Tag Archives: Chevrolet

SEMA 2024: 1959 Chevrolet Apache Pickup by Stafford’s Garage

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The introduction of the Chevrolet C/K series in 1960 was a turning point for pickup trucks. More than 60 years later, the C/K series is still highly regarded by enthusiasts and collectors. But before that was the Task Force line of trucks from 1955-1959.

At the 2024 SEMA Show, nestled among the heavy hitters in the Toyo Tires Treadpass pavilion, I stopped in my tracks to admire this custom 1959 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside nicknamed “Thunderchief.”

This stunning ride was built by Chris Stafford of Stafford’s Garage. Based in Las Vegas, Stafford’s Garage turns vintage metal into rolling pieces of art. With “Thunderchief,” Stafford has raised the bar for what a restomod can be, blending postwar design with modern materials and craftsmanship.

The Apache’s big window cab distinguishes it from the small back window C10s that followed, but it’s the deep, dark gray metallic paint that pulls you in. The color is rich and lustrous, looking elegant in the shade, but sparkling in the sunlight.

Against this moody exterior, the truck has a full custom red interior. I’m talking seats, carpet, dash, door panels, everything! Bits of chrome accents break up the sea of redness.

Inside, every detail is executed with care. The interior maintains the truck’s heritage with new reproduction gauges and an original-style radio. The red leather-wrapped chrome steering wheel with flat bottom is a modern touch in this classic truck interior.

“Thunderchief” rides on a set of 20-inch Raceline billet wheels. The wheels have a slotted design with a polished lip and are color matched red with silver accents.

They sort of remind me of monoblock style wheels on a Mercedes, but with tri-bar center caps. I think these wheels complement the truck’s smooth body lines and aggressive stance. It’s the kind of setup that says this is a show truck, but it can still haul stuff if needed.

One of the standout features of this build is the flawless chrome work. Every piece, from the bumpers to the trim, is polished to a mirror finish. The side of the bed has beautiful chrome and red trim pieces that just work on a 1950s era truck. It’s the kind of meticulous detail that separates good builds from great ones — and “Thunderchief” is firmly in the latter category.

Among the thousands of vehicles at SEMA, only about two dozen have the honor of getting invited to the Toyo Tires Treadpass pavilion. This area houses a curated group of elite custom builds, any one of which could be on a magazine cover. This Apache pickup certainly deserved its place among these special vehicles.

I will keep my eyes out for more vehicles from Chris Stafford and Stafford’s Garage in the future. The craftsmanship and detail shown in “Thunderchief” really shows what they are capable of building, while staying true to the spirit of the original truck.

For more, follow @staffords_garage on Instagram.

SEMA 2023: 1966 Chevrolet Nova ReNOVAtor by The Custom Shop

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I have featured The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois before on this site, so I was pleased to see a new custom car build from them at the 2023 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

In the North Hall at the SONY car audio booth was this bright red ’66 Chevy Nova called “ReNOVAtor.” Though the car is almost 60 years old, you would not guess that based on its appearance! From every angle, the car looked stunning.
The Custom Shop has pulled off several tricks with this build that set them apart from the crowd. First, most of the chrome is blacked out, which I think makes for a very cool look. Second, the car has been completely upgraded to modern day with LED taillights, a digital dash, and a carbon fiber driveshaft.

I was surprised when I peeked under the hood and saw a small block Chevrolet engine under the hood, NOT an LS engine! The Hixson-built 427 SBC makes an estimated 750 hp at 8500 rpm. The engine choice is unique when every other builder has the same GM crate engine under the hood these days.

The engine has a Holley EFI setup with Imagine Injection stacks. It flows through a set of Hooker headers into a Pypes stainless steel exhaust with cutouts for when you want that extra sound.
This Nova features a full flip cowl hood, which is a neat touch that once again sets this car apart from other builds. The moldings have been shaved and the firewall, trunk floor and belly pan have all been smoothed.

Up front, the laser cut grille has sort of a stock car vibe, and I’m not sure how I feel about it on this car. The LED headlights are a big improvement over the stock ones.

The interior is a complete renovation as well, with the Holley EFI digital dashboard taking center stage in the instrument cluster. The LED accent lights look cool, and illuminate the floor-mounted brake pedal. The interior is from TMI Upholstery and features Apex leather on the seats and door panels. And of course, it has a bangin’ Sony stereo system!

The Custom Shop has done it once again with their ’66 Nova “ReNOVAtor” and created a restomod car that their client is sure to love.

SEMA 2023: 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup NautiD by Weaver Customs

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The Las Vegas Convention Center encompasses more than 4.6 million square feet of floor space spread across multiple buildings. When the SEMA Convention comes to town, they occupy the entire facility. To say that the SEMA Show is big is an understatement. It is so big that it’s hard to see everything, even over multiple days.

If you spend all of your time in the convention halls, you might miss a great vehicle in one of the outdoor displays. At the 2023 SEMA Show, I saw this amazing custom Chevy pickup truck in the Adam’s Polishes booth in front of the Central Hall.

The truck is a 1949 Chevrolet 3100 pickup nicknamed “NautiD.” The truck was built by Weaver Customs in West Jordan, Utah.
The crisp body lines of the “Advance Design” styling really come through in this truck, which has shaved trim, drip rails, wipers, and mirrors. The non-metallic gray color is also eye catching, which is actually Axalta Chalk Grey. I spent a few minutes admiring the truck up close.

The truck has a ton of custom touches including a custom bed, flush mount glass, shaved and smoothed body, and a restyled front and rear end. There are more than 100 custom billet machined pieces on the truck.
Under the hood, the original straight-6 engine has been replaced with a 6.6-liter Duramax LLM diesel engine with twin turbochargers! This is coupled to an Allison 6-speed transmission. A custom Flowmaster exhaust keeps the power flowing smoothly. The Duramax engine is an interesting choice for a build, but it fits the spirit of the truck as a workhorse.

The custom-built chassis has an independent front suspension with a 4-link rear suspension with Ridetech components. A narrowed 9-inch rear end puts the power to the rear wheels. Speaking of which, the wheels are one-off designed which are 18×8 in the front and 20×12 in the rear with Michelin tires.

The interior has a minimalist design aesthetic blended with modern amenities. The truck has air conditioning, a Kicker stereo, power windows, and even 2 cup holders in the center console. A pair of custom Dakota Digital gauges provide essential information to the driver. The interior was done by Innovation Custom Interiors in Ogden, Utah who wrapped the seats and console in Guinness Hydes leather.

This Chevy 3100 is a 74 year old truck that has been completely reimagined with modern power, handling, and amenities. With this full restoration and upgrade, I’d say the truck is ready to take on the next 70 years and beyond.

Be sure to give them a follow @weavercustoms on Facebook and Instagram.

SEMA 2023: 1976 Chevrolet Impala Wagon by 187 Customs

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If you have turned on a TV at all in the last several years, you have probably heard of Shawn Ellington and 187 Customs. They have been featured numerous times on Street Outlaws and Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings on TV.

Based in Oklahoma, Shawn and his team have built the famous 1969 “Murder Nova” that puts down 4-second times in the 1/8 mile and 6-second times in the quarter mile. But we’re not here to talk about the Murder Nova today.
Instead, we are taking a look at the 1976 Chevrolet Impala wagon that 187 Customs brought to the 2023 SEMA Show. I saw the car at the Corleone Forged wheels booth.

Having attended SEMA for several years, I have noticed some patterns among custom car builders. There is no shortage of custom Camaros, Novas, Corvettes and Mustangs at SEMA. Nobody is building anything from the mid-to-late 1970s, or any station wagons for that matter. So it was really different to see something like this.
The car’s metallic green paint with gold grille and headlight surrounds is certainly eye catching! The car is a certified land yacht, measuring in at 228 inches in length. However, this family station wagon has been completely upgraded by 187 Customs into a modern, high-performance machine.

Under the hood is a 5.3L LS “Ruthless Runt” engine from Texas Speed, with a Holley Terminator X-Max fuel management system controlling Deatschwerks injectors and fuel pump. The engine is coupled to a 4L80E transmission with Circle D torque converter. There is a Dynamic Driveline driveshaft connected to a Quick Performance 9″ rear end.
The car rides on QA1 control arms and coilovers with an Accuair Air suspension system. A set of Wilwood disc brakes hides behind the gold 26-inch Corleone Forged wheels.

This is a unique build that really stood out from the crowd at SEMA.

SEMA 2023: 1961 Chevrolet Impala TymeleSS by Maharaj Customs

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On the surface, the SEMA Show is where people from all corners of the automotive world converge to do business. But we all know why we are really there: to see amazing custom built cars.

Walking the show floow, I came across this incredible 1961 bubble top Chevrolet Impala in the Powerbass Audio booth. The car, which is nicknamed “TymeleSS” was built by Maharaj Customs with custom metal fab by Nickell’s Customs in Lodi, California.
The light minty green custom paint looks fresh and clean, and every inch of chrome was polished to perfection. There are so many custom touches to take in, like the billet hood hinges from Eddie Motorsports.

Under the hood is an LS3 engine with a dual intake setup that produces approximately 600 horsepower. It’s visible through a cutout in the hood that looks absolutely crazy. The car rides on a full custom tube chassis that was made from scratch. It does use Ridetech suspension components and rides on a set of Forgiato wheels.
The white interior really pops thanks to the upholstery by @davescustoms5441 who did the custom seats and carpet. The front bucket seats are 11-way power seats out of a Lexus that have been restyled for this car. An Ididit steering column and custom center console round out the interior.

The audio setup in this car is also very impressive. The stereo was done by Zamz Audio in Visalia, CA using all Powerbass components. There are three XMA 4250 IR 4-channel amps running a pair of L3H horn tweeters and speakers, and a PBX-DSP8 32-bit processor. The bass consists of three XMA 2000.1 Monoblock amps driving three 3XL Powerbass 15-inch subwoofers, all mounted in a custom 2-piece enclosure. This thing will be sounding good at cruise night!
The owner spent 3 years on this full custom build and restoration. Really impressed with this great car from Maharaj Customs!

SEMA 2023: 1998 Chevrolet C1500 Truck by Carson Hendershott

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I have long been a fan of the GMT400 platform, having owned 1997 Chevrolet and 1988 GMC truck. When I saw this custom C1500 single cab at the 2023 SEMA Show, I could tell it was something special.

The truck was built by Carson Hendershott of Ontario, Canada. At just 26 years old, he was a finalist in the Young Guns category and a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders competition.
As you will see, his customized pickup is anything but stock. The metallic red paint really pops against the Steve Stanford Designs paint scheme that has a “rad minitruck” feel to it. Additional bodywork includes a shaved tailgate, roll pan rear bumper, extended wheel tubs, and a narrowed front bumper.

The showstopper is under the hood – an LSX 376 engine with a Harrop TVS2650 supercharger and titanium intake that is pumping out 1,000 horsepower. Coupled to that is a Tremec T-56 Magnum transmission, so that you can row your own gears.

The rest of the driveline is built to handle the power: a carbon fiber driveshaft, Custom 9″ Moser rear differential, and 6-piston Baer disc brakes at all four corners. The truck rides on Forgeline wheels that measure 19×10 in the front and 20×12.5 in the rear, wrapped in Michelin tires.
The front suspension has tubular control arms with drop spindles, QA1 coilovers and a QA1 front swaybar, with a custom 5-link suspension with QA1 coilovers in the rear. The modified box floor of the bed conceals a 20 gallon fuel cell.

The interior looks better than stock, too. A dashboard and door panels from a 1993 C1500 was sourced, then wrapped in black leather. The steering wheel features an OEM design, recreated in Carbon Fiber with black leather accents and contrasting red stitching. The Cobra carbon fiber bucket seats with diamond stitched inserts provide plenty of grip during cornering. A set of Dakota Digital gauges round out the interior.
This is an impressive build for anyone, let alone someone who is just 26. Huge congratulations to Carson and his team on making it to Battle of the Builders – what an achievement!