1953 Chevrolet - Fieldwork

For many years Randy Wilcox had wanted to build a fat-fendered classic truck. About seven years ago, he and his wife Tina decided that it was finally time to take on such an endeavor. The '47-54 Chevy trucks were always a favorite for Randy, so a search in and around his hometown of Bothell, Washington, began. About three months and ten trucks later, discouragement had set in. Then one day, while heading out of town on Highway 530, Randy spotted a truck sitting in a field. It had been punched in the nose, and there was a giant blackberry bush growing out of it, but the truck was complete and there was very little rust on it. Finding out who owned the field was harder than agreeing on a price, but once it happened, the truck was loaded up, brought home, and promptly torn apart.

Randy took a systematic approach and, after stripping the truck down to individual pieces, figured out precisely which pieces would have to be replaced and could be sent straight to the sandblaster. Soon the chassis was back to a rolling unit. The frontend was fit with a bolt-in crossmember from RB's Obsolete and built-out with Heidt's tubular control arms, coilovers, and an 11-inch disc brake system from ECI. Out back, a GM 10-bolt rearend was hung from a new lowered-leaf setup from RB's. A fuel cell from Rock Valley fills the area between the framerails behind the axle.

Randy was much more concerned with drivability than show points when it came to the engine combo. A tried-and-true GM ZZ3 crate motor was used and fit with the factory-style serpentine accessory drive system. A 600-cfm carb from Edelbrock tops the intake, which in turn is topped with an Edelbrock air cleaner. The custom 2.5-inch exhaust features a pair of Flowmaster Delta Flow mufflers. This simple setup netted Randy an easy 345 ponies. A TH350 tranny backs the mouse and was fit with a B&M converter and Lokar shifter.

Once Randy had a handle on the mechanics, the hunt was on for a rod shop to handle the body and paint, as well as the final assembly. The truck started out at a company by the name of Extreme Metal & Paint, but, as projects often do, the truck stalled due to a lack of funds. A little time passed and soon the project was underway again, this time at Moslanders Rod & Custom. Between the two shops, by the time the '53 was ready to roll in the paint booth, the hood was nosed and the door handles were shaved, as well as the dash and fuel filler neck. A smooth firewall and inner fenders were added from Bitchin' Products. A Mar-K bed was added and fit with a custom roll pan filled with Corvette C5 taillights along with hidden latches and mini-tubs from Dan Carpenter. Randy says that the crew at Moslanders went to great lengths getting all the gaps perfectly even before they shot the Dupont Super Sonic Blue and 007 White paint in the bold two-tone design.

The truck was reassembled with new chrome from Truck Shop and an oak bed floor from Mar-K before the truck was turned over to Trim Craft for the complete upholstery job in light gray leather. The interior was finished off in top-notch fashion by installing a Budnik steering wheel over an ididit column and Auto Meter gauges in billet panels.

Randy's '53 was completed just in time to debut the truck at the 2003 Seattle Roadster Show, followed by the Puyallup Goodguys show where the truck easily picked up a CLASSIC TRUCKS Top 10 award. Soon after, the truck was entered into the Dupont Top Gun competition for the stellar paintwork. And, wouldn't you know, it won the grand prize, which is his very own month in Dupont's 2004 calendar. It's amazing what you can do with an old field truck isn't it?

The interior was filled with...        read full caption The interior was filled with a Pontiac Bonneville seat and the headliner, door, and kick panels are from RodDoors. Trim Craft then covered everything in light gray vinyl.

Nestled between the smooth...        read full caption Nestled between the smooth Bitchin' panels is a utilitarian-type ZZ3 GM crate motor. Only the Edelbrock carb and air cleaner are non-GM.

Atop the smoothed, paint-matched,...        read full caption Atop the smoothed, paint-matched, and pinstriped dash is a cluster of Auto Meter gauges mounted in billet and a chromed ididit column under a Budnik wheel that matches the four sitting under the fenders. The Mar-K roll pan was modified to hold a pair of Corvette C5 taillights. This is one of Randy's favorite mods on the truck.