Check Out this Incredible Old Chevy 3200
This truck was too cool not to share.
How do you one-up yourself after owning a brand-new 1969 Z/28 Camaro and following it up with a 455 Trans-Am H.O.? By rocking a pickup truck, of course.
No one knows this better than Fred Haralson, because he’s lived it. Haralson spent his teenage years engrossed in hot-rod culture during the early ‘60s. When his son pointed out a 1956 Chevy 3200 as the perfect blank slate, Haralson knew just what to do.
Six years later, the Chevy has undergone a serious transformation into a tire-punishing show-quality classic.
Ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more
Like most pickup trucks in 1956, this truck began life as a workhorse. It lived on a farm, where life was almost undoubtedly inglorious, and the idea of frying tires was just a waste of money. From the factory, the truck sported a 235 straight six and Hydramatic transmission.
Haralson knew just where to take the old pickup for a shot in the arm. Nathan Hale is no newcomer to the world of hot rods and custom trucks, and Hale’s Lewisville, Texas, speed shop is precisely where Haralson took the old truck.
When the work was finished, the frame was the only original chassis piece left. Hale built an entirely new suspension, and the truck now rides on airbags that allow it to hug the asphalt without compromising ride quality.
Tire smoke and OG Kush
Hale replaced the truck’s front end with a Mustang II-derived setup, while the truck uses a custom two-link suspension with a Panhard bar at the rear. A Quick Performance locking rear differential with 3:50:1 gears is very necessary, because this truck now makes nearly 700 horsepower, thanks to a blown LS V8.
The iron-block LS is built with Diamond 10.5:1 pistons, a Bullet camshaft and custom header-back exhaust. The whole package rides on vintage-look 15-inch chrome reverse steel wheels with whitewall tires, and to finish it off, Haralson worked with Hard Kandy Kustomz to deck out the interior with a new seat, vintage air and a tasty respray in a color called “OG Kush Pearl.”
To call this a transformation would be an understatement. But this truck hasn’t forgotten its humble beginnings. Haralson doesn’t baby it — in fact, he drives the truck almost every day.