For many of us in our formative years, being told “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” seemed more like an open invitation rather than the stark warning it was really intended to be. Decades later, as we find ourselves now in the roles of the warning givers, it seems that “just cuz” incitement is just as alluring now as it was then for some of us grown-up kids.
As it applies to hot rodding, just because you can chop up an old ’30s Ford, doesn’t mean you should—unless it’s a completely dilapidated 1-ton water truck, that is. In that case, if you can—and make a cool-looking hot rod out of it—then you sure as well should. Well, it seems to have worked for Bob Lopez at least.
Bob’s a retired fireman; his 1936 Ford commercial truck a retired water truck from a local horse corral in his hometown of South Lake Tahoe. When the corral closed, Bob acquired the old 1-ton despite its having a caved-in roof, stomped-on hood, and smashed-up grille. But none of that seemed to matter much to him considering the fact that he was going to take on the challenge of chopping, channeling, and sectioning it—and so the homebuilt task began.
Instead of making a whole new chassis, Bob kept the stock 1-ton ’rails from the cab forward (with extended framehorns) and fabricated the shortened rear section along with new center, front, and rear crossmembers. A Magnum 5-inch drop axle with Speedway’s hairpin radius rods, tube shocks, Lincoln-style Bendix brakes, and Vega cross-steer replaces the old commercial hardware up front; the rear has been outfitted with a 9-inch perched on parallel leaves and coilovers from the same source. For power, Bob chose to go with a 1956 DeSoto Firedome Hemi topped with a single Edelbrock four-barrel and homemade lakes headers, and backed by a Wilcap-adapted S-10 five-speed.
When Bob was finally faced with the challenges of making all that old Ford tin fit his new chassis the way he wanted, he met them head-on and even added one or two more before all was said and done. Ultimately, the truck was channeled 5 inches, its 1934 passenger grille sectioned 4 inches, and the top not only chopped 7 inches but afterward he then went and made the roof removable from the windshield header back—you know, for roadster pickup weather … or a run to the Central Cal coast with his custom-made longboard rig strapped on.
Bob finished his hybrid surf rod off in a satin burnt copper with contrasting orange 17- and 18-inch Ford wires currently running Firestone bias blackwalls from Coker Tire. The interior was entirely done by Bob as well, from the Tahitian print-covered, scratchbuilt split bench seat to the pinup airbrushed door panels and wood panel–looking carpet.
Now, the fire helmet–adorned skull shift knob may be in honor of Bob’s years spent fighting fires, but we’re pretty sure the old water truck would like to forget its years spent watering down the horse tracks.
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