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Built With Speedway Motors: Wolf's '53 Chevy Custom

3/27/2023
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This '53 Chevy has had a ton of work done to make it look this good.

There’s a lot going on with this ’53 Chevy. A lot of history, a lot of work. A lot of memories of late nights with friends, long road trips, and daily drives. What else would you expect from a full custom ’53 Chevy built by a guy named Wolf?

We shot Wolf's car early on a Cars and Coffee morning in Phoenix.

His real name is Fernando, but everyone in the Phoenix car scene knows him as Wolf, and he’s had this Chevy for more than 30 years. We caught up with him at a Cars and Coffee event at our Tolleson, AZ location and snapped these photos and got the scoop on this killer Chevy.

The front of a '53 Chevy doesn't need much but a simple nose job to look good.

Like most good customs, the restyling happened gradually as time and money would allow. At first Wolf wanted to do a Merc, but his friends reminded him that he already had a good, stock ’53 Chevy sitting around that would make a great custom. So he dug up old photos of arguably the best and most famous ’53-’54 Chevy custom from the old days; Duane Steck’s Moonglow. While not a full-on clone, you can see the inspiration in the big chop and scalloped blue paint job.

The wild interior is covered in blue 'flake vinyl.

The hooded headlights and fins around the Packard taillights were made in the time-honored custom tradition by forming sheet metal around a structure of steel rods. The skirts were handmade from an old hood that had just the right shape to it. And we have to talk about the top, or lack of one. This car started life as a 2-door sedan, but Wolf removed the whole top and replaced it with a lift-off hardtop. In fact, he’s made three of them. The first met with a bad storm and actually flew off the car while rolling down the road. The second didn’t match the lines of the car, so he’s now working on top number three, which wasn’t fitted when these pictures were taken.

And how about that chop. “I didn’t want it to be subtle,” says Wolf. “Lot’s of guys will go to a ton of work to take out an inch or two. I wanted a dramatic chop that would fit the lines of the car.” I seems like a lot, but look back at old shots of the Moonglow and you’ll see that it’s just right.

Dig that crazy steering wheel!

The original 216 was both heavy and slow, so Wolf yanked it in favor of a 350/350 combo that he says “flies” on the highway. The rear is a custom 2-link setup built around a first-gen F-body 10 bolt. It’s all simple and reliable, perfect for a driver.

Packard taillights are a timeless custom touch.
We love the car's aggressive profile.

At times, this Chevy has been Wolf’s daily. He’s logged a ton of miles road tripping to shows with friends. We asked him if he had a favorite memory from his three decades with his Chevy, and he had a hard time picking one. It’s been an extra in movies and commercials. It was a legend in the neighborhood for the flamethrowers fitted to the tailpipes. It’s been featured in several magazines. “There are just so many memories,” he said. A lot of us can relate to that.

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