Going back to the start of the '90s, someone in the New Oxford area of Pennsylvania traded in his or her old truck to buy a new one at the dealership that Greg Main worked at as groundskeeper. No big deal, this happens everyday all across the country. However, the truck that was being traded in was a '57 GMC big-window-now that doesn't happen everyday. Luckily, for 16-year-old Greg, the owner didn't seem too attached to it, and when asked how much, the price was set at a grand. Greg knew that he wanted the Jimmy pretty bad, but he could only counter with an offer of $800, and an offer was accepted.
Greg happily drove the truck for a year and was only required to put gas in it-not bad. But we all know how kids are, and soon he wanted more, which translated into tearing it apart and fixing it up. This, in turn, left the '57 sitting in the body shop for the next two years, teaching Greg one of life's lessons-patience. At the end of its stay, Vintage Specialties in Gettysburg, Pennylvania, did manage to replace the East Coast rot that took the better part of the floors, cab corners, running boards, and lower parts of the fenders.
After the crew was satisfied with the foundation, which included a new Golden State bed that mounts the stock rear fenders, the big-window was sprayed in PPG's Bright Teal. Greg and Tina couldn't wait, now that it was painted and they managed to get down and dirty in the glossy new bed; they put the finishing touch on it by staining and finishing the new bed wood together before they installed it.
Chassis-wise, it was decided to graft in a Camaro front-clip that would retain all of its stock parts after Bryan Forbes of Hanover, Pennsylvania, was done with the welder. Mike Bennett in Littlestown, Pennsylvania, was asked to hang the 3.23 Eaton Posi-stuffed Chevy 10-bolt that now resides under the rear of the framerails. It would retain the stock drum brakes, and would also lose four leaves out of each spring pack in the rear-simple, yet effective.
Behind the '55 Chevy truck grille is a stout 355-inch small-block. The 0.030-over iron block was machined to welcome the Keith Black 10:1 pistons that sit below the Edelbrock Torker cam, which is covered by a Holley intake/carb combo. DynoMax headers join up with a set of Flowmaster three-chamber mufflers via a custom 2 1/2-inch exhaust system. Greg grabs a Lokar shifter when he runs through the gears in the Mike Bennett-built '79 Turbo 350 that houses a B&M converter.
Inside the cab is a bench seat that came out of a '96 Chevy 1/2-ton and a custom-made center console. Greg had Statler Upholstery in Gettysberg, Pennsylvania, cover everything in a combo of tan tweed and leather that sets off the Auto Meter gauges nicely.
Since the Mains are always racking up miles on the GMC, it's hard to see the 17x8 Boyd Coddington Gocha II wheels that are wrapped like pigs in a blanket in the Goodyear Eagle Gatorbacks.
Greg's '57 has been on the road for the better part of 10 years now, and it still turns heads. In fact, it carried him and his wife Tina away from the chapel on their big day, and now carries a cargo even more precious-their daughter-when the family goes for a spur of the moment cruise.