Wayne Hoover’s ’57 Delivery redefines the old theory of “form before function”
California hot rod builder, Wayne Hoover, has defied the laws of gravity, or at least as far as the classic restoration industry is concerned, by taking one of 8,000 Chevy sedan delivery wagons built in 1957, of which Hoover estimates there are about 1,000 still in-existence, and converting it into a blown street rod, all built from a platform that originally started as one of GM’s truck models for that production year.
No matter what the historical context of the car, what Super Chevy magazine and myself both agree on is that Hoover’s pro-streeted ’57 is more than successful in achieving the kind of “bad boy/girl” aura that typically goes with what some of us enthusiasts call “old iron,” especially when that “iron” is decked-out to the point of needing rear tubs.
The build was done by Jim Van Gordon of Van Gordon Racing in Upland. The motor is a ZZ4 small block, bored .030 over and fitted with a Van Gordon custom-ground billet cam, along with Manley race valves, Crane self-aligning rockers and pushrods, and Crane hydraulic lifters. The motor itself also has a 3.75” stroke, and receives a breath of air from a GM 6-71 supercharger, breathing down a Holley, 650 CFM 4-barrel, a set-up on a small block that’s built enough to put-out 700 horses at an absolutely screaming 7500 Rs.
American Paint in Ontario sprayed the Porsche-red coat on the ’57 panel wagon, while E & R Street Rods in Pomona was responsible for the exhaust, brakes and interior, establishing that sweet balance between form and function. The rear was also decked with a 4.11 diff, and power is transmitted through a TH400 unit.
To hear the writers from Super Chevy describe the utter-ferociousness of the pro-street ’57 is a verification of just how radical this car really is. They describe the delivery wagon’s exhaust note as noticeable, even as the car wound through the Cajon Pass on Route 66.
But even with the beautiful detail paid attention-to, the moral question still arises of whether or not such a relatively rare-optioned car should be pro-modded, in other words stuffed with a blown small block, race trans and other implements. But again, as Super Chevy argues: why not?! No matter how many factory options are added or taken-from the ’57 delivery, it’s still a 1957 car, and the body style of the era has “hot rod” written all-over it.
It’s hard for me as a hot rod enthusiast to separate originality from showroom quality, because even when the car was new it achieved, by today’s standards and those of the 1950s, the delicate balance between luxury and horsepower. After all, if Chevy’s first “real” performance-built small block, the fuel-injected version of the 283, was a milestone 54 years ago, then what Wayne Hoover has accomplished through his pro-street project isn’t that far of a stretch. But what I think Super Chevy and myself both agree-on is that Hoover’s blown delivery wagon captures a certain nostalgia that might have been lost from the custom car hobby for a while, but it’s nice to see that that sensibility has been renewed.
- Sal Alaimo Jr., B. A. (5/3/11)
S. J. A.
