And clearly, someone to hold your beer. Ah, America the Beautiful, Land of Bounteous and Unbridled Creativity and Wonder. Or something like that. Whenever I have occasion to head up to Wyoming (which is a state I honestly and genuinely like) chances are good I’ll see something on the more unique side of things.
And this trip a couple of months back to my closest Menard’s (kind of like a far better Home Depot / Lowe’s big box hardware store option) up in Cheyenne forty or so minutes away from home certainly did not disappoint as when I exited the store the skies brightened a bit, the heavens focused a spotlight in front of me, and I swear I heard Sweet Baby Jesus whisper a deep and breathy thought in my ear. And what SBJ said so breathily and deeply was, and I quote here: “Jim, What The F^&%”. Or something like that.
So of course I knew I had to document this as none of my overseas friends on CC and beyond would believe a mere verbal recounting of this experience. The land of the free and home of the brave (visualize some good fireworks here and someone in a densely occupied neighborhood shooting his AR-15 clone in the air while the dog is licking itself and the kids are playing with sidewalk chalk and BabyMama is watching some show about housewives on her iPhone) is all-encompassing but only in certain states; set a good man free with a Sawz-All and a welding rig and there is no telling what he may create between lunch and supper in the barn on his own land with the barbed wire gate and cattle guard and then obtain license plates by mail and be able to drive it all over, even to Menard’s.
After all, America did land a man (or a few of them) on the moon using something not entirely dissimilar to this as I recall. Or at least drove it across a soundstage, something like that anyway according to 6% of Americans; I wasn’t quite born yet, just kicking a lot and itching to get out I am told. Although to be honest, this creation has a few more Japanese parts on it. But only good ones; Japanese cab corners and rear wheel wells don’t rust, apparently, at least not like those from Detroit which I believe is what I was told befell the other half of the star-spangled portion of the donor pile.
I’ll be perfectly frank and hope that nobody will accuse me of being snide when I take the position that styling isn’t really this creation’s strong suit. If you squint a little, or a lot, or, well, just jab your fingers in your eyes repeatedly there’s a little Excalibur-esque sense of proportion going on here. But that’s about all and assumes that to be a good thing to begin with. Cab-forward it most certainly is not.
The driver (who is inside currently) sits way back for that cruiser-like feel. Yeeeeessss. It’s all about the long hood and…and height. Never mind the Man-Step in the back of an F-150’s tailgate, getting into the cab here is more than just one small step for man or even a giant leap for mankind. This calls for a ladder. Or a two handed boost in the buttocks. Giddy up!
The man watched me bemusedly (suspiciously?) as I tried to inconspicuously circle a time or two (with my shopping cart ahead of me, perhaps an unconscious defensive move), but eventually I abandoned the cart and contents, gestured to ask permission to shoot (uh, photograph, this is Wyoming after all…), this was granted by a sage nod of the man’s head and then he opened the window to say hello.
After polite pleasantries were exchanged it was confirmed that this started out as a Chevy half-ton (Silverado? Squarebody? I forget) chassis mated to most of a Suzuki Sidekick. The hood is sheetmetal made with standing seams like a metal roof for strength and stiffness. The engine I believe was the lord’s own powerplant, a small-block Chevy. I mean, what else would it be. We weren’t somewhere west of Laramie, in fact we were about fifty miles east thereof…
Lest one think this is an apparition created for a quick fling around town or for a parade of some sort, No Sir!, certainly not, this here ve-hic-le has been on the road for close to a decade and over 70,000 miles if I understood the man correctly which I’m quite certain I did. And his wife hates it. Which is apparently all the more reason to keep it in fine fettle.
I do envy the man for the ease of access to all of the mechanical componentry that this vehicle affords him, the apparently slim-of-hand Englanders at Jaguar did me no such favors in our X-type wagon, and while there are no mandatory vehicle inspections in Wyoming (a different seven letter word for Freedom re-using two of the same letters so what else could it mean), it does have lights, mirrors, tread on the tires, and a number of reflectors just as The Man in Washington D.C. decreed in some extremely lengthy numbered and well-punctuated document that only one of our contributors here knows by heart.
A Chevy V8 doesn’t often look small. It’s right there in the center, that little bitty thing right there. And the oil filter practically changes itself.
Finally a pod filter design that doesn’t just suck hot engine compartment air back into the engine, this baby can breathe just like man can breathe in the wide open prairies of the Cowboy State (deep and unfettered without anyone telling him how best or when to do so). And look at the battery, thoughtfully placed low in the chassis and almost amidships. No throwing out one’s back when it’s time to change it.
Trailer hitch, step bumper, big ol’ mud flaps and what everybody really wants but Detroit is too busy designing golden parachutes to offer in quantity instead, a low pickup bed liftover height along with lockable cabin storage. Sort of like a Ford Maverick I suppose. Same same but different. And this one’s built right here in the USA by Americans for Americans (well, okay, by one American for himself), not south of some border where the people can’t come over but their work product we can’t get enough of!
I’m not sure there’s room for a spare tire though but plenty for the two or three bags of mulch that everyone really needs their pickup for. Wyomingites know their trucks, that’s for sure, and they know what they really need and want out of one. This one’s not for sale, go find your own barn and get creative. Or something like that.
Something tells me this rig is saving this man’s marriage. He spent time to build it and has obviously driven it a bit (although with the wide open spaces and long distances of Wyoming, 70,000 miles may only be usage from a few weekend trips), allowing him time away from his finicky wife. I mean, if she doesn’t like this, there is something wrong with her. Seriously, it’s both van and pickup, the best of both worlds. The GM drivetrain is simply icing on the cake.
This reminds me, sort of, of a GM Dustbuster minivan body somebody planted on a (what else?) four-wheel drive half-ton Chevrolet chassis. It’s down just south of Eugene (the one near me, the eastern one, not to be confused with the one in Oregon).
Jim, this also reminds me of a book you’d enjoy. It’s called “Lake of the Ozarks” by Bill Geist. His reports were seen on CBS for years, being focused more on human interest and atypical events. Anyway, the book is about his working summers at his uncle’s resort around Lake of the Ozarks (south of Eugene, the eastern one). Jane Pauley’s synopsis of the book (found on the rear cover) talks about the eccentric characters; living nearby, I found it to be more of a documentary. Either way, it’s an easy read and you’d like it.
Menards is terrific, although be weary of their plumbing supplies. No joking, every time I’ve bought plumbing from them it has wound up leaking several months later. Otherwise, their stuff is great.
SBJ! WTF?
I forgot. Makes perfect sense it’s in a handicapped parking space
I’ll take a look for that book, thanks. And thank you for pointing out that it’s “an easy read”, English may be my second language, but I can read words with one, two, sometimes three syllables…. 🙂
Now that you mention it, I have looked at Menard’s plumbing supplies over the years and always though the stuff just looked “thinner” and cheaper and not as durable. Everything else I’m on board with, their selection is quite good and pricing is quite reasonable and then there’s the food section, clothing section, and huge tool section…
“and then there’s the food section”
Menards is my go-to for my favorite but hard-to-find candy – french burnt peanuts! Is there a problem when you find excuses to go to the hardware store only to come home with candy? OK, it is also the source for my oddly-sized furnace filter.
You’ll appreciate that the first Menard’s I ever set foot in (actually, the only one besides my semi-local one just over the state line), is the one in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I have a childhood friend who relocated there about two decades ago who introduced me to its delights (but didn’t point out your Freedom Peanuts to me).
Pioneer plates too. For those with questions, here is a copy of the WYDOT language:
“Requirements
Vehicle must be 25 years or older
Vehicle owner has to have resided in Wyoming for at least 1 year
Vehicle is owned and operated solely for the purposes of organized antique car club activities, parades, exhibitions, tours and other related activities
Vehicle will NOT be used for general transportation
The fee of $10, a copy of the title, proof of payment of sales tax and proof of liability insurance must accompany the application below .”
In Wyoming it is best not to ask or raise questions about other people’s belongings.
That is outstanding! It’s a 4 wheeled version of the (in)famous Gelbke Roaddog motorcycle, just needs a couple of Blatz beer cans attached to the front fenders.
I read somewhere that Wild Bill Gelbke’s creations “personified 1930’s American engineering at it’s best: i.e. the ability to build anything out of what was lying around on the shop floor” which I think applies here as well.
Great build, full points for driving it regularly, and amusing article Jim.
^^^^^What that guy said
You don’t really believe he would spring for standing seam, do you, Jim?
Just cheapo galvalume that he found lying around.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot?!?! Indeed.
Rat Rod taken to the next level!
Definitely has kinda a “Mad Max” vibe to it…Kudos to the builder though….
Amazing! And thanks Jim for pointing out the Excalibur influence. As soon as I read that, it was obvious. Brooks Steven’s is applauding from his grave. But I don’t think the superstructure is from some Japanese Suzuki. It’s obviously a Chevy Tracker, to keep this creation pure all-American Bow Tie.
And that Tracker was built in Ontario, which is in almost-America.
Ahem….
Our dear 52nd state. 🙂 “The Polite State”
A heart-felt tribute to Yankee ingenuity. Or is the term “Yankee” now too politicized to use?
When I first looked at the picture, I wondered why he spread a blue tarp under it. Does it leak that bad? Aha; he’s parked in a handicap zone. Is he waiting for someone from Menard’s to help him down with a powered lift?
Yankee might be a fightin’ word up in Wyoming, I’m not really sure and not really itchin’ to find out firsthand either.
The driver did have a handicap placard dangling from the mirror, so I suppose the parking job is legit enough. I don’t think anyone would challenge him though, as Constellation implied above Wyoming is usually a state with few words exchanged between strangers.
Only if you are in the deepest of the Deep South.
Hmmmm….
Just because you can, does it mean that you should? 😉
When the original body quits before the powertrain does…
I concur on your love for wyomine (Ilived in Denver from ’76-2016. In the early ’90s loved the Saratoga inn (now Saratoga Hot Springs Resort). Hot tubs of various temps with teepee’s over them & the best restaurant in Wyoming (the chef came from the RattleSnake Grill in Denver & they had a marvelous, very well priced wine selection). Unfortunately when the owner sold (early 2000s?) he took the wine to his ranch in Bend Oregon & the new owner changed it to a microbrewery & pub!
Fun fact regarding Wyoming:
JP Morgan Chase has more employees than women in Wyoming!
Dave
I haven’t made it up to Saratoga yet (the road’s always closed in the winter it seems), but hear good things about it. CJ Box writes a series of books about a game warden in Wyoming and one of the more recent ones actually takes place in Saratoga, some of it in a pub as I recall, probably the same place.
A neat little build, I remember lash ups on the farm, nore were as well done as this .
-Nate
A neat little build, I remember lash ups on the farm, none were as well done as this .
-Nate
I can only suppose that his handicapped permit has nothing to do with mobility. Unless he’s been up there behind the wheel pretty much permanently.
It must be rather entertaining to drive at night…as those lights attached to something I last saw used in a bbq pit dance around.
A most excellent write-up and find, Jim.
Small-block Chevy?
Interesting. I commend the builder for placing the engine back far enough to enhance the chassis balance. I would have left the engine over the front cross member, and have built a comically long hood. It would look like a limo from a Betty Boop cartoon.
Rat Fink “Hood” ornament, FTW!!!
My hat’s off to this guy!
Quite the conglomeration. With the engine so open to the elements I wonder if the cab warms up when the temp gets below zero. Then again nothing about this makes sense and it’s not meant to. Looks like it drove right out of The Far Side cartoon.
I don’t want to own it, I don’t want to drive it, I don’t want to ride in it, I’m not sure I want to be terribly near it on the road, but I definitely like knowing it exists!
I think you beat me to it, but said it more succinctly than how I was thinking about it!