1957 Chevy Pickup Tubular Chassis

The instant horsepower and torque comes from an '06 Corvette LS2 6.0L 404ci engine that was rebuilt with enhanced internal components by Jim Watkins at Watkins Racing Development in Bakersfield, California. The Kinsler EFI fuel delivery system with polished aluminum 6x2-1/2-inch, 180-degree, tapered, velocity stacks increase the airflow intake and fuel delivered from the aluminum fuelrails, creating instant throttle response. A pair of RHS aluminum cylinder heads develops a more efficient air/fuel mixture and increased flow rate.

When I introduced myself to Rodger Lee, the owner of Ironworks Speed & Kustom in Bakersfield, California, I was impressed. He was an unknown, 26-year-old visionary builder with ambition, drive, and knowledge of design, style, and function. He stands 6-feet 6 inches, wears a size 15 Red Wing boot, and his shop dog's name is Jake. I sensed his abilities and self-made customizing business would develop into a key component in the major leagues. Fast forward four years later, the past 18 months I have been making frequent trips to Bakersfield, following along as Rodger, Brycen Smith, and Sean McDougall designed, fabricated, and assembled this one-of-a-kind all-tubular frame and chassis that will be the foundation of the wild custom '57 Chevy pickup, project Black Gold. As I became involved in such an in-depth project, I became more connected and committed to its journey. I have seen it develop from the tubing rack to an incredible masterpiece. Its progression has been documented on the glossy pages of Truckin' in nine tech articles.

Black Gold's frame started out on the massive ISK chassis table. Rodger started with custom fabricated wheel/tire fixtures that determined the trucks wheel/tire axis, ride height, wheelbase, and track width. The enhanced '06 Corvette C6 LS2 404ci engine and torque tube style Tremec six-speed manual transaxle werecentered, aligned, and squared on the chassis table. The front suspension hubs, spindles, ball joints, and upper and lower control arms were mounted to the wheel hub fixtures. A CAD system was used to help design the upper and lower main tubular frames. The tubular frames were then measured, and bent to conform to the suspension components. The two, 1-1/2-inch 0.120 wall tubular frames were seperated by 1-1/2-inch x 4-inch support tubes, and 4-inch dimple-holed support plates.

Rodger Lee and Sean McDougall designed, fabricated, TIG-welded, and ground smooth a pair of custom headers with 3/8-inch thick flanges and 2-1/2-inch diameter primary tubes that merge into a pair of 3-inch diameter collectors, with 2-1/2-inch diameter restrictors. Kelly Inman at Specialized Coatings in Huntington Beach, California, made a custom blend of titanium-gold ceramic coating for the headers and entire exhaust system.

The RHS heads are capped with a pair of billet aluminum finned valve covers. A set of MSD HVC II coils and MSD ignition wires deliver ample electronic charge to the Denso spark plugs.

A custom made 18-gallon aluminum fuel tank is credited inside the dual tubular frame behind the Tremec six-speed manual transaxle.