I purchased the 1963 Chevrolet C-10 Fleetside that would become Six-Shooter, on 23 August 2014. I was living in California with no known intention of leaving the state anytime soon. The intent was to build a classic daily driver for my daily commute in Silicon Valley. For several months I drove the truck the 62 miles (one way) to work. It had a newer 250 six cylinder engine, the original three speed transmission with the column shifter. Even as purchased it was a fun truck to drive. But I had plans for it.
I initially planned to swap in a small block 350 but after going to a number of car shows I decided to do something different. SBC engine swaps are a dime a dozen at car shows. The only time you see a straight six engine is in a true to stock restoration. Very seldom do you see a modified straight six. That is when the name, Six-Shooter was conceived.
Over the next couple of years a lot work and money went into Six-Shooter. I decided to keep the patina on the exterior. So I removed the cab from the frame and took it to a body shop. I asked them to only paint the interior. They were confused but they complied. And did a beautiful job. I found someone to reupholster the original seat. The job was not cheap but he did a really great job. I had planned to rebuild the engine myself but quickly realized that was way above my skill level. Moreover, a remanufactured engine was cheaper than the parts and machine work that would be required to do the rebuild.
Six-Shooter sat in the garage a lot, waiting for me to make the time, energy and money to finish the job. And then, life took a turn. The opportunity came to leave California and move to Montana, a life long dream. I found a custom speed shop in Salinas that agreed to make Six-Shooter ready to drive from NorCal to Montana. In the vein of an old RoadKill episode, the guys Total Performance had Six-Shooter running and ready for the drive to Montana.
Six-Shooter actually made the trip to Montana, back to California and then to Montana again. There were some early shake-down issues, finding a brake proportioning valve that could handle DOT 5 Silicon based brake fluid and an alternator that would actually charge the battery. We got everything sorted and Six-Shooter was running happy.
Six-Shooter was going to be a great daily driver in California where the weather is temperate and the speed limits are suited to his gearing. But Six-Shooter was a fair weather guy, not at all suited to snow and ice. Six-Shooter was also not well suited to Montana’s 80 mph speed limits given his three speed transmission and differential gearing. Six-Shooter could do about 110 mph, could get from 60 to 85 in rather snappy fashion. But he was not well suited to cruising for long periods at 75 or 80 mph. All of which made Six-Shooter about a 3 to 5 month truck in Montana.
My son lives in Miles City. He borrowed my truck because his truck was in the shop in Dillon where I live. One day I was scrolling through Facebook and I see a post with a similar truck parked next to mine with the comment, “whose truck is this?” I responded and became friends with the gentleman who admired Six-Shooter. Ten years after I started the work on Six-Shooter, I came to the decision that he really was not very happy at my house. I decide it was time to find him a more suitable home. It took some convincing but the gentleman in Miles City finally agreed to take Six-Shooter into his stable. On 13 June 2024, ten years after I begun the Six-Shooter project, I delivered him to his new home. The new owner understands and appreciates the direction I was going with Six-Shooter and has made strides to continue the development. There might even be some opportunity to enter him in some shows there in Miles City. The saga of Six-Shooter continues. I am glad to have had the opportunity to get it started.