Work in Progress

It was a bit of serendipity when James found his ‘50 Chevy Sedan Delivery. A friend bought an antique stove from him and he spotted it in a corner of the barn where he was delivering it. His friend had started to work on it years before, but stopped when he got involved with other projects. Since then it had just sat, so his friend was willing to sell. And James bought. His friend had repainted the Chevy, redone the interior and lowered it. All James had to do to make it driveable was to add brake fluid, change the points and replace an exhaust donut. But James has big plans for his sedan. He is going to replace the in-line six engine with a 350 CID four-bolt main Chevy V-8, the three-speed manual trans with a Turbo 350 auto, the stock rear end with a 12 bolt, and put in a modified Mustang II front suspension with disc brakes. He already has the parts ready. Then he is going to “shave” the door handles (remove them to have the doors open electrically) and “french” the headlights (recess them into the fenders) as part of his body customizing. Finally, he is going to add P/S, P/B and A/C for creature-comfort for himself and his wife Susan. It is an ambitious project, but James has done a number of 50's-era Ford and Chevy trucks and panels before, so he knows what is required. He already started work on the body, so his Chevy is now officially a “work in progress.”

Story & photos by Roamin Angel Ron C ©2007