Classics: 75 and Still Driving His First Street Rod—But There's a Twist

Top 10 Roadkill Cars of All Time: Ranked by Freiburger and Finnegan

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His Custom '40 Ford Truck Has An Extended Cab and An LS3 Engine

1966 Corvette Coupe Restored with L88 427 Big-Block Power

Joe Merola turned a neglected 1966 Corvette coupe into a show-stopping restoration, complete with a venerable L88 427 big-block under the hood."In June of 2012, I was walking down Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, checking out the cars at the second annual car show," Joe said, "when a friend of mine that I had not seen in a long time yelled at me and asked, 'What are you working on now?' I told him nothing—I currently had no projects in my garage. He stated that he had a car he wanted to sell, so I walked over and listened to what he had for sale. He said, 'It's a 1966 Corvette Coupe,' so my ears perked up.

Steve Wallace has been interested in street rods since he was 12 years old. He was helping his school friends work on their cars even before he was old enough for a driver's license. They weren't doing much hot rodding—just trying to keep their rides running—but they were turning wrenches, learning, and having fun. He was 15 when his family moved from Kansas to California, which meant more exposure to more cars. Today, at the age of 75, Steve is still driving his first street rod. What makes that especially cool is that he's only owned it for five years.

© Tim Bernsau

Steve sent us some photos of his custom 1940 Ford truck for consideration as a Reader's Ride, but we rejected it. Why? We saw that custom extended cab and shortened bed, the perfect lowered stance, the stunning blue paint, the pristine interior, and the Corvette LS3 engine packed beneath the hood, and scheduled a full-feature photo shoot on the truck instead. We also wanted to meet Steve in person and hear his story—especially why it took a lifetime to fulfill the lifelong dream of owning a street rod. Steve's explanation isn't unusual. Time and money invested in a career and a family prevents a lot of street rod fans from driving street rods. But the lucky ones, like Steve, never lose their passion, and eventually those dream becomes reality.

LS-Swap 1968 Camaro Wears Original Street Freak Paint

Jon Kelly’s home-built 1968 Camaro wears a vintage 1971 street-freak paintjob, and packs a turbocharged, LS-powered punch. 1/13 SLIDES © Hot Rod Network Staff 007-10-5inch-tire-on-14-inch-wheel.

A little later in life, Steve met his current wife, Susan, and told her about his interest in finally driving a street rod. "Around my 68th birthday, I realized there was a pretty good chance I would see 70," he told us. "I told Susan that I thought a hot rod truck would be a great gift for a birthday present with a zero in it."

He had seen ads for Heinzman Street Rod Shop in Classic Trucks Magazine and decided to have John Heinzman build his truck, even though the shop is located in Phillips, Nebraska, half a continent away from San Pedro, California, even though he didn't have a project nailed down yet. Steve was interested in an early '50s Chevy, but when he flew out to Nebraska to check out the shop, Heinzman showed him a 1940 Ford that was under construction. The truck was completely disassembled, but Steve says it spoke to him. By that time, an enormous amount of fabrication work had already gone into extending the stock cab by 12 inches. Rear side windows were added, and the beltline beads continued to the rear of the cab. The work is perfect, creating the impression of a cab that could have rolled off the assembly line 80 years ago if only Ford had thought of it.

1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and Troy Trepanier Win at Triple Crown of Rodding

Troy Trepanier Built the 1959 Coupe de Ville that won the Triple Crown of Rodding Award In the Street Cruiser Class at the 2019 Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup. The winning car in the Street Cruiser category is this 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, owned by Randy Wilcox. 1/20 SLIDES © Robert McGaffin 004-1959-CADILLAC-CONV-WILCOX.jpg 2/20 SLIDES © Robert McGaffin 005-1959-CADILLAC-CONV-WILCOX.jpg 3/20 SLIDES © Robert McGaffin 006-1959-CADILLAC-CONV-WILCOX.

© Tim Bernsau

During his visit to Nebraska, Steve and John hammered out decisions on "the bigger things," as Steve calls them. Those included the LS3 crate engine and 4L60E engine and transmission combination, the Ford 9-inch rearend, and aftermarket shortened bed (chosen to maintain the stock length of the truck.) "The 10,000 little things were worked out over the phone," Steve said. Susan contributed some of the decisions, particularly the power bucket seats, transplanted from a Chevy Suburban. Doug's Auto Trim in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, handled the upholstery chores, covered the entire interior in gray leather and suede. Susan's influence also determined the most critical detail of all—paint color. The House of Kolor blue topcoat was sprayed over a black base coat, and the end result is amazing.

After six years, the 1940 Ford truck pickup was completed and shipped to San Pedro, a month before Steve's 74th birthday. Since then, he has it on the street most weekends—finally fulfilling his lifelong street rod dream. "Now I have to see if I can talk Susan into having Heinzman build something for her," he says.

Big-Block 1968 Chevy Camaro SS/RS that Big Sis Bought New

In the family since new, Ken Hubert’s 1968 Camaro SS/RS, 427 big-block powered & just underwent a complete restoration with the help of his son and others."My sister bought the car new," said Ken. "It was her daily driver for many years before being parked in our mom's garage." He continued, telling us, "The first time I rode in this car, I was nine years old and couldn't even see over the dash. I borrowed the car in high school and got busted on East Lake Ave. drag racing at lunchtime.

© Tim Bernsau

Reshaped Cab and Bed

• Cab extended 12 inches with fabricated rear side windows by Heinzman Street Rod Shop
• Mack Products 1940 Ford bed and tailgate, shortened 12 inches
• Stock hood ad grille
• Stock bumpers
• Stock headlights and taillight
• Stained oak bed floor, stainless runners
• House Of Kolor paint, blue of black base coat, painted at Heinzman Street Rod Shop

© Tim Bernsau

Retro Rolling Stock

• Wheelsmith Smoothie wheels, 15x6 and 15x7, red powder coating
• Chrome 1942 Ford caps and trim rings
• Diamond Back Classics wide whitewall tires, 205/65R15 and 235/70R15

© Tim Bernsau

Beefed Up Chassis Parts

• 1940 Ford framerails, boxed

  Heidts Mustang II frontend

• Chassis Engineering antisway bars
• Ford 9-inch rearend with 3.50:1 gears, Eaton Detroit Truetrac limited slip differential
• QA1 rear coilovers
• Wilwood disc brakes, 12-inch front rotors, 11-inch rear rotors
• Rock Valley 15-gallon stainless fuel tank

© Tim Bernsau

LS3 Engine Making 430hp

• GM 6.2L LS3 crate engine
• Speartech EFI control package
• K&N air filter
• stock exhaust manifold
• MagnaFlow mufflers
• Concept One serpentine drive system
• Performance Rod & Custom radiator
• Cooling Components electric fan
• GM 4L60E transmission

© Tim Bernsau

Cab Built For Comfort

• 1940 Ford passenger car dash
• Auto Meter Artic White series gauges and dash mounted tach
• Chevy Suburban power bucket seats
• Gray leather upholstery by Doug's Auto Trim
• Lecarra Mark 4 steering wheel
• Flaming River tilt shifter column
• Custom Autosound audio
• Vintage Air air conditioning
• Nu-Relics power windows
• Custom center console with A/C controls, audio head unit, window switches, cup holders