Searching for a '57, Clayton found this '55, a clean driver that he could take to cruise nights and use in local fund-raisers at the Food Bank of Delaware and American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. After a few years of driving, the car needed a minor facelift; it got that and then some when Clayton teamed up with Stewart's Rod Shop in Middletown, Delaware.
Besides performing all of the aforementioned body mods and spraying the bright red PPG hue, the Stewart's Rod Shop crew handled the car's mechanical work, too. Their handiwork on the underside includes a smoothed frame with a '70 Nova subframe, a triangulated four-bar locating a 9-inch rearend, plus Air Ride Technologies airbags and ECI disc brakes both fore and aft. The Colorado Custom wheels measure 17x7 and 17x9.5 inches and mount Dunlop front and Hoosier rear rubber.
The Chevy's 383ci stroker small-block, built by McMillians Motor Works, is no slouch, either. Starting with an Eagle crank and rods, the block is filled with SRP 10.4:1 pistons, a COMP hydraulic roller cam, AFR heads, and a Demon 750-cfm carb atop an Edelbrock intake. Other vitals include an MSD distributor, Howe aluminum radiator, and March pulleys, while Stewart's Rod Shop again takes credit for the custom valve covers and air cleaner. Headman headers breathe through Flowmaster mufflers, and a ProTrans-built 700-R4 handles shifting duties.
The Chevy's wheelhouse is as trick and subtle as the outside. The '60s-era Impala bucket seats look right at home, while the dash-with its deleted right "hump," relocated glovebox, Classic Instruments gauge insert, and frenched shift light-looks both clean and classic. The original-with-a-twist theme even carries through to the cut down, smoothed, leather-wrapped '55 wheel atop an ididit column. Pennsylvania's Mike Haverstock gets credit for stitching the neutral-colored leather throughout the cabin.
We could go on and on listing the car's nuances and subtleties, but we think you get the point. We'll just leave you with one more interesting tidbit: Clayton is a Baptist minister. Thus, he has taken to calling his untamed, rambunctious Chevy the Preacher's Daughter. Now aren't you glad you gave it a second look?