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70 Years of Cool: The Tri-Five Chevy Turns Platinum

July 24, 2025

Building a cool new truck to show off at SEMA is nothing new for Jim Lewis and his team at ProMotorsports in Edmond, Oklahoma, as that’s what they do. This stunning new ’07 Cadillac Escalade EXT is their most recent creation. Like so many other enthusiasts, Lewis used the latest generation Escalade because it was an immediate hit, especially among the urban lifestyle crowd, so team ProMotorsports thought one would make a great representative demo vehicle for their shop. Billy Lewis came up with the flat black concept, with tons of chrome and polished metal to contrast the flatness of the finish. While the paint may be the first item that attracts you to this truck, the crew at ProMotorsports actually started the build underneath it all by increasing the performance of the Escalade.

RILEY’S ’72 Chevy

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.

The Other American Musclecar

American Motors was an extremely conservative automobile company, happy with building basic transportation cars and small, economical compacts. When Pontiac stunned the world with the sales success of the ’64 GTO, many of the other car manufacturers also wanted to cash in on the new emerging muscle car movement. If strong-running cars could bring additional cash into the coffers, they were all for it. All except conservative American Motors, which denounced the idea of building fast cars because they wouldn’t be safe in the hands of young buyers. AMC continued on, content with building Ramblers. That idea lasted for about two years, but after seeing the sales success of the other auto manufacturers, AMC finally decided to cash in on the youth movement.

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NEIGHBORHOOD SEDAN

Sometimes It’s Best To Buy Locally

We’ve all heard stories of fellow street rodders who have searched far and wide for that special car. Weeks are spent on the Internet, days are spent stumbling through hot, dry, cold, wet, dusty or muddy swap meets, and even more time is spent at major rod runs, car corrals and cruise nights. Even with all that effort, time and expense, often times you still don’t find a particularly special car. Of course, you could do what Cecil Watts did and walk next door while your neighbor is having a barbecue for the hot rod club and say, “I didn’t know you were going to sell the Fordor—I’ll take it.” It was really that simple, and the best part is that the car is really special.

Author

Gerry Burger

Story & Photography

The Role of a Neighbor

Of course, to pull off this easy purchase plan, it helps to have a neighbor like Gary Moore. Gary is one of those guys who seems to come across more good-looking hot rods than the average guy, and when he sees the right car, he buys it. There’s little wonder how Cecil Watts had the confidence to slap leather that day. It didn’t hurt that the ’66 427 Corvette that was once in Cecil’s garage had been sold, leaving a rather large void in his garage.

A Very Nice ’32 Ford

The car we’re talking about is a very nice ’32 Ford. Done in basic bone and blue (yes, this car is dark blue), the Deuce has a great hot rod stance and is so tastefully done that many hot rodders remember the car. This is noteworthy because it is such an understated car. Oh yeah, and one more thing—this is not your average Deuce. This Deuce hot rod is based on the least likely of body styles, the Fordor sedan.

Origins and Acquisition

The car was originally built at Street Rods by Michael in Shelbyville, Tennessee. After the car was driven for a couple of years, Gary Moore came across the car in the swap meet at the NSRA Nationals. He purchased the car, brought it home to Melbourne, Florida, and parked it in his garage, which, of course, is right next door to the Cecil Watts residence.

Minor Fixes and Road Readiness

The Fordor was in need of some minor fixes, and Gary felt that a set of wires he had from an earlier hot rod would look great on the car. After powder-coating the wheels in a tasteful tan, he bolted them onto the car, and the Fordor was once again ready for the open road. It proved to be a great road car with a timeless look, one that Cecil just couldn’t resist.

Chassis and Suspension

The sedan rides on a Street Rods by Michael chassis that includes a 3-inch dropped Super Bell axle, Pete & Jakes shocks, and a Posies spring. A Vega-style steering box completes the front suspension. The 8-inch Ford rear is mounted with a set of parallel leaf springs and a second set of Pete & Jakes shocks. The wire wheels are from Vintique and measure 14×6 in front and 15×7 in rear, and the car rolls on Goodyear rubber that measures 195-70R/14 in front and 235-35/15 in rear.

Powertrain

Power for the Fordor comes in the form of the tried-and-true small-block Chevrolet connected to a 350 Turbo transmission. The ’85 Chevy engine has been bored over 0.030, bringing it out to 355 ci. An Edelbrock intake and carburetor feed the small block while an aluminum breather and valve covers dress up the engine. Ram’s horn exhaust manifolds exit through Flowmaster mufflers for a pleasing hot rod rumble.

Design and Body Work

One of the keys to success on this Fordor is the simple design. Using a Fordor, it was important not to get too flashy, so the body was left basically stock with simply the elimination of the rear-mounted spare tire, the filling of the roof insert and the substitution of a SoCal nosepiece on the grille shell. The body was rock solid to begin with, so Street Rods by Michael spent untold hours fitting the body and getting the panels laser-straight. When the body was finally prepped, it was covered in Mercedes Blue/Black. The color is so dark that virtually everyone mistakes it for black, but in the bright sunlight, blue highlights bounce off of the rounded panels.

Interior

The bone leather interior was done by Paul Atkins, and once again in keeping with the theme of the car, the interior was kept simple. A custom lower valance was built under the dashboard, and VDO gauges monitor the small block. Vintage Air provides heat and air, and the overhead console helps to keep the dashboard clean.

Timeless Hot Rod Technique

The end result is a fine Fordor that is memorable because of its classic good looks and the great restraint that was exercised while building the car. This is one of those cars that pulls into a cruise night and turns heads coming and going. It’s a lesson in timeless hot rod technique whereby the inherent good looks of the ’32 Ford are allowed to shine through the mile-deep blue paint.

The Deal Between Neighbors

And so the deal between neighbors was struck, the car moved west exactly one driveway, and it is now parked where a big-block Corvette was once found. To prove that this is one really good car, the two neighbors are not only still talking, but they also cruise to events and enjoy the sport of street rodding together. When it comes to good deals, it doesn’t get any better than this.