I'm Kelly Hawthorn I'm from Bowling Green Kentucky here for the Hot Rod Reunion come
here every year come here obviously for the cars and the hot rods and it's a big event
for Bowling Green it's on fathers day weekend I've got 4 kids so I try to bring them they
tire out a little bit they're not the long haulers I do try to get them to the hotel
on event nights there and they do visit the event down here this is a 1957 Chevy truck
I actually bought it here in 05 in the campgrounds fella was camping in the campgrounds and had
no idea the event was going on it was in stock form it was in pretty bad shape took me about
a year and a half I just completely re-did it I took it down to the frame updated some
of the suspension re-did the motor and kind of is what it is this is actually 1977 Porsche
royal blue it was just a fluke I was going through the paint code book at the paint shop
just come up with the color trying to stay away from something metallic something somewhat
era correct I definitely didn't try to modernize the engine compartment it's a 69 model 327
with a 69 monza 4 speed the engine looks like something you would have in 1969 had to do
some things to the intake as well as putting a oil filler tube in and basically the only
chrome it's got is a chrome air filter and alternator hanging off the side of it and
thats it no modern amenities what so ever the wheels are just black steel wheels actually
just primed and painted them black a month ago with Coker white walls I went with black
just to through a little contrast in as far as the personality a 57 is kind of unique
as far as the grill goes it was one year on it people call it a big catfish mouth these
trucks any of them the 55, 56, 57's all have a little bit more attitude as far as I'm concerned
meaner looking this one is a big window truck which was option I guess they just kind of
define hot rod on the inside of the bed I've relocated the fuel cell which used to be behind
the back seat underneath the bed just kind of mocked up just a filler cap on it it's
just got the painted strips in it it's actually a pine bed that I stained and cleared myself
that was I think a special dark walnut color the bed rails and the bed front and the tail
gate are actually new I ordered them after market but everything else on the truck is
actually original actually all the gages did work the speedometer cable was a little twisted
but I just detailed them put a new bezel on it and put them back in and used the other
handles for vent purposes bypass some of the choke and the throttle linkages and just use
those for the side vents so when your running down the road you can pull them and get a
little fresh air coming in a lot of the stuff that happened was just mock up stuff with
intentions of changing it after the fact same way with the shifter it was just a piece of
flat stock that I had picked up from TSC and it just worked and I just kind of kept it
the way it was that seat was from an 88 ranger that I got from Parish I chopped 6 inches
off the top of it had to reupholster I some what keep it clean I'm not much of a cleaner
I do drive the thing got a couple of boys that are hot rods at heart so when they say
do a burnout I go ahead and oblige I drive it to work when it's convenient I guess having
4 kids we cant all obviously fit we have before the whole family but I drive it to as many
shows as I can within reason couple of hours each way