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We love seeing a well-built and well cared for driver car, especially one that’s a little out of the norm. When we saw the video by Concept One that shows off Darryl Redd’s 1957 Chevrolet, we had to get in touch with them to find out more. Even though the Tri-Five Chevy is a staple in the hot rod community, this one kept something that most do not.
Although we see a lot of Tri-Five Chevys, especially the '57s, we don't see a lot of the 150 models. Their trim and paint scheme is definitely unique!
This 150 model, which was the baseline option in 1957 is interesting, because most times, even if a hot-rodder starts with a 150 model, most of the time it is cloned into a 210 or Bel Air version.
“A lot of people think that it’s a ’55 Chevy,” Darryl told us. “They aren’t used to trim like this.” The two tone color and trim are also done in a way that makes them stand out, even in a crowd of other ’57 Chevys.
Darryl picked this up this 150 about eight years ago and bought it as a driver. “It had a good body with a few little problems on the bottom end,” he explained. “It had the old drum brakes on it and the project had already been started, but wasn’t quite where I wanted it.” Since he bought it, Darryl has worked to make the car his own.
This is a good view of the clean look provided by one of Concept One's front runner systems. In this case it's one from their Victory series.
When he acquired the car, it was all one color, and he added the two-tone treatment with the white on the back. “I was actually fixing to put an LS in it,” he told us. “I pulled the engine and found that it’s a 1967-vintage, 327 cubic-inch, 350 horsepower engine. That’s just too good an engine to take out and leave.” He also has a 750 cfm Holley carburetor fueling it, and a four-speed manual transmission behind the small powerhouse.
Darryl started the touch-up work on his project by replacing a few of the rusted braces on the frame. From there, he went to the suspension and rebuilt the front with all new bushings. He also upgraded to disc brakes and power steering with a Delphi 14:1-ratio gearbox. “It’s a lot quicker and real smooth,” Darryl told us how much he likes the new power steering system. “It’s a lot like late-model rack-and-pinion steering.”
From the classic 327 cubic-inch engine and four-speed transmission, to the aluminum torque-thrust-style wheels, this 150 exemplifies classic style and hot rod heritage.
For cabin comfort, Darryl added a Vintage Air A/C system and an ididit tilt-steering column. There is also a set of extra gauges to monitor the engine amps, oil, and temperature. “It turned out to be an excellent car,” he told us. “It’s great that I can get out and drive it, and it gets a lot of attention and thumbs up. It’s just a fun car to drive.”
The ididit steering column certainly adds a more modern look to the classic interior.
Of course, Darryl has a Concept One front-runner pulley system on the car. The system he used is from the Victory series and is available for small-block, big-block, and LS engines. “It’s our top end kit, and real tight looking,” he said. “It cleans the front of the engine up real nice.”
