1955 Chevy Truck - Fahrenheit 454

Todd Boatright, from Tuttle, Oklahoma, has been building custom trucks and cars for 20 years. It is cool when your creative, hands-on passion becomes your occupation and livelihood. Todd's commitment to building custom high-quality performance street machines has made Todds Custom & Collision well-known in the hot-rod world. Every time one of his pristine creations is complete, it becomes another instant rolling business card. This red '55 Chevy Step Side pickup with real flames flowing from its leading edge is a prime example of his dedication to custom truck excellence.

The front factory framerails and leaf spring/straight axle suspension was removed at the firewall. An '85 Chevy pickup front clip was welded to the '55's factory framerails at the firewall and then boxed using 3/16-inch thick steel plate from front to rear, which added both strength and rigidity. A pair of `85 GM front disc brakes were installed onto DJM 2-inch drop spindles. The quick firm brake pedal comes from a Corvette power brake booster. To allow Fahrenheit 454 to lay rocker, a pair of Firestone airbags were installed and aided by Monroe shocks to dampen the frontend's oscillating action. The front spinning bling comes from a set of B.A.D. polished aluminum Mauler 18x7-inch wheels consumed in Michelin Pilot 225/40R18 rubber. Out back, a four-link rear suspension was designed and fabricated with a ladder bar/cantilever Firestone airbag system. The rear framerails were C-notched to allow ample clearance between the rearend housing and framerails when the rear `bags were deflated. Todd fabricated a 12-gallon steel fuel tank that was installed between the rear framerails behind the rearend housing. A pair of B.A.D. polished aluminum Mauler 20x10-inch wheels were wrapped in 275/35R20 rubber and attached to the rear axle.

A disassembled, machined, and re-assembled '70 Chevy 454ci big-block from the crew at Blue Chip Motor and Machine in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was used to give Fahrenheit 454 its muscle. A set of Wiseco pistons and rings were pinned to the reconditioned stock rods, then bolted to the factory re-machined 0.030-inch over crankshaft. A mild Crane cam was carefully inserted into the cam bores. Crane lifters and pushrods link the camshaft lobe action to the roller rockers. An Edelbrock Performer intake manifold was capped with an Edelbrock Performer 650 cfm carburetor. To add some good-looks to the 454, Todd installed a pair of March Performance flame etched polished aluminum valve covers, matching air cleaner, and a timing chain cover. To finish off the engine's impressive appearance, Todd installed a March polished billet aluminum serpentine pulley kit. A yellow top Optima battery delivered plenty of cold cranking amps to fire the mighty 454ci power plant. An MSD Blaster II coil, 6A ignition box, and distributor create plenty of electric charge to maintain the high-energy amps to keep the power at its maximum efficiency. A pair of Sanderson ceramic-coated shorty 1 7/8-inch headers flow into a pair of dual-chamber Thrush mufflers that deliver a deep, throaty tone. A GM400 turbo automatic transmission was disassembled and rebuilt with all the right performance components by the team at Master Tech, who also installed the B&M shift kit and 1,300 rpm stall converter. The Ford 9-inch rearend was stuffed with 3.83 gears and a posi-unit to hook up and smoke those rear meats in unison.