1957 Chevrolet Half-Ton Pickup

The 1955-1957 Chevrolet short-bed half-ton pickups are right up there with the 1953-1956 Ford F-100 pickups as being the street-rod pickups. These two rival brand mid-Fifties pickups pretty much started the whole custom truck movement and they're still extremely popular. The Fords got a head start, but thanks to a vibrant reproduction/custom parts industry the Bowtie bunch probably has the current popularity lead. Trucks like this nicely lowered, bright red 1957 Chevrolet half-ton street-rod pickup are seemingly a prime example of why they're so popular. A little custom body smoothing, a big-and-little wheel/tire combo, bold red paint on a straight body, and the rumble of a small-block 350 under the hood make trucks like this one instant winners. The late owner of this street-rod pickup deemed this one his favorite and it's only available due to his unfortunate and untimely passing. - A small-block 350-cu.in. Chevy V-8 of unknown vintage powers this pickup. The engine was installed prior to the late owner buying the truck. The photos show an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold and Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor. The engine has tubular exhaust headers.- the engine starts easily and idles well, with no signs of smoke. The Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 three-speed automatic transmission shifts easily. - a very small weep under the truck, which they describe as -reddish- in color but unsure the source. The small-window cab was shaved of emblems and door handles before being painted bright red. The original gas tank filler was removed and the gas tank now resides under the bed. The doors open via remote control. The grille is a 1956 Chevy pickup item. A rolled rear pan contains flush-mounted taillights and a recessed license plate holder. A sunken antenna was frenched into the right side of the cab. A single peep mirror on the driver's side replaced the bulky original mirrors. The seller doesn't know the history of the paint, but says it looks good without any swirls. There are a few chips around the tailgate, but no dents or deep scratches, who adds that the body and undercarriage appear free of rust. The glass is reported to be good and there are no leaks. - The interior features a custom bench seat that is covered in white pleated leather. Red accents are in the form of seat belts, window moldings, dashboard, and a red 'flake steering wheel that's mounted to a tilt steering column. The carpet is red. The body-colored dashboard has a digital gauge insert in the original gauge location. The stereo/CD player is a modern aftermarket unit. - This 1957 Chevy pickup street rod has the classic low and raked stance. The front suspension uses a Mustang II-style rack-and-pinion upper and lower A-arms with coil springs setup. The rear suspension uses parallel leaf springs. The front brakes are discs and the rears are drums. The alloy wheels are by Cragar and the tires are a few years old, but with not much use. This 1957 Chevrolet half-ton street-rod pickup is being sold to settle the estate.