By SCOTTY LACHENAUER 
Photography by THE AUTHOR
here’s something about the color black that draws the eye into its depths. Hot rods painted in that hue naturally have a menacing appearance, tending to radiate an ominous aura of both death and evil. On the other end of the spectrum, black can symbolize elegance and power, which definitely boosts its popularity in automotive culture and ultimately in modern street rod design and fabrication. When a designer is unsure what color to coat their ride in, black is that one true option that always seems to work in the rodder’s favor, consistently engaging the public’s senses on every level.
After some negotiation, a deal was struck for the ride, and Brian’s new-to-him 1955 soon rolled into his garage for further work. The good news was that this Chevy was built from the ground up, already sitting low and aggressive on a Roadster Shop chassis, equipped with Ridetech coilovers, a triangulated four-bar rear suspension, and large Wilwood brakes at the corners. Underhood was a Vortech Y-Trim supercharger powering a built 496ci big-block Chevy; it was connected to a TH400 transmission with a Gear Vendors overdrive unit. Out back, a Ford 9-inch with a Detroit Locker and 3.73 gears delivered power to the pavement.
However, that time together was short-lived. “I decided I needed to make some more improvements. First on the list was the interior, which was a shade of Butternut Yellow and, dare I say, dirty and awful.” So, the Chevy left once again, this time heading to GCD Auto Studio in Florida, New York, where the cockpit of this Chevy would receive a complete makeover. “I decided on a beautiful brown shade of leather, accented with a modern black carpet. However, the design of the interior and the small custom touches were all left completely in the hands of the design team at GCD.”
Though Brian was excited about what this Chevy would turn out to be, there were other issues that were much more important and occupied most of Brian’s heart and mind during the restoration process. “Unfortunately, this journey started during a time when my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer; she lost her battle in 2024, unable to see the potential of what this car could be.”
Once finished, Brian had time to reflect on the build and what had come of it. “Now it’s fun to show the car off at shows and share the final product with other gearheads. What’s the best part of building, restoring, and modifying these cars? The answer is getting your children and grandchildren involved!”
