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I bought this truck from my wife's Uncle near Assiniboia SK in 1989. He had used it for many years as a farm utility vehicle. My intent then was that it would eventually be a retirement project and so it was moved several times as the family relocated. In 1999 my Father, while visiting us in Hanna Alberta, convinced me to take the body of the frame, which I had always intended on doing for a frame-up restoration. In 2000 we relocated to Medicine Hat Alberta. There the frame, Cab and everything else sat in a 4X4X8 plywood crate in storage until 2018. I disposed of the truck frame as it was a bit damaged at the horns and had been plate welded (terrible job) mid-frame and relocated the rest to Saskatoon where I retired. After finishing off building a Cottage Diefenbaker Lake as well as organizing the house in Saskatoon, it has now risen much higher up on the priority list.
My present thinking is to put the body on an S10 frame using a kit from somebody like Code 504. The engine & transmission is still in the conceptualization phase. Going all-electric seems just too expensive, so I am pondering a small block from something recent. I have tentatively broken the build into stages. Stage 1 body paint stripping, repair and priming; step 2 buy a running or other S10 and takedown to frame. Prepare frame and chassis, replace rear axle with a four-wheel-drive one to accommodate tires without tubing etc. Consider suspension upgrades, stiffening and rear mount gas tank installation. Assemble and attach the body to ensure proper fit etc. and have completed truck painted. After this, remove the front clip and install Engine & Transmission and other components. Complete the dash gauges, electrics, making the vehicle fully operational. Finally, bolt on the front clip and other body pieces. Upholster the Cab and finish detailing interior and box. In the end, this will be a summer driven RestoMod.
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