For all the talk about custom enthusiasts being "lost in the '50s," in reality many aficionados today never experienced that decade. Kirby Wilcox is representative of those who grew up in the '60s (or later) and prefer more performance-edged cruisers.

"I love '60s-era cars," Kirby says. "My dad had several new cars in the '60s, including a '62 SS and a '64 Pontiac convertible. When I was 14, my older brother got a '57 Chevy with a hot motor, and from there I was hooked."Kirby's car-crazed adolescence in Morris, Minnesota, sounds like a slice of "American Graffiti." "We would hear of some cool car that had cruised Main and we would all ride our bikes downtown in hopes of seeing it," Kirby recalls. "There was a burger joint called the Quik Stop-it was the turnaround for all the cool cars. I hung out there just to be part of the action."

Kirby became active in the street machine scene, regularly wheeling a '66 Nova and '68 Chevy pickup to the Street Machine Nationals in the 1980s. He still recalls a kid named Troy Trepanier who would show up in a Pro Street Chevelle, and vividly remembers the year Troy brought his groundbreaking, street rod-influenced '60 Chevy and set the rodding world on its ear. It left a lasting mpression.

After riding Harleys for much of the '90s, Kirby and his wife, Pat, got back on four wheels a few years ago in a Cactus Green '61 Chevy wagon running 17- and 18-inch wheels, airbags, and tan leather threads. When it sold, Kirby wanted another Chevy. "I really like the '62, but it seems everyone else does too," Kirby says. "With so many new '62s lately, I started to look for alternatives. I always liked the '63 sedan but had never really seen one done to a high level."

Kirby found a nice '63 Biscayne for sale in his hometown, but the owner got cold feet before closing the deal. An ensuing search turned up this Bel Air in neighboring South Dakota. After getting it home, Kirby contacted artist Jason Rushforth to help envision how it could look. "The concept we had was to build a car with noticeable '60s-era design, but more sophisticated," Kirby says. Roger Burman's Lakeside Rods & Rides in Iowa was enlisted to execute their vision

Roger and his crew started by stripping and painting the frame, then setting it up with Air Ride Technologies ShockWaves and tubular control arms, plus Fatman dropped spindles, disc brakes, and 3.55:1 gears in the original rearend. Budnik Muroc III wheels offered a classic-looking design in modern 18x7- and 20x10-inch sizes, and were wrapped in Hankook 235/40R18 and 275/35R20 radials.

Continuing the new-spin-on-an-old-idea theme, Kirby selected an Arizona Speed & Marine Dropped Top Superjet EFI to crown the 350ci GM crate small block. "[It] resembles an early Corvette Rochester unit," Kirby says. The engine also received a March pulley system, Billet Specialties valve covers, and block-hugger headers leading to Flowmaster mufflers. Monster Motorsports assembled a 700-R4 to back up the mill.

There was more to cleaning up the Bel Air body than just shaving the emblems, handles, and cowl vent. "By eliminating the wing windows the car appears sleeker," Kirby says, "and the black paint makes the car look longer and narrower. The roof style is what I love about these cars. Jason talked me into painting the roof green [a custom-mixed hue by Dean Fowler] instead of two-toning it the way you often see, thus highlighting the roofline and setting it apart from your run-of-the-mill hardtop. The taillights are from an '06 HHR, cut down to fit in the original bezels."

Beyond that, Burman added functional '66 Chevelle hood vents and narrowed the bumpers, adding a custom vent in front and exhaust cutouts flanking the license in back. Reinstalling the original trim spears was the final exterior detail. "There were a few pieces of side trim missing," Kirby says, "but I figured we could just replace it. Well, it was more difficult to find than I thought; I now have more money in the side trim than I paid for the whole car!" Kirk Bowman in Omaha refurbished it all, while Puget Sound Choppers carved the Rushforth-designed billet badges.

Inside, Burman's crew built a custom console and gauge pod, filling the latter with TPI dials. Dan Weber then wrapped green leather around Dodge Intrepid buckets, a modified rear seat, and all other soft parts, while Steve Strobel at Site & Sound packed in a Sony stereo with a host of Kicker speakers and amps. Air-Tique climate controls cooled the air, while a 15-inch repop '57 Chevy wheel topped the ididit column

Finished in a year's time, the Lakeside Air-so called because of Burman's shop name and Wilcox's lakeside home in Minnesota-turned out just as Kirby imagined. "I love the fact that we didn't molest the style of the original car, but enhanced it with modern, updated materials and craftsmanship," Kirby says. Lost in the past it ain't; cool it definitely is.