Some Assembly Required

IT ISN’T UNCOMMON FOR AN AFTERMARKET MANUFACTURER TO BUILD A FULLY CUSTOMIZED VEHICLE TO SHOW OFF ITS LATEST WARES. It’s something that happens on a rather grand scale every year at events like SEMA. What is uncommon, however, is building a vintage vehicle with nothing but non-vintage parts (more on that later), and having the founder of an influential paint company gravitate to the project by personally developing brand-new paint colors especially for the build.

While that might not be the usual way most truck projects go, it was most certainly the case with RetroManufacturing owner Steve Harrington’s personal ’52 Chevy Advance Design project. A few years ago, in 2014, Steve brought the truck out to SEMA to display in the RetroSound booth. While it was slated to be finished for the show, it arrived in flat black primer and had just been sprung from shop hell, a year-long sentence at a place that had no business taking on a paying customer’s ride (pro bono would’ve been too much payment). Even though the Chevy wasn’t in the best condition to be shown to a worldwide audience, Steve felt compelled to take the truck to Vegas anyway with the hope of rekindling the build spark.

James Tate, brand manager at RetroManufacturing, took time from his busy schedule to walk us through some of the high and low roads this Chevy project has traveled throughout the last few years. “It’s quite funny to think back to 2014 when we first brought the truck to SEMA. It was in primer, it didn’t even have a bed, and the interior wasn’t anywhere near to being complete. A painter had even come to the booth to do a pinstripe demo on it during the show. It’s just really weird to think that this is that same truck.”

Maybe fate or destiny was at play that year at SEMA, because James just happened to run into Jon Kosmoski, founder of House of Kolor (HOK), while he was browsing the company’s booth. “I introduced myself to Jon, and we chatted for a bit, and I mentioned the truck and that we would like to work with HOK on paint ideas. Surprisingly, he took a big interest in the build right away. Maybe he had one of these trucks in the past or maybe he saw such a blank canvas with the truck being in so much need of pretty much everything, but he jumped right in to help any way that he could.” House of Kolor just celebrated 60 years in business, which is a phenomenal feat in its own right. The brand has not only survived some troubling years in the automotive aftermarket, it’s thriving. For Jon to offer up so much of his time and resources to the project says a lot about his passion for a challenge.

But before the truck was even remotely ready for paint, the RetroManufacturing crew dragged the Chevy back home from the show and revisited the drawing board to assemble a refreshed plan of action. Back when the whole ordeal of the truck not being completed for SEMA was unfolding, both Steve and James were pretty much baffled by the incompetence they had witnessed, but the truck’s ultimate outcome was getting brighter by the day once the guys met with James “JJ” Pitts, shop manager at Findlay Customs in Henderson, Nevada. “After shopping around a bit to find a new shop to help with the second attempt to build the truck, we landed at Findlay, which is just down the street from our office,” James says. “It was great. They allowed me to go over and snap photos of the progress they were making, as they handled almost every aspect of the project from the suspension and engine work to the paint and body.” The change in partnerships presented a complete 180-degree transition, and the RetroManufacturing crew was finally starting to see real results in a timely manner by qualified craftsmen. Never has the concept of a blessing in disguise struck so close to home for an old, humbled Chevy pickup.

The truck attracted quite a bit of support while it was being pieced together, including Sirius XM, one of the major sponsors. Throughout the years, it’s been assembled completely from new parts and panels, received a custom chassis and all of the components needed to build an old-looking vehicle from brand-new parts. (If we hadn’t told you, you might not have believed it, right?) Dynacorn provided the bulk of the exterior parts, including the body, bed, hood, fenders and assorted sheet metal. LMC Truck was sourced to find those in-between pieces that helped make the truck whole. When it came time to spray paint, Jon stepped in not only to wrangle a complete paint supply package to coat the truck, but he offered to personally concoct two custom paint colors previously not offered in the HOK catalog. In fact, the colors might not be available to the general public even now, but he whipped up a batch specifically for Retro’s Chevy.

“I hadn’t realized when I first met Jon that House of Kolor was coming up on its sixtieth anniversary,” James admits. “I mentioned to Jon that he could take the reins with the paint aspect of the build as a way to celebrate the occasion. Of course, I didn’t expect for him to take to the idea as much as he did, but I can definitely say that we are so grateful he was excited to join our team. It was sure an honor.” The resulting paint hues are Titanium Silver and RetroBlue, and the latter shade has had a major impact on the truck’s fans. “We get at least one phone call every single day asking for the exact name of that blue,” James says. “The number of inquiries has been unbelievable, and I’m not exactly sure if Jon has been able to get it added to HOK’s regular menu or not, but it is something of a rarity at this point in time.”

Even though the paint turned out phenomenally, this truck still belonged to the owner of RetroManufacturing, and the company’s latest products just had to be showcased in full force to fulfill its service. A RetroSound Sirius XM-Ready Long Beach stereo was wired up, adding modern convenience to the listening experience with its Bluetooth and Apple compatibility while maintaining a classic appearance. RetroSound’s speakers, subs and amp have been wired up to complete the system, and to better seal in the crystal clear audio signal, RetroMat sound deadening material was used. To add to the list of amenities inside the cab, RetroSound’s flat glass power window kit was also installed, which includes everything required to roll the windows up and down with the touch of a button. The products they offer epitomize the overall unofficial theme of the truck, which revolves around the blending of true vintage appeal with the market’s latest parts and technological offerings. It’s an appealing mixture for sure, especially to truck fans who can appreciate the new just as much as the old.

It hasn’t exactly been a cakewalk to reach this point, but the truck came together better than most ever expected. Persistence pays off again. It’s amazing to see what sheer talent and execution can manage with what was essentially a heap of old-looking, new-stock products. “What we wanted to do was cook up something completely from scratch,” James concludes. “Instead of starting with an old truck and cutting it up to suit our needs, we went in the direction of a retro-mod type of approach, which is essentially what our brand is: developing modern components that are designed to work well with older vehicles.” Not only did the crew at RetroManufacturing accomplish what they set out to do, they also were able to pay homage to a highly influential figure in the custom auto world. Things usually fall right into place— eventually, sometimes—with enough persistence and a little luck, that is. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNER

Steve Harrington
RetroManufacturing
1952 Chevy 3100
Advance Design
Henderson, NV

ENGINE

• Shop: Findlay Customs
• GM Performance 6.2L LS3 crate engine
• Stock LS camshaft
• Be Cool polished aluminum radiator
• Stock LS intake with custom-polished, chrome-fabricated cold air setup
• Custom-fabricated headers with Magnaflow exhaust and mufflers
• ATI Performance 4L65E transmission with 3,200-rpm stall converter and controller
• Ford 9-inch rearend
• Custom engine cover
• RetroMat hood liner
• Old Air Products custom AC system
• Fuel tank by Rick’s Tanks

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

• Shop: Findlay Customs
• TCI aluminum frame
• Ride Tech front coilovers with double wishbone
• Ride Tech rear coilovers with straight axle Ford 9-inch
• Wilwood disc brakes with cross-drilled and slotted rotors

WHEELS & TIRES

• 18- and 20-inch Boyd Coddington Crown Jewel wheels with custom retro center caps
• 245/45R18 and 275/35R20 Yokohama S. Drive

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Findlay Customs
• House of Kolor custom paint colors RetroBlue and Titanium Silver personally mixed by HOK founder Jon Kosmoski
• HOK logo handpainted on tailgate
• Suspension and interior painted to match body
• One-piece split-less windshield
• Wood inside bed painted silver to match fenders
• Rear fenders widened
• Side air vents removed
• Shaved trim, badging, antenna hole and cowl vent
• Custom sheet metal inner fender wells by Bitchin’ Parts by Absolute Sheetmetal
• Dynacorn body, bed, hood and sheet metal panels
• Hard-to-find parts and pieces sourced from LMC Truck

INTERIOR & STEREO

• Shop: Findlay Customs & RetroManufacturing
• Power seats custom upholstered by Corona Concepts
• Custom door panels and headliner
• Dynacorn OE-style dash
• Dakota Digital gauges
• RetroBelt blue aviation-style lap belts
• Switch that enables 12-volt power from outside source to put truck in demo mode
• RetroManufacturing power windows with UW1 rollup kit
• CON2R custom steering wheel
• ididit billet adjustable steering wheel
• RetroSound Long Beach SiriusXMready head unit with built-in Bluetooth and Apple compatibility
• Hidden antenna
• USB extension cable in place of cigarette lighter
• RetroSound R series speakers
• RetroSound 8-inch subwoofers in truck-box-style boxes
• RetroSound Stereophonic threechannel amp
• RetroSound RetroMat sounddeadening material
• Custom-fabricated kick panels by Speaker Works

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thanks to Dynacorn for the body, bed, fenders, hood and sheet metal; Jon Kosmoski of House Of Kolor for the extremely special paint; TCI, Inc. for the aluminum frame; Old Air Products; Magnaflow; Rick’s Tanks; Ride Tech; American Republic Wheels; CON2R; Corona Concepts; Currie Enterprises; Dakota Digital; ididit, Inc.; LMC Truck; Sirius XM and Speaker Works.”

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