RUSTY RED
Rusty Red
When Ray got hooked up with this ex work-horse, he ended up finding himself a keeper!
Ray Rust has been into hot rods, American pickups and customs for nearly as long as he can remember. Since he has always had a soft spot for pickups that’s exactly what he set his sights on finding. Not long after making that decision, he came across the featured truck advertised in Craigslist, San Fransisco, that seemed to tick all boxes. After checking out some images and speaking with the San Fran owner, Ray was sold.
SO DAMN PERFECT
Knowing the look that Ray preferred, he went right to work on the Chevy. He whacked on some roller rockers and a ‘Mutha Thumpa cam’ because let’s face it, nothing grabs your attention at a car show more than the hard-hitting sound of a thumping, high performance idle. He added a 350/350 auto combination and gave the motor a fresh new rebuild and now runs alloys heads. He finished off with a high-rise allow manifold and Holley carby. The engine bay had been detailed and fitted with polished alloy accessories. The truck is running a late 80s Camaro front end brakes and power steering. The rear end is also a late Camaro.
After Ray handled the mods and bodywork to his satisfaction, the icing on the cake came in the way of covering the truck in several coats of what he now calls ‘Rusty Red’.
With body mods and custom paint handled, Ray then whipped up the chrome wheels which are fitted with white wall tyres.
“My Rusty Red has delightful curves, perfect proportions, timelessly simple grille, and a practical upright cab. It’s just so damn perfect!”
CLEAN IS THE WORD
“Clean” is one of those words often used in the automotive culture that it’s almost lost all meaning. However, Ray’s ’48 Chev is nothing but clean. Probably even clean enough to reinvigorate the word and remind others exactly how it should be applied!
As the first thing, most will notice, the paint is probably a good place to get the conversation started. If “clean” is the goal, what better colour than Rusty Red? The paintwork shows well from every imaginable angle and gives the truck a level of class that most ex-work horses can only dream of.
THE ADVANCE-DESIGN SERIES
“Clean” is one of those words often used in the automotive culture that it’s almost lost all meaning. However, Ray’s ’48 Chev is nothing but clean. Probably even clean enough to reinvigorate the word and remind others exactly how it should be applied!
As the first thing, most will notice, the paint is probably a good place to get the conversation started. If “clean” is the goal, what better colour than Rusty Red? The paintwork shows well from every imaginable angle and gives the truck a level of class that most ex-work horses can only dream of.
“These beauties are very easily one of the most recognised classic trucks ever. You can find these anywhere from original condition to fully customised restomods with fuel injected engines. Either way, you cannot go wrong with a Chevy pickup,” Ray boasts.
As the collector vehicle lifestyle continues to evolve, classic pickups have become the fastest growing segment among collectors. The number of pickups purchased by collectors has grown more than 56% over the past five years compared to any other collector vehicle segment!
“There was a time when trucks were only used by collectors to tow another car to the show, but now they are seriously collectable in their own right”.
Ray’s advice to all wanting to enter the collectable world is to start with a classic pickup. “They are readily available, easy to work on and very affordable.”
Rusty Red lives with Ray’s 1927 Model A Roadster which has been featured in a previous Ryno Rides article, and his 1988 C4 Corvette.
“Out of all the collectables I drive, this one is closest to my heart. When I take her out for a blast, I feel like I am living the dream!”