Using Ipe On A ’61 Chevy Pickup Restoration


Fifty years after it rolled off the line, this C10 Chevy Apache Pickup received a restoration that will last a lifetime, thanks to a father/son team. We were proud to be a part of the finishing touches of this fully restored classic.

 

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

Chevy Restoration - IpeChevy Restoration - Ipe

Although it has an impressive 350hp High Output Deluxe engine, truck owner Hilton Puckett and his son, Chris, don’t drive their fully restored 1961 Chevy Apache very often. The truck spends most of its time winning awards at car shows across Central Texas, 30 awards in the last 5 years to be exact. Before that, the truck had fifteen minutes of fame while appearing in front of the Omega Diner in the 2008 film “Fireflies In The Garden” starring Julia Roberts. Even with a short movie career, there’s something else that sets this award-winning Chevy pickup apart.

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

The Puckett’s didn’t simply want to restore this famous classic pickup, they wanted their labor of love to make a lasting impression. So, for the bed of the truck, typically clad in wood products like pressure treated pine, Hilton searched for a long-lasting and unique material. Eventually, he turned to an exotic hardwood: ipe.

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

As one of the strongest wood products in the world, the ipe truck bed will last as long as the steel parts surrounding it, and the beautiful tight grain of this product makes this classic truck one of a kind. Puckett was able to hand pick the boards he needed from TimberTown to keep the look as uniform as possible. Once the bed was finished, Hilton and his son were gracious enough to bring the ‘61 Chevy by our TimberTown Austin location.

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

Chevy Restoration - Ipe

Seeing the craftsmanship of the truck bed, it’s apparent using such a dense hardwood for this project was no easy task. Puckett recalls how difficult it was to router the notches necessary to fit the boards into the bed. Luckily, this hardwood bed will last over fifty years so he won’t need to worry about replacing those boards again.

See all the photos on our facebook page.

A customer and his son were kind enough to bring their fully restored 1961 C10 Apache Pickup by TimberTown Austin. He handpicked ipe boards for the truck bed, and it looks incredible!

Posted by TimberTown on Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Leave a Reply