Danny Cobbs Celebrates His Birth Year with a Custom 1955 Chevy Truck Built by Nobody Customs
Danny Cobbs has always wanted a 1955 Chevy truck to tie into his birth year. While a slew of other hot rods had come and gone, it was just eight years ago that he finally found a pickup to suit his needs. It wasn’t perfect, and it had far too many layers of paint on it, but it would provide a solid foundation for Nobody Customs out of Keithville, Louisiana, to build from.
The original chassis was boxed and updated with the addition of a Fatman Fabrications independent front suspension and a Total Cost Involved four-link setup locates the 9-inch rearend out back. Ridetech air springs deliver just enough drop while keeping things comfortable and a set of Baer disc brakes provide effective stopping performance.
Danny and his wife Penny ride comfortably on a Relicate-leather-wrapped split bench seat from a 2003 Impala that was reworked by Colonels Upholstery along with the custom door panels and headliner. The dash was left stock but updated with gauges from Classic Instruments and a Classic Auto Air climate control system.
As the 1955 Chevy truck came together, one thing that Danny and Penny couldn’t agree on was the paint color. Danny envisioned a candy apple red while Penny preferred pearl white. Joel Williams of Nobody Customs finally sat them both down in front of a paint chart and had them pick a color they both liked. The winner turned out to be Brandy Wine from House of Kolor – and you just can’t argue with the results!
Other than tightening up the gaps and perfecting the fit of panels and trim, Nobody left the body as Chevrolet designed it. The bed floor was finished beautifully and left in the stock location and the 20- and 22-inch Budnik wheels wrapped in Nitto tread fill up the big wheel wells nicely.
When the truck was first finished a couple years ago, it was powered by a stout 406c.i. small block, which was fun but didn’t give the Cobbs’ quite the smooth drivability they craved. The answer came in the form of a GM 6.0-liter LS with a BTR Stage II cam for a bit of rumble and a Holley Sniper EFI system managing the air and fuel. A CVF accessory drive was added along with a DeWitt’s radiator plus a 4L60E trans – a combination that is smoother, more powerful, and more manageable around the show grounds and on cruise evenings.
While it took nearly 70 years, Danny finally has the 1955 Chevy truck he always wanted. He and Penny have been thoroughly enjoying the shows and cruises, especially meeting other classic truck fans.
Photos: John Jackson
