sharing AUTOMOTIVE PASSION
This ’57 Chevy 3100 PickupWent from Rags to Riches
All monumental builds start from humble beginnings, but most have different origins. We recently featured a truck called “Snow White,” which was a ’57 Chevy pickup built completely from scratch by Premier Street Rods of Lake Havasu, AZ. The team really proved that you don’t need anything in order to create a successful project on vehicles like this. However, this is not that truck as Cinderella started a bit rougher around the edges.
For Brian Raposo, this truck was a fun cruiser with a 383ci engine under the hood. As Brian’s career in technology grew, he was able to afford more things and decided to give his old pickup a facelift. With help from Daniel Gonzalez of Daniels Kreations and Danny Carrasco, Brian was able to get this truck on the right path to shine above the rest.
Starting at the foundation, Brian ordered a chassis from Total Cost Involved to replace the tired old gear. The new chassis has an independent front suspension and a four-link in the rear for improved ride quality. It also has a set of Ridetech Shockwave adjustable struts that are managed by an AccuAir system, which allows the truck to sit low when parked and rise up to drive. It’s even equipped with 14-inch Wilwood disc brakes to help it come to a halt quick.
Though the stroker small block Chevy engine had some kick, Brian wanted a bit more. He dropped in a 6.2L LS engine with FiTech electronic fuel-injection system for modern performance. A custom stainless-steel exhaust was then created, and rotational force is now transferred through a 4L60e transmission. On the back end is a Currie 9-inch rearend with 3.88 gears and Eaton Detroit Truetrac limited-slip differential to help put the power to the pavement.
During the process, Brian became inspired by Premier Street Rod’s Snow White ’57 as it has a distinctive style and immaculate finish. Wanting to get this look on his very own truck, Brian turned to the team at Premier and asked if they could create a twin of it. Given the rough state of the truck and the fact that the Premier team doesn’t do repeat builds, owner, Rob Logsdon told Brian that he can’t have a Snow White but maybe he could have Cinderella. It was a bit of a quick and funny remark, but the name stuck as this truck developed a personality of its’ own.
Starting up front, the Premier team shaved the bumper and fabricated the custom grille with modified ’57 Belair center. The firewall was then shaved as the engine compartment was then cleaned up in the style of Snow White. Moving back, a new bed with deleted chains and wood floor was sourced from Mar-K Manufacturing. Lastly, they added exhaust cutouts to the rear fenders and replaced the rear bumper with a roll pan.
Once Premier was finished with these special touches, the truck was loaded up and sent back to Daniels Kreations in Southern California. There, the body was painted in a silver derived from a 2001 BMW X3 and then dressed it with modern lighting from United Pacific Industries. Finishing off the look of the exterior is a set of 20x9 and 22x11 Budnik G-series Spyder billet wheels with brushed lips and powdercoated centers. The wheels were covered in 245/35R20 and 285/30R22 Nitto Invo tires. Not only do these tires have sizing for staggered fitments like this but they also provide a blend of performance and ride comfort in a quality package.
On the inside, the shaved dash received a Dakota Digital gauge cluster, Vintage Air climate control system and a Kenwood touch-screen head unit to control the Alpine stereo. Below it is an Ididit steering column with a Budnik steering wheel to match the wheels this truck rolls on. Then, Ron Mangus Hot Rod Interiors was called up to upholster the bench seat and many other components in gray leather.
With everything done, this truck made a complete transformation from its’ rough start and is ready to cruise. Since Brian lives in Santa Monica, he can now drive this beautiful truck up and down the infamous Pacific Coast Highway with ease. In fact, we even took these photos directly on the beach there too. As the sun glimmered on the new high-profile finish, it proved to us that this ’57 Chevy is true truck royalty.
