Dig’s Rod Shop Needed a Shop Truck
There comes a time when a rod shop needs a truck and for Dig’s Rod Shop in Oskaloosa, Iowa, that time had come a few years ago. Craig “Digs” Fawcett and his son Alan were ready to build a shop truck and set out on a search for a worthy candidate. “The 3100 series of Chevy trucks are iconic, kind of like the tri-five cars,” Craig said. “They just look great and will be around for years to come.”
They located a ’52 truck with no drivetrain or bed, but a fairly solid cab and front end. Though the pickup came with its original frame, Craig and Alan knew that to meet the comfort and handling levels they wanted, a new chassis would be the right choice. A call was made to Art Morrison Enterprises for one of their proven chassis fitted with Strange coil-overs and quick-stopping Wilwood discs. Another reason for the new chassis was to handle the 650-horsepower of a new 427c.i. LS from Blueprint Engines! A set of Ultimate headers flows through a custom stainless exhaust built around a Gearstar 4L60E transmission to transfer the power.
As they built the truck through the pandemic months, Craig and Alan ran into many product shortages which forced them to improvise and fabricate their own parts. In fact, they built the entire truck box and a bed lowering kit, the roll pan, an under-dash extension panel, and other miscellaneous parts, many of which they now offer for sale. The Digs crew also built the firewall and smoothed out under the hood, and then moved on to tightening the panel gaps for a clean finish before applying the Cortez Silver paint. The factory bumpers, grille and shiny pieces were re-plated to perfection to retain the classic Chevy truck styling.
The interior has an American Autowire harness running behind the scenes along with a Vintage Air system, Ididit tilt column, and accessories from Billet Specialties. Classic Instruments keep tabs on the Blueprint LS engine with a Wiseguys seat for comfort. The Oxford Wine upholstery was stitched in-house by Kassidy and finished with German square-weave carpet throughout.
The AME Chassis helps provide a perfect stance aided by a set of 18×8-inch US Mags wrapped with Nitto NT555 tread, which the big-inch LS can easily send into a haze of smoke. Firing up the 427 was one of the highlights of the build process, combined with teamwork put in by the entire Dig’s Rod Shop crew. Congrats on being named the Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year finalist from the BASF Nashville Nationals!
Photos by John Jackson
