Coming up on ten years ago, I purchased Project Why Wait, my 1951 GMC pickup, as a personal challenge to myself. On paper, it sounded simple enough. In reality, I was asking a much bigger question: Could I, with my assorted — and largely untested — automotive knowledge, actually build a vehicle from the ground up?
Initially, the build was documented here on Stance Is Everything (later earning it the SIE GMC moniker), before I branched out to a few forums and eventually Speedhunters for some global exposure. What started as a personal experiment slowly became something people were watching.
Between Speedhunters posts and Instagram updates, I also started a YouTube series dedicated to the truck. It was there that I documented getting the collection of parts to the point where it was finally drivable, along with the first few thousand kilometres of shakedown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries
Last winter, after a summer spent chasing down bugs, I was presented with the opportunity to debut the truck at the 2025 Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo.
The opportunity really came together thanks to my friend Jeff Wybrow of Issyfab Speed LTD.
ZEHR Insurance was looking for vehicles for their booth in the Motor Mayhem area of Motorama to showcase the kinds of vintage cars they could provide coverage for. Jeff suggested my project, not knowing it was actually already insured through ZEHR.
Insuring the truck with ZEHR had been a genuinely painless process, and I’d recommended them to quite a few people over the years, so the pairing felt organic.
ZEHR contracted STATUS Logistics Group to transport the truck to the event, and from that point on, the experience felt surreal. STATUS picked it up right from my front door and delivered it to the entrance of the hall where it would sit on display.
When I pulled into the show later, I was welcomed with prime positioning in the Motor Mayhem back room, complete with custom signboards and ZEHR branding. Seeing my truck presented that way — under lights, with signage, like it belonged — was something I hadn’t quite prepared myself for.
As a bonus, it also became a convenient home base while I covered the event. But if I’m being honest, every time I walked back to it, I had to remind myself it was the same truck that was nothing but parts for the better part of a decade.
Initially, these photos were part of a pretty extensive series I had planned for Speedhunters. Unfortunately, the same day I submitted everything was the same day I was told it was unlikely the site would return.
All of the content I generated at Motorama 2025 was quietly shelved… until now.
Now, I can properly thank ZEHR — and STATUS — for allowing me to be part of their booth. The experience was incredible, and it was surreal to present the truck, unfinished as it still is, to a wider audience.
After the show, the truck went right back into the garage for more work before another season of shakedown. And while I’m happy to say it’s performing well, surprise, surprise — it still isn’t “done.”
But maybe that’s the point.
The truck has never really been about being finished. It’s been about the process. The challenge. The growth — both mechanical and personal.
That said, it’s almost time to start wrenching on it again. High on the priority list is finally colour- and patina-matching the bed — something that’s been looming over me for far too long.
Look for more on the SIE GMC — or Project Why Wait, if you prefer — in the not-too-distant future. Until then, expect to see a lot more from Motorama 2025 before we roll fully onto this year’s show, which takes place March 13-1,5 2026 at the International Center.