FeatureInTheGarageMedia.com
Ron Fort’s 1953 Chevy Five-Window
BY Rob Fortier
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Michael Christensen
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Michael ChristensenF
or quite some time, Northern Californian Ron Fort had aspirations of owning a 1947-1953 Chevrolet Advance Design pickup. When the timing was finally right, he acquired a suitable five-window and took it to a local shop to have the truck he’d been dreaming about turned into a reality.
Well, as many of us have experienced, Ron’s dream would eventually turn into a total nightmare. After eight long—and assumably grueling—years, it turned out that not only had there been no progress on Ron’s truck, come to find out there was no truck left to speak of, as the shop had pieced it out over the years.
Unable to recoup any of his losses but still determined to achieve those aspirations, Ron consulted with a more reputable shop, Gary’s Rods and Restorations in Watsonville, California. From the initial meeting, the decision was made to go with a completely aftermarket build rather than search out another suitable project truck. Phase two of Ron’s dream was about to begin.
This time around, not only would there be no nightmare to speak of, it only took Gary’s less than nine months to make that dream the reality Ron had been hoping would come true for nearly a decade.
The project started out with the acquisition of a Total Cost Involved chassis (Mustang II, four-link, Wilwood brakes, the whole nine yards), which Gary’s outfitted with a tried-and-true small-block 350 backed by a Phoenix Transmissions 700-R4 with a Strange Engineering–equipped 9-inch rear. With a solid base as such, the fitment of all the aftermarket LMC sheetmetal—from the hood and fenders to the cab and bed, and all the little bits and pieces in-between—was by far much easier and less time-consuming than had they been dealing with 50-year-old parts and pieces. After some filling and smoothing and a few custom modifications here and there, Gary’s ultimately sprayed the truck using an Axalta ChromaPremier customized maroon. Accent painted and polished 19-inch Raceline Scoundrels (with 45-series Continental ContiSports) and a beautifully stained and polished Bruce Horkey’s hardwood bed floor add just the right finishing touches to the exterior. Inside, Finish Line Interiors (Santa Clara, California) did an amazing job in “all spice”–flavored leather wrapped over everything from the filled dash to the custom center console, Glide Engineering buckets, and custom door and kick panels, with brown Alcantara suede covering all the garnish moldings as well as the headliner. Dakota Digital gauges, Flaming River tilt column topped with a Billet Specialties wheel, short Lokar shifter, and an Alpine sound system finish off the super stylish interior.
So, while there is no real moral to the story when it comes to dealing with shady shops, the maroon-colored silver lining is, Ron Fort’s dream finally came to fruition, and it sure is one sweet looking fruition at that!
