Photo: eBay user: tintonautowrecking
If we had a dollar for every classic GM Advanced Design light/medium-duty truck we've seen roll across the internet, we might have enough coin on hand to buy a really nice restomod example. You know, the kind that's got an LS V8 under the hood and more money spent on its interior and exterior trim pieces than some spend on their entire daily river. By that metric, this 1955 Chevy shouldn't be all that special. Just look at all the rust, after all.
Chances are good this truck hasn't run or driven since at least the Reagan administration and likely even far beyond that time frame, too. It's only when one pulls the hood latch on this classic truck that we find something genuinely drool-worthy hiding underneath. You might not make it out at first, what with the missing carburetor and the plank of wood where it once stood. But under the hood of this crusty non-runner is a 427-cubic inch (seven-liter) Chevy big block V8. Of course, 1955 was not just the model year this panel van was built but also the debut year of the Chevy Big Block in North America.
It's hard to say exactly where the origins of this big block V8 arise. The age of the vehicle might lead some to think it's an early W-series big block, either the Z11 427-cubic inch Mark I (unlikely) or, far more likely, a later Mark IV, complete with a wedge-style combustion chamber instead of the chamber-in-block system that caused a drop in power at the higher end of the rev range. Such an engine was commonplace in a plethora of 60s Chevy products like the Impala, Caprice, Biscayne, and, of course, the Corvette and Camaro for a time.
There is no word on which particular engine code this big block Chevy left the factory with. But it's doubtful it's one of the more sought-after in the range, like the LS-1 with the Q-jet carburetor or the L-36 with the factory Holley carburetor. Whatever the case, an engine like this has a prolific aftermarket to tailor it to the exact tastes of whoever wants to get it running. Want high-flow heads land racing-spec camshafts like the L88? There are roughly a dozen places on the internet where you can buy kits with similar hardware.
Whatever the case, there's something to be said about an old panel van that bore the brunt of so many harsh Northern New Jersey winters and still looks even remotely salvageable. There are, of course, some rust patches inside and out. But as the sellers themselves state, this is not a truck loaded past its headlights with Bondo. With that in mind, and given its engine, this is a vehicle that deserves to be restored.
It's hard to say exactly where the origins of this big block V8 arise. The age of the vehicle might lead some to think it's an early W-series big block, either the Z11 427-cubic inch Mark I (unlikely) or, far more likely, a later Mark IV, complete with a wedge-style combustion chamber instead of the chamber-in-block system that caused a drop in power at the higher end of the rev range. Such an engine was commonplace in a plethora of 60s Chevy products like the Impala, Caprice, Biscayne, and, of course, the Corvette and Camaro for a time.
There is no word on which particular engine code this big block Chevy left the factory with. But it's doubtful it's one of the more sought-after in the range, like the LS-1 with the Q-jet carburetor or the L-36 with the factory Holley carburetor. Whatever the case, an engine like this has a prolific aftermarket to tailor it to the exact tastes of whoever wants to get it running. Want high-flow heads land racing-spec camshafts like the L88? There are roughly a dozen places on the internet where you can buy kits with similar hardware.
Whatever the case, there's something to be said about an old panel van that bore the brunt of so many harsh Northern New Jersey winters and still looks even remotely salvageable. There are, of course, some rust patches inside and out. But as the sellers themselves state, this is not a truck loaded past its headlights with Bondo. With that in mind, and given its engine, this is a vehicle that deserves to be restored.
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