By Ken Gross – Photography By NotStock Photography
Not many guys drive their high school hot rod 38 years later. Jason Troilo, of Leesburg, Virginia, has owned this 1957 Chevy 150 since he was a kid. With help from his dad, he’s improved it over time to a very high level. Jason’s father, Joe, has been a hot rod builder for years. Joe’s 1932 Ford Sport Coupe made the rounds last year and was very well-received. Both cars are featured on the 2025 NSRA East Coast Nationals poster. Joe builds new cars frequently while Jason is happy to keep driving the car he’s had since he was 14.
As a junior in high school, Jason was riding his BMX bike when he saw this 1957 Chevy under a carport. He told his dad about it. “We literally got up from dinner, drove over, and bought the car. It turned quickly from looking at it to, let’s go knock on the door and see if they will sell it.” The derelict Chevy had three wheels and no floor, but all the parts and pieces were there. For two years, he drove it to high school. Jason saw Scott Sullivan’s “Cheese Whiz” 1955 Chevy at the NSRA Nationals in Louisville that summer. “We came home and painted the car PPG single-stage orange.”
The project started with a 1957 Chevrolet driveline, a rebuilt 350 small-block, and a three-speed TH transmission. Although he was on a budget, Jason sprung for a set of five-spoke mags. “In lieu of front bumpers, and the shiny stuff, we just painted everything to save money. The orange paint on it today is the same finish we used back in 1988-1989. The ghost flames were applied in 2005 by Jerry Campbell, a local pinstriper. For a second rebuild, he installed a 290-bhp Chevy crate motor.
But now it was time for a change …
“We were at the Tri-Five Nationals in 2021,” Jason recalls, looking at all the cars. “My car fit in great, but it had 30-plus years on it. My dad said he wanted to do something to make sure it would be on the road for another 30 years. We didn’t touch any of the paint or the body. But we took the car completely apart. I put the hood, doors, and fenders in my old bedroom, where I grew up in my parents’ house, just to keep them away from anything that might scratch them.”
The new platform is a state-of-the-art, JW Rod Garage, mandrel bent, 2×4 tube frame chassis, “… so the car would be much more driveable.” Underhood is a 535-bhp BluePrint Engines crate motor, a 376-cid, LS3 aluminum block V-8 with DBW throttle body fuel injection, a K&N air filter, a hydraulic roller cam, and finned Holley vintage valve covers. It was dyno’d at 420 bhp at the rear wheels. The oversized exhaust system, built by Quality Enterprises, consists of Tru-Ram headers and MagnaFlow mufflers. The driveline is a TREMEC TKX, five-speed manual, a Mcleod Street Pro Twin Disc clutch and pressure plate, an Inland Empire driveshaft, and a sturdy Currie Ford 9-inch 3.70:1 rear with positraction.
The front suspension comprises independent tubular upper and lower control arms, 2-inch dropped spindles, a hefty sway bar, and a Mustang power rack-and-pinion steering box hooked to the original Chevy column. In the back, contemporary Viking coilover shocks and a meaty sway bar anchor the rear axle. The born-again Chevy 150 stops as well as it goes, with Wilwood ventilated disc brakes in each corner and a CPP Hydra Stop hydraulic assist system. Those handsome alloy wheels are Rocket Racing Booster 18×7 in front and 20×8.5 in back, shod with beefy Uniroyal Tiger Paw 215/50R18s and 245/45R20s.
Inside, there’s an entire TMI interior with gray leather and vinyl, Daytona gray carpeting, Juliano’s shoulder and lap belts, and a 1959 Chevy Impala steering wheel. Dakota Digital sourced the RTX instrumentation, Ron Francis supplied the wiring, and the dashboard is a stock 1957 Chevy with a factory 150 clock and radio block-off plate.
If you discount the shaved hood and deck, this car is the perfect restomod. It’s been tastefully updated and mechanically modernized and I can attest, after a brief drive, that it sounds tough, accelerates with authority, and, with the new chassis and suspension, handles like a contemporary car. It’s a credit to Joe Troilo, a quiet, understated man who’s just been honored by the NSRA for 50 years of service.
“I should say that my dad is an immensely talented hobbyist,” Jason says. “I grew up in a small town, Avondale, Pennsylvania, with family all around. My paternal grandfather was the superintendent at the Wilmington Delaware General Motors plant, and my dad retired from there after 40-plus years of service.
“Dad was always into the hobby,” Jason says. “He got hooked on building and rebuilding. I bet he has built 75 cars. Maybe not from the ground up, but he’s got his fingerprints on a lot of cars in the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware area. We’d drive to the NSRA Nats South in Knoxville; we’d go to Louisville. I was always taking a long weekend from school to go with my dad. And we always did the long haul, with no trailer. As long as I can remember, I was into the car scene.
“My Dad would have taught me a lot,” Jason adds, “but I played baseball in college. For five years I played with the Yankees. I was away for nine years. Had I been closer to home, I would be able to do more of what my dad does. I maintain my car, and I keep it in good running order, but I cannot do what he does. Very few people can.”
We had to ask: Was there a time when you thought, I am tired of this car, I need something else?
Jason doesn’t hesitate. “The answer is no. Throughout the years, when I changed engines, my dad would say “… if you want to sell this car, we can take the money and build you something that’s nicer. I would think about it for maybe a couple of minutes, I have never had any strong urge to get another car. I don’t know if I could at this point.
“I used to tease I have the least amount of horsepower in the family,” he adds. “My dad’s street rods all had stroker motors with 400-plus horsepower. My mom has a big-block Chevelle. My brother has a blown small-block Chevy in a 1929 roadster pickup. Now I have the best of both worlds; I have that great sound, plenty of power, and the driveability of the five-speed.”
Jason says that “… the highlight of the rebuild was the whole process. I would go almost every week to visit my parents. I was very involved, probably more involved than when I was younger. It really gave me a lot of time with my dad. He said he was excited to have the project done, ‘but Jason won’t be coming up as much anymore.’ My mom has pictures of me as a teenager under the car and now, here I am, 50 years old and still under the car with my dad. I want to thank my mom for being the ‘project manager.’ She made me a binder with every receipt—and she has a good eye. She is certainly the one who we ask about colors. Her understanding of what looks good on a hot rod is up there with most folks in the hobby.”
For most people, you grow up, leave home, start a life of your own, and if you’re in the hot rod world your parents are usually left in the past.
Not with Jason Troilo …
“As amazing as my dad is, with his ability to understand the hot rod world and build beautiful cars, the interpersonal aspect of walking around York or Louisville with him, or our just walking around any of these shows, is very special. You can’t get very far without someone stopping him to check in and see what he is working on.
“I have seen that all my life, and I am proud to drive a car that he built.”
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