The Reconnection + Transformation of a 1957 Chevy Truck

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” -Thomas Edison

For the past two years, my dad has been busy restoring a 1957 Chevrolet Truck.  This project has been something my dad has always wanted to do; rebuild a classic vehicle and have it on the road once again.  He literally began with the bare bones of a 1957 Chevy and searched high and low for the missing classic car parts.

My dad purchased the 1957 Chevy Truck off of Craigslist. *Side note – my dad is probably the only person I know that does not desire to own a smart phone.  However, when you ask my dad to search for an item to buy, such as a vehicle, car part, etc. he will find it for you by searching through Craigslist! He found the 1957 Chevy, which was just the body of the truck outside of Wilcox, Arizona.  Once my dad purchased the ‘rusk bucket,’ he knew that he would have to put a lot of work into it.  Several people doubted his goal, because my dad is not a mechanic, but a welder and fabricator.  Still, he didn’t let that discourage him.

I asked my dad, “Why a 1957 Chevrolet Truck?”  His response, “My first truck in high school was a 1957 Chevy.  When I married your mom, we had to sell it to build a patio wall.  I never stopped thinking of that truck and always wondered what had happened to it.”

When talking to my dad, I had no idea that:

1.)  My dad still reminisced about his old truck.

2.) The man that painted his high school truck yellow,  was a gentleman by the name of Arturo ‘Negro.’  Arturo is an expert painter, especially on classic cars.

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This story is very intriguing because flash forward forty years later, my dad was able to reconnect with a 1957 Chevy (not his one from high school, but same model) and with Negro!

My dad is someone who is very persistent and does not take “no” for an answer.  The ’57 Chevy became a project that he could not say “no” to and became a challenge.  He began with literally no base for the truck. His goal was to rebuild the truck and have it up and running, so he could cruise with my mom by his side. In order to accomplish this lofty goal, this meant that he had to search high and low for body parts and for support and manual labor.

Just like our Mi Reina, Siesta Liner Vintage Trailer, many handymen came through and helped my dad.

They worked on connecting the pieces: the body, the motor, tires, electrical, etc.   When my dad was ready to paint, he said he thought back to his high school truck and the man who did a superior paint job.  He asked around and low and behold and there was Negro! He helped my dad make the ’57 Chevy transformation complete.  He painted the truck a beautiful teal color.  The name of the paint is called a, “Chevy Bel-Air Turquoise.” He made this truck feel brand new again! The 1957 Chevy reconnected them.

Now, Mi Reina feels more complete and we are ready to cruise!