One Fine Old School ’50 GMC 

We all remember our childhood and our dad’s love, but there’re usually a few experiences we shared with our dads that especially stand out. Sage Conner has memories of her dad’s ’50 GMC pickup. She can remember riding shotgun with her dad everywhere in that ol’ ’50 nicknamed “Rusty Bolt.” After owning the truck for what seemed like forever, her dad sold old Rusty Bolt. Like most truck guys he was very emotional about selling it. In fact, he truly regretted ever having sold it; the feeling was like parting with a member of the family.

Sage’s husband Eric Conner has been building very cool custom rides for some time and owns SoCal Suspension Garage in El Cajon, California. Eric knew that Sage and her dad would never get over selling the Rusty Bolt, so he decided to buy one for his wife. He unearthed a ’50 GMC five-window on eBay and presented it to her on Christmas 2010. To set up the body the way they wanted, the couple used 1950 Chevy fenders and hood, 1954 bed, 1953 GMC grille and 1949 GMC doors and bumpers.

After removing the body components from the frame, it was stripped down and media blasted. Eric cut off the front frame rails and welded on a 1968 Camaro front clip. To get the nose down, Eric modified the Camaro upper and lower control arms, and then sandwiched a pair of McGaughys 2.5-inch dropped spindles between the arms. A 1995 Chevy Silverado disc brake power booster provides plenty of hydraulic pressure for the McGaughys front disc brakes with 12-inch rotors and dual piston calipers that halt the front 15 x 6-inch Early Wheel Company smoothies wrapped in American Classic 235/70-15 tires with 2 ¾-inch-wide whites. The frame rails were boxed with a 9-inch step-notch in the rear to allow plenty of negative suspension travel for the Camaro rearend housing. Once the frame was finished it was sent to Quality Powder Coating in Chula Vista, California, where it received black powder coat. The Camaro rearend was stuffed with 3.73 gears, and Eric fabricated a triangulated 4-link rear suspension to anchor the Camaro rearend housing using the Camaro factory drum brake setup with all new working internal pieces, shoes and drums. The rear 15 x 7-inch Early Wheel Company smoothies are encased with American Classic 245/70-15 rubber. The front and rear suspension are vertically activated with an Air Ride/Ride Tech pneumatic suspension featuring universal bellow bags front and rear. An Accuair E-Level system with VU-4 valves coordinates the suspension’s vertical action. To dampen the front and rear suspension, Eric installed a set of Bilstein 1500 shocks.

Eric was fortunate enough to purchase a rebuilt 1968 Corvette 327/375-hp small-block. The engine was fit with Edelbrock valve covers and aluminum intake manifold and a Holley 650-cfm carburetor. A pair of Hedman long-tube headers collects into a custom 3-inch-diameter exhaust system that flows into a pair of Flowmaster dual chamber mufflers. The engine temperature is kept cool with a Brothers aluminum radiator with electric fan. A GM 700R4 automatic transmission was rebuilt with a Hurst shift kit to produce firmer shifts. A Hurst shift linkage was modified to accept the very cool extended old school microphone shifter. The boys at East County Driveshaft in El Cajon were responsible for the custom driveshaft linking the ‘Vette torque/power to the Chevy rearend.

Nick Battaglia at Loose Cannons Customs (Apex Auto Body) in San Diego was responsible for numerous body mods, including a 2-inch body drop. Eric at SoCal Suspension removed the hood center molding and welded the center seam. The body was made up of components from four different years: 1954 five-window cab and bed, 1949 doors, 1950 hood and front fenders and 1953 grille. The pine wood bed floor was raised 4 inches to allow the frame rails’ step notch. Nick spent many hours reworking all of the sheet metal before massaging it with a couple of coats of primer and block sanding it smooth. To achieve the “Barney the Dinosaur” color, Nick sprayed multiple coats of House of Kolors Pavo Purple and buried it in four coats of clear. After it cured, the surface was cut, buffed and polished. Nick also did the pearl white lace with Pavo Purple pinstripe treatment on the dash. The shortened front bumper, rear bumper, grille and headlight rings were all rechromed.

Armando at Lindy’s Upholstery in San Diego was responsible for the period-correct ‘50s-style interior, featuring a 1985 Blazer back seat with hidden armrest, door panels and headliner all covered in marine pearl white tuck-n-roll vinyl. The cab floor was covered with cut-pile black carpet. An Ididit tilt steering column was capped with a Mooneyes white threespoke steering wheel. The original gauges were replaced with Beede classic white face gauges.

A bonus was the very cool 1958 Shasta trailer that Eric and Sage completely refurbished. The interior décor was done ‘50s diner style with a black and white checkered floor; the original stove was rebuilt; and a new refrigerator replaces the original icebox. The trailer is equipped with an air conditioner and 16-gallon toilet. Eric built a custom airbagged trailer suspension. The dropped axle was dropped even further to 6 inches total. The trailer was connected to the pickup’s nitrogen system with quickdisconnect air lines. It’s especially cool that when the truck’s ‘bags are purged, so are the trailer’s ‘bags, allowing both to lay out simultaneously. A pair of 14-inch steel wheels capped with smoothies are fit with 185/65-14 tires and striped with 2 ¼-inch white walls. The trailer was painted two-tone Pavo Purple and pearl white—very bitchin’!

How cool is it for Sage to revisit her childhood memories riding with her dad in ol’ Rusty Bolt every time she drives her ’50 GMC pickup? Of course, every time her dad Boe sees the truck he’s proud and a little envious. ST

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ERIC AND SAGE CONNER
1950 GMC PICKUP
EL CAJON, CA

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