“They don’t make ’em like they used to.”
We certainly do hear that a lot. If by chance it’s true, is it a good thing or a bad thing? When our subject 1955 second-series Chevrolet rolled off the Oakland, California, assembly line, its current rebuilders hadn’t yet been born. Since we don’t know anyone who actually worked at the Oakland plant, we also don’t know how well bed panels may’ve fit together.
For the business end of a 1950s-era utility vehicle, let’s assume the factory focused on function over fitment. Now for our subject truck’s second time around, let’s attempt to tighten tolerances to better-meet the showtime standards of today.
Back when the old 1955 project first came to us, it came with a disassembled shortbed. Although the major components were there, they were badly beaten, as we’d expect the business end of any old work truck to be. To the overly optimistic, some parts of
