DIY OR DIE

A Hands-on Approach to Building a Classic Chevy Truck

- JOHN MATA JR.

WHAT TYPES OF CUSTOM CARS AND TRUCKS DO YOU THINK AUTO MECHANICS USUALLY END UP BUILDING? Well, from the general consensus of automotive professionals we’ve talked to over the years, the answer is usually the types of vehicles that belong to other people. The paying customer always comes first and, more often than not, those who work on cars for a living barely have time for general maintenance work on their own rides let alone spending hours on real deal customization. Although plenty of hard-working mechanics out there never have the time to build something of their own, there are always exceptions. They’re the guys who make it a point to carve out hours to spend in their home garage after working 40-plus hours in another garage during the work week.

Tim Casey, of Oaks, Pennsylvania, is just one of those guys who spends all week slaving away repairing other people’s vehicles. Even though he’s dedicated to helping others keep their cars and trucks on the road, he still has enough drive to dedicate his weekends to building a custom pickup for himself. Most individuals want to unwind on their days off by doing something different than they have been doing all week long, but if you truly love what you do, more “work” isn’t a bad thing.

Before he started this build, Tim already had a vision in mind for the type of truck he wanted, and he wasn’t afraid to invest the necessary time and money to make the vision come to a drivable reality.