Words & Photos: Gary Rosier
René Paquette resides most of the year in Terrebonne, Quebec. I caught up with him recently at a car cruise-in, where he was attending with his unique and rare 5-Window Chevrolet Pickup. It’s a 1300 series, which was Canada’s version of the 3100 Series stateside (U.S.) trucks.
Seems that René had his eye on this ride for some time, as a friend of his owned it for years previously. He was always asking if the truck was for sale, but the answer was always the same – NO! Turns out that René, who has owned many different hot rods over the years, had this early SS Camaro Coupe that the ’51’s owners wife took a liking to! A deal was made, René said, right then and there.
Renés interest in cars began when he was about 10 years old – his father had absolutely no interest in cars, he said. His uncle, however, was “Car Crazy,” owning a beautiful ’58 Chevy Impala with a 348 tri-power that he vividly recalls! Some of René’s rides include a ’34 Chevy 3 window, a ’28 Model “A” and a ’51 Mercury “led sled.” He has owned over 25 different hot rods and still owns multiple cool rides, stored many months of the year due to “Old Man Winter” so far up north of the border.
René was a plumber for 17 years before joining up with Molson Brewery for another 21. He is no stranger to fabricating and even made his own mufflers, which he affectionately calls “Paquette” as to the make. Those 2 1/2 inch stainless exhaust x-pipes emit such a sweet sound!
He has owned at least 7 of these kind of trucks, but never a 5-window. René began the task of updating the truck to his liking, however it was already painted a beautiful Millennium Yellow (a PPG Paint) with a Grey top (BMW colors) with accented stripes so left that alone.
The original frame was ditched in favor of a ’71 C-10 but all new tubular A-Arms were installed, as well as a complete Air-Ride suspension. A freshened up 350 Chevy marine engine with a TH400 Trans and a Ford 8 3/4 rear end with 3:73 gears, was next for the “BAZOU.” It has Hedman headers, a 4 barrel carb, re-cored radiator and plenty of “eyeballs” added to make her so visually appealing. An Auto Meter 8K tach and gauges monitors all the necessary functions. All that modern horsepower is tamed by the custom ladder bar set up by the owner.
For comfort, Camaro buckets were used with a black cloth and yellow piping as accents. There is no A/C, (hey, he says – it’s not that warm up there!), but the functional cowl air vent works great!
The bed is made up from stainless panels with stock rear fenders and chromed strips between the Maple bed slats. A Diamond plate cargo box resides in the bed for extra storage.
A Grant steering wheel with a Camaro tilt column steers it true. It rolls on a set of Prime vintage 15 inch wheels. BF Goodrich Radial T/A’s (205/70R15s and 295/50R15s rear) helps it handle and roll down the highway smoothly. LED Fog lamps and back-ups add that modern touch in the visibility department. A “very expensive,” he says, Fulton sun shade helps with the glare too.
Chevrolet’s radically different Advanced Design light-duty trucks (47-55), as they were called, represented a whole new transportation mode. René’s precious ride was also referred to by his buddies as “BAZOU” – an antique, old car, beater or very rusty machine in Canadian terms – indicating they were both getting a little up there in years!
It’s ok, René – this truck may have some chronological age on it, but it sure looks like it’s going to survive a very long time in your care. Thanks for letting us know that the Canadian hobby is in such good hands!
