Character Through Rust: Colin Rodgers’ 1956 Chevy Pickup

IMG_3143Who said entropy can’t be appealing? So many hot rods and kustoms out there go for scintillating paint jobs, gleaming chrome, and stylish aftermarket wheels and interiors, but there’s something to be said for the weather-worn and weary vehicles sometimes referred to as “rat rods.”

IMG_3164Whatever your opinion is on the matter, ruling out a patina’d pickup like the one seen here is to miss out on an interesting subset of the hot rod realm. Colin Rodgers, the owner of the ’56 Chevy truck, was on hand to speak with us about his rustic ride at the recent Goodguys Del Mar Nationals.

“So I got the truck about three years ago from a buddy of mine,” Collins told us. “It was a long bed at one point, and I didn’t like that. So I shortened it and put a new chassis under it, with a Camaro front and rear suspension, sway bars, custom 406ci small-block V8, and a TKO 600 transmission.”

The drivetrain is no stranger to work on the road, as Collins explained. He claimed to have driven the truck over 50,000 miles between 2012 and now, with more added to the clock every day. He even took it autocrossing when he first finished it earlier this year.

And while the truck doesn’t attempt to put on top-dollar pretenses, it still has a style to it all its own. Custom pinstriping adorns the hood, dashboard, and fenders, and there’s even some lettering done to the doors, all done by Rodger’s friend, John. All that’s left for styling are the American Racing wheels and Hankook tires.

IMG_3154“You know, I have another truck like this at home, one year newer, all painted and chrome and all that, and this truck with the patina gets way more attention,” said Collins. “People just really enjoy it. I’m definitely going to keep it the way it is, but I’ll do something with the roof because I don’t want it to completely rot out, but as far as painting the body goes, I have no intentions.”

So it seems that like a fine wine, Collins will see to it that the truck only gets better with age. We respect that decision, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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About the author

David Chick

David Chick comes to us ready for adventure. With passions that span clean and fast Corvettes all the way to down and dirty off-road vehicles (just ask him about his dream Jurassic Park Explorer), David's eclectic tastes lend well to his multiple automotive writing passions.
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