Keepin’ It Real to SoCal

Building trucks is more than a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. Art Ramirez has been working on vehicles his entire life. He and his brother Manny were influenced by their father, and doing work in the garage, cleaning up dirty nails and removing grease from their hair were common occurences while they were growing up. When they were old enough to get their driver’s licenses, these boys were good to go. They had the skills to fix up a ride for themselves that would make an impact on the streets.

ART DESCRIBES THE EXPERIENCE AS A LEARNING CURVE FOR HIM AND HIS SON; THEY BOTH ENJOYED THEIR FAIR SHARE OF SMASHED KNUCKLES AND CUSS WORDS ALONG THE WAY.

During the years that followed, Art has owned many kick-ass classics, including a few Impalas and even a ’51 Chevy pickup. When his son Maurice was growing up, Art wanted to share his knowledge and experience of working on cars and trucks with his own son. As a way to get Maurice more involved, Art snagged this ’59 GMC. He hauled it over to brother Manny’s garage where they all wrenched during many late nights, sharing good food and great times. Art describes the experience as a learning curve for him and his son; they both racked up their fair share of smashed knuckles and cuss words along the way.

While striving not only to make a clean truck but one that could grab attention at shows, Art decided he wanted the ’59 to sit low. To make this happen and modernize the front end, an independent front clip from a 1978 Plymouth Volaré was salvaged and set in place along with a set of 2-inch drop spindles. In the rear, a No Limit Engineering Fatbar 4-link with pan hard bar holds an 8-inch Ford rearend in place. To help get the truck down, Firestone 2,500-pound airbags were employed on all four corners.

Art had a vision of the final product and knew the tired, old 283-ci engine and turbo 350 trans wouldn’t cut it. He had a Chevy V-8 engine rebuilt to 355-ci and added a host of performance goodies to make it run like a beast. Art backed up this power with a rebuilt 700R4 transmission that not only holds up to the performance but also has an overdrive gear to keep rpms low at cruising speed. The transmission is also equipped with a 2,000-stall torque converter and moves the power to the rearend via a custom- made driveshaft.

AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF DOWNTIME AND MANY DAYS SPENT WITH LITTLE TO NO SLEEP, ART WAS FINALLY ABLE TO CREATE A SLICK TRUCK THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO HIS ROOTS.”

While the truck was taking shape, the exterior styling needed a bit of an overhaul itself. Not only was the body worked smooth, but it was also massaged a bit, and the door handles and factory emblems were shaved. The bed was cleaned and the posts were extended, the back end and inside were shaved and a custom roll pan was attached.

Art had something bright in mind for paint and settled on a color for several reasons. He grew up and currently lives in Orange County, his wife grew up in Orange, California and his kids did as well, so Art chose Grabber Orange for the truck. The orange appeal didn’t stop there either, because his wife used to live on Orange Street and his first grandchild is being raised in Orange, too. That’s a lot of coincidences pertaining to orange and this color only seemed fitting for this truck.

Though the outside of the truck received its fair share of metal work and paint, some of this transpired in the interior as well. This is apparent on the dash because it was shaved and painted like the body. The gauge panel was also recessed and a Flaming River steering column was attached to it. Underneath the dash is a custom center console, the stereo head unit, controls for a Vintage Air unit and power window switches. A Glide Engineering bench seat was set inside, while new carpet was laid down and everything else was covered in tan and sand leather and vinyl.

After several years of downtime and many days spent with little to no sleep, Art was finally able to create a slick truck that pays homage to his roots. With the sacrifices made to get it done, we are surprised that he’s still married. Art told us that he thinks it’s funny that instead of his wife Jenny asking, “Are we there yet?” she’s always asking, “Are you done yet?” Art simply replies by saying, “Honey, it’s never done.” ST

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

Art Ramirez
1959 GMC Stepside Pickup
Orange, CA

ENGINE

• John Edwards of R&D Automotive Machine Shop in Costa Mesa, CA
• 355-ci Chevy V-8
• Herbert camshaft
• Edelbrock cylinder heads, intake manifold and carburetor
• MSD distributor and ignition
• Custom air scoop
• Billet valve covers
• CNC Customs pulleys and brackets
• Doug’s headers
• DMH Performance exhaust cutouts
• Custom exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers by Plaza Muffler in Orange, CA
• Mattson’s aluminum radiator with electric fan
• 700R4 transmission
• 2000-stall TCI torque converter
• Lokar floor shifter
• Custom driveshaft by Orange County Driveline
• 1967 Chevy van gas tank

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Bagman Suspension Specialists/GO EZ Customs in Anaheim, CA
• 1978 Plymouth Volare front clip with disc brakes
• 2-inch dropped spindles
• Ford Mustang brake master cylinder and booster
• Firestone 2,500-pound airbags
• No Limit Engineering Fatbar 4-link with pan hard bar
• 3-inch C-notch

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20×8.5 and 22×10 Intro Custom Wheels Radicalli
• 245/35R20 and 265/40R20 Nitto NT555

BODY & PAINT

• Original all steel body and panels
• 1959 Chevrolet Apache grille
• Sliding rear window
• Shaved door handles, emblems, bed rails and tailgate
• Extended bed posts
• Raised bed floor
• Shaved inner bed
• Custom roll pan
• 1939 Ford taillights with orange tint
• Ford Grabber Orange paint with gold pearl over white base
• Replacement wood bed floor

INTERIOR

• Shaved dash
• Gauge cluster recessed
• Classic Instruments gauges
• Flaming River steering column
• Wysco steering wheel
• Vintage Air unit
• Custom center console
• Power windows
• Glide Engineering bench seat
• Sand and tan leather and vinyl upholstery by Orange Auto Upholstery in Orange, CA
• Custom Autosound head unit
• Kenwood amplifier, speakers, and 10-inch subwoofer

Special Thanks From Owner: Many thanks to family and friends for all of their help and especially my wife Jenny for her patience.

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