Playboy

P l ay b oy

REVIVING AN AMERICAN ICON

HE FUN BEHIND RESTORING AN

TICONIC PIECE OF AMERICAN ENGINEERING IS HARD TO EXPLAIN TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER TAKEN ON THE TASK. Yes, it’s a lot of work. Yes, you will probably spill some blood and sling some curse words now and again. But when it’s all said and done and you fi nd yourself cruising down the interstate in a one-of-a-kind roller that everyone looks and points at, the addiction sets in and there is no escaping.

The fi nal product is obviously the ultimate goal, and the feeling of accomplishment is something that can’t be replicated—but a lot can be said about the process before the prize, and this particular project off ered up some interesting opportunities all along the way.

First and foremost, the state you fi nd your fi x-up is almost as interesting as the project itself. Is it a ride that the original owner still enjoys? Did you fi nd it in a fi eld amongst other forgotten friends, SOURCES or did you have an • Suspension experience like us and www.ridetech.com 812-481-4787 simply drag your truck • Brakes out of the back yard www.performanceonline.com 888-991-0887 of some guy that just • Wheels gave up on it? www.schottwheels.com 714-891-7680

The story behind • EFI: the sheetmetal is www.edelbrock.com 888-799-1135almost always an • Fuel System interesting one, and www.fuelairspark.com 877-334-8355digging through the • Body Panels interior can often shed www.lmctruck.com some light on it’s last 800-562-8782 • Frame Coating days in service. In our www.kbs-coatings.com 888-531-4527 • Installer www.saltworksmfg.com 941-914-5536 • A/C Replacement Parts www.originalair.com 813-548-4952 case, a deep dive under the dash revealed quite a few interesting items including some classic Playboy magazines full of females that were covered in more dust than denim. After a quick fl ip to the rags for “research” we set them aside and focused on getting this fi xer upper fi red up. Lucky for you we created videos of our entire experience so be sure to scan the QR code with your cell phone camera to watch what actually went down during this truck turnaround.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF WHEN WE PICKED UP THIS NEW PROJECT!

01 |To fully inspect this forgotten full-size, we hooked Dave’s square body up to the truck and yanked it out of the awning. Time to work on getting it fi red up!

02 |The fi rst thing we found in this wasteland of ’90s memorabilia were some super-old Playboy magazines. Pretty cool to see them in good shape after all these years. Do you remember this issue? Now you know how we named this pickup. 03 |Under the hood we found the standard engine swap for these ’80s Bow Ties—a small block Chevy 350c.i. engine with a few accessories and a whole lot of interesting upgrades. Will it run? Watch the video to fi nd out!

05 |Once we had this 1988 Chevy C1500 shortbed truck back at the Street Trucks garage, it was time for one of the most satisfying parts of the process: the fi rst wash!

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SCAN THE QR CODE TO FOLLOW ALONG.

04 |After a few tweaks and a fresh new battery, we had our new pickup fi red up and ripping burnouts in the road within an hour.

06 |A simple wash, wipe, and basic tune-up made this truck much more valuable then when we fi rst bought it, but we’re just getting started.

07 |The suspension choice for this project is from Ridetech. This complete coilover conversion kit is specifi cally designed for ’88-’98 Chevrolet and GMC C1500 truck and includes everything needed to create modern driveability with an aggressive stance. The package contains front upper and lower StrongArm Tubular control arms, front and rear HQ Series coil over shocks, front sway bar, HD drop spindles, and rear Wishbone with integrated C-Notch. 08 |With the truck all cleaned up and ready for the aftermarket, fi rst on the long list of things to do was removing the bed.

09 |The original frame is solid and straight with basically no rust so that a win. We just need to spend a few hours cleaning it and prepping the metal for a new protective coating.

10 |The KBS Frame Coater Kit contains everything you need to clean, prep, & apply two coats of RustSeal on up to a 50 square foot area

KBS Coatings’ 3-STEP SYSTEM of RustSeal (a rust preventive coatings), KBS Klean (an industrial strength water-based cleaner / degreaser) and KBS RustBlast (a powerful rust remover / metal etch) is the most eff ective way to prevent rust and corrosion. We chose to spray it on using a basic automotive paint gun and it turned out great!

11 | Now the bed can be returned to its original location for transport to its next destination, SaltWorks Fab in Myakka Florida to be exact.

SCAN ME 12 | Scan the QR Code to watch us load it up and drop it off at Saltworks. This place is amazing!

13 |The crew at Saltworks wasted no time and had our truck on the lift with the wheels off in no time. Casper and John took the lead and their experience was evident from the start. 14 |The rear c-notch is where the Saltworks Fab technicians started. Using the template provided by Ridetech, a cut line was marked and the cutoff wheel was plugged in. Notice the fi reproof blanket over the gas tank? Great tip for do it yourselfers!

17 | The upper wishbone bracket easily bolts to both c-notch brackets percfectly. The engineering behind this system is impressive to say the least.

19 | Next item to be put on Playboy are the Rear HQ Series Coilovers. These remote reservoir triple adjustable coil-over shocks feature rebound adjustment along with dual stage (High Speed & Low Speed) compression adjustment. 18| Now Casper can install the lower coilover mount to the C-notch bracket.

20| Before we bolt on our new wheels we need to do something about these ugly drumb brakes, more to come on that later!

21 | Speaking of wheels, let us introduce you to our roller of choice for Project Playboy. The Schott Wheels Vulcan EXL is a ten spoke design with a smooth lip rim to expand the center design for a larger look. Each Schott Wheel is precisely CNC machined from forged billet aluminum for lightweight strength, refined style, and meticulously hand finished to levels that are second to none. These D.Concave profile wheels are ideal for neutral to low backspaces and wide wheel applications. American Made Quality, by Design!

22| With the rear suspension completed it was time for the crew at Saltworks to focus on the front. All the factory suspension is removed and will eventually be replaced.

23 | The new front copilovers from Ridetech are now installed and the controls arms can be bolted on. There is much more involved in this process so we highly recommend you watch the video above the see all the steps.

Fifty Years Of Fifty Years Of Slam It, With AME! Technology In Motion Technology In Motion

Get A Custom CAD-Engineered Chassis With Air Spring-Plus™ Suspension For Your Truck

For many enthusiasts Art Morrison Enterprises is known primarily for its series of GT Sport chassis that provide corner-carving handling, performance and a contemporary stance with bolt-on convenience.

But if you dig deeper, you’ll see that AME is also a pioneer in air suspensions dating back 30+ years when the Morrison engineering team and its suppliers developed one of the industry’s first successful classic truck/street rod air suspension packages. And continue to evolve them to this day.

The important thing to remember is that AME’s engineering and manufacturing team can design a custom chassis to your exact needs, and build it with industry-leading craftsmanship.

If you want to tackle your build incrementally, AME can custom-build front and rear clips to your individual requirements.

And don’t forget that an investment in a Morrison chassis pays big dividends in performance, driving enjoyment and vehicle value.

1971 2021

www.artmorrison.com Call: Call: 866-808-4759 866-808-4759 email: sales@artmorrison.com sales@artmorrison.com

24 | LEFT. New brakes will need to be installed up front as well since this spindle is designed for the Heavy Duty 1.25-inch rotors. 25 | RIGHT. The new spindles bolt up to the controls arms as they should and the original dust shield is reinstalled.

26 |That about wraps up the front suspension, so we can now slip on the new upgraded brakes from Performance Online before jumping on the rear disc brake conversion. 27 |After removing the rear brake drum, we had to open up the rear axle, pull out the c-clips and slide out the axle. We needed to change the rear axle seal and bearings anyway so the process was appreciated.

28 |Performance Online designed this rear brake conversion kit to be easily installed by anyone willing to try. The brackets are cut to perfection and the process took less than a few hours. 29 |With the suspension and brakes complete, we pulled the truck out of the shop for one last wipe down before reinstalling the bed. Love that new stance!

30 |A quick but messy trim of the underside of the bed was needed to clear the new suspension. Casper made it look easy though and it almost looks original.

31 |We cant say enough good things about the crew at SaltWorks Fab in Myakka Florida. Professional, detailed, and on time every time.

32 |Scan the QR Code to watch us install this suspension and drive this truck for the fi rst time!

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34 |Scan the QR Code to watch us convert this Carbutated 350 into a fuel injected engine!

SCAN ME 33 |The fi nal stop on the fi rst stage of this truck makeover is to make this motor more reliable. The carburetor has to go and we cant wait to replace it with some more modern tech.

35 |The Edlebrock Pro-Flo 4 is not just a replacement for your carburetor, it’s a complete engineered system that provides the ultimate in performance, drivability and quality.

36|ThePro-Flo 4 Electronic Fuel Injection also gives you the ultimate control of your engine when using the Advanced Tuning features. The E-Tuner 4 app gives you the ability to easily adjust your ignition curve specifi cally for your engine setup, eliminating the hassle, complexity and limitations of the standard distributor advance mechanism. Resulting in a smoother idle, faster acceleration, better peak power, improved fuel economy and the ability to control detonation, all with the touch of your fi nger. INthe nest issue we will tackle the interior with help from our friends at Classic Parts of America, RetroSound, TMI Interior, DEI Industries, Dakota Digial and Original Air. Stay tuned!