Jason Riner is a talented guy. He owns Jason's Paint and Body Shop in Warm Springs, Virginia and likes to build a project vehicle every couple of years as a way of showcasing the talents of the family business. Even though he's created several magazine quality vehicles in the past, this 1953 Chevrolet pickup is one he always wanted. "Those others were just buying me time until I got to this one," he told us. We know about that! Sometimes you have to wait for the right one to come along.

Jason found the truck in a Trader magazine and felt the seller didn't know what he had, especially when the price was only $250. Of course, there was lots of hard work and more than 8 ½ months before the basket case reached these pages. The floorboards and firewall were rusted out but Jason planned on replacing them anyway. The bed was too far gone to rebuild and a new one was ordered from LMC Trucks. Repro front and rear fenders also simplified the frame-off restoration. Jason retained the central section of the frame supporting the cab, molding it for looks and boxing it for strength. Z-notched rails were added up front to accept the modern tubular A-arm suspension and 6" C-notched rails were added in the rear to accommodate the late model 9-inch Ford with Mosier axles and 3.73 Positraction internals. While he was at it, he raised the bed floor 8 inches and repositioned the gas tank between the new rear rails. The truck's rocker-slammin' stance comes from an Air Ride Technologies system that dumped almost a foot off the vintage Chevy's too-tall profile, thanks to the adjustable struts on all four corners. Twin Viair 480 compressors fill the single 5-gallon reserve tank and activate the struts through quarter inch lines and Parker valves. For modern stopping power, Jason added disk brakes from No Limit Engineering with 13s up front and 12s in the rear.

Once the suspension was in place, Jason began beautifying the engine room prior to installing the 350 Ram Jet V-8 crate motor. The firewall was cleaned up and the eye-catching inner fender panels were smoothed, tubbed, molded, and painted to match the exterior. Engine additions included March pulleys, K&N air filter, Hedman Headers and Flowmaster mufflers with an Afco radiator keeping temps of the 375 HP motor in the green. A Turbo 350 trans with a B&M shift kit gets the power to the stylish 22 inch Retro rims from Intro wheels. Once the chassis and power train were complete, the body was next.

The front end uses a repro Chevrolet grille, now show chromed. Repro fenders, running boards, and bed speeded the build process. Side doors were converted to a single pane of glass and new glass added throughout. Interior mods began with seats from a 1991 Escort, cut, re contoured, and upholstered in glove soft tan leather. Rickamin's Upholstery in Hot Springs handled the stitch work, adding suede accents to the seats, door panels, head liner, and rear of the cab. The reconfigured dash is now a combination of old and new with Jason leaving the stock Chevrolet imprint in the dash but welding up almost everything else. The gauges are from Dakota Digital, the steering column is from ididit, and the Intro steering wheel matches the rims. A modern addition, the molded-in monitor, is a 7-inch screen from Pyle and augments the flip face stereo head unit from JVC. The truck will soon have a pair of rear-mounted amps and multiple speakers throughout the cab. Power windows, electric door locks, and all the latest modern conveniences transform the '53 into a comfortable, modern day, grand tourer.

Paint is always the perfect finishing touch and Jason was really impressed by the new Dupont Hot Hues palette. Their Aztec Yellow Pearl Metallic makes the '53 a stand out in any crowd. Sometimes it takes a while before you finally create your personal masterpiece but now that it's complete, Jason says this truck was worth the wait! Future plans are to upgrade the stereo over the winter with a new leather wrapped, center console that will connect the dash to the new rear sub enclosure. Special thanks goes to Timmy Hepler, Gary Utz, Glen Hiner, and Greg Pritt for their help in creating Jason's dream truck.

Shout Out: "Thanks to Joe and ESM for the feature!" -Jason Riner