SP Rides: Keep On Truckin’
BY JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER: Ron Bush
YEAR: 1983
MAKE: GMC
MODEL: Sierra
ENGINE: 355 c.i. small block built by Arthur “Bergie” Bergdahl, Edlebrock TR1YX tunnel ram, dual 600 Holley single feed carburetors, Dorothy Bush, solid lift cam, roller rockers, heads, headers, pistons
DRIVETRAIN: Automatic turbo 350 transmission, 9-inch Ford rear end, 3rd member assemble with power lock, 4:11 gears, Shirley Bush, 28,000 stall
SUSPENSION: Ladder bars, Billy Bush, coil over shocks,
WHEELS: 15×6 front Weld rims, Luvel Ki, 15×14 rear Weld rims, Hoosier tires
ELECTRONICS: MSD ignition, Googoo Lomovita
INTERIOR: Pleat & Roll by Ricky’s Custom Upholstery
STEREO: Eclipse receiver, Bose speakers
EXTERIOR: 1990 Geo red paint by Ken’s Auto Body, custom rear bed tubing by Richard Hieda KNH Auto Body
When Ron Bush began working as a mechanic, he’d take advantage of every opportunity to wrench on cars. It didn’t matter if it was his day off, or if he was working on his or a friend’s car, Bush’s motivation was to learn all that he could about car repairs. Additionally, drag racing on weekends gave him access to the world of high-performance automobiles. One ride he’d use to tow his racecar to the tracks is this 1983 GMC Sierra.
“This truck was a big help, and it was my mom who helped me with the down payment,” explained Bush. “The truck brand new was like $4,000, and back then that was big money for us. I wanted small monthly payments, so my mother helped me out.”
After paying off the truck, Bush took it completely apart with plans to Pro Street the ride, but sobering news from his doctor meant slamming the brakes on the build. During a routine check up, his physician found Bush had an enlarged heart, and immediate surgery was needed to replace his aortic valve.”
“We put the build on hold until after Ron recovered, and the truck sat for at least four years,” continued wife Shirley Bush. “Plus, we had to watch our finances too while he recovered, but it was about 1992 when I told everyone we had to finish the truck. So our three daughters (Billy Bush, Luvel Ki and Googoo Lomovita) and Ron started putting the truck together.”
The first thing they did was to get ride of the original 305 motor, manual compound transmission and rear-end. Two years later, the Bush family turned the daily work truck into the hot rod seen here.
“In 1997, Ron put a ‘for sale’ sign on the truck because he wanted to get an older hot rod,” said Shirley, laughing. “When Ron’s mom saw the for sale sign on the truck, she hit the roof! And that’s when Ron promised his mom that he would never sell the truck ’cause she felt he worked so hard for that truck. It was a sight to see.”
Last year, Billy took the GMC to a cruise night and after the show she heard a humming sound coming from the rear of the truck. The ring and pinion, she determined, needed to be replaced. So, while on a trip to Las Vegas, Bush picked up a brand new third member with power lock and had Billy install it.
“I’m going to redo the paint job because there’s some places where the rust is busting out from the time the truck was sitting,” said Bush. “Other than that it’s pretty much done.”
