Giddyap RAWHIDE!
Kyle Osborn’s Five-window 1955 GMC 3100
Kyle Osborn’s Five-window 1955 GMC 3100
FOR ANYONE WHO KNOWS HIM, KYLE OSBORN’S GARAGE IS LIKE A REVOLVING DOOR. An endless stream of incredible vehicles flows in and out of his ownership year after year; he usually owns at least two or three of those builds at a time. As if that’s not enough, Kyle tends to even buy back builds he has previously owned if the price is right and the sentimental attachment is there.
Upon starting this incredible ’55 GMC in front of you, his intentions were simple: build it quickly and flip it for cash to fund his many other habits on wheels. As many enthusiasts know, however, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a build that catches you in the feels—and this truck did just that to Osborn. After being reminded of how nice it was to have a family friendly vehicle that he didn’t have to baby, it’s hard to say when Kyle will let this one move on to a new home. Only time will tell.
Everyone approaches starting a truck build differently. Kyle Osborn is the same way, and in this case, he was building
“what would sell.” To give you a breakdown of what we mean by that, here’s a quick
ONE OF THE BIGGEST MUSTS FOR A MARKETABLE TRUCK IS A POPULAR YET UNIQUE LOOK; YOU WANT IT TO BE UNIQUE ENOUGH THAT AN OWNER CAN PICTURE IT BEING THEIR OWN BUT NOT EXACTLY LIKE EVERY TRUCK AN EVENT.
explanation to help the class understand: One of the biggest musts for a marketable truck is a popular yet unique look; you want it to be unique enough that an owner can picture it being their own but not exactly like every truck an event. Be careful when approaching this step, though, because you would never want to create such an out-there look that your buyer market becomes limited. Lucky for Kyle, the natural dark green patina on this old GMC is everything you could ask for in that category—aged, unique and very popular right now. (Plus, not having to put any extra money into exterior finishing will give a better turn-around time and profit margin. God bless Mother Nature, right?)
What else is important you may ask? Reliability. Having a truck that will start up every time, drive to and from whatever destinations with no issue, and be a blast to ride in the entire time is possibly the most important things a vehicle can have. Fixing up old motors is fully do-able, but for the power Kyle and his friends enjoy laying down in daily Missouri life, the LS V-8 was the only way to go. Choosing a 5.3L V-8 out of a 2005 Chevrolet, Kyle definitely taught this old dog to do some new tricks. Along with a modern transmission and updated electric fans to keep the old girl cool, the LS was tuned by his friends at KC Max Performance. Kyle dealt with a few issues with the motor three weeks before his drive down to the Goodguys show in Iowa, so he and his friends Jesse and Dennis had to pull the motor to install a new cam and cam bearing setup. While the motor was out, they went ahead and took the extra step of painting the engine compartment copper pearl to match the theme of the truck—and damn, d
The last must-have feature is obvious: Choose cool SH*T.
...HE HAS ENJOYED USING IT TO HAUL KAYAKS WITH HIS FAMILY, PLUS BEING THE YIN TO THE YANG OF THE OTHER FIVE-WINDOW TRUCKS IN HIS IMMACULATE, PURPLE GARAGE.
Luckily for us, Kyle fluently speaks that language, so it comes naturally to him. The boxed-in stock frame using front sectioned control arms, a rear two-link Watts link setup and Firestone airbags on all four corners ensured not only the reliability he wanted from the truck, but the capability to really lay it out hard. Moving inside the cab, this 1955 time capsule really sets itself apart by housing rawhide leather on the seat as well as the door panels. As if the copper-painted dash wasn’t enough, the steering wheel out of a ’55 Bel Air looks phenomenal and ties it all together.
After all that work, it has been tough for Kyle to let go of the truck, especially since he has enjoyed using it to haul kayaks with his family, plus being the yin to the yang of the other five-window trucks in his immaculate, purple garage. That being said, bring him the right stack of cash and we bet he will let you take it home.
Kyle wants to give a special thanks to Pat Cox, Steve Pfost, Justin Mornout, Christopher Tisdale, Harley Smith, Jesse and Dennis Burger, and Mike Ladd for all their help. Also—and especially—to Crystal and Kensley Osborn for putting up with his hobbies and lending a hand when they were able to as well.