G Glenn and Paula Clark of Summerville, South Carolina, know how to haggle for something they want. When Paula spotted an unfinished chopped-top '48 Chevy pickup at the Shades of the Past car show, she just had to have it. When the couple approached the truck's owner, he told them that the vehicle wasn't for sale. For some reason, this "not for sale" notion didn't compute with the Clarks, and they eventually prevailed in purchasing the vehicle. At one of the shows they attended with the Chevy in tow, the couple spotted a clean black-and-orange truck customized by Dale Dinse of Dale's Design in Orange City, Florida. They contacted Dale and arranged a time for the '48 to receive his custom touches.
The Chevy's chassis is a cornucopia of late-model parts: A Mustang II donated the front suspension, the master cylinder is from a Vette, the 10-inch front disc brakes are GM, and the proportioning value is an adjustable Wilwood. Additionally, the fully boxed stock frame was given crossmembers to accommodate the '91 Corvette rearend, and the 25-gallon stainless gas tank was relocated to the rear. The '48 rolls on Billet Specialties' 17x7s in the front and 18x8s in the rear, all swathed in Falken rubber.
Dale Dinse exerted his modification prowess on the Chevy's body. Beginning with the front bumper, all the bolts were shaved and smoothed. The stock hood's center seam was fully welded and smoothed, and the grille houses 2-1/2x1/8-inch LED turn signals. The headlight bezels were welded to the fenders, lending a frenched look to the headlights. A V-butt windshield was installed and the rain gutters removed from the 2-inch chopped-top Chevy. The running boards have been extended to meet the front fenders, and the bed stake pockets were extended to meet with the body panels more efficiently. The rear fenders have been squared off in the back to meet the roll pan, and the tailgate was filled and boxed with the Chevy emblem embossed out. Finally, the Chevy was ready to accept Corvette Yellow and Ford Ivory Pearl paint, punctuated by lime-green and purple pinstriping.
An '89 Chevy 350 TPI engine coupled to a 700R4 propels the pickup. The eight-cylinder has a tuned port injection setup, roller rockers, and Taylor wires. The aluminum-coated Block Hugger headers push exhaust through 2-inch Flowmaster mufflers.
While peering through the smoked and laminated windows, you'll see a Fiberglas dashboard, a Vintage Air control panel and A/C, and a Billet Specialties steering wheel. Howard Krusey of Altamonte Springs, Florida, upholstered the Pontiac Fiero front seats in tan leather and the carpet in tan wool.
And while the Clarks may now be thousands of dollars poorer thanks to the '48 Chevy, they are also numerous trophies and accolades richer.