It is cool when a married couple enjoys the same ventures and interests. Having compatibility mixed with passion for cool custom early-model cars and trucks lets you know you married the right person. Especially when she is out in the garage turnin' wrenches and bustin' knuckles with you.
Don't forget the always popular--helping to clean and detail your ride at shows. This has been the wedded bond of Kevin and Lorie Long, from Lancaster, Ohio. They dated for nine years prior to their 22-year marriage. Kevin is a store manger at Bob Sumeral Tire Service, Lorie works for the Department of Finance. Lorie gave Kevin the green light to pursue a custom-truck project, but she had one request: the truck must appear to be growling. Kevin looked at numerous years, makes, and models before discovering a '41 Chevy pickup with it's growling grille. The gentleman who owned the truck actually had two vehicles and would only sell to Kevin if he bought them both. Can you believe he got both of them for $500 bucks? After dragging the two '41 pickups home, Kevin began dismantling and using the best of both to complete a good truck.
The '41 Chevy's grunt comes from a rebuilt '96 C5 Corvette with a Street Performance electronic fuel-injection system. To add some eye candy, a pair of Street Performance Valve Covers were bolted on, along with a Street Performance billet-aluminum pulley system. Notice the clean and smooth firewall.
To show Kevin's heart was in the right place, one Christmas Lori received a festively wrapped Genie Shifter, Dakota Digital instruments, Lokar brake and gas-pedal assembly, and a bag of zip-ties. The project took six years to complete.
The foundation for the '41 Chevy is a Progressive Automotive boxed frame. The front suspension consists of a pair of 2-1/2-inch dropped spindles and a pair of Air Ride Technologies Shockwave pneumatic `bags. Baer disc brakes, with dual-piston calipers, and larger 14-inch cross-drilled and slotted rotors are located at each corner. The rear suspension is also vertically adjusted by Air Ride Technologies Shockwave `bags and a Progressive Automotive Tri-Angle four-link system. The crew at Progressive Automotive in Baltimore, Ohio, are responsible for the front and rear suspension modifications. Kevin's green machine rolls on a set of polished billet aluminum Colorado Custom Slater 18x8-inch front and 20x9-1/2-inch rear wheels, which are consumed by 235/30R18 front and 285/30R20 rear Bridgestone rubber.
Kevin fabricated the small matching travel tote trailer. The trailer bed was made from 16-gauge steel, with a white oak floor and Superior Fiberglass fenders. The tote trailer has a leaf spring, a straight axle, and rolls on a pair of timeless Cragar SS wheels, which were wrapped in Goodyear rubber. | 
Kevin installed a Mar-K wood bed kit with stainless-steel stringers, and white oak wood planks. The stainless steel stringers and wood planks were secured with hidden fasteners. Very clean. | 
The distinctive '41 Chevy's growling grille is blended into the Pledge green paint, then flanked by a pair of crystalline headlights. Check out the original red and blue Chevrolet emblem mounted onto the grille. |