Chris Parker is the proud owner of a 1978 Chevy Camper Special 3+3 crew cab that he described as his dream truck.
He found the truck about 5 years ago after a long search for one, a process Chris described as “looking and looking” before he discovered his ’78 Chevy truck.
Jim Sutherland
The truck falls into the Square-Body category for GM pickups so a search for one was difficult because these Chevy pickups are very popular in today’s vintage vehicle hobby. Throw in a factory crew cab version and Chris was looking at a very small inventory of available trucks during his search to find one.
Most were used up and retired long ago, so Chris was in a tough battle to find a suitable Chevy crew cab. However, his luck changed when he found his 1978 Chevy Camper Special 3+3 crew cab and bought it from the truck’s second owner.
The ’78 Chevy had undergone an engine transplant and now sported a 305 Chevy small block hooked up to a factory 3-speed automatic transmission. Chris drove the truck for a few years with the GM powertrain under the hood and told MyStarCollectorCar that “it worked”, in his words, but he wanted to upgrade it to a more powerful combination.
Initially, Chris decided to use the Cummins diesel engine and transmission out of his 1993 Dodge pickup, but his grandson Liam wanted the truck for his first vehicle when he was old enough to drive, so Chris changed his game plan.
He still wanted a Cummins diesel engine, so Chris bought a 1991 ½ Dodge Cummins 12-valve engine with an intercooler system to boost its performance. Chris told MyStarCollectorCar it was the first year for the intercooler setup on the Dodge Cummins and his swap plans included the beefier diesel performance.
Chris used a transmission and rear end from a 1993 Dodge donor truck to corral all the extra horses produced by the Cummins and provide durability whenever he unleashed the diesel transplant engine’s power.
Initially, Chris inquired about the cost of a swap if he pulled the Chevy’s powertrain but the $25,000 price tag for the transplant was way too large for him, so he decided to tackle the job with his son and grandson.
The entire swap process only took 2 weeks for the family trio and suddenly the 1978 Chevy crew cab had a powerful new lease on life. The truck now gets about 28 mpg at highway speeds and has plenty of power left to pass other vehicles-even with a vintage Vanguard camper on its back end.
As mentioned, Chris describes his 1978 Chevy crew cab as a dream truck, but he told MyStarCollectorCar his game plan came from his personal dream to make his pickup into something very special once he found a suitable project truck.
The main component of his dream plan was simple: “If you want a real truck, throw in a vintage Cummins powertrain” in Chris’s words.
His 1978 Chevy resto mod crew cab is an excellent example of a fulfilled car guy dream.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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