Rod & Custom Feature Car
Jerry Conklin
Libertytown, Maryland
'51 Chevy Fleetline
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Chassis
The way you see it is the way he drives it. Jerry's sea-level cruiser rides about four fingers off the ground at all times-without a single airbag. Starting with the stock frame, Jerry added a Camaro front-steer subframe, customized with Fatman Fabrications tubular A-arms, and front hydraulics, "just for emergencies." (If building the car today, Jerry said he'd run an aftermarket suspension package instead of the subframe.) A C-notch in the 'rails helps drop the car in the rear, with the trunk floor raised a couple inches for clearance. The fuel tank is out of a '55 Chevy. Corvette air shocks round out the suspension. Brakes are from Master Power.
Drivetrain
Hot rod meets custom in the engine compartment where a 305 Chevy in stock configuration is topped with a '55 Cadillac air cleaner, painted to match the exterior. Underneath, a Holley 600 carburetor is matched to an Edelbrock four-barrel intake manifold. The finned valve covers are from Moon. Jerry built the exhaust system with 2-inch headers feeding into Smithy's mufflers. An aluminum Griffin radiator keeps the small-block running cool. Ed Clark in Mt. Airy, Maryland, built the Turbo 350 automatic. In the rear, 3.25:1 gears spin inside a 10-bolt Camaro rearend.
Wheels & Tires
Even a lifelong hot rodder knows wide whites and sombrero wheel covers are going to work on a traditional custom. Jerry mounted BFG whitewall radials (measuring P185/70R15) from Coker on 15x7 rims.
Body & Paint
Jerry told us the most challenging job on the car was axing 4 inches out of the fastback's top, accentuating the aerodynamic profile. In the back, the trunk lid was sectioned 2 inches and '59 Cadillac taillights added. Along the bottom, the skirts were extended 1 1/2 inches and a rolled-edge molding was created for the lakes pipes. The horizontal chrome strips running from the spotlights almost to the deck were retained to add some design to the body, along with Richard Glymph's white scallops with red 'striping. Richard also sprayed the House of Kolor Candy Lime Gold. Hard-to-find '49 Chevy California One-Piece bumpers replace the stock parts, with the modified rear license plate guard.
Interior
The dash houses Classic Instruments gauges and was painted body color with contrasting white and low-key red pinstriping. The two-tone theme is carried over onto the '56 Chevy steering wheel on a GM tilt column. A lower dash was handformed to accommodate the A/C ducts from the Vintage Air system. The gas, brake, and e-brake pedals are Lokar items, along with the shifter. Doug Kaufman in West Friendship, Maryland, added the white vinyl upholstery to the bench seat and inside panels. Larry Roche laid the custom, hand-sewn silver-gray carpet.