It's been a long 13-year project with plenty of hiccups and hurdles along the way, but Gary Potts from the Central West Car Club has finally got his Dodge pick-up on the road and is hoping to start enjoying it.
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"I wanted a hot rod of some sort," Gary said.
"A simple two-seater that was just a bit different.
"Big and loud in the engine department was always on the cards but I still wanted to be able to drive it to and from work when I wanted."
After looking at a few pick-up bodies (Fords and Chevs), Gary decided on the '41 Dodge.
"It's an all-steel body with a custom built tub and we added another two inches to the rear guards to handle the massive rear tyres," Gary said.
"I've always liked the rat rod concept - something rough on the outside that could handle some bumps and scrapes but modern enough on the inside to house some creature comforts."
Next was the chassis and driveline.
"It's mounted to an HQ Holden one tonner chassis," Gary said.
"And I went with a tough 360 cubic inch Chrysler V8 for its strength in the bottom end."
"It needed to be strong to handle the supercharger," he laughed.
A lot of the original work was done with a hot rod builder in Victoria, but with delays and difficulties, the build gradually made its way back to NSW and the Central West.
On the local scene, Scott Page did the paintwork with the idea being to accentuate the rusty patina.
The late Alan Payne did a fantastic job with the hand pin-striping, making it look like it'd been there since 1941, and Sharon Fenson from Young is responsible for the faded look sign writing on the doors.
Getting power to the ground is a 904 Torqueflite transmission with 10" Convo Pro's out back and 7" up front, while inside there's a simple bench seat, electric windows and air conditioning for comfort.
Asked whether he'd do it again, it was a pretty confident "no" from Gary.
"I'm really pleased with the end result but the time and effort for the build, and even just getting it on the road has been the spoiler," he said.
The Central West Car Club meets regularly on the first Wednesday of each month at the Parkes Leagues Club and welcomes members and guests.
If you'd like to find out more about the club you can search their website www.centralwestcarclub.com/ or find them on Facebook.
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