By Fuelish Media
Engineers aren’t often known for being artistic. As problem-solvers, their solutions don’t necessarily have to be aesthetically pleasing as long as they work per their intended purpose. There are some engineers, however, who take just as much pride in the presentation and form factor as they do in the function of whatever it is they are designing. Alex MacDonald is one of those engineers.
As a founding member of one of Southern California’s newest old-school hot rod clubs, Bedlam Car Club, Alex has built quite a few pre and post World War II–era rides (and even a 2006 Hummer H1) and averages about one fresh build per year. His latest is this rad 1955 Chevy 3100 named “Blue Heaven,” which has been on his to-do list for quite a while.
“I’ve always loved and owned old trucks. I remember seeing a fully built 1955-1959 big window getting on the freeway at night about 15 years ago and it always stuck with me how badass it looked cruising down the road. I was poking around Facebook Marketplace when this truck, an all-original oil field truck, popped up. The rest is history.”
Being an engineer, Alex is always keen to details, so he knows plenty about the 1955’s history and was happy to share it with us. “The truck was built at the Van Nuys plant in August 1955. It was sold in Bakersfield and used as a superintendent’s field truck for the local oil operations until the mid 1980s when someone swapped in a new small-block and then let the truck sit until I purchased it.”
Speaking of details, there are plenty to be found within the truck itself. The best part? Alex did most of the work himself in his homebased shop! But he didn’t simply rush into things; he took two months to plan everything out and design the end result before loosening a single bolt on the well-worn but complete truck.
The chassis has been modified with a Jimenez Bros. truck arm–style two-link setup, with Firestone F9000 sleeve airbags at the rear and a modified Jimenez Bros. IFS with Universal Air Airhouse II airbags up front. Alex also used his CNC plasma table to cut custom mounts for the engine, transmission, and the bed floor, which tilts up to reveal the meticulous work underneath.
“Once I had the chassis sitting as I desired, I began test-fitting the body and bed to gauge what modifications would be needed to make the truck look natural. After the cab and bed were satisfactorily sitting on the chassis, they were sent to paint (at C&S Customs) while the chassis was blown apart for powdercoating followed by reassembly.” And before the inevitable question of “what’s the color code” pops up, there isn’t one. This color is an all-custom mix with House of Kolor materials that has various effects mixed in for some added “pop” in the sunlight.
While the exterior is obviously captivating, things are just as impressive underhood. A good ol’ 350, or even a split manifold-equipped inline-six, would have been respectable choices, but Alex was intent on making his Chevy daily driver ready, with plenty of power to merge onto the 101 freeway without a second thought. To that end, a cammed 6.2L Gen V LT1 was tossed into the mix, with a 6L80E transmission bolted up behind it for good measure.
At this point, all of the engine and drivetrain upgrades wouldn’t count for much without getting the power to the pavement, so a proper set of wheels and tires were definitely in order. Alex was originally going to run large-diameter steel wheels with pinner whitewalls, but Alex eventually pivoted toward a set of more traditional 16×8 U.S. Wheels smoothies, baby moon caps, and 215/65R16 BFGoodrich Silvertown radials.
Since Alex planned to rack on the miles, he wanted the interior to be as comfortable and functional as it was custom. A Vintage Air A/C setup keeps things cool, and a subtle sound system with JL Audio and Memphis Audio components is cleverly hidden in the cab. When Alex was done with his part of the interior upgrades, Hermanos Upholstery got a blank check, and in return Alex received a Glide Engineering bench seat with white diamond-stitched leather and vintage-style hook-and-loop carpet expertly installed and ready to hit the road.
The truck has been driven as far as Spreckels, California, to the Dia De Los Whitewalls Show (a 700-mile round trip!), where it got plenty of attention from pretty much everyone in attendance. Three years after completion, it has remained one of Alex’s favorite builds to date, and he continues to put tons of miles on a weekly basis! Sounds like Blue Heaven to us!
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
