Douglas Hague’s 1950 Chevy Truck

YOU WOULDN’T THINK IT NOW, BUT THIS RIDE USED TO BE AN OLD WORK TRUCK USED FOR MANY DECADES ON A RANCH OUT IN KANSAS. Once wear and tear got the best of this ’50 workhorse, it was parked in a chicken barn where it sat until 1999. That’s when Douglas Hague was contracted to run the electrical wiring for that very same ranch. He quickly took an interest in the abandoned truck; so, the owner of the ranch gave it to him. Shortly thereafter, Douglas hauled his new project home, and with help from his youngest daughter, he got it settled into his own barn.

During that time, Douglas was already in the middle of restoring another truck, but he knew that he would soon be able to get his hands dirty with this ’50. The word “dirty” was an understatement: The engine was frozen and the block had split. The bed, fenders and running boards were in such bad shape that they had to be replaced. After getting the truck torn down and new parts ordered, Douglas realized that without professional help his truck would not be restored properly.

The truck was hauled off to Sterling Classic in Wichita, where the crew started bringing this old ranch truck back to life. Since the original motor was not going to be rejoined with the truck, a late-model Vortec 350 was placed in between the frame. To add a little class to the motor, a set of Sanderson headers was bolted up to it to allow the gasses to flow out through the Flowmaster exhaust system. A March serpentine drive system replaced the factory belt drivetrain parts to add shine.

To help the truck handle its newfound horsepower, the old front suspension was tossed and replaced with Chassis Engineering’s Mustang II complete assembly along with a set of new 11-inch disc brakes. The rear frame also needed reworking, and that’s where Jeff Degraffenried was called in to box the rear frame and install a four-bar No Limit Engineering kit.

The guys at Sterling Collision started in on the body of the truck. Some of the items on the to-do list included: smoothing out the hood; fixing the nose, cowl vents and bed rails; adding a custom fuel filler and custom wood. Once all of the custom touches were finished, it was time to hand over the truck to Sterling’s painter, Keith. Douglas chose a custom two-tone PPG paint, and fresh out of the booth, it was just what he had envisioned. Nadine Ward from Signworks was asked to apply some of her custom graphics to finish off the overall look.

THE GUYS AT STERLING HANDED OVER THE KEYS TO DOUGLAS, AND ECSTATIC IS THE ONLY WAY TO DESCRIBE HIS REACTION AS HE MET HIS ‘NEW’ RIDE.”

Next, the truck headed to Morgan Bulleigh Upholstery shop. The bench seat was wrapped in tan leather while custom touches were applied to the door panels. A Vintage Air system was installed along with an Alpine head unit and speakers. With the final touches to the interior completed, the truck was ready to handle the road in comfort.

The guys at Sterling handed over the keys to Douglas, and ecstatic is the only way to describe his reaction as he met his “new” ride. The amount of attention the truck received at its first car show proved, however, that it really was a grand slam. Douglas would like to thank his loving wife and kids, along with everyone else who had a hand in rebuilding this once-forgotten ranch truck.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

Douglas Hague
1950 Chevy pickup
Benton, KS

ENGINE

• Chevy Vortec 350-ci
• Holley 650 carburetor
• Vintage Air Frontrunner serpentine system
• Sanderson headers
• Custom exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers
• Griffin radiator

TRANSMISSION

• Shop: Farmers Repair
• Chevy 700 R4

SUSPENSION

• Chassis Engineering Mustang II IFS
• KYB shocks
• 1978 Thunderbird steering rack
• Chevy 12-bolt rearend with 3.42:1 and Eaton posi
• No Limit Engineering 6-inch drop blocks/hangers
• No Limit Engineering four- bar kit

WHEELS & TIRES

• 17×7 and 17×8 American Racing Torque Thrust II
• 225-50-17 Nitto NT450 and 235-55-17 Uniroyal Tiger Paw

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Sterling Collision Center
• Performed by Keith
• PPG paint
• Pro’s Picks metal tonneau cover
• Modified stock front bumper
• LED Pro’s Picks taillights
• Smoothed and notched hood
• Cowl vents smoothed
• Custom filler pan and bed rails
• Replacement wood bed floor
• LMC Truck Bowtie tailgate

INTERIOR

• Shop: Morgan Bulleigh Upholstery
• Traditional front bench Tea’s Design in tan leather
• Auto Meter gauges
• ididit steering column
• Lokar pedals
• Vintage Air
• Painless wiring harness
• Alpine CD player
• Alpine 6.5-inch speakers

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Drew, Jeff, Tom, Dave, Chris, Keith, Terry, Jim, Sean and Jason.”

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