Streamline Custom Designs Builds a 1953 Chevy Pickup for the Ages
When original postwar vehicles like Michael James’ 1953 Chevy pickup came down assembly lines in the middle of the last century, most were destined for lives of hard and rugged work. In that era, estimates are that 90-percent or more of the trucks were going to be punished, not pampered, by their owners.
Fast forward several decades and surviving midcentury pickups are being reborn into a world their original owners would have never envisioned. Those bare-bones utility vehicles are now recreated as visually stunning works of vehicular art with an emphasis on performance and passenger comfort.
That’s exactly what Michael wanted when he asked the team at Streamline Custom Designs to craft this custom Chevy. And with Michal’s blessing, the Streamline team went a step further and built the truck using completely new components, starting with a reproduction five-window cab from Premier Street Rods.
Even with fresh sheet metal as a starting point, the Streamline crew had plenty of massaging to do. Modifications included a shaved cowl, one-piece hood with a custom emblem, frenched headlights, custom running boards, one-piece door glass, wider rear wheel tubs, a relocated fuel tank and filler, new bed floor wood and stainless strips, smoothed and tucked bumpers, plus custom front and rear valances.
Under the hood, the firewall was smoothed, custom inner panels were formed, and a custom radiator cover was created. When bodywork was complete, the Streamline crew covered the truck in PPG Randy Apple Red paint, a custom mix from Painthouse in Cypress, Texas.
The truck rides on a Roadster Shop Revo chassis that features Fox coil-over suspension components and Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners. It rolls on Schott 18×8- and 19×11-inch wheels that are wrapped in Nitto rubber.
Power comes from a Don Hardy-built LS V8 that’s dressed like a vintage 409 and cranks out 630 horsepower. A dual-snorkel air cleaner helps maintain the vintage look. Hooker headers guide exhaust waste through a custom 2.5-inch stainless system with Magnaflow mufflers. A 4L75E automatic transmission controlled by a Lokar shifter feeds the power to the 3.73 gears in the 9-inch rearend.
The interior created by Seams Impossible features Dakota Digital gauges in a leather-wrapped dash, custom bucket seats and a console, as well as a one-piece leather headliner. A leather-wrapped Sparc steering wheel sits on an Ididit tilt column while a Restomod A/C system keeps driver and passenger comfortable.
As a fresh build crafted from all new components, Michael’s Chevy pickup will likely never need to experience the hard work and abuse its predecessors endured. For a truck this stylish, a life of leisure seems much more fitting.
Photos by John Jackson
