Ever since I acquired my 1975 Datsun 620 project, I dove headfirst into 1970s car culture in an attempt to make it as period correct as eBay would allow. I learned about designer collabs, appearance packages, CB radios, 8-tracks, and a plethora of other questionable accessories that sane humans likely find repulsive.

And while RADWood focuses on 1980s and 1990s cars, hence the attendance of my 300ZX, this year’s NorCal show introduced me to a car that I was instantly enamored by. It displayed a stunning balance of the 1970s and the 1980s, teetering on the line between the two eras with the kind of style synonymous with J.C. Whitney parts catalogs of the time.

This is “Patience”, a 1975 Chevrolet LUV custom show truck built sometime in the late 1970s that lights up SF’s dreary gray streets like a disco ball of the wrong color. Between the shag carpeting, the wood paneling, the graphics, and the body kit, it’s not hard to see the inspirations of both the bygone era and the 1980s that loomed ahead.

I had to know the story behind it but unfortunately the two brain cells playing DDR in my head did not think to leave a business card on the windshield when I was admiring the truck. I tend to let my excitement and awe get ahead of any coherent thoughts, you see. Thankfully though, the owners were leaving just as I was driving by and much like Superman leaping to save someone from a fire, I leaped out of my Z and handed them my business card. Robert was kind enough to actually reach back out to me so it’s safe to assume he did not find my approach too insane. A few emails and Google Docs later answered all of the questions I, and undoubtedly now you, had. I present to you the story of “Patience”, in Robert’s own words, as it should be.

Q: So let’s start with you. How did you become a car enthusiast?

A: I was raised in a car family. Not a particular style or era of car, just anything with an internal combustion engine. We spent summers at The Fremont Drag Strip, The San Jose Mile, Harrah’s Auto Museum, The Grand National Roadster Show at The Cow Palace and Oakland Coliseum. These are my childhood memories. As soon as I could work deals, I started buying, selling, and trading cars & trucks. I would just own one at a time, trying something new, checking out a scene, having fun, trying something else, checking out another scene, having fun and just experiencing as many different cars and styles as I could.

Q: And where did you find this terrific LUV?

A: I work with a bunch of car people, so we’re all scouring Craigslist, FB Marketplace, Bring A Trailer, swap meets and flea markets all the time and sharing what we’ve come across. I was going through Craigslist during lunch and came across the LUV. It was so over the top, a bit ratty and worn, and somewhat neglected. But, it had history and from what I could tell from the photos, it had not been abused or changed much from back when it was built. I showed the post to a much younger co-worker. His immediate reaction was “That’s hideous!”. I said “I KNOW!! It’s perfect!! I want it!!!!” Then it went around the office, and with each laugh I knew I wanted it more.

I sent the post to the family text thread. A couple of our boys loved it. One was indifferent. The other gave me a not very impressed emoji reply. My wife, who is an absolute car person with memories of going to the drags with her older brother as a child and has been on board with pretty much every car & truck I’ve been through since we’ve been together…did not like it at all. One of my best friends gave me the biggest eye roll and mocking I’ve ever received.

The two of them were relentless with good humored jabs at the truck and me.

So, of course the three of us went to look at it that weekend.

After spending some time evaluating it, we had a family meeting about what my plans were for it, what the budget would be, how far we would take a restoration or a refurbishing to get it on the road, etc. We came up with a price we would offer the seller. He was a mini-truck guy that picked this one up on a whim, but could really use the money to put into another car he was restoring. We agreed on the price. It was lower than he had hoped, but he was extremely cool about it and happy the truck was going to someone who planned on bringing it back to close to what it was and put it on the road.

This was by far the most thought and planning I had ever put into doing a car deal but this truck was special. It wasn’t just another old car, it had a fully documented history that needed to be respected. One of the first projects for it was getting rid of the oversized balloon tires that were on it and finding ones that matched the original Daytonas.

Q: What’s the truck’s story? I mean, someone clearly put some money and creativity into this!

A: The truck was bought new by William Morton in Springfield, Missouri. He, his wife Sharon, and their son Kevin did the original build. It has a camper shell with a full pass-through to the cabin, wood paneling, casework, overhead console with cabin and bed lighting switches, CB radio, carpeting, upholstered bench cushions, everything. They did the car show circuit and owned it during the period when it was a magazine feature vehicle. One of the letters that came with the truck, written in 2011, stated that the truck had been in storage since 1987 when they moved out of state. I’m not sure how many owners it has been through since then nor when it made it to the west coast, but it did end up in Modesto, American Canyon, and eventually Newark, CA before I bought it a year and half ago.

Q: Why did they name it “Patience”?

A: The name was from Mr. Morton’s original build. There was a comic from the ‘70s with two vultures sitting on a branch and saying ”Patience my ass! I’m hungry!” one of the versions of the comic says “Patience, my ass! I’m gonna kill something!) There’s a hand painted vulture on the underside of the hood and it’s still in perfect condition. Looking back through the magazines that came with the truck, the name on the front air dam went through at least two revisions. It looks like the current rainbow block letters were probably done at the same time as the side stripes or a little earlier.

Q: Pleaseeeeeeee tell me more about those fantastic etched windows and mirror glass!

A: Mr. Morton etched all the glass himself. As I understand it, he had a side business doing that. He used the truck as a way to drum up business at car shows. Every window on the truck, including the sunroof, mirrors, and wind wings were etched. The only one left untouched is the windshield. Unfortunately, at some point the passenger door window was broken, so that one no longer has the etching.

Q: How do you preserve such a fantastic patina?

A: Very carefully!!! Our plan was to remove everything that had been added to the truck since its magazine/car show days, and return it to as close to that vehicle as possible. Much of the upholstery couldn’t be saved, so we tracked down some fabric that came close to matching part of the interior, reusing as much as possible and photographing everything, every step of the way, so that whoever ends up with the truck after our family has a complete record of what was done. I’ve got hundreds of photos so far, and still have a way to go.

I’m still amazed that it still has the first set of aftermarket wheels that the Morton family put on the truck.

The old Sanyo AM/FM/Cassette stereo that was mentioned in one of the magazine article, with the faceplate and knobs, was found in the box of parts that came with the truck. Even the CB radio handset was in a Ziploc bag! It’s almost all there.

It had a pretty ratty pair of old Camaro seats when we got it. As we were working on it, a Vanner couple from around the corner came by and said they had an old set of tan bucket seats from a 70s Chevy van and if they fit, they’d be glad to sell them to us. They fit! Kinda.

As for the pieces that are missing, it’s a lot of finding things that are period correct and that might have been used by someone building a truck like this at the time.

Q: Do you drive it a lot?

A: I do. I’ve always driven the classic cars I’ve owned. Not just to shows or Cars & Coffees but to work, running errands, whatever. Why else would you own one? Besides, the more they are driven, the better they run. I’d much rather wear something out from use than let it decay from sitting.

Q; What are people’s reactions to seeing it?

A: All over the map! Kids love it! I think to them it looks like a giant Hot Wheels car driving down the street. It is pretty ridiculous. People my age that were teenagers during the ‘80s mini-truck scene do the “Oh man, back when I was in school….” or “My buddy had one of these!” reminiscing thing. People just a little bit older than that shake their heads and roll their eyes. Probably exactly as they did from 1978-1986.

Q: Other than Radwood, has it won any other awards?

A: Not since I have owned it. I don’t have any records of it winning any awards from back in its original show period.

Q: Is there anything you want people to know about that I haven’t asked?

A: This particular truck was built at a crossover period for customs. It was started in the late 70s, so it has a very “Boogie Van” feel to it with the walnut paneling, shag carpet, CB radio…browns and tans. But it was a show & magazine feature car up through the mid-80s when the Cal-Look Bug and Mini-Truck scene was huge. It just missed the pastels, bright reds, blues and yellows, Enkei & BBS wheel era…but it wears some of the graphics that were becoming popular at the time. It’s a missing link truck. Originally from the Midwest, and finally making its way to the West Coast. It’s a great story.

For the full gallery of current photos and any future ones, see Robert’s Facebook album here!