1951 CHEVROLET PICKUP – COPACETIC

From time to time, a truck is built that comes together so perfectly that it is almost a piece of art rather than a form of transportation. Like a Hollywood starlet, these trucks cause jaws to drop, hearts to race, and palms to sweat. Scott Anderson of Denver, Colorado, wanted a truck that made people stop in their tracks and he knew the exact shop to do the work. Cope Design, also in Denver, took Scott’s 1951 Chevy pickup and transformed it into a rolling masterpiece.

The first step in the build process was to scrap the factory frame. To replace this, a call was made to Roadster Shop and a full frame was ordered. The frame came with a Corvette C6 front clip and the guys at Cope added a set of Wilwood six-piston disc brakes to it. In the rear, a four-link with a Panhard bar offers a great ride, while another set of Wilwoods provide the stopping power. Enveloping the massive Wilwood brakes is an equally impressive set of Raceline Explosion 22×8½ and 22×12-inch wheels. Since the beautiful frame would be hidden by the cab, the guys wasted no time getting to work on the body.

Of the body panels, the only piece salvaged was the cab. After ordering all new panels, the long, tedious process began to make every piece laser-straight and line up perfectly. The goal was to paint the truck black with blue real-fire flames, and as any bodyman will tell you, black is the most unforgiving color, so mistakes weren’t an option. In the bed, the team decided to take another set of bed fenders and cut them down to act as wheelwells. Finally, the painting could commence. The first coat to go down was the BASF Carizzma Black. Custom-mixed candy blue real-fire flames followed this up and the whole truck was sealed in with several coats of clear.

Moving to the powerplant, Scott wanted to make a statement when the hood was popped. To accomplish this, a 502ci RamJet engine from GM was ordered. After mating the big-block with a Turbo 400 trans, it was dropped into the truck. A Hogan fuel injected intake manifold mixes fuel and cold air before directing it into the beast of an engine. A pair of Sanderson headers route the hot gasses away.