9-inch rear. In 1999, Henry moved from California to Ohio, putting everything in a U-Haul. Now he's started a new life, but with his old toy.
| By The Numbers |
| Engine: | rebuilt 289ci Windsor |
| Intake: | Edelbrock Performer |
| Carburetion: | 625-cfm Demon |
| Transmission: | Ford C-4 |
| Exhaust: | Tri-Y headers |
| Rear: | Ford 9-inch |
| Wheels: | ’67-style steelies |
1964 Chevelle * Glen Copeland * Anaheim, CA
"This project had to be a muscle car--big horsepower, modern-car reliability, and pretty easy to get parts if a problem were to happen on the road," writes Glen Copeland. As an engineer, Glen is a firm believer in reliability and over-engineering just about everything. Besides using the very same tools he and his grandfather used together, Glen also enjoys the wrenching because he can share the shop space at home with his two kids, Carly (5), and Collin (3). "My daughter loves to suit up in her welding jacket and helmet to watch the `fireworks.' Collin will sneak by and turn off the welder while I'm welding, and run away laughing!" The learning curve with the turbo big-block has been steep, and Glen credits Al Nimo Jr. at Performance Techniques (San Bernardino, CA) for help.