DELIVERANCE – NIGEL SHIELES 1952 CHEVY DELIVERY
When hot rod and automotive culture devotee Nigel Sheiles decided to build a custom unlike any on the current radar, he knew that it had to be an exception to the rule. Individual, remarkable, and unforgettable… for all the right reasons. Judging by the reaction to the finished vehicle, he nailed his self-set brief. “I wanted to build something different that no one else has got,” was his mission statement.
To avoid duplication of anything he had seen before, Nigel set his sights on acquiring a vehicle seldom seen customised as his blank canvas, a lowly commercial Chevy sedan delivery. After fruitless efforts scouring one of America’s premier swap meets, Pomona, and dead-end dealings from private sellers, the Chevy was located on eBay. After the ’52 touched down into Brisbane, it was put on a 12-month hiatus until Nigel and fellow Redneck Scrounger club member, Juice, could nut out a desired plan of transformation.
As the decommissioned delivery was eventually dismantled, the corroded condition of the car was uncovered. Just like an onion bringing tears to your eyes, layer-by-layer resulted in more pain. On return from the sandblasters it was deemed a basket case. Thankfully for Nigel, Juice is metal basket master! Once the first angle grinder barked into life at ‘Juice’s Customs’ well-equipped workshop, it would be almost four years of hard labour, head scratching and patience testing before the green eyed creation would emerge.
With a Series 1 XJ Jaguar donor car on standby for parts, the rebuild commenced from the ground up starting with upgrading the original frame using Jag underpinnings. New Gabriel shocks, King springs and nolathane bushes breathe life back into the old IFS while out back, Jag coilovers complete the factory-developed setup. Jag disc brakes on all four paws are actuated by a custom created pedal assembly plumbed by Ken Hickey. It’s hard to roll without wheels and as a nod to the updated undercarriage, front exposed wires are Jaguar originals with splined hubs and knock-offs, with a pair of Cragar 7” mags hidden at the rear.
Nigel sourced the 383 Chevy stroker power plant from White’s Racing Engines in California, dressed with enough shiny bits to dazzle the eyes. The tough mill is fed by a 750 cfm Quick Fuel carby delivered through an Edelbrock intake. MSD ignites the go juice with expired gas exiting via a set of headers custom crafted by Ken Hickey. A polished serpentine pulley system keeps the volts alive and the cabin cool. Power transfer to the 2.90 ratio IRS is directed via a Turbo 700R4 that was prepped by Jerry’s Transmissions, also in Cali.
With the rolling frame squared away, it was onto the fun stuff… the body! Nigel’s vision for the ‘52 was to stand out in a crowd and look good doing it, so body mods were a must. “I said to Juice I wanted it to sit 100mm lower at the front and 130mm lower in back. At last measure it is 80-95!”
After most of the rusted floor was replaced, Juice reached for the sawsall and let rip. Many blades later resulted in five inches removed from the huge side panel and windscreen frame. Once the doors were trimmed to match the new height, the rear window glass was lowered to align with the body swage. Just to make things a little more interesting the side doors were changed to suicide style and the cargo door now opens vertically instead of to the side. With the lowered lid achieving the desired visual appeal, it also dictated that the stock bonnet would require similar augmentation. Now pancaked, it also sports reversed opening scoops similar to those occasionally seen on 50s Mercury customs. Familiarity without being common. Frenched headlights on the other hand are an expected practice and well executed.
Stepping back and admiring their handiwork, both parties agreed that the almost completed bodywork still lacked a little wow factor. It wasn’t until Juice was on the horn to a USA wrecking yard that he decided to add a pair of 1950 Cadillac rear quarters to his order on a hunch that they would be the missing ingredient. Once mocked into place, they were both sold on the idea instantly, although Nigel was adamant that they needed more bulk so two inches of fresh steel was seamlessly welded into the length of the quarters. To complete their new grafted on additions, Juice replaced each lower fender lip with the stock Chevy wheel arch to accept original bowtie spats, epitomising the lead sled look.
Due to the extra width of the delivery’s new buxom form, reattaching the original rear bumper would be like putting Jay Lo in a G-string. Appealing as that sounds, it just doesn’t cover! An appropriate solution was to locate an original 1950 Cadillac bumper that required minimal modification for a perfect fit. Bookending the rear bar, the delivery retains its original front protector with added overrider teeth. Nigel sourced additional overriders which were cut and shut to create the curved grin before they were re-chromed.
These additions along with Juice’s body modifications set the delivery on a pedestal of unmatched individualism, but add to that the unique labour intensive exterior finish and it blows all others away. While employed under the ‘Juice’s Customs’ banner, Ken Hickey stepped up to lay down the delivery’s signature paintwork using House of Kolor candy over base green. Once satisfied with the overall final finish, Stewart Vimpani was called in to add the black fade to the lower edge and airbrush the ghostly true-fire flames. Unmasked, the entire masterpiece was bathed in 30 or so coats of clear before the guns were holstered. Rubbed and buffed, it’s a work of art that illuminates at will in changing light.
Inside didn’t miss out on the festivities either with an interior cockpit that simply makes most admirers spinout. Most notable is the 1959 Chevy dash that’s been dissected and massaged into position and it literally glows. The metalflake finished marvel is outfitted with modern day monitors from Autometer, complemented with a custom built console that houses all the mod-cons including a reversing camera. Ken Hickey was also given the unenviable task of completely harnessing all electrical components. With an enormity of neon styled LED lights stretching the entire length of the vehicle, state of the art sound system, remote controlled self-opening doors and electronically operated exhaust cut-outs to name but a few, to say that the job was epic would be an understatement.
Whist Ken was tied up in multi coloured spaghetti, Steve de Ruyter from SS Trimming was elbows deep in swathes of cream and brown vinyl, stitching up a storm. Both front and rear seats are custom made and all pivot forward allowing passenger access or extra cargo area. Green wool carpet continues the green colour palette underfoot, while miles of cream vinyl overhead is split by a spacecraft-inspired custom roof console. Neon illumination casts an eerie glow throughout the delivery that dances off the ‘Finkster Green’ flaked dash and overhead creation.
Finished just prior to one of Nigel’s favourite events, the New Zealand Beach Hop, he ditched all the local Queensland shows and shipped his completed custom to NZ accompanied by a posse of club members. With only five miles on the odometer, it was a hell of a shake down, but Nigel participated in all driving activities without a hitch. Just to participate with his own custom was profoundly rewarding, but when his creation was awarded Best Car of the event he was overwhelmed.
Back home the customised commercial continues to deliver the goods with silverware awarded at most outings. For Nigel, it’s a driver that he enjoys at every opportunity. He also says that it came at a cost well beyond the workshop and paint booth.
“Now when my understanding wife Karen wants something, she just points to the delivery and asks. So far it’s cost me a boat, a Bali hut and matching bar!”
