The interior of the '48 has nearly as many modifications as the sheetmetal outside. The dash was stretched 2 inches to meet the new door panels, before it was painted with the same PPG Yellow as the exterior. Rick fabricated both the custom floor and overhead consoles, and both got the PPG treatment before being bolted in. A horsehair-filled bench didn't belong in a truck like this-or any bench for that matter-so Rick rescued two buckets from a Ford Fiesta and dropped them off at South Chester Upholstery in Bakersfield. While there, they were wrapped with yellow vinyl and purple tweed to complete the yellow and purple theme.
Once you soak in the incredible bodywork and paint, you might be curious to see if the craftsmanship extends underneath the hood. And it does. Pop the hood and you'll see polished billet and cast aluminum and a chromed master cylinder surrounding the 350ci V-8. The smooth treatment didn't stop with the bolt-on pieces, the entire block and cylinder heads were smoothed to complete the look. Ray at Southwest Garage handled the engine build and installed a Comp Magnum hydraulic cam and MSD distributor to boost power a bit, but not enough to adversely affect the driveablilty. The headers are custom pieces, which were built by Rick and then silver Jet-Hot-coated. They dump into a 2-1/2-inch exhaust that leads to Stainless Works mufflers. Although it's not on display, if you do peek underneath the truck you'll see that behind the small-block is a Turbo 350, shortened S-10 driveshaft, and a 10-bolt Chevrolet rearend filled with 3.08 gears. It's the perfect recipe for a cruiser.
Rick has a lot to be proud of, as his '48 is a stunning accomplishment, but he's quick to point out the great work that others put into his truck, as well. Special thanks go out to Ray from Southwest Garage, Rod from Quality Transmissions, Jody from Oildale Glass, Skip from South Chester upholstery, and Joey and Cory from Trenz Custom Paint.