Words: Tommy Parry
This pro street build started on a good note – with a truck that withstood the weather better than any truck should. The ‘66 Chevy Step truck was finished in a metallic olive green, had all the necessary trim and fixings and had spent 80,000 miles in the Georgia weather without corrosion, but it was quite Plain Jane by hot rod standards. Nevertheless, Greg had big plans for the build: a flat-black paint job, a 540ci motor up front, coilovers and, as any Pro Street build needs, a massive set of rubber in the rear.
The motor was the first order of business here. Originally out of his ‘76 Camaro, it was 502ci motor with CR Pistons, RHS aluminum heads, Ferria SS valves, a Lunait solid cam, a Merlin X intake, studded mains and ARP head studs.
Greg pulled the cab off the frame, which would be power washed the following week. With Porterbuilt tubular trailing arms and their crossmember, coilovers and tubular mounting points on the way, there was some serious momentum building. Once the frame was back from the sandblasters, Greg coated it in two-part epoxy primer in black and tacked on the new goodies from Porterbuilt.
Incredibly, there was no rust but a small patch which was easily patched, and the back end, after being chopped 8”, was tacked on the 9” rear end. Greg also C-notched the frame.
He stuck on the Moser axles, the Boyd gas tank, a panhard bar and the coilovers to get it a few steps closer to being a bonafide roller. On their way were some Convo Pro 15X12” rims and a set of Mickey Thompson 29X15.00R15 tires to provide the necessary traction.
The doors were then sanded and primed and the rest of the bodywork given some good attention. There weren’t too many flaws to the body, but Greg wanted the ‘66 Chevy to have some extra pizazz, so he sandblasted the entire cab and covered it in a coat of primer before painting it in a very provocative color.
Greg then added a new crossmember and notched the firewall to mount the motor further back in the chassis. Not only would this help with the handling of the car, it would make some extra room for the taller valve covers on his motor, onto which he’d bolt a set of Hooker’s Chevelle headers and a rebuilt transmission with a 3800 stall converter. It fired up on the first try – an auspicious sign for the success he’d soon have on the drag strip.
The truck then received a coat of paint – a satin black covering the lower half of the cab and the bed. With the new wheels in place (a set of Convo Pros), the truck now had purpose, the ability to rattle the neighbor’s windows and enough power to spin the tires at 55 mph! Sounds like the perfect trifecta.
Next came the final bit of trim. Hinges, wood panels for the bed liner, a splash of clearcoat and some red linework, and the black beauty was ready to turn heads. Before it could paint the town red, though, the interior needed a few touches.
A Hurst pistol grip shifter draws the eye, but the cabin is filled with interesting touches to complement it, including a custom center console complete with Autometer-style gauges and some gray-and-white leather covering the seats. With a sizable white wheel and some tasteful, chrome accents, there’s plenty to love about the comfortable cabin. Especially the switch which opens the exhaust and lets all hell break loose.
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