Greg Main of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, first laid eyes on this '57 GMC Stepside in 1989 as a young employee of a local dealership. A customer had driven the truck in from Washington and didn't want to drive back in the vehicle, so it was traded in for a newer model. As soon as Greg saw the old truck, he knew he had to have it for his own. After hatching a deal with the dealership and handing over $800 of his hard-earned cash, Greg took home the running classic and the associated pinkslip. Greg drove the '57 around for over a year, until typical maintenance problems started to sideline the truck. At a crossroads of what to do, and finding original parts increasingly difficult, Greg had a decision to make. With friends suggesting he street rod the truck, Greg determined the build direction of his prized GMC and started the project.
Greg decided that a 6/4 drop would not only give the '57 an awesome look, but would keep it a streetable daily driver. Brian Forbes of Hanover, Pennsylvania, went to work, dropping the old Stepside down in the weeds. AC Delco shocks were installed, and the braking system was upgraded with front discs and rear drums off of a '79 Chevrolet Camaro. In addition, 17x9-inch Boyd Gotcha IIs were mounted up and surrounded in P245/45R17 Goodyear Eagles.
Powering the teal truck is a '76 355 cast-iron V-8 with car heads. When Ken Angell of Maryland rebuilt the 355, he balanced the engine and bored it 0.030 inches over. An Edelbrock camshaft and Dynomax headers were added for a little extra muscle. A Mallory distributor and MSD spark coil feed into Taylor 8mm wires. A Flowmaster exhaust, measuring 2.5 inches, lets the engine sound off to anyone who will listen. All of these pieces work in harmony for a significant power increase, which all flows through a 350 with a B&M Shift Improver Kit, rebuilt by Greg's friend, Mike Bennnett, who also shored up the truck's electrical system. The Camaro rearend is locked and loaded with 3.23 gearing. With a curb weight of 4,800 pounds, the old GMC pulls a nice 14.9 in the quarter at 91 mph.
Vintage Specialties of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, completed the bodywork and laid down '94 GMC Bright Teal paint, which hugs the lines of the truck. While the bodywork was being done, Greg insisted that only steel panels be used. A roll pan with integrated billet tails was added, and the tailgate was smoothed to modernize and clean up the rear view of the GMC. A toothy '55 Chevy grille replaces the '57 GMC grille and has a classically cool character.
The interior was also given a dose of modern interpretation with the Auto Meter Phantom gauges in a custom housing. Greg stripped a '96 Chevy fullsize truck of its buckets and took them down to Statler, an upholstery shop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where they were covered in tan tweed with leather accents. Statler also handled the matching headliner. A Sherwood head unit gives Greg the luxury of having a stereo to play all his favorite tunes.
Since finishing the buildup in October 2001, Greg has taken his '57 to various shows, such as the All Truck Nationals. The deserving GMC has won awards for Best in Class and Best Interior. Overall, this truck is a work of art with a level of craftsmanship that shows the care that went into rebuilding it. Timeless Teal is a beautiful show truck and a driver that even a hardened Ford guy would admire.