So you spend all your spare time building a rod, pour a bunch of money into it, and end up selling it – then what? If you’re Pete Scialabba (whose father bought him his first car – a Model A – when he was just 10 years old nearly 40 years ago), you reach back into your collection of rodding material and begin to work on something new! That’s what happened after Pete sold his all-steel ’34 three-window at Pleasanton in 1996, which left him rodless.
As it turns out, he wasn’t completely without – he also had a ’40 Ford pickup he’d owned for the past three years. Though it had a small-block Chevy motor already in place, it still had the original rearend and a beaten up bed (like most work trucks). Pete had brought the ’40 out of a backyard, where it had been in residence for the previous 10 years. He began collecting parts from swap meets around the state (a door here, a fender there) and slowly began piecing together a straight truck. The big break came when Pete picked up a pre-assembled truck bed from MAC Products – all he had to do is pick the type of wood he wanted!
Construction began, with Pete getting some help from his friends Wayne Laliberte (who helped with the assembly). An ’82 Corvette 350 motor was located, gone through at A&A Auto (San Jose, CA), then assembled by Marty Sakimoto. Pete also worked on the chassis, adding a Fat Fendered Mustang II IFS up front and Posies read springs plus a ’57 Ford 9-inch from a Ranchero.
When it came time to decide on a theme for the truck, Pet knew exactly what he wanted. He remembered the Champion Speed Shop push truck from the Fremont Drags back in the ‘60s, and wanted his ride to be painted the same way: red, with little black ‘n’ white Tommy "The Greek" graphics.
Kevin Williams got the call to paint the truck, and he used a Deltron Indy Red to achieve the desired effect. Solid wheels (15 X 5 and 15 X 8) were color-matched to the truck, wrapped with Michelin whitewalls, then topped with Ford ‘caps. The truck was looking sharp, so Pete knew he had to finish it off with a great looking interior. He got that after calling on Rich Santana, who also lives and works in Pete’s hometown of San Jose, California. Rich has worked on many street rods, including many of the high-profile cars that have been featured in the Oakland Roadster Show. Rich began by covering the headliner and door panels with a tan vinyl that is used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. He also made up a custom bench seat, then covered it with the same material. For the carpeting, Rich used a tan German square-weave material that looks both functional and elegant at the same time.
Pete’s goal was to finish the truck and be able to attend the Goodguys Pleasanton show – one year after starting the project. With only a few days before his self-imposed deadline, Pete took the truck to famed pinstriper Herb Martinez, who added "The Greek" style black ‘n’ white stripes above the headlights, the base of the front fender, the truck bed’s sides, and beltline. Even though it’s a simple truck with a simple theme, the result is stunning.
At the Pleasanton show, Pete says he was "overwhelmed" by the favorable comments people offered about the truck. But when they turn out this nice, people tend to sit up and take notice, which is why Pete won one of the STREET RODDER Top Ten awards at the show. Not one to sit back and rest on his laurels, he’s already began work on yet another project: a ’46 Ford convertible. He bought it 9 months ago from the second owner who, in turn, had bought it from the original owner in 1972. Some guys have all the luck! SRM
Rich Santana (San Jose, CA) is responsible for the sano interior upholstery. He used Mercedes-Benz tan vinyl on the headliner and door panels, as well as the bench seat he built. Down below, he laid out a tan-colored German square-weave carpet to finish things off. Elsewhere, the owner installed Stewart Warner gauges in a filled dash, as well as a tilt steering column from a ’75 Chevy van.
The ’82 Chevy Corvette engine was machined at A&A Auto (San Jose, CA), and assembled by Marty Sakimoto using TRW 10:1 pistons, ported and polished ’70 Chevy heads, TRW dual springs, and stock pink rods. Induction is achieved through a Rochester – 750-cfm carb and an Edelbrock Performer manifold, with spent gasses exiting through Sanderson headers and 2-inch-stainless steel tubing.
You can’t get a ’40 Ford truck to sit much better than this! Pete’s hauler uses a Fat Fendered Mustang II IFS up front and Posies springs out back. The ride rolls on color-matched Solid wheels (15 X 5 and 15 X 8), which are shod with Michelin rubber. Kevin Williams applied the Deltron Indy Red paint, with Herb Martinez following with Tommy "The Greek" style pinstriping
Dominator Motorsports (creators of that fantastic, yellow, all-steel three-window ’40 Ford coupe that won the Al Slonaker Award at Oakland’96) has teamed with NorCal bodyman Mickey Falloway and DuPont Custom Finishes to build the "DuPont Domination". The fenderless, hand-built, Experimental Class roadster will be competing for the coveted, 9-foot , America’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy at this year’s Oakland Roadster show.
Many other talents have been tapped to help create a winner as well; Art Himsl for paint and graphics, Rich Santana for interior, a big-block V-8 from GM Performance Parts, and large-diameter billet rollers from Colorado Custom Wheels, to name a few.
Why a Chevy mechanic who owns a ’40 Ford pickup may be something of a mystery but, when they end up looking this sharp, who cares? Pete Scialabba, from nearby San Jose, rolled into the Pleasanton event with his read pick ‘em up, which was outfitted with wide whites, color-matched rims, and a very clean Rich Santana interior.
