FLY 55

A Genetically Modified Classic Chevy

- MIKE SELF

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CHUCK VELAZCO WAS ALMOST STRICTLY KNOWN AS AN UP-AND-COMING BUILDER OF UNIQUE, CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES. For the past few years, however, Chuck has been on a classic truck kick and has been turning out old slammed GMs as often as possible. So, of course, now he’s known as an up-and-coming builder of unique, custom trucks!

His latest is this ’55 Chevy 3100, which spent most of its life doing railroad work in North Dakota before Chuck got a hold of it. Amazingly, the truck had just recently been retired from service, and so it was up for grabs. Now, living in Florida, Chuck had to take a leap of faith to buy it sight-unseen, but his gamble paid off with a worn but clean classic Chevy that ran great! Truthfully, though, it didn’t matter too much that the truck was a runner, as he already had some big plans that far surpassed what the respectable-yetanemic 235-cubic-inch inline-six was capable of. But first, the truck needed some ground-level reengineering.