Jerry Keith knows a good thing when he sees it. Just take a look at his black '71 Chevy. He spied the shortbed fleetside a while back in his local Truck Trader classifieds and immediately knew it was the pickup he'd always wanted, but never had the right combination of time and money to finish. This time he at least had the latter (well, close enough, anyway), so he seized the opportunity to drive the black beauty home.
Originally built at the Sport Trucks by Dean shop in Southern California, the stylin' Chevy had all the right fundamentals--a killer stance (thanks to a full air spring system), '68 nose (Jerry's favorite), and mile-deep black paint. The selection and execution of body mods was spot-on, too, with shaved handled and emblems, filled seams and cowl vents, a smooth tailgate, and custom taillights in a rolled rear pan. Jerry particularly liked the mirror-like smooth bed floor, and the fact that the underside of the truck showed as much attention to detail as the top. Appearance-wise, about the only thing Jerry has changed is to add some subtle striping along the beltline.
Mechanically, the Chevy is pretty straightforward. Aside from the Air Ride Technologies springs, the restored and rebuilt chassis remains essentially stock except for '72 Chevy disc brakes and Bell Tech spindles. Big-inch Billet Specialties wheels and BFGoodrich rubber provide a visual statement. A ZZ3 crate engine (which Jerry has dolled up) and 700-R4 transmission make up the rock-solid drivetrain.
Leather and suede greets passengers inside the cabin, covering everything from the '89 Chevy seat to the door panels (all the way to the glass), and even the headliner and dashpad. The dash has plenty of class with updated stock gauges and a Billet Specialties wheel, and there's Panasonic and Pioneer stereo gear providing sounds. After years of playing around with old cars and trucks without ever getting to that elusive "finished" state, Jerry was more than happy to hand over some cash in return for a road- worthy ride that would readily accept some personalization. He's still got several mods he'd like to make to the Chevy, but they'll have to wait. Right now he's having too much fun cruisin' the rig to think about wrenchin' on it.