[Big Dave]

I think part of the negative reaction most ‘civilians’ have is that they have never seen anything like it before and their conformist world is wobbled a bit by such a truck.

Part of their reaction is that Phil’s truck is what it is – a DIY experiment in progress. Any racer would look at it and see a kindred spirit. Most really fast racers have yards and yards of 600 mile an hour tape on them, and show the effects of scores of small modifications seeking that extra mile per hour.

Part of their problem is legit. Phil’s bed cover seems to be like mine in that it is fixed and limits bed utility. This is always the big squawk I hear about tonneau covers. Everyone can see that it improves MPG but it puts the brakes on loading up the four-wheeler without removing the cover. My bed fairing has the same problem. I am pretty much reduced to hauling 2x4s.

Part of their problem is in the execution. Phil is not Chip Foose, and the body work shows it. By now, Phil is probably pretty close to the ideal pickup truck shape. If he let somebody like Bondo use it as a guide for some professional-looking body work, the result might get a very different response.