Yet, it’s always ready for the highway or parking lot cruise.
By Tommy Lee Byrd – Photography by the Author
Mike Farley loves just about anything with wheels, from off-road buggies to drag cars and everything in between. This slammed 1952 Chevy pickup is some of his handiwork, and his intention from day one was to build a cool truck that he could drive on a regular basis.
To do so, he swapped the original chassis for a shortened Chevy S-10 frame. He notched the rear frame rails for additional clearance and fabricated a custom two-link rear suspension. He then installed a RideTech Ride Pro X system to give him worry free operation of the air suspension. To get it even further into the weeds, he installed two-inch drop spindles up front. The truck features drilled and slotted disc brakes on all four corners, and they’re visible between the spokes of the 20×10-inch Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dog wheels.
For power, Mike went the modern route with an L33 engine, which is an all-aluminum 5.3-liter V-8 from the GM’s LS family of engines. He added a bigger camshaft and valve springs, and then used a PSI wiring harness to make easy work of the LS swap. A 4L80E automatic overdrive transmission and a 4×4 S-10 rearend put the power to the ground.
Mike straightened the body panels, and had Zane Stokes at the Tin Shop Paint Shop apply the Torch Red Sikkens paint. Jerry Grant installed the glass, which includes a one-piece windshield and one-piece door glass. The interior is simple and sanitary, with a Corvette steering wheel attached to a chrome tilt column, and a few custom touches like a center console and JVC head unit mounted in the dash.
The truck has all the creature comforts you can imagine; cruise control, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and even a back-up camera. Whether it’s a cruise in near his hometown of Dunlap, Tennessee or a long-distance trip, Mike and his wife Melinda can jump in this truck and hit the highway in style. CTP
