Chevrolet
There are a few things you need to know about Sonny Wells. First, Sonny, who is a cabinetmaker in Clearwater, Florida, owns an Elkhart Blue 1967 Corvette with a black stinger hood. Actually, his wife, Jill, lets him share the Corvette with her. Second, Sonny has always had a hankering for an old truck. Third, Jill was tired of sharing the Corvette with Sonny and having to listen to him constantly complain that he wanted an old truck. With that in mind, Sonny began his quest for an old pickup.
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Tilt steering, cruise control, heated seats and A/C are all amenities that we have grown accustomed to without ever knowing it. We’ve come to expect our seat to power forward and our steering column to drop at the flick of a lever; after all, it’s a matter of driver comfort. As these driver comforts have become a part of our daily drivers, it’s not unthinkable that we would want the same for our classic trucks. Our resident ’68 Chevy makes the rounds to and from lunch, along with the occasional cruise-in, so why not build in many of the same conveniences? After looking online, we decided that our outdated straight column just had to go, and then we’d work on the rest of those comfort items.
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For years, truck builders have searched, looking for that much-sought-after early five-window Chevy pickup project. They are still around and are occasionally found, but it’s getting tougher, and their condition is ever worsening. It’s simple math really: Only so many remain, and many of the really solid ones have been spoken for. To The Delight Of Custom Truck Builders Everywhere, The All-Steel Dynacorn ’47-’53 Chevrolet Five-Window Cab Is Now A Reality!
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The white ’99 Silverado was beginning to show the wear and tear of fighting the highway wars the last few years. The once proud and pampered show truck—a standard cab shortbed with matching cab-high camper shell—hadn’t spent much time in daily service until recent years, but now it bore its share of dings, dents and scratches. It was obvious that the 50,000 miles on the odometer hadn’t done the 5.3-liter V-8 much good. Part of the reason for the dissipated performance was the exhaust system, a very tired, less-than-top-quality aftermarket after-cat that had started banging, squeaking and leaking.
Installing a new after-cat from MagnaFlow was at the top of this owner’s agenda. He acquired a MagnaFlow (part No. 15617) polished stainless steel after-cat performance system for his Chevy, and because he’s in the automotive business and has a lift at his own facility, all he had to do was enlist the help of a colleague experienced in exhaust system installs to lend a hand with the hookup.
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Television has created an unusual interest in all things high-performance, both cars and trucks. On any night you can watch some creation of modified vehicles, and even though there’s not much reality to the builds, you can get a good idea of what’s going on. But don’t get your hopes up: Unlike the team of experts that supposedly does this in a week, your build will probably take six months or more, and longer at some shops. While you can witness a number of world-class cars rolling across the auction block, commanding huge prices from over-?enthusiastic bidders, you will find that this, too, is not the reality that most of us live in each day, as many auction samples are some of the more rare in existence. The one thing each of these shows has in common is that typically the owner rarely gets his hands dirty and if there is any owner involvement, it is often limited to writing a check.
This no doubt is a great way for some to enjoy the hobby, but it’s not the approach that most enthusiasts take, and that includes Rick Finzer. As a way of introduction, Finzer is the event coordinator for a much respected Florida car show and swap meet known as the Turkey Run. The legendary Turkey Run is celebrating its 33rd anniversary and is well known by most enthusiasts, and Finzer has been involved since its inception.
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Langston, a longtime rodder and home builder, has owned several awesome rides in the past, including a ’63 Vette convertible, a ’51 Chevy pickup and an ’84 Chevy street truck. The only problem with all of these cars is that they are two-seaters—one driver and one passenger. Alan and his wife, Amy, have three boys who absolutely love hanging with their dad at the rod shows. Since Alan and Amy needed room for Sam, Jacob and Trace to ride when going to and from the local rod runs, they decided to build a vehicle that would provide enough room for five, and plenty of room to load up and go on trips. Alan decided that since he’d previously owned a ’51 and loved it, the ride would be an Advanced Design Chevrolet.
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It seems never to fail: You buy an old truck from a friend or family member with the intent of just sticking a used motor in it and giving it a quick paint job. This usually means that the front clip comes off to put the motor in, and that leads to taking apart the front suspension, which leads to assorted chassis upgrades, as well as the rest of the frame components being unbolted and stripped down for paint, and that means the cab is taken off and sent to a paint shop. Well, you know how those stories play out, and without going any further, this is exactly what happened to Jim Riley and his son Dusty.
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When Jorge Torres was young he would help his father around his shop. Named after the senior Torres, Armando’s Custom Upholstery in San Jacinto, California, opened in 1989 when Jorge was still in high school. In 1992, he began working full time with his father and brother, Armando Jr. He stared doing old cars and went to a few shows to promote their work. During this time he mentioned to his dad that he wanted to build a 1969 Chevy pickup. It turned out that his dad had a friend who owned one, but he was told that the truck was in pretty rough shape. All Jorge heard was that the price, at $1,500, was in his range.
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The longer we are in this business, the more we are certain that the one skill which is most important to know is how to paint. A custom painter can take nearly anything and turn it into a fine ride. Sure, those who can work on suspension or engines are able to take their specialty and turn it to their advantage, but no one modification makes more impact than a cool paint job. That is why guys such as Sam Spinelli, a custom painter for more than 12 years, can cruise around town in this 1990 Chevrolet C1500. Adorned with a killer basecoat and an amazing set of flames, it would be a show truck for the rest of us, but he simply describes the Chevy as his daily driver.
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The ’07 Tahoe, Chevrolet’s premature baby, hit the street in late March 2006. Introducing the next generation of Tahoes so early was part of some master marketing scheme, born and nurtured in the hallowed halls of Chevrolet corporate. In any case, the ’07 Tahoe’s rear ride height measured 23-1/8 inches from the center of the hub to the lip of the fenderwell, while the front measured only 20-1/4 inches. As usual, the rear stood considerably higher than the front.
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