Mike Self
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October 26, 2023
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Features
When it comes to building classic custom trucks, you’re always better off starting with as pristine an example as you can find, which admittedly can be a challenge. After all, most trucks are used as, well, trucks, so they’ve seen their fair share of abuse. Now add 60 years to the equation and the task becomes even more daunting. And despite our affinity for cutting up pretty much anything, it’s still a shame to slice into a survivor or a fully restored truck.
So, what do you do when you want to build a custom truck out of something that’s older than you are? Although there are no shortcuts to custom classic truck stardom, there is such a thing as doing things the smart way. George and India Sepulveda wanted the ultimate ’57 Chevy truck, and as it turned out, the perfect shop to help them fulfill their dream was in their own backyard. Premier Street Rods of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is already known for building some pretty exceptional rides, but it’s one of its latest endeavors that has been taking the industry by storm. Luckily for the Sepulvedas, their project would be the perfect platform to show off Premier’s newest products, which include some pretty revolutionary stuff for truck aficionados.
“Luckily for the Sepulvedas, their project would be the perfect platform to show off Premier’s newest products, which include some pretty revolutionary stuff for truck aficionados.”
Kerry Logsdon from Premier Street Rods explained the Sepulvedas’ build: “We were excited to make history with this ‘new’ 1957 Chevy 3100. By using a new GM-licensed Premier truck cab and sheet-metal package, we hope our customers will save money, time, blood, sweat and tears on their builds.” Yeah, there are now brand-new 1955-57 GM cabs available. In fact, Premier offers new cabs and sheet metal for GM trucks from 1947-59, which pretty much covers all of the bases for most pre-C-10 lovers.
While some may raise an eyebrow at the claim that money can be saved by using new metal, when you think about all of the time and cash it often takes to restore sheet metal, especially a cab, we have no doubt that starting with fresh steel can be a more economical alternative when you really crunch the numbers.
The fellas at Premier grabbed one of their fresh ’57 cabs, along with a new bed from MAR-K and a TCI chassis, and got to work on the truck that would eventually be dubbed Snow White; no doubt because they knew it would be the fairest of them all.
“While we’re still trying to decide whether this truck should be a 1957 model or a 2017 model (after all, every single part on the truck is new), we’d like to think that it’s 1957 all over again, but this time it’s much, much cooler.”
The TCI underpinnings feature RideTech ShockWave airbag/shock combos all around, which allow the suspension to be fine-tuned to road conditions and/or required attitude/altitude. These adjustments can happen either automatically or manually thanks to the tried-and-true AccuAir suspension management system. While many would argue that a 20/22-inch wheel combo would be too big for a truck of this era, Premier and Budnik teamed up to prove otherwise. These G Series Spyder wheels look absolutely perfect with their Nitto INVO tires. With a 638-hp LS3 under the hood, we’re sure India and George need all the traction they can get. Trick features such as the E-Stopp push-button emergency brake ensure that the truck has an extra measure of convenience and safety built right in to go along with the gobs of power and torque.
Since the truck had brand-new sheet metal all around, Ross Logsdon and his team at Premier could get down on the body mods without wasting any time, so they installed Lokar door handles and a rear roll pan, and conjured up a smoothed front bumper while they were at it. The aluminum-trimmed bed floor is absolutely stunning and is representative of the care and quality that went into the rest of the build. Once the body was complete, it was doused in layers of House of Kolor Snow White with bits of Blue Blood Red providing the perfect contrast.
During the early stages of putting the truck together, Premier was actually offered a spot in E-Stopp’s booth at SEMA, so the truck was able to debut in front of thousands, where we’re sure it instantly became a favorite of many—ourselves included.
While we’re still trying to decide whether this truck should be a 1957 model or a 2017 model (after all, every single part on the truck is new), we’d like to think that it’s 1957 all over again, but this time it’s much, much cooler. What we do know for sure is that the Sepulvedas have a perfect storybook ending with their new ’57 Chevy.
[divider] TRUCK SPECS [/divider]
OWNERS
George and India Sepulveda
1957 Chevy 3100
Lake Havasu City, AZ
ENGINE
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
WHEELS & TIRES
BODY & PAINT
INTERIOR & STEREO
Special Thanks From the Owner: “To the Premier Street Rods team, AccuAir, Advanced Keys, American Autowire, BluePrint Engines, Borla Mufflers, Budnik Wheels, Currie Enterprises, Dakota Digital, Eddie Motorsports, E-Stopp Brake, House of Kolor, ididit, JRD International, JD Machine, KSH Products, Lokar Performance Products, MAR-K Beds, Nova-Lux, PraxAir, Performance Rod & Custom, Precision Replacement Parts, Resto-Mod Air, RideTech, Ron Mangus, Sanderson Headers, Silver Sport Transmission, TCI Engineering, Vibrant Performance and Wilwood Brakes.”
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