Ron Bartel's beautiful Radiant Red 1946 International Harvester pickup actually was his great-uncle's truck. But Uncle Bill would probably never recognize the Corvette LS1-powered hauler as the same truck he bought new just after World War II.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This is what Bartel started with -- a typical old farm truck in need of some tender, loving care. Perched atop the hood in this photo are Bartel's daughter, Andrea, on the left, and his niece, Kelsey Bartel. Andrea rode to her senior prom in the rebuilt truck this year.
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Ron Bartel / Courtesy
The big chrome exhaust tips just didn't look right jutting out past the rear fenders, so the build crew fabricated these nifty panel pieces to finish out the lines.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The smooth-flowing curves of the rear fenders wrap around a set of 17-inch Ansen Sprint slotted wheels mounting hefty Falken tires.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Front wheels are smaller 15-inch Ansens, also fitted with directional Falken rubber.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The traditional IHC emblem is embossed into the center of the Ultraleather headliner.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bartel wanted the cab floors to match the oak and stainless steel treatment of the cargo area; note the tall Gennie shifter used to put the 4L60E automatic overdrive transmission through its paces.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bartel had planned to use a supercharged 383 Chevy stroker engine in the truck, but is glad now that he went with a totally reliable 2002 Corvette LS1 power plant.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bright Built Hot Rods of Salina brought the project to completion with details like extending the original shorty running boards, complete with factory-looking ribs, from the rear of the cab all the way to the back fenders.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
From any angle, Bartel's re-invented pickup is a show-stopper, with its clean, bumperless nose down near the pavement and its subtly chopped top and lowered hood giving the truck exactly the right stance.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
White-faced Classic Instruments gauges were fitted into the dash panel, which supports a Flaming River tilt steering column. The Billet Specialties steering wheel was custom-wrapped in matching Ultraleather by Goldfield Upholstery & Trim.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The tailgate of the Binder was smoothed and outfitted with Ford Ranger hinges. Bartel resisted the idea of going with original pedestal-mounted taillights and is glad he opted instead for the rectangular LED units in the rear splash pan.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
From the rear, the forward rake underscores that this isn't a stock farm pickup, but a tastefully executed "resto-rod." Air bags are used in the rear to adjust ride height.
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The super-shiny dashboard houses state-of-the-art sound equipment and a Vintage Air air conditioning/heating system.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bartel says he was able to save most of the original front end bright work, using some pieces from a parts truck to fill in the gaps. His nephew Eric Bartel molded the front fenders and grille surround into a one-piece unit.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Gary Martin of Goldfield Trim and Upholstery of Lindsborg handled the upholstery duties on the pickup. He chose two complementary shades of Ultraleather to cover the modified Ford Ranger seat, along with the headliner and the door and kick panels, all of which have stitched and embossed IHC logos.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The triple-diamond International Harvester logo highlights the door panel trim; door and window cranks are original pieces.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Bright Built crew cut the oak floor boards for the cargo area and stained them a shade that picks up the metallic red paint scheme.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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