SKY HIGH: Charlie Melchner's 1977 Silverado on 46s

Charlie Melchner wanted to build a real truck. By his definition, that meant relying on a bit more than a simple set of lift blocks to keep him riding high on his colossal tires. We visited Charlie in the October 1987 issue of Four Wheeler where he gave us a tour of his fully customized ’77 Chevy Silverado.

- JERED KORFHAGE

The first step on the Silverado’s journey satisfied Charlie’s desire for wide rolling rubber—a set of 46x23-16 Firestone Turf and Field tires mounted to 16x20 custom-built chromed steel wheels. The wheels and tires sat at the ends of the truck’s stock 1-ton axles, which also kept their 4.11 gears and limited-slips. Charlie trussed the axles to keep them from folding in on themselves and the front axle was cut and turned 10 degrees upward to alleviate extreme driveline angles. To make sure there was big strength to support the big rubber, the Silverado’s frame was stripped, repainted black, patched in the few places that needed help, and reinforced with cross braces above the rear axle and underneath the radiator. Danbury Spring, in Danbury, Connecticut, re-arched his leaf springs, affording him 18 inches of lift, wh