Creating excitement in the truck world these days is not hard. The best way to create fun and get word-of-mouth promotion is through truck shows. One of the masters of the business is Seth Doulton. Seth has promoted Chevrolet/GMC truck shows twice a year for several years in conjunction with his Golden State Pickups (Chevy parts) business. After selling the business, he continued to produce shows. The spring event was held at Paso Robles Fairgrounds, and the Fall meet took place in the parking lot of the store in Santa Fe Springs, California.
During the same time frame, the annual North South Ford F-100 meet gathered early T-series Ford trucks. For years, that event was held in the San Joaquin Valley before moving to the central California coast.
Seth changed the locale of the Fall meet to the fairgrounds in Santa Maria and suggested that F-100 clubs try a joint meet to show off a variety of early-model trucks. That event took place the third weekend of August. One section of the grounds was set aside for GM vehicles and the other for the Ford Effie section.
Another area held the swap meet. The meet worked out well, as Ford and GM enthusiasts could mingle, and spectators got to look at more then just one brand of nicely reworked trucks. Below, we have separated the two shows to differentiate between the two brands.
Orrin Jesen owns the tricked-out...
Orrin Jesen owns the tricked-out red '65 Fleetside. Most of the changes are hard to spot right away. The top has been chopped, and the stance has been dropped. Wheels are Weld Racing's Pro Star units. The tan and purple-metallic '66 panel sports a dropped stance and a wild paintjob. Bucket seats and a center console round out the interior. Everything has been upholstered in cloth and vinyl.
There were several early-'70s...
There were several early-'70s Chevy Suburbans at this meet. The lime-green one (foreground) is owned by Albert and Rachel Pulgarin. Theirs is a '71 that is fitted with '67 front sheetmetal. Reworked portions include roll pans front and rear, plus 16 inches was removed behind the rear wheel openings, shortening the overall length.
Oscar Llamas had just finished...
Oscar Llamas had just finished work on his '99 Chevy Silverado. He bought it new and started reworking it right away. First, he added the Nisson electric sunroof, and when the four-door version of the Extended Cab was introduced in 2000, he bought the fourth door and other items needed to make the changeover. He just added the '02 Escalade front conversion and finished off a radical candy flame job. The billet grille was reworked to eliminate the Cadillac emblem.
This dualie is part '79, and...
This dualie is part '79, and the rest is '88. Lester Mullins has owned the Crew Cab dualie for quite some time. He bought a wrecked '88 Crew Cab and changed over all of the suspension along with the bed and bumpers. He lowered it with Air Ride Technologies 'bags and Belltech drop kits front and rear. He tows a late-model dirt track car, so the hefty 454 motor backed up with a four-speed is a necessity.
Ken and Nancy Evans did a...
Ken and Nancy Evans did a nice job of bringing their '74 Chevy short-wheelbase 4x4 back to mostly stock condition with the exception of a lift kit that Ken installed.
This pair of nice Big Window...
This pair of nice Big Window '57 Chevys were displayed prominently. Butch and Carle Behm own the turquoise one. Butch bought a '75 Camaro and transferred most of the chassis and powertrain to the '57. Randy Thompson built his truck by using a '73 Malibu wagon that his wife had used for the family bus. He used the front clip along with the 350 motor after having it rebuilt. The rear section on this Pro-Streeter was narrowed and an Alston four-link was installed.
The engine bay on Orrin Jesen's...
The engine bay on Orrin Jesen's '65 Chevy is very nicely detailed. The small-block Chevy has been fitted with a small B&M Forced Induction blower topped off with a single Holley four-barrel.
Justin Duncan and his grandfather,...
Justin Duncan and his grandfather, Wil Muniz, built up this very fine Pro-Streeted '74 Chevy Stepside. Justin was only 14 when he bought the shabby truck for $500 and has transformed it into a first class machine in five years. They did most of the work themselves. The truck has been fitted with a reworked 350 Chevy crate motor, and the new suspension was capped off with airbags.
Llamas' Chevillac has been...
Llamas' Chevillac has been fitted with Air Ride suspension and 22x10-inch Billet Specialties wheels with Dunlap P285/35ZR22 rubber. The smoothed-off rear section looks different, thanks to the four-piece Lincoln Navigator taillights.
This black '69 Chevy Stepside...
This black '69 Chevy Stepside is very well detailed. David Galvan did most of the work on this dropped beauty. It runs a 350/350 Chevy drivetrain and Firestone airbags on a suspension setup accomplished with dropped kits. The wheels are Boyd Coddington, 18x8-inchers in front and 18x10-inchers in the rear.
Robert Magallom's '59 Stepside...
Robert Magallom's '59 Stepside is done up in a nice gold pearl over orange paintjob, and the interior is white with orange trim.
Douglas Belanger owns this...
Douglas Belanger owns this '92 GMC that's been dropped using a Belltech 4/6 drop kit. This truck runs a smog-legal 383 stroker motor, and it has 18x9-inch Enkei wheels in front and 20x10-inch Enkei wheels in the rear.
Roger Bangle's red-metallic...
Roger Bangle's red-metallic '56 F-100 is really a nice machine. Under that front-tilt hood sits a late-model 350 Chevy motor with a TPI unit. The truck is fitted with Crown wire wheels and P215/70R15 tires on the front and LT 265/70R15s on the rear.