Fifty Years in the Making – ZRodz Ressurects a 1956 Chevy with Custom Style and Big-Block Power
Odds are slim that the car you drove to learn how to master a manual transmission is still in your possession decades later. For Brett Clemens, though, his friend Butch’s 1956 Chevy that endured the grinds of that learning experience still resides in Brett’s garage, though it has been completely reimagined.
“Butch was three years older than me and he would let me help him work on the ’56, even teaching me how to drive a manual,” Brett says. A few years later, in 1975, Butch agreed to sell Brett the Chevy. Brett drove it for a few years while making modifications before parking the car in 1981.
Seven years ago, Brett decided to bring the Chevy back to life. He turned to Zach Ingram and the crew at ZRodz and Customs to craft the powerful, dependable, comfortable custom he wanted. That started with an Art Morrison chassis that incorporates a modern coil-over front suspension, Wilwood disc brakes, and a torque arm rear suspension locating the 9-inch rearend. One-off 19×10 and 20×12-inch wheels machined at ZRodz are wrapped in Michelin tires.
One old-school element Brett wanted is a big block Chevy engine. ZRodz delivered with a 502c.i. V8 that produces 630 horsepower with the help of a Borla eight-stack EFI system and custom headers that feed exhaust fumes through Borla 3-inch pipes and XS mufflers. A Bowler T56 transmission is controlled by a ZRodz custom shifter.
Extensive body modifications modernized the Chevy design while still leaving it instantly recognizable. This included shaving the drip rails, custom machining the grille and side trim, crafting a custom hood scoop, and reshaping the bumpers. The license plate was relocated to a one-piece rear bumper, which was notched for the exhaust tips. The front fenders were modified, the cowl smoothed, and the “sweetheart dip” below the quarter windows was straightened. The ZRodz team also designed and machined custom taillights, deleted door wing windows, and added aftermarket mirrors. The sheet metal is covered in deep Glasurit Almost Black paint.
The interior was designed at ZRodz and executed by Tracy Weaver’s team at Recovery Room. The one-off dash incorporates custom Dakota Digital gauges and flows down into a custom console bisecting BMW M5 seats, which are covered in black and gray Relicate leather. ZRodz machined the custom wheel that sits on an Ididit column, and you’ll find black woodgrain trim on the dash and elsewhere.
“Zach had such a great vision of what he thought the car should be, I let him take the ball and run with it,” Brett says. “Fifty-one years after I bought the car, I am incredibly happy with the build and ready to enjoy it.”
Congratulations to Brett Clemens for being named a Finalist for Goodguys 2026 Vintage Air Custom Rod of the Year with his 1956 Chevy sedan built by ZRodz and Customs!
Photos: Marc Gewertz, John Jackson
