1967 Chevy Vintage Truck - Homebuilt Perfection

Astute readers may recognize this bright-red '67 Chevy from the Oct. '01 issue of this magazine, wherein we featured a photograph of three award-winning trucks at the 11th Annual All Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The trucks belonged to three friends from Kentucky who made the trek to Pigeon Forge together in three different trucks, and all three won awards for their efforts. Two of those trucks (Mike McKinney's GMC and Hunter Denney's Chevy) have already been featured in Truckin' in the past year. The third, Rick Dyer's '67, makes its debut right here, right now.

What makes this vintage Chevy magazine-worthy? For one thing, it is a beautiful example of a Chevy truck body style that is more popular today than it was when brand-new. Ultra-clean stock '67 Chevys can be real head-turners, but ultra-clean, modified '67 Chevys such as Rick's are definite attention-getters. Rick's '67 has been rebuilt to a condition that is far better than it was when the truck was originally built. When you take something special and make it much better than it was, you end up with something of interest to everyone. When you do most or all of the work yourself, a good result is even more satisfying. In that light, we present Rick Dyer's Chevy.

Rick lowered the front of his '67 by himself using AIM Industries 2-inch dropped spindles and tubular A-arms modified to accept Firestone 2600 airbags. The rear was lowered with hand-fabricated, adjustable trailing arms fitted to two more Firestone 2600 'bags. The rear framerail was C-notched, and Chisholm shocks were mounted at all four corners. Rick completed his rolling chassis by installing a big/little combo of Billet Specialties rims and BFGoodrich rubber. Up front, Billet Specialties 17x7-inch Vision wheels were wrapped with BFGoodrich LT245/50R17 radials. In back, a larger set of 17x13-inch Visions were fitted with LT345/55R17 BFGs.

Improved go-power for Rick's '67 was provided by installing a circa-'93 LT1 350ci V-8. The immaculate small-block was fitted with new aluminum heads and a host of polished accessories from Street & Performance for show-shine appeal. A matching '93 700-R4 transmission was painted red and mated to a shortened driveshaft. A narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend with 4:10 gears puts the power to the pavement. Hooker headers exhale the spent gases through a custom 2-inch stainless steel exhaust. Rick figures the improved powerplant is good for about 1 hp per cubic inch of displacement, making his '67 a 350hp back-road screamer.

Rick's interior improvements included wiring in a Custom Autosound CD sound system and installing a Vintage Air air-conditioning setup. All of the Custom Autosound and Vintage Air components enhanced the interior with units that appear period-correct but perform like modern equipment. A trip to Hatfield's Upholstery in nearby Somerset, Kentucky, netted a new look with '89 Chevy truck seats covered in red tweed and plush red carpeting throughout the interior. Sewfine door panels and Specialty power windows completed the cabin transformation.

The crowning glory of Rick's '67 may be the super-smooth bright-red exterior. Rick performed his own bodywork and then applied Acme brand GM Fleet Red paint in several layers, followed by a final clearcoat. The finished result is a stunningly clean example of a '67 C10 Chevrolet pickup that any custom truck enthusiast would be proud to call his own. Rick has snagged several Top 25 trophies along with numerous Best Truck and Best of Show awards since completing the project. According to Rick, the best part of the experience has been the pride of ownership in his vehicle and the good people he has met along the way. Rick believes that when you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. And we're inclined to agree.