BY STEPHAN SZANTAI – IMAGES BY the Author – ART COURTESY OF STEVE STANFORD
Although you might not recognize it in its current guise, this 1954 Chevy has been a regular staple of the truck scene. The vehicle first made waves as a lowrider, built and owned by Eddie Tovar, before Richard Doyle took possession of it in 2017. The Fullerton, California, resident then performed numerous tweaks on it, leading to the current version that looks quite different from the “Tovar truck.”
Richard’s interest in a vast range of cars stems from his hot-rodding father, as he explains: “My dad grew up in the 1950s next door to Art Chrisman and lived very close to George Barris’ shop. While he did his fair share of drag racing at the Santa Ana Dragstrip, his true love was dirt track racing, ultimately building a beautiful Sprint Car. After his racing days were over, he moved onto dune buggies and ultimately embraced four-wheeling in a 1970 Bronco.”
As a young car junky, Richard first began wrenching on a ’64 Chevy Impala at age 15 and has remained faithful to the Bowtie brand ever since, owning a range of models from 1937-58. His ’58 became his first ground-up project car, which led him to meet and forge a lifelong friendship with artist Steve Stanford, who had a nearly identical 1958 Biscayne. Through the years, his tastes gravitated toward cars that were essentially stock, restored but low, very low. It was only natural that he would move into the world of “bomb” lowriders. He even helped form a respected lowrider club called the HB Gabachos.
Through the years, Richard never owned a truck, yet he always admired a handful of them—starting with Eddie Tovar’s amazing and multiple show–winning 1954 Chevy. “I first saw it at an event at the Felix Chevrolet dealership in about 2008,” he adds. “It easily won Best of Show that day and I remember being knocked out by the level of detail.” Richard was especially drawn to the pickup’s color, not from the old Volkswagen palette as he thought, but a rarely chosen 1954 Chevy truck hue called Coppertone. At the time, the vehicle remained almost entirely stock inside and out, while featuring a handful of unique particulars: 1954 Bel Air wheel covers, Appleton spotlights, an industrial step bumper on the back, and so on. The bed additionally welcomed a well-built box that housed part of the hydraulic suspension system. Richard later learned that Tovar created it as a “tribute truck” to resemble the one his grandfather had bought new in 1954; it even had the same distinctive rear bumper.
Fast-forward to 2017, when Richard got word that Tovar’s truck was sold to a mutual friend. The latter happened to have a strong interest in Richard’s 1937 “Slantback,” trunkless sedan. The two pals therefore exchanged cars, and the ’54 soon made its way to Richard’s garage. What now? “It was definitely ‘Eddie Tovar’s truck,’ but I knew I wanted to make it my own in some way,” Richard concedes. He thereby performed several changes, starting with “artillery-style” wheels from The Wheelsmith capped with 6.70-15 Firestones blackwall rubber, complemented by a handful of vintage “work truck” accessories. The ’54 Chevy soon had a whole new life. Even Tovar loved it, as it looked close to the way his grandfather had it back in the day.
However, Richard soon realized that the black wheels made it difficult to photograph. This led to his hauler’s “Version Two,” which involved removing the work truck items, mounting 1954 Bel Air wheel covers, and flipping the same 6.70-15 tires to show the whitewalls. In this form, it debuted at the 2018 Goodguys Del Mar event and took the Best Chevy Truck award, “which to this day is one of my proudest accomplishments with the vehicle,” he comments. More changes came later, in the shape of desirable, fully restored 1957 Cadillac wheel covers.
While all these alterations were ongoing, his dad brought up the idea of installing a set of Halibrand wheels just like his old Sprint Car. The idea sat in the back of Richard’s mind as he remembered some of the push trucks at Ascot’s dirt track. Several of his hot rod idols who had perfected the stance on their project also served as inspiration, from Pete & Jake and Fat Jack Robinson to Barry Lobeck and Ryan Reed. Sadly, Richard lost his father in 2019, and his death somewhat prompted the idea of adding Halibrand-style wheels. He acquired a couple of sets from Real Rodders and American Rebel and started the process of installing them.
Richard could write a book about what followed. First, the hydraulic suspension system broke, leaving him stuck in the dropped position. Mark Oja of the Overhaulin’ TV show fame came to the rescue. Richard first considered fitting airbags instead, nixing the bed’s box in the process. But at this point why not go with coilovers for a more reliable and better riding solution? Starting with a 1969 Camaro front clip, the new setup includes “slim line” front disc brakes and modular dropped spindles from CPP, together with a Detroit Speed adjustable four-bar setup added to the rear G-body–based suspension.
Oja then removed the Appleton spotlights before working with Richard to figure out the best way to fit the Halibrand-style wheels and bias-ply tires. They ultimately settled on 6.40-15 and 8.20-15 Firestone Deluxe Champions, combined with 5.5- and 8-inch-wide Real Rodders rims. With some trial, error, and patience from Oja, they figured the rear wheels needed to be narrowed down to 6.25 inches, a task entrusted to Eric Vaughn. He also shaved the back pads nearly 1/2 inch for clearance, and recontoured the rims’ lips to match the front wheels’ softer edge. Schilling Metal Polishing in Santa Ana, California, gave them a beautiful shine, too.
Next stop, the inaugural 2023 Grand National Truck Show (GNTS) in California, although a tire blowout suffered by the tow vehicle on the way to the Pomona Fairgrounds nearly spelled the end of the 1954 Chevy! With a quickly mocked-up suspension, the truck went to win a First in Class award. Old friend Brian Mackey of Mackey’s Hot Rods in Huntington Beach, California, handled the next phase to improve driveability by revamping the Z’d portion of the frame, adding a new one-piece driveshaft, and a raised bed floor. Richard also found a perfect pair of truck-issued license plates from the 1965-66 era for $5 at the Pomona Swap Meet. They spell “T 54 249”—the perfect match for a 1954 vehicle.
Finally, properly and comfortably running, the Coppertone pickup entered the 2024 GNTS show, where it received a Truck-In Pick award from Classic Truck Performance magazine. Richard has since been driving it extensively all over Southern California, raving about the smoothness of the coilover suspension. Displacing 235 ci, the matching-number six-cylinder motor runs like a champ, with its 1957 head (and valve cover) featuring a slightly higher compression. A Buffalo Motors adapter allowed the installation of a Turbo 350 automatic transmission, topped with a stock-style four-speed shifter. We should also comment on the beautiful leather upholstery by Miguel Carrillo, as well as the good-looking dash that integrates a very rare N.O.S. accessory dash clock.
Richard couldn’t be more pleased with his first truck. “It has had quite a journey, and I love the fact that in each iteration of the build it was a loving tribute to a much-respected family member. I’m proud to carry on the legacy of this ’54 Chevy, and I will continue be its caretaker for some time to come.”
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