HOT HAULERS

The Growing Popularity of Trucks

Trucks are hot, and this interest in trucks has been getting hotter over the years. This is not something that started recently, and now with so many companies like Chevs of the ’40s, Early Classic Enterprises, Gandrud Performance, and SSBC offering specific performance parts, you are now able to find such truck-specific parts as replacement sheetmetal, LS1 engine swaps, tubular suspension components, and enormous brake systems. What this means is that trucks are commanding center stage—you find them everywhere, and in all shapes, sizes, and styles.

Trucks as High-Performance Machines

All these styling and tuning advancements have helped the classic truck popularity become more widespread to the point that it has captured the hearts of many builders, actually changing the way these vehicles are built today. Enthusiasts look at these once-utilitarian vehicles differently today, as trucks are no longer simply for hauling lumber, tools, or parts. Even today’s shop trucks are anything but customary pickups used for hauling. No. Instead, trucks today are used just as much for high-horsepower street machine alternatives and big-power tow rigs because they offer such wide diversification. Trucks are more useful, and when built right, they are a styling statement. What’s more, when tricked out—even beyond many Camaros or Chevelles—what you will find are those muscle cars resting on a trailer behind the pickup. This has opened up a whole new level of thinking as it relates to complete tow rigs—cars and trucks.

The Versatility of Truck Builds

Over the past few years, we’ve covered many intriguing truck builds, ranging from early-’50s pickups to late-model, diesel-powered haulers and almost everything in between. We find the segments blending, but not all—some enthusiasts raise their trucks; others slam them. We ourselves have grown with the market, and today we have not one but three truck magazines—Truck Builder, Diesel Builder, and 4X4 Builder. Each is devoted from cover to cover to the growing interest in personalized trucks. To help illustrate what we mean when we talk about this trend in trucks, we collected 10 creatively done trucks that in one way or another represent most of what is going on within this popular enthusiast segment.

Exploring the Possibilities with Custom Trucks

The reality, however, is that these custom-built trucks are but a few examples—the tip of the iceberg, so to speak—of what is possible. These older trucks are generally far less expensive to find, require far fewer parts to build, and are easier to complete than many of the more popular supercars. So, the next time you are considering what to build, instead of that sweet-handling Pro Tourer or expensive restored muscle car, take a moment to look at all the offerings within the growing truck segment. You’ll find everything from later-model pickups to new replacement bodies, such as the Dynacorn early-’50s Chevy/GMC body, that will enable you to build a cool pickup in any style of your choosing. Early- or late-model, you will be surprised at what you will find and all that is available.

Showcasing 10 Hot Pickup Builds

So here are 10 hot pickups that show what might be done, knowing full well that there’s a lot of room among all these examples that might better fit your budget for a super rod truck that fits the times.