1957 Chevy Pick-up - A Step-side Dream

I was overwhelmed by a cacophony of sound that made the pavement under my feet vibrate

The steering was handmade from his wife’s kitchen broom handle (apparently she’s still upset about it)

By: Stefan de Koker.

The 1957 Chevrolet is the dream of most Hot Rodders and American classic car collectors. Getting the ultimate car and still keeping it unique is sometimes difficult. Chris Hattingh faced that dilemma in 1983 when he decided to build himself a family Hot Rod. Not one so wild that it can’t be taken on holiday, but still a major head turner, and so he decided on the ’57 stepside Pick-up. Finding one in the early 80’s was still doable, but finding one good enough, was getting more difficult. In the end he built an amalgam of three. The first complete truck was found in Bothaville, and after towing it all the way to Roodepoort, he decided it needed another to supplement the rusting metal. The next one he found in Warmbaths and his blank canvas was almost complete. The last one was towed all the way from Rustenburg, and with his back garden looking like the world’s most one-sided scrapyard, he began building his dream ride.

Taking the best stock chassis of the three, he kept the suspension stock, but then in 2001 went the route of most SA builders, and bought a smashed Jaguar. The suspension was grafted onto the chassis, ensuring a smooth ride in the years to come. Next up was the motivation for his dream. The straight six would never do, so he invested in a 327 small block Chevy engine. Feeding the engine with air and fuel was the next project, and in those days everyone ran Weber or Holley carbs, but Chris was different. He wanted four SU carbs supplying the air, so he machined his own manifold. In 2007 he wanted to upgrade it to fuel injection, but again couldn’t find the right manifold. Back to the lathe he went and once again built his own, and years later it’s still working like a dream. With the engine sorted, the next job was getting the power onto the ground.

Again Chris chose the road less travelled. While everyone else would’ve gone for the T350 gearbox, he got his hands on a 200R4 six-speed auto box, with lock-up and an overdrive. The power was sent to the rear wheels through a Chevy 3.08 diff. The rear wheels are again different to the norm, with the Rocket wheels imported through Tiger Wheel and Tyre in Fordsburg in the 80’s. As far as he knows it’s the only set in South Africa, and looking at the wood-effect wheels, I can honestly say I’ve never seen any others quite like them.

Covered in 225/60/15’s they look perfect on the Pick-up. With that sorted, it was time for the body. Looking through the three Pick-ups he had, Chris was dismayed to see that none of the beds were up to his standards, so he did what he usually does and built his own out of sheet steel. The original bed catches were too big and clumsy for his new Pick-up so he designed his own system using seatbelt catches. It sounds weird, but it has never let him down and I am sure, if I ever get to build my own dream Pick-up, that I will definitely ‘borrow’ this idea. After hours of sanding and building, the Pick-up was ready for paintwork, and, with some small custom pieces like mini indicators in the front, it was sprayed in a perfect coat of Toyota firecracker red.

Underneath and outside, the car was spotless, but finally the interior had to be done. A different shape was massaged out of the original seat frames, and then covered with red and grey leather. The door panels were given the same treatment and the floor was covered in a high quality carpet (which was a good thing, as this car has seen some serious mileage). Between the seats, he hand-built a centre console housing the gear lever and a small parcel shelf, covered in the same grey leather as the seats and door panels. The interior roof houses the radio and some gauges, thereby cleaning up the dashboard, and keeping the inside looking classic. The steering would look strange to most people, but that is only because it was handmade from his wife’s kitchen broom handle (apparently she’s still upset about it).

After years of adventures and family trips in 2008, the Stepside at last changed hands, but it’s not as sad as you may think. Chris gave the Pick-up to his son, Chris Jnr, and the legacy continues. The Rod has done more than most other custom cars, from trips to the seaside where they rescued a couple of modern 4x4s stuck in the sand, to trips to the nationals. This Pick-up has done everything you could ask of it and more. It’s the perfect fun vehicle. So ask yourself when you’re building that ultimate Rod: where will your masterpiece be in 30 years? Will it have given you the love and memories the Hattingh Stepside has?

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