The truck you see here is a genuine whatchamacallit. It is a clean and low hot-rod pickup that was built solely with parts that were salvaged from backyards and shop scraps. And from the looks of it, you can hardly even tell that everything on it came from different vehicles. Astonishingly, the only two parts that are from the same vehicle are the headlights and the cab.
This Frankensteined vehicle was the creation of the pioneering Matt Seret. He is a fabricator who has built his way up by trial and error. From Matt's experiences of having to fix things on his own, he has gained precious knowledge that has lead him to owning his own shop, named Seret Customs located in Vallejo, California. His shop specializes in sheetmetal work for restorations or customs like this truck.
When this project started, Matt wanted to make a custom vehicle that was different, low, lightweight, and powerful at the same time. But, the catch was that he was on a budget of $6,000. He had to accomplish all these feats at a minimum expense. The one way he could to this was by piecing together a little hot rod truck that would be light and host a decent powerplant.
Matt started out with a '40 Chevy pickup cab and a frame from a '39 Ford dualie. From there, a '30 Model A front end that was to be kicked up 3 inches was attached to the frame, and a custom four-link was fabbed up for the rear. Then, the Chevy cab was channeled 1 inch in the front over the frame, and a whopping 9 inches of original sheetmetal was sliced from the roof. With the chop-top complete, Matt cut a hole in the roof for a canvas-type top. But, then he spotted a louvered hood from a '56 Chevy that he knew would work for the gaping hole; it was welded in and lined up with some reworking.
Then, of course, this small truck needed a powerplant to make it go without hesitation. Matt already had a 302-cid Ford motor that received an Edelbrock Dual Four Intake manifold and Edelbrock four-barrel carburetors. Then, some headers were made with 1-1/2-inch runners and a 3-inch collector. To transfer the power of the engine to the drivetrain, a T5 Borg-Warner five-speed tranny was found and attached with a balanced flywheel. And, of course, two seats from a late-'60s Volkswagen were bolted down to complete the whole "two seats strapped to a motor" feeling when it fires up.
Since Matt was working on a shoestring budget, he had little money for anything else. When he heard that he was soon to be blessed with a newborn, he knew that he needed to sell off some things to help with the expenses of raising a child. The first thing that had to go was this cruise-happy custom. It was sold, and Matt made out with a good stash of cash for this pieced-together truck.
Down the line, the truck ended up in a bigwig millionaire's garage. That guy had a ton of other clean vintage vehicles and grew tired of the pickup. It sat for two years untouched, and it was time to clean house. That's when Alejandro Muniz stepped in to snag this cruiser for not too much greenage. Even though he bought this truck, he already had a good knowledge of mechanics. He and his brother Andres went years back with motor-swapping experiences on Jaguars and Range Rovers, when they were in their middle-school years. This knowledge came in handy, since this the newly purchased hot-rod pickup always had something going out on it.
Even though Alex bought this truck, he still had his part in working on it. After just a few weeks of owning it, the clutch cable went out, the radiator busted, the fuel pump died, and the alternator caught fire. After taking care of the mechanical problems, Alex just started to shape the truck as his own. The first thing done was the addition of scallops and pinstriping by friend Jeff Roberts. Next on his list is a set of 16-inch Kelsey Hayes wire wheels, a stainless steel bedliner, and a late-'50s Hemi motor. As the pieces come together, this truck will become a unique cruising machine when finished.