In 1998, we were checking out the Paso Robles West Coast Cruise when we came across Jesus Villalobos' '54 Chevy for the first time. At that time, the fascination with the early 210 series of classic Chevrolets was only just beginning. Jesus' Chevy was a mix of raw metal, primer, and color, so he had to make it stand out. He parked the car among a lot of crisp sheetmetal covered with glowing paint, so the setting was guaranteed to attract attention.
Each of the following years, he returned to Paso with a few more changes on the car. Jesus was determined that the Chevy would make a statement. As we talked with him, it was very clear that he had a vision of what he wanted to achieve. It was only a matter of time and money to reach his goal.
Having a plan is always a critical part of any well-done custom, and Jesus started out with chassis basics with the right stance. The factory suspension was given the toss at both ends. Jesus had Tony Smith in Salinas, California, install new front suspension complete with 2-inch-drop spindles and disc brakes. His buddy, Greg Iazzerini, updated the rear with a custom four-link. This suspension conversion also meant that the brake system was upgraded to a dual master cylinder with power boost, but in typical early custom fashion, Jesus retained the stock '54 steering column. At this point, the firewall was shaved, filled, smoothed, and then painted gloss bronze.
The next step was getting the right engine. Jesus installed a basically stock, but highly detailed, 283ci Chevrolet small-block. His clean and simple installation is perfect for this retro-tech cruiser with its hidden wiring and plumbing, Griffin aluminum radiator, and neat louvered Moon air cleaner setup. The exhaust is all 2-inch tube with a set of Smithy's mufflers that give the 283 a rich mellow tone, perfect for this car.
Now he had a car that sat, sounded, and ran right. The bodywork came next. Jesus did some of the work himself, but the major work was handed to Greg Iazzerini and Pep's Customs in Salinas. Among the three of them, they shaved off all the remaining trim and replaced the headlights with '55 Chevy rims, which look just perfect on this '54. This simple change is so clean it looks factory. However, Jesus had more to do. He took the reworked front fenders and further modified them, with a new lip over the wheel opening and by taking the crease out of the center of the panel. During this basic bodywork stage, they shaved and smoothed the hood and trunk lid and readied it for the coming chop. The rear fenders were reworked with frenched stock taillights, which were converted with one-piece night Prowler lenses.
Next came the chop. Jesus and Ian Iazzerini carefully figured it out with a 2-inch chop up front and a 3-inch at the rear. It wasn't as simple as it seemed. The stock rear window was moved up into the roof, and pushing the trunk forward moved the rear parcel shelf forward. A '50 Pontiac rear bumper was selected because of its close fit with the body and was sent off for new chrome while the body was being completed.
Up front, the windshield glass was cut and moved up about an inch. This gave the car more glass than would have come from a conventional chop, adding to the '54's stylish look. The most extensive change was the removal of the stock B-pillar and its replacement with a B-pillar post from a '46 Chevy Fleetline. This gave the side glass a forward-canted, speedy appearance. The change suited the new, more stealthy lines and enhanced the shapes of the roof and fender lines. The changes in the side glass forced them to retain the front vent windows, which Jesus carefully chopped and narrowed to suit the re-engineered side glass and top.