PRETTY IN PLATINUM
68 classictrucks.com
stopped to visit with good friend
Tom Hurd, owner of Trick Truck ’N
Rod in Camden. During the time
there they checked out a number of
active customer builds, each packed
with plenty of one-off details that
have become a signature of the work
being produced there. Having owned
and built a number of custom trucks
over the years they were mesmerized
when they were introduced to Tom’s
personal ’55 Chevy. The unfinished
roller packed plenty of details into
its sheetmetal, including a chopped
top, a killer stance from a custom
chassis, and small-block V-8 power.
The truck’s magnetism lured them
closer and before leaving a deal was
made to take on the rest of the build
to complete the original vision.
With the project back in New
York they wasted no time and got
right to work. Let’s take a look into
what makes this Chevy so cool.
For a rock-solid base, the original
frame was blasted clean, boxed
for added strength, and treated to
custom crossmembers. Out back a
Ford 9-inch rear was packed with
3.55:1 gears spinning 31-spline
axles and suspended in place by
a custom triangulated four-link,
combined with a Panhard bar and
RideTech ’bags. To give it a nailed-
to-the-pavement stance, Tom added
a Heidts Mustang II IFS complete
with their exclusive tubular control
arms, 2-inch dropped spindles,
RideTech ’bags, and Flaming River
power rack-and-pinion for razor-
sharp handling. When it was time to
drop anchor, a Wilwood dual power
master pushes fluid through stainless
lines to matching 12-inch rear and11-inch front drilled and vented discs
with four-piston calipers. For the
right amount of dazzle they added a
set of 17-inch front and 18-inch rear
Schott Velocity-style wheels wrapped
in Michelin Pilot rubber.
If you’re going to build a truck
with attitude it had better have
the oats to back up its looks. Tom
assembled a stout 350ci small-block
Chevy mill starting with a steel crank
linked to H-beam rods pushing Keith
Black forged aluminum piston while
getting a bump from a Comp Cams
stick. A set of Chevrolet Performance
aluminum heads make seamless
power, especially when paired with
an Edelbrock Performer intake
breathing deep through a 650-cfm
Holley Street Avenger carb. An MSD
Pro-Billet ignition lights the fire
while spent gases dump through