If only the old-school hot rodders from the rod and custom craze of the ’50s could have seen back then where the art of car building would go, or at least insofar as the industry end of the hobby. Truth be told, we live during a time and age where true, steel-bodied street rods are simply hard to find.

Luckily there are loyalists out there who subscribe to that old notion of, “Keep it simple.” Because that is true, steel rods are not totally extinct from the face of the earth; unlike the dinosaurs, classic hot rods and street customs are loud, old things that we actually like and still want around.

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Bob Naylis' custom '37 Chevy is stuffed with 350 power, while adorned with black leather inside, making for classic, reliable comfort.

Bob Naylis from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania agrees and as our featured ride, this true steel-bodied and fendered ’37 Chevy coupe packs small-block power and efficiency. Along with all of those creature comforts that are essential to what Bob himself describes as “them long Sunday cruises,” which he built for this very purpose.

Powered by a 350 built to a streetable 9.5:1 compression, Naylis’ custom coupe started as a project that was slightly different from his previous build, “My last vehicle was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air pro-street with a worked 502 big-block,” says Naylis. “Car was a full-tubed car; fast, but not really streetable.”

For this reason, Bob set out to build a comfortable and reliable cruiser so this time around his cool ’37 features a full-custom, black leather interior and headliner. The coupe’s trunk is also embroidered in black leather, and adding to its potential as a cool cruiser is a Kenwood sound system with a CD changer, “Race cars are fun, but now it’s time to cruise and listen to some tunes on that Sunday drive,” explains Naylis.

It may be that Bob wasn’t looking to build a fire-breather out of his ’37 Chevy, but that’s not to say that he still hasn’t fitted his steel-fendered coupe with just enough performance mods to go at least a little faster while cruising from one stoplight to the next.

Among these power tweaks are a 750 Holley carb, and the entire mill is dressed in chrome for a quality appearance. The Bowtie-powered coupe’s valvetrain is made up of a set of Comp roller rockers, and Bob’s stout small-block chases a Turbo 350 with a shift kit, helping to break loose a Ford 9-inch rear with 4.11 cogs.

Bob’s cool coupe has had its entire floor and trunk pans replaced, and a Painless wiring rig helps keep the ride together on the electrical side of the coin, while powering a set of gauges from Vintage Series. A Vintage Air A/C system helps to keep the inside of Naylis’ ride cool, and back outside, a set of Wilwood discs with slotted rotors helps bring the old iron to a halt from all four corners.

It is clear, as it has been from the beginning, that Naylis built his ’37 Chevy as a road worthy cruiser on all accounts, and this is because practicality was the focus of this nice and clean, Philly street rod build, “I got this car for the sleek body, and built it to cruise with the air conditioning on,” Naylis reminds us.

Merely a cool cruiser, a street brawler or both? With Bob Naylis’ custom Chevy, we’ll let you make the call. But in either case, his all-steel Chevy street rod is one that won’t be staying in the garage, should summertime come to the streets of Philly.