Cruel Intentions
Story and Photos by Dan Hankin

What do you do when your daily driven 1970 Nova weekend race car becomes too costly to drive to work every day? You buy a more economical daily driver to share the garage, right? Those were Rich Childers' intentions when he purchased this 1975 Chevy Pickup fifteen years ago.

Not content to leave the things well enough alone, Childers lowered the truck 3 inches and continued using it for daily transportation. As time passed, Childers got more into the truck scene and sold the Nova. Over the next several years the truck wore a few different sets of wheels and tires, several different paint jobs, and acquired an air bag suspension.

Then, in early 2002, Childers decided to completely redo the truck. He disassembled the body, stripped it to bare metal, filled and shaved it, and hauled it to his buddy Harry Hennis for custom paint. Hennis laid down the pearl blue base with aggressive flames in a custom orange pearl mixed by Sampson-Monarch.

The bed was then protected by a spray-in PermaTech liner, tinted to match the light grey interior.

Wanting to keep a race inspired look, Childers tucked 20"x9.5" Colorado Custom Lazer wheels under the bed with matching 18"x7" fronts for a nice rake.

That inspiration is continued under the hood with a blown small block put together by monster motor builder Richard Midyette, engine builder for the Grave Digger and other monster trucks. The mighty mouse hums to the tune of 512 hp and 500 ft.lb. of torque at 5600 rpm, dyno proven at C.A.M.S. Racing Engines. A 700R4 trans turns 3:42 gears in a 12 bolt rear with a bed-mounted 15 gallon aluminum fuel cell and Aeromotive return style fuel system feeding the beast.

Inside, Childers custom made his own door panels, arm rests, console, and speaker box and had Will's Auto Upholstery cover anything not painted in light grey leather. A billet steering wheel provides Childers with a sure grip and Autometer gauges help keep tabs on the vitals.

Most projects don't end up exactly the way we intend them to in the beginning. A few of them, like Childers' '75, end up better.

 

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