Joe Rode, of Covina, California, is a lifelong car guy through and through. He has an extensive list of vehicles he has owned and has an even longer list of stories he could share that would colorfully illustrate his 70-plus years of experience in the SoCal custom scene. While Joe has held the keys to more than his fair share of killer cars, trucks, and even boats (yep, he owned a boat shop back in the day), there is one make and model vehicle that he has built multiples of throughout the years.
“I built my first 1957 Chevy truck back in 1964,” Joe reports. “It wasn’t much because I didn’t really have any money back then, but I got good at sourcing parts from junkyards thanks to my childhood car mentor Bill Hedley. I first learned everything about cars by watching him disassemble and work on vehicles at the junkyard he owned in Fontana.” While this truck unfortunately succumbed to a horrible demise, Joe pressed on the best he knew how.
“I let my brother-in-law borrow that truck one night, but he got drunk and rolled it. It was a total loss,” Joe says. Years later, my wife, Joyce, surprised me with another red 1957 truck she had my friend Jim Rigsby restore for me for my 50th birthday. It was an amazing gesture, but the truck still needed a lot of work. Sad to say, the shop owner I trusted to fix it crashed it, destroying the passenger side door. Before we could have that damage repaired, the truck was sideswiped while it was parked on the street.” Sentimental value led Joe to hang onto the truck longer than he should have but even after ALL that, it went through a fire that took out all the wiring. Joe finally fixed what he could, cut his losses, and sold it off.
“Enter my third and final 1957 Chevy truck—the one I have now,” Joe states. “My youngest son, Joel, bought my boat shop from me in 2001, and started a second business at the same location, Hot Rod Specialties in Upland, California. I now had the resources to start a ground-up build with my current ’57.”
To get the new project started, Joe bought a roller that he thought was in great condition until he had it blasted. “The rear fenders were perfect but the front fenders were a mess. I couldn’t find an original set of replacement fenders so I used an aftermarket set. We used a stock hood and installed it with a set of Eddie Motorsports billet hinges, which are magic when installed correctly.
“My friend John Rose then built a custom firewall and made sure everything fit nicely,” Joe continues. “He also had a great idea to extend the floorboards on each side of the truck, which cut the step area into about half the original size. He then installed boxes under the floorboards that open to the outside through the steps. They are unique and add much-needed storage.”
While Joe was able to recruit a great deal of outside assistance and influence, it was Joel who was the most instrumental throughout the build process. Joel started the process by first modifying the stock 1957 frame by welding the seams and having it powdercoated by Eddie Motorsports. The chassis was then outfitted with a Jim Meyer–modified Mustang II IFS, Fox coilovers all around, a TCI rear four-link system, and front and rear CPP braking upgrades to top it off. Twenty-inch Budnik Rocker billets with 245/45 and 275/40 series rubber also made an appearance to make proper contact with the pavement.
Once Joel finished with the chassis, he then moved onto souping up a 350ci powerplant with a ton of performance upgrades in the form of a Comp cam, Holley aluminum manifold and 750 carb, 2-inch Doug’s Headers, a custom stainless steel exhaust that exits through MagnaFlow mufflers, Eddie Motorsports S-Drive serpentine kit, and so much more! Proform tall cast Bowtie valve covers and a polished water pump from Edelbrock and a Powermaster alternator come together to dress up the engine bay superbly. A Gearstar 700-R4 transmission allows Joe to shift through each of its four speeds with reliability and ease. In the rear is a Currie 9-inch rearend with 3.73 gears for low revs at highway speeds.
Joel handled nearly everything except for the bodywork and seats. He tore the truck down to its bones and is solely responsible for the final fit and finish of the body panels. The truck did receive a few exterior upgrades like a Bed Wood and Parts oak bed floor that was stained in dark charcoal and finished in Axalta Chroma clear. The tailgate chains were also deleted and replaced with hidden hardware from Brothers Trucks. Finishing off the body is the BASF BMW Space Gray paint laid down by Joel and Tony Agnello.
The 1957’s interior was next to be taken care of. To ensure high-quality results were guaranteed, Mark Lopez at Elegance Auto interiors in Upland, California, was asked to join the project. Mark reupholstered a pair of custom bucket seats, door panels, and dashboard, along with a one-off headliner and plush carpeting. Dakota Digital gauges have also been incorporated into the build, as well as Vintage Air climate control and a full audio system wired up by Art of Sound, also located in Upland.
“After having two previous 1957 trucks that both faced disastrous endings, I really wanted another one that was done right,” Joe admits. “This will be the last one for me, and my son Joel really did it justice. He has made making it to this point well worth the wait, that’s for sure. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the process and helped whip this one into shape.”
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