1975 Chevy Stepside – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes
Jim Jones has owned his 1975 Chevy Stepside Silverado since he purchased it new in 1975. After meeting him at a recent Canepa Cars and Coffee gathering, he was more than happy to meet up with us and show us what’s under the hood. He said it sometimes goes overlooked, but that’s half the fun — it’s a real sleeper and he’s decided to keep it that way for good. We are used to seeing 70s fleetsides, but steps like Jim’s are rare birds.
He told us that he and his wife were thinking of completely restoring it after the upgraded engine and interior work was well underway, but they decided it just wasn’t worth it. Jim wanted to build a hi-performance daily driver, a travel truck, and something he could depend on, tow with, take on road trips and driving events.
And he’s built exactly that. This is a 42-year-old truck he drives every day, despite having over 180,000 miles on the chassis. However, the supercharged 2015 6.2L LSA that’s found its way straight from GM to under the truck’s hood sits at around 7,800 miles. That’s Camaro and Corvette power in a truck!
Jim is pushing the boost a bit with Concept One pulleys and coupled with a brass five-row radiator, engine oil, and transmission oil coolers, the car is set up to last, too. And not only that, it’s easy to live with; it has comfy, heated seats, updated gauges, a backup camera, leather-wrapped door cars, an awesome Thule cargo pack in the back, RideTech air suspension, and the list goes on.
It really is the best of all worlds and meticulous care has been taken in the restoration of every area. Over seventy vendors were used on his quest for the perfect pickup, just to give you an idea of the amount of work that has gone into this truck. While you might think a piece of art like this deserves the bodywork and paint to go with it, Jim explains why he didn’t bother.
He told us he just didn’t want to worry about keeping it nice, storing it in the garage, and babying it in parking lots and the like. We completely understand, because the best truck is a truck that gets used and rest assured Jim puts all 550 supercharged horses (that’s 550 wheel horsepower) to use in his 1975 Chevy Stepside. Besides the custom cargo hauler, the wheels are the only exterior piece that any real work went into. Thirty-something year old Enkei wheels, made in Japan, still find a home on the truck after being powder coated a fitting, deep golden brown.
We also took a closer look at the Ridetech air setup on the truck which gives the pickup an aggressive stance while still maintaining usability. With gauges in the interior and a simple but clean setup under the hood, the pneumatics make a big difference in the form and function of an old truck like this. Seeing as how Jim was once a tech at a GM dealer it makes sense why this truck is set up so perfectly; like we said, it’s the best of all worlds in one package.
A great looking step side with a bit of patina and a huge new heart that is actually driven daily by its original owner some four decades later. We wish all owners would go to this level of care with their classics. Truly, a wolf in sheep’s clothes, Jim’s 1975 Stepside Chevy is ready to cruise cross country or tear up a drag strip — take your pick.
