Did you know the ’40 Chevrolet Panel Truck was part of a line of trucks evolving from the Chevrolet Suburban?
The cargo version of the Chevrolet Suburban was used for local deliveries by plumbers, electricians, and similar tradesmen for its toughness and heavy-duty capabilities. The next generation carried on this trend, offering a windowed version and a canopy express model. The third generation was built on the ADS (Advanced Design Suburban) chassis, and the fourth generation was produced on the TFS (Task Force Suburban) chassis. The fifth generation introduced an all-new style, while the sixth generation kept the Suburban chassis with some dependable components from previous generations. The panel truck design was driven by the need for something tougher and heavier duty than sedan deliveries.
Yes, this bad-to-the-bone super rat is powered by an LS3 GMomma engine, 6.2 liter, putting out 525 HP. Not bad for a Super Rat. To get the HP to the road, Doby put in a Tremec 5-speed hooked to a Moser 9” with 5.00 gears. This Rat is a monster off the line, but with lots of red iron he needs those gears to make it a stoplight contender — no sleeper here. The chassis is custom all the way, as this is one-off in about everything. Custom fabricated straight axle — with not much straight in this axle. In fact, this is what caught this writer’s attention at the Run to the Sun Show in downtown Lake Havasu City. Check out the front axle — never seen one like this. To keep the noise of the engine to a mild roar, Doby put in 4” Magnaflow muffs. Of course, the exhaust system is one-off for sure. Keeping this fast beast stopped at the next stop sign are Wilwoods front and rear, with big whites that have plenty of tread to burn off during stoplight excursions.
The seats are way cool — custom fabricated metal from Iron Ace — with a stock dash, new vintage gauges, and seat belts, of course, to keep you in the seat under extreme movements. Everywhere you look you see Dynamat, as the Panel is a bit noisier than most. Door panels are somewhat stock, with a sound system to drown out the engine roar. Sorry, no AC on board — Doby says that’s for sissies, LOL. If you didn’t notice, the body is chopped to a radical 8” lid drop. The color is ahnaturala patina rust. About the only stock part is the Chevrolet grille, painted… sorta.
Doby has been around hot rods most of his life, and his day job is running a trucking business. He and his two sons are avid motorheads for sure. He counts over 50 years in the culture and has this super rat on the street at least once a week. This rat has been eight years in the making and is still a work in progress. His wife, Joann, gets to pay the freight, and when he gives her the bills she has a very distinctive “stink eye.” The look he gets from his sons and wife while cruising down McCulloch Boulevard offsets all the work it took to make this ride the cool super rat it is. Bad to the bone for sure!
1940 Super Rat
- -LS3 under the hood.
- -Tremic 5 speed with 9”!
- -Interior that is Rat Kool.
- -Patina that is so rusty red its looks like a junk yard find yesterday.
