In 1985, Terry McWeeney, from South Gate, California, began his near 30-year relationship with his ’37 Ford pickup. Little did he know when he spotted the truck in primer at the Pomona Swap Meet in the spring of ’85 that it would become a permanent part of the McWeeney family, producing camshaft-thumping memories for close to three decades. According to Terry, “The truck was in rough shape and it had lots of rust in it. The 283 Corvette motor that was in the truck barely ran, and the firewall looked like someone took a machine gun to it because there were holes all over the place.” The truck reportedly ran and drove so poorly that the former owner agreed to deliver it to the McWeeney driveway after a deposit and a handshake.
Once the ’37 arrived, Terry looked to his youth for inspiration. Terry was a product of the ’50s, so it was only natural that he used some tricks and trends from that era, including the Bellflower-style lakeside pipes and Appleton spotlights. After all, Terry grew up cruising famous SoCal hot spots like Bellflower Boulevard and hanging at notable ’50s spots like Harvey’s Broiler and Scrivener’s Drive-In. It makes total tire-frying sense that the spirit of his “three deuces and Mercury hubcap” past would shape his customizing future.
With the cab, bed and front sheet metal removed, a dropped axle found its way under the front end. A good friend owned a tow yard and the perfect ingredients to replace the truck’s overtired running gear. A 305 small-block Chevy took over for the ailing 283, and a rearend out of a Camaro was tucked under the ’37’s bed. The engine and rearend were linked through a massaged Turbo 350 transmission. After the drivetrain was dialed in, Terry had the truck painted gloss black so that he could identify any flaws. Terry drove the truck, enjoying it for a few years until he got the urge to tear it down again and change the look.
The truck got a whole new look with the bright AMC Gremlin Orange topcoat applied by Ron Groff of Ron’s Kustom Kolors, and it debuted a fresh set of chrome Cragars at the 1989 Azalea Car Show, which Terry helped run. The ’37 stayed much the same through the ’90s, being driven to the Bakersfield NSRA Street Rod Nationals several times, taking top honors at several California Truck Jamborees and logging countless miles cruising the main drag at the Great Labor Day Cruise. Well-known SoCal pinstriper Herb Martinez even tossed some classic lines down on the ’37 one year at the NSRA Nationals. A wheel change to Boyd Tri-Fans in the ’90s when son Tom worked at Boyd Wheels gave the truck a more modern high-tech feel.
Little did he know when he spotted the truck in primer in 1985 at the Pomona Swap Meet that it would become a permanent part of the McWeeney family.
In the early aughts, Terry pulled off the Boyds and bought a set of steelies at the Long Beach Swap Meet to return to more of a vintage hot rod look. The truck continued to be driven to shows and cruise nights, and after years of joyful miles, in 2010 it was time for yet another frame-off rebuild.
Terry’s son Tom is no stranger to the pages of Street Trucks or the automotive industry. He pulled the truck apart in 2010 at his home in Downey, California, with help from some friends. The idea was to go over the entire truck: upgrade and update the suspension; detail the drivetrain with fresh paint and polish; give the body a new look with multiple coats of bright orange paint topped with traditional flames; and finish everything off with fresh upholstery. Even though the truck had been completely rebuilt a few items since, several original items, like the seats and drivetrain, were left intact for nostalgia.
The chassis was given a front-end update with a No Limit Engineering Mustang II front clip complete with Firestone airbags. The rear 4-link by Art Gomez of GOEZ Customs remains with new Firestone air bellows lifting and slamming the tail section. A Viair 450 compressor, 5-gallon Ground Control air tank and old school MIC manual valves round out the suspension plumbing. No Limit disc brakes up front handle stopping chores, while 15 x 7-inch and 15 x 8-inch steelies mounted on Cooper tires by Bryan Cook of Cook’s Tire & Tune in Fullerton, California, handled the rolling attire. Mike Bach bent the custom stainless brake lines, and the fuel lines ran neatly along the chassis over the rearend. A Flaming River steering column was installed for modern, safe steering with a stylish twist.
With the ’37’s original bed in rough shape, Terry and Tom turned to the crew at Pro’s Pick for one of their custom replacement beds complete with roll pan, smooth tailgate and custom wood insert with polished strips. A pair of Pro’s Pick smooth running boards was also mounted up to provide an additional dose of class. After cleaning up a few bumps and bruises endured from 20-plus years of road battle, son Tom of Kustoms, Inc. loaded up the paint gun at Coast Airbrush and laid down the House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl basecoat. Ryan “Ryno” Templeton from Blast of Air laid out the slick and trick traditional flames singeing the fenders and running boards. After the patterns were outlined, Tom filled in the fire with custom-mixed HoK Ivory. The flames are bordered and cooled down by Tom’s Lemon Yellow HoK pinstriping.
The truck was reassembled with fresh glass installed by Ted’s Auto Glass and One Piece Products. The windshield is a trick one-piece unit from Jeffrey’s Hot Rods, while the smooth one-piece side glass from One Piece Products adds a touch of modern flair to the vintage hot rod scenery. The truck was reassembled with trim parts from CW Moss and Bob Drake. To tip the custom scale up front, the factory front bumper was shaved of its bolts, smoothed and dipped in fresh chrome.
The truck continued to be driven to shows and cruise nights, and after years of joyful miles, in 2010 it was time for yet another frame-off rebuild.
For power and reliability, the 305 installed in the ’80s was freshened up before it was reenlisted to serve for another 25 years. A mild Isky cam was installed to rattle the floorboards with a Pete Jackson gear drive spinning the mill and producing that aggressive blower-style whine. An Edelbrock Endurashine-coated intake manifold funnels the air and fuel into the chambers, while an Edelbrock 600-cfm carburetor delivers the juice from a Bob Drake custom replacement fuel tank mounted under the bed. An Edelbrock water pump and Kool Kraft radiator keep the small-block chilled for extended cruising. Finned CFR Performance valve covers and air cleaner provide the hot rod bling. Coated swap meet headers let the small-block breathe into a custom Gibson Performance exhaust system.
With the power in play and the body and paint on kill, Terry turned his attention to the cruising chamber and recruited Joe from California Upholstery in Bell Gardens, California, to handle the exceptional stitch work. Terry installed a pair of ’78 Dodge van seats he picked up from the Pomona Swap Meet in the ’80s, and these original buckets remain covered in tan vinyl with timeless tuck-and-roll. The door panels were covered in the same tan vinyl with tuck-and-roll redone exactly how they were originally in the ’80s. The original swap meet Grant three-spoke steering wheel and VDO instruments remain for classic flair and to keep some of the truck’s heritage intact.
The top of the distinctive ’37 grille features fresh factory bright work surrounded by timeless traditional pinstriping by Kustoms, Inc.
It’s been a long rebuild road but with a clear vision and the dedication and commitment of his son Tom and several industry professionals, combined with some of the finest custom parts and talent, Terry “Pops” McWeeney gets to enjoy some much deserved time behind the wheel of his old friend. He would like to give a special thanks to Tom McWeeney of Kustoms, Inc., Marcel Venable, Jason Mulligan, Travis Noack, Harley Camilleri, Mike McWeeney, Jason Brown, Bill Sevedge, Brian Rossi, Dave Monnig of Coast Airbrush, Ryan “Ryno” Templeton, John Swaving at Pro’s Pick, Edelbrock, CFR Performance, House of Kolor, Bryan Cook of Cook’s Tire & Tune, Joe from California Upholstery and Jen Hallett from Custom Pinstriping.
Owning, building and driving a truck over the course of 28 years is bound to produce some memories and great stories. Here are just a few from the McWeeneys’ time with the truck to date.
Tom and Terry: “We used to go to the Great Labor Day Cruise every year, and one year we went without a bed because we were having some bodywork done on it. Everybody wanted to cruise, so we screwed a piece of plywood down to the frame and the kids rode around on the back for hours in lawn chairs.”
The top of the distinctive ’37 grille features fresh factory bright work surrounded by timeless traditional pinstriping by Kustoms, Inc.
Tom: “Over the years, the ’37 was always the go-to truck whenever someone in the family was out of a car. I remember when I was building my pearl white Watson-style seaweed green flamed Chevy full-size in ninety-nine. I needed something to drive while the Chevy was in the paint shop. Dad tossed me the keys to the thirty-seven and I drove it every day until the Chevy was done.”
Terry: “Right after I finished the truck the first time, I trailered it to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Bakersfield due to some transmission problems. When I pulled into the hotel parking lot to register with the thirty-seven on the trailer I got so much flack for not driving it.”
