In the end it all boils down to wheels, tires, stance, and paint. Those elements define most rods and customs, and they're exactly what set this '56 apart from other Tri-Five Chevys. Brandon is certainly excited with the way those ingredients came together; then again, this Chevy has never disappointed him. "I wouldn't do anything different," Brandon says. "Everything we did made sense at the time, or was the right choice for what we could afford." Right choices, right time, right car-no wonder he's kept the Chevy all these years.
Brandon & Mandy MeddockLake Forest, California'56 Chevy 210 Sedan
Drivetrain: Brandon assembled the '64-vintage 327 back in high school; it just needed a little freshening up this time around. The stout small-block runs Keith Black pistons, an Erson cam, Corvette "fuelie" heads, and Manley valves. Topping it off is a Weiand intake, twin Carter AFBs, and owner-crafted Hellings-style air cleaners. Edelbrock valve covers, a Griffin radiator, and a Moon coolant recovery tank help complete the look, while a Mallory distributor and S&S headers take care of spark and fumes. Backing up the mill is a TH350 with a TCI converter and Lokar shifter.
Chassis: A stock frame provides the foundation for this fire-branded Chevy. The 3.55:1-geared stock rearend gets help from KYB shocks, 2-inch lowering blocks, and owner-built traction bars, while McGaughy dropped spindles, lowered springs, and disc brakes get things down up front.
Wheels & Tires: Brandon turned to Pete Paulson for the 15x7- and 15x8-inch steel wheels, which were powdercoated black. They're wrapped in Coker Classic whitewalls, size 215/75R15 and 235/75R15.
Body & Paint: Stripping the car bare and doing a bunch of bodywork wasn't necessary since Brandon had done that on the first go-around. This time he just made a few repairs, scuffed the surface, and started spraying. He began by masking off the flames (with help from mother Geri, we might add) and spraying the black outline striping. Next he laid down the Valspar Guards Red and India Ivory, overlapping the black slightly with each. This left him with the most uniform surface possible using single-stage paint. Body mods include a shaved hood (the bird is gone) and license-free front bumper.
Interior: The cabin fits the car's theme perfectly-bare bones and basic. There's no radio and no air conditioning, just lots of black Naugahyde, a little red piping, VDO gauges, a Moon tach, Danchuk seatbelts, and an owner-built rollbar.