Chevy Truck Mashup: Built to Be a Cowboy Big Rig
What do you get when you take a 1977 Chevy truck and toss it on an industrial chassis? Uh, this.
When we first laid eyes on this 1977 Chevy truck, we immediately thought it was something you might see tooling down some Texas highway. Our suspicions were confirmed when we noticed that it’s for sale at San Antonio-based Dan Kruse Classics. It seems only fitting, because clearly the builder of this truck was looking to transform a classic Chevy truck into a de facto big rig. Just don’t call it a Cowboy Cadillac, whatever you do.
The mad scientist creation, which looks like something J.R. Ewing might drive, came about with the marriage of a Suburban body and a heavy duty F700 chassis. But even a stock Suburban body isn’t long enough to cover the mini-big rig undercarriage, so a custom bed was added for some extra utility. Carryover commercial grade wheels and tires complete the package and hint at what lies underneath.
If that wasn’t enough to clue you in to the fact that this is a purpose built tow rig, there’s more. For one, a massive big rig-like cow catcher front bumper looks ready to sling deer across the freeway with ease. And the side mirrors take up roughly 50% of the each door’s girth.
But let’s talk about that massive silver thing up top. It might look like additional seating, a satellite dish, or a misplaced snow plow. But in reality, it’s an air deflector designed for a proper big rig. Though we suppose you could use it for any of the above.
This crazy 1977 Chevy truck lives up to its appearance in the drivetrain department, too. Under the hood, you’ll find a Cummins 12-cylinder diesel pumping out 375 hp and enough torque to reverse the earth’s rotation. A proper big rig Eaton 10-speed manual backs up the oil burning mill. And also like a big rig, this Chevy rolls on an air ride suspension.
If nothing else, the old Chevy answers a question we never thought anyone would ask. But in a way, we’re glad they did.
