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1948 CHEVROLET PICKUP
Bryson City, NC

This article features Roger Hedren and his 1948 Chevrolet pickup. Roger, who is a retired contractor, spends his time between the Bryson City area in NC and Kissimmee, FL. He participates in cruise-ins and car shows while in the Carolina’s and in the cooler months, he heads South to the cruise-ins and car shows in Central Florida.

This outstanding 1948 Chevy pickup was a two year labor of love. The engine package is a combination used by many of the street rodders today. The engine is a 350 ci Chevy bored .030 over with a mild cam and an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold fitted with an Edelbrock 650cfm 4-barrell carburetor. Of course a high output electronic ignition system was used for spark power and reliability. The exhaust is through a set of Sanderson Block Hugger Headers exiting through a custom made dual exhaust system. The truck uses a 700 R-4 Chevy automatic transmission and a Ford 9-inch differential with 3:73 gears. The engine is putting out about 350 horsepower and is covered in chrome and polished aluminum parts.

The front crossmember is a Heidts Superride II type that is custom made for 1934 to 1948 Chevy trucks with an IFS deluxe suspension system. The front coilover suspension aftermarket upgrade, lowers the ride height and reduces body roll for more precise cornering. Smaller overall coil spring diameter also makes more room for wider wheels with greater offset to fit wider tires inside the fenders. The steering column has been replaced with an aftermarket model tilt wheel setup with a custom steering wheel. Roger uses a Trialinger four bar coilover for the rear suspension. The truck is equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes and sports American Racing Aluminum wheels with P225/45ZR17 wide tires on the rear and P225/50ZR16 tires on the front.

The interior has a pair of Alfa Romeo 6-way electric seats, custom made digital dash and console between the seats. The aftermarket air conditioner Roger installed makes his trips to the cruise-ins a pleasant one. The tan leather interior theme carriers over into the truck bed also. The Chevy stepside fenders were molded into the truck bed along with the tailgate. The truck was fitted with frenched headlights and custom made taillights. All the emblems and door handles were removed, holes filled and the doors were converted to open electronically. The paint is a PPG brand Orange special mix with Gold Essences, covered with many coats of hand rubbed clear lacquer.

If you missed this truck at the Blairsville Good Neighbors Auto Club Car Show, you will have to wait to see it when Roger returns from Florida, in the Spring.