Welcome to a brand-new StealthBuilt series—this time, old-school meets modern power. Sam Kimmel and the crew are diving head-first into a fast-paced transformation, fusing a 2012 Chevy Express van with a 1967 International Loadstar grain truck. It’s dirty, loud, ambitious, and all happening in just five days.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you blend a rusted-out farm truck with a modern V8 and way too much caffeine, this is your build.

What’s the Game Plan?

Here’s the rundown:

• Strip the Chevy van down to its chassis and drivetrain
• Drop that entire setup under a vintage Loadstar cab
• Slam the stance, fabricate mounts, and make it run — all in a week

This isn’t just a resto-mod. It’s a frame swap sleeper project with big goals and minimal downtime.

Step 1: Gutted, Cut, and Scrapped

The build kicks off with some serious surgery:

• Interior panels, dash, and headliner pulled
• Forklift rigged with straps and extensions to remove the roof (yes, really)
• A-pillars chopped with Sawzall precision (and a little luck)
• The Chevy van gets cut in half, turned into a rolling test mule, then prepped for the scrapyard

“Do you think it’s going to lift straight off of here, or go full chaos?”
– Sam, right before it miraculously worked

There’s even a hilarious test drive of the van’s decapitated chassis. Spoiler: still runs great — but feels very wrong.

Loadstar Meets Chevy: What Fits and What Doesn’t

With the van skeletonized, the next step is prepping the International:

• The Loadstar’s cab is incredibly narrow — requiring major firewall and tunnel adjustments
• Large dash surrounds and steering shroud make removal tricky (Sam and Roger share a T30 Torx tip for van disassembly)
• A rat’s nest of wiring is removed — including a long-forgotten remote starter
• Everything is labeled for reinstallation (pro move)

Sam debates whether to use the OEM harness or a painless kit — the latter would clean things up, but slow the build.

Sam’s Fabrication Philosophy

Throughout the teardown, Sam shares insights that define StealthBuilt’s approach:

• Function > Sentiment – No part is sacred if it doesn’t fit or flow
• DIY tips throughout – From fork rigging to shifter removal tricks
• Honest time tracking – While the build spans several days, the hands-on time is about 10 hours in so far

“I wasn’t planning on going this far… but the more I cut away, the more I wondered why I kept any of it.”

What’s Next?

With the Chevy’s guts exposed and the Loadstar cab nearly ready, Part 2 will focus on:

• Dropping the Loadstar cab onto the Chevy frame
• Checking clearances, stance, and mounting points
• Deciding on electrical — OEM vs aftermarket
• Final prep before first crank and drive

And yes, the Audi widebody project is still alive. Sam is waiting on parts, and this Loadstar build is the perfect in-between madness to keep the channel rolling.

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🔔 Like This Kind of Chaos?

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