UPDATES:

OK, by now, I am sure most of America is sick of hearing about Bret Favre....so I must apologize in advance for what I am about to do.  As you should be aware of by now, Bret is back out of retirement...again, this time with the Minnesota Vikings!  As a life long Minnesota native and Vikings fan, I am pretty excited about this!  The Vikings and Packers have one of the NFL's longest rivalries, and it was always a pleasure to watch Bret come to town and play ball.  He is a true throwback and a talented player who obviously loves the game for the right reasons.  Why am I telling you all this?  I thought if I just threw up the Wrangler advertisement I saw in a recent Hot Rod magazine featuring Bret Favre, it wouldn't mean anything special.  So take a peek by clicking the thumbnail, or head on over here to see more cool ads featuring 73-87 GM trucks.

A good friend of mine, Tony of Mac-Ink Customs, has created some very cool artwork for the 73-87 Chevy truck line.  As of right now, only 81-87 Chevrolet C10 short beds are available, but not to worry...he has a 73-80 in the works, and it sounds like Blazers and K-series trucks will follow.  These rendering can also be color matched to your truck, and there are numerous options to customize each (cowl hoods, different wheels, stepside bed, etc.)  These are available as both prints and apparel.  Mac-Ink also creates custom car show displays, and does numerous other GM make and model renderings.  These are very unique, and a must have for any 73-87 owner or die hard fan.  Click on Mac-Ink thumbnail below to be taken to their site, and get yourself one of these already!

The Car Craft Summer Nationals came to town in July, and I was able to attend part of the day on Friday.  It was the first day of the show and the weather wasn't the greatest...but there was still a decent crowd of square bodies to look at.  Click here to see the 2009 photos, and if you would like, you can click here to see the photos from the 2004 show I attended.  Below are just a few examples of some of the fine trucks in attendance.

Picked up this postcard on eBay recently.  It is a picture of the Plains Chevrolet Dealership in Amarillo Texas, taken (and mailed out) back in the late 70's when they were selling these trucks brand new.  To see more neat old postcards, click here.

More 73-87 coverage for you!  The June and July 2009 issues of Hot Rod Magazine has a series of articles covering the budget buildup of a 1974 C10 stepside built and driven 3,600 miles...all in 15 days.  Written and photographed by the returning David Freiburger.  Go to the news stand and pick up a copy for yourself, or visit the Hot Rod website!

FOR SALE
If you would like to upgrade the speakers in your truck, this might interest you.  I have somewhat recently begun making cab corner 6x9 speaker brackets for all 73-87 GM trucks, and 88-91 crew cabs.  These brackets are made of heavy duty 16 gauge steel, and fit perfectly in the cab corners...even with the bench seat all the way back.  Due to space limitations, only speakers with a 3 1/4" magnet and smaller will fit.  You can get the larger magnet speakers to fit with the use of spacers (which I do not make or sell), but the bench seat will not be able to be positioned all the way back.  I have sold over 50 sets of these brackets so far, and have had ZERO negative feedback on them, only positive!  I have spent a lot of time developing and making these, and take a great deal of pride in them.  If you are interested, or just want to learn more and see some pictures and customer feedback, head on over to 67-72chevytrucks.com and take a look.  I also have pictures of them installed in my '73 right here on the 'site, click here to see them.  If you are still reading this, and are interested in purchasing a set, send an E-mail to jdrew@73-87.com and let me know.  The price, including shipping to anywhere in the continental US, is $63 to your door.  Instructions and mounting hardware are included.  I have a limited number of sets available, so don't wait too long.

Picked up this cool old brochure from Armbruster/Stageway, showing their fifteen passenger Chevrolet Suburban that was available back in the day, talk about a "limo" with style!  I Also picked up an old Meyer Products and Western Products brochures.  All these can be seen in the 73-87 Information section.

Have you been kicking around the idea of making some 73-87 related furniture, either for your house or garage?  If so, click here or head on over to the Novelties section for more info!

There are quite a few 73-87's getting some air time recently, both on the big and small screen.  I have added some information on them in the TV & Movies page.  If you are a fan like me, you might want to check them out. 

New articles/information added.  I know, I know...looong overdue.  I will be adding new tech articles to the garage soon, so stay tuned.

Finally had some time to provide some updates on my truck.  Click the link below to be taken to that portion of the build.

Interior

Exterior

Drivetrain

Chassis & Suspension

 

Lately I have been receiving numerous E-mails requesting help decoding all sorts of engines and transmissions.   Unfortunately I do not own any engine or transmission suffix books, but I can however tell you where to begin your search.  Visit Mortec.com, there is a ton of information on their site pertaining to Chevrolet engines, and more than likely you will find what you are looking for there.  If that doesn't answer your question, please visit any of the sites below, all are filled with owners of these trucks (and older), someone is bound to know there.  My screen name is bigblock73 on all four, stop by and say hi.

2009 UPDATE LOG: