POWER PICKUP!

A True Car Guy with a Need for Speed

To say Tom Long has an interest in cars is to say the Pope has an interest in religion. Long has always been a “car guy,” just like the rest of us. Having owned several specialty vehicles over the years, he still has a ’32 Ford sedan street rod that has seen many miles from coast to coast.

But Long had a real urge to own something with the extra shot of adrenaline that comes from potent power under the hood. As his son Matt’s interest in cars grew, Long decided a project that involved both father and son would be just the ticket.

Building the 1989 Chevy C1500 Pro Street Pickup

They chose a solid bodied ’89 Chevy C1500 pickup, which matches a big engine and big tires and makes for one cool ride. To accommodate the planned Pro Street setup, Tom had Mike Kroehl of Innovations Plus in Winder, Georgia, install an S&W Racing rear clip as part of the frame. Brian Robbins built the 9-inch Ford rear housing at Redline Design in St. Joseph, Michigan, with 35-spline billet locker Strange axles, 3:70 gears and Wilwood Pro Street billet disc brakes.

The rearend rides smoothly on Carrera coilover shocks. Up front Tom and Matt installed Bell Tech spindles and Air Ride Technologies Shockwave shocks to obtain an adjustable stance. Carl Leach plumbed the Master Power Brakes master cylinder and 9-inch booster for stopping.

Big Block Power: 502 Crate Engine Setup

The 502/502 Chevy crate motor received Hedman headers, Alan Grove brackets, March pulleys, a Holley Avenger carb, Energy Suspension mounts, MSD ignition, Cool Flex hoses and a K&N air cleaner. The aluminum valve covers came from Chevy Performance Parts. A C&R Racing aluminum radiator cools the engine. All this was coupled to a Coan Turbo 400 tranny with a Cheetah SCS shifter. To make sure all the power made its way to the rear tires, Tom had Inland Empire build a 4-inch aluminum driveshaft.

Clean Exterior with Aggressive Pro Street Style

The Longs kept the body modifications to a minimum. All the exterior trim was removed and they added a Goodmark cowl induction hood, rear roll pan and a Checker Products bed cover. A 20-gallon fuel cell was mounted in the bed between the tubbed rear fender wells. Tom and Matt both worked the body smooth before Russell Hardeman applied the Viper Red PPG paint. Keeping the aggressive theme going are Weld Racing Pro Star wheels with BFGoodrich tires up front and Hoosier Radials out back.

Interior Comfort Meets Performance Function

Inside Tom and Matt used late-model Tahoe seats. Prior to installing the Auto Custom Carpets, they applied Dynamat Xtreme insulation and Extremeliner for superior insulation and sound deadening. The air conditioning came from Southern Air and the Auto Meter Phantom gauges were mounted into a custom gauge cluster, along with a dash-mounted tach in full view of the driver. The stock column received a Grant Evolution GT steering wheel. Matt chose a Sony stereo coupled to a Rockford bass amp for radical sounds while riding down the road.

Built to Drive: A Cross-Country Performer

The father-son project enabled Tom and Matt to spend time together both in the garage and on the road. The truck is Tom’s daily transportation. Over the past year, he has driven it from Georgia to California and all points in between without an ounce of trouble. When you have a truck as good-looking and as much fun to drive as this one, who would want to park it?

More Than a Truck: A Life Surrounded by Cars

When we said Tom Long had an interest in cars, we weren’t kidding. Besides the super red Chevy pickup you see featured here, he has a ’32 Ford sedan street rod that gets almost as many road miles as the pickup. He literally surrounds himself with cars of all types. His company owns thousands of them. Only thing is you cannot really drive any of them.

Georgia Marketing and Promotions (now ACME Trading Company) produces die-cast model cars. The product line includes muscle cars, sprint cars, vintage race cars and various related items.

Long spends many hours working with drivers, teams and sponsors, securing all the information and releases to create some of the finest detailed die-cast cars you will ever see. His attention to detail shows in both his work and the cars he drives.

From the Street to the Sprint Car Hall of Fame

However, his interest is not just related to business. Long also serves on the board of directors of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa. As a member of the board, he travels from Georgia to Iowa several times a year. Instead of using his pickup or street rod for just pleasure, he mixes them into his business by driving them on many trips all around the country.

If you like to talk cars, Long is right there with you, usually sharing a cold drink. If you want to talk racing, he will be right there as well—probably with a die-cast of one of your favorite race cars.