There are a ton of different reasons for building a hot rod. A car may have been gifted to you by family, maybe you have some intense draw to a specific vehicle, or you had one before and missed it so much that you wanted to build another. The latter was the case for Bo Swan and why he has this kustom 1953 Chevy 210.

Kustoms are just that, kustom. You can do whatever it is you want to them. When it came to building his ’53, Bo Swan had his sights set on something he didn’t attain the first time around. Based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Swan had previously put together a ’54 Chevy with a mild upgrades. This was the first car he had chopped. He built it himself and loved it. After the car was done, he put himself in motion for a 1936 Plymouth five-window coupe and shipped the ’54 off to the new owner in Australia. Swan built the Plymouth into a kustom, but then realized that a three-seater car wasn’t the greatest choice for a growing family of four. After about four months of driving the ’36, the car was sold to an individual in Holland.

Swan immediately jumped back into the ‘53/’54 range as it was what he was drawn to. He found this ’53, bone stock and untouched. With a clean slate Swan decided to do everything exactly the way he wanted; no compromises, no holds barred.  Why have a kustom that isn’t exactly what you want? There were little things in the ’54 that he just wasn’t happy with so he decided to name the new car “Redemption,” resolving the regrets from getting rid of the old car.

When building a car, especially one that is going to be chopped, Swan has a very specific order of operations.

Step One: Frame Modifications

Starting with the frame, the belly was sectioned one-inch so the car would lay out; rockers to pavement. The frame was then prepped and painted.

Step Two: Suspension Makes A Statement

Swan wanted reliability for cruising so he chose a TCI Engineering front clip, tubular A-arms, and air ride. Steering duty is covered by a power rack and pinion. 11-inch disc brakes handle stoppage in the front. Out back, a 1980 Chevy El Camino 10-bolt rearend with drum brakes was connected to the car via a three-link kit with a bag-over-axle air suspension setup. A custom step notch was cut and welded in to allow the differential room for dropping the skirts to the ground.

Step Three: Powertrain & Drivetrain

This car was never intended to blow the doors off launching off the line or blasting down the road at high speeds. As a cruiser, enough power for fun is really all that matters. A Chevy small-block 327ci was chosen. The motor was bored out 0.030-inch, an Offenhauser four-barrel intake bolted on with a 650 cfm Holley carburetor strapped on top. A Pertronix electronic ignition provides spark with a stock camshaft helping the assembly rotate. Stock exhaust manifolds flow down through 1.5-inch straight pipes and out through a pair of glass packs. Power passes through a 700R4 transmission making cruising fun and easy.

A new one piece rear driveshaft was bolted in that feeds the 3.73 ratio gears housed inside the 10-bolt differential. Engine cooling is handled by an aluminum radiator with dual 1-inch bore tubes. A manual fan provides consistent cooling with an auxiliary fan to kick in if needed at any point. This gorgeous sled rolls on 15-inch steelies up front, wrapped in 205/75R15 Coker wide white radials. Out back, 14-inch steelies with 195/70R14s hide out in the fender wells.

This is where the order of operations is the key to success. “I always do the frame and suspension first so when I’m doing the chop it sits where it’s going to sit.” Says Swan. “Start from the core and work your way up.” The lines of the car are extremely important with a chop. Having the car at the exact ride height it will be at the majority of its life is extremely important for getting the new lines to look right. Ultimately, 4-inches was chopped out of the front and 5 1/2-inches out back.

The chop is pretty much the only thing he got outside help with. His buddy Johnny Croner, a fellow member in the Fellas SoCal Car Club, helped him get all the lines in just the right spot. This is Swan’s favorite part about the entire build and finished car. “A lot of people can chop cars.” Swan explains. “But they go flat like you put a pallet on it. You need to pay attention to the lines. You gotta stand back and really pay attention to detail.”

Step Five: Body Modifications

Just about every panel was touched up on this ’53. A rear window from a 1950 business coupe was grafted in to smooth out lines with the increased rake added to the back of the car. The B-pillars were slanted to help tie in the doors to the new roofline. The hood was brought together from two pieces with a peak added straight down the middle. Just about everything on the car was shaved; windshield wipers, beltline molding, 210 badging, and door handles.

Additionally, the fuel door, antenna, and trunk handle were smoothed out as well for an even cleaner look. The headlights and taillights were frenched in and a very subtle tweak was added with the addition of a ‘53/’54 Pontiac belt line trim piece added just below the rear quarter window. To top off all the body modifications, Swan cut and extended the grille assembly, adding 10 teeth to it for a wider grin.

Step Six: Primer, Paint, Pearl & Flake

Swan laid the paint down himself on the car. He had a custom blend of lime suede finish mixed up for the body and sprayed down a pearl white on the roof. He then added chartreus metal flake scallops to the roof for extra depth. The pinstriping throughout the entire car was brushed by Pistol Pete in Ontario, California.

Step Seven: Interior To Complement Exterior Flavor

For an ultra-clean and classy look, Swan chose to wrap the stock seats in a marine grade pearl white with a tuck and roll pattern. The same was used for the door panels and headliner to bring it all together. Just behind the Flaming River steering column sits a set of Autometer Vintage gauges. Instrumentation is finished off with Viair gauges for air level readings and ride height adjustments. The custom clusters use a basic bezel with brushed aluminum. The Gennie swan neck shifter comes up to through the floor and ends with a custom made shift knob. The rocket was originally a two-piece brass spice grinder found at swapmeet that Swan drilled the bottom out of.

All in all, Bo Swan is pretty happy with his ’53 kustom. His two boys showed interest in helping him build the car, adding to family time that was especially important when the car was being finished up. Swan found himself at crunch time. With the car in primer paint, he got approved to show the car at the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) and had to get it done in time. Redemption and Swan have won about eight awards since the build was completed in 2011, including an award in the Suede Palace at GNRS and 1^st in Nostalgia at GNRS.

This car has certainly redeemed the regrets as intended. Beautifully crafted and one of a kind. Just the way we like ‘em! Be sure to check out the video up top and the full gallery below.