All Out Custom: This ’31 Chevy Is Orange, Black, And Mean To Match!

Early ‘30s cars define look of the iconic hot rod. The chopped roof with a flat top, a round tail, motor exposed on the sides, bright colors, big whitewall tires…

This ’31 Chevy has all of that with a little classic flair thrown in by way of the black scallops on the sides. To tie in with everything else, the Chevrolet engine powering this beauty is orange to match.

It would be tough to pick a favorite feature on this beauty. As hard as it may be to believe, it's just as much ear candy as it is eye candy.

This ’31 Chevy belongs to John McCluskey of Kingston, Washington, and he’s owned it since last September. The engine is a 383 cubic-inch stroker motor with a big cam, so it sounds just as healthy as it runs. Fuel is supplied by dual 500cfm Edelbrock carburetors, the power is then run through a 200-R4 automatic transmission, and from there it’s transferred into the 1956 Chevy rearend with 4.11:1 Eaton limited slip differential gearing.

“I’m a Chevy guy,” John said. “I didn’t want to buy a Ford.” The fact that this old hot rod has a Bow Tie makes it stand out when the majority of these style builds are done with Ford bodies—often still using a Chevrolet engine all the same. “What I like is that these are a little rounder than the Fords,” John explained. What we like, is just about everything!

This beauty was built with authenticity, straight down to the genuine 1956 Chevrolet rearend.

While the car has been entirely customized, the visor is original to the car and really adds to the look. Even though it was put on at the factory in 1931, and is really part of the body, the visor fits perfectly with the ‘50s style hotrod custom vibe this car was built to emulate. Don’t miss the entirely non-stock suicide doors as well.

The visor and suicide doors really complete the look of this retro build. It's especially cool is the windshield visor is stock.

“I had a ’72 Nova, but I was always worried about someone banging it up,” John said. “I thought I’d get an old hotrod that I could just drive and not worry about.” While this is definitely a hotrod, it’s nice enough to worry about, and the matte colored paint really makes this beauty stand out in a crowd. If you don’t hear it coming—you’ll definitely see it.

It's tough to tell in the pictures, but the orange color has a matte paint finish that almost glows in the bight sunlight.

The interior is simple hotrod style with a painted dash to match the exterior, VDO gauges for detail and reliability, a custom steering wheel, and black vinyl upholstery. The orange and white 13-ball shifter is a really nice touch that adds to the look and is a subtle, yet effective detail for the overall build. On top of that, the wood has all been replaced by 1-inch steel tubing for strength and a longer lifespan.

We just can’t quit drooling over the look of this stunning hot rod. It’s a freshly built, retro inspired classic Chevy that looks like it could have rolled here right out of 1957. Just about everything about this beauty does it right for us, from the deep black wheels and thick white wall tires to the side pipes and dual carburetors.

About the author

Kyler Lacey

A 2015 Graduate from Whitworth University, Kyler has always loved cars. He grew up with his dad's '67 Camaro in the garage and started turning wrenches at a young age. At seventeen, he bought his first classic, a '57 Chevy Bel Air four-door, and has since added a '66 Plymouth Valiant and '97 Cadillac Deville to his collection. When he isn't writing for Power Automedia, he's out shooting pictures at car shows, hiking in the forests of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, or working on something in the garage.
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