Substitute Chevy – How Cliff Horn Refined His Plan-B 1954 Chevy Bel Air into a First-Rate Cruiser
Cliff Horn grew up in a hot rodding family and fondly remembers riding to shows and swap meets with his dad, Patrick, in a ’31 Chevy coupe, a ’50 Olds 88, and other vintage rides. In the 1980s, Cliff went the young guy’s route with VWs, even attending early Goodguys Bug Bash events, followed by mini trucks with a dropped ’89 S10 Blazer. At the turn of the century, he picked up a ’68 C10 and blew it apart planning a ground-up rebuild.
Like it does with many projects, life got in the way and all of a sudden, a decade had slipped by and the C10 was still far from together. No longer wanting to ride shotgun to shows, Cliff was on the lookout for a new cruiser that he and his wife, Debbie, could get in and enjoy without much work. He didn’t really have a specific car in mind, so when he spied a white ’54 Chevy Bel Air for sale at the 2016 West Coast Nationals, he went in for a closer look.
The car looked good thanks to a recent repaint, plus it sported a fresh tuck ’n roll interior. Other than that, it was largely stock save for a dual carb setup on the original 235c.i. six cylinder and a slight suspension drop. The ol’ Chevy was a cool cruiser and something Cliff could tinker with to personalize and still enjoy on the road with his wife Debbie.
After owning the car for a few months, Cliff did exactly what many car guys do to a decent running car – he took it apart. He pulled the inline six engine for a rebuild, as it just seemed to be the heart of the Chevy’s personality. Cliff showed restraint in the rebuild by incorporating a slight cam upgrade and replacing the head with better-flowing one from a GMC 261. In the name of reliable performance and ease of tuning, he replaced the dual carb setup with a Clifford intake topped with a Holley 390cfm four-barrel carb and replaced the points with a Pertronix module. A split header feeds into a dual exhaust setup for just the right sound.
When the pandemic set in, Cliff figured it was the perfect time swap out the three-speed manual transmission with a 700R4 to improve the highway cruising comfort. This led to ditching the stock torque tube rearend with one from a four-wheel drive S10 Blazer (the perfect width), that was already equipped with 3.42 gears and a factory posi unit.
With its updated drivetrain, the ’54 was back on the road, so he and Debbie could enjoy weekend cruises and attending shows. However, Cliff wasn’t done just yet. Next on his upgrade list included swapping in a TCI front crossmember to improve the control and handling. This update also included TCI’s tubular control arms, drop spindles, coil-over shocks, and disc brakes controlled by a dual reservoir master cylinder from a ’68 Mustang. He also opted to replace the American Racing five-spokes with a set of the company’s Salt Flat wheels with Cooper tires (205/50R17 up front and 235/60R18 out back).
Unlike the suspension and drivetrain, Cliff left the interior pretty much as purchased. The white tuck ’n roll seats were stitched back at the turn of the century and Cliff’s done a great job of keeping the material treated and cleaned up. The door panels received similar treatment in two-tone vinyl and are adorned with factory cranks and handles. The one interior addition was a Vintage Air system to help with longer summertime cruises.
The paint is still the 25-plus-year-old white finish, but thanks to a good cut-and-buff along with yearly maintenance, it’s holding up just fine – and Cliff’s not too worried about picking up a rock chip or driving into a little rain. The car is a proven driver, something he and Debbie enjoy on the weekends and taking out on Hot Rod Week before the West Coast Nationals.
As for that ’68 C10 project? Cliff still has it and mentioned that the chassis is pretty much 95-percent done. He continues to tinker on it when he can and with retirement looming close, he’s still planning to get the truck wrapped up and on the road. For now, though, the ’54 keeps him cruising and enjoying the shows – a pretty good-looking Plan B!
Photos: Todd Ryden
