RYAN ABBOTT’S EYE-CATCHING CUSTOM ’53 CHEVY COE

There are a handful of vehicles that are so iconic that every gearhead on the planet knows them from bumper to bumper. These rides are usually completely custom, one-off designs that inspire generations after to build, recreate, and customize their own versions. Cars like the Batmobile, KITT and the General Lee, or huge vehicles like the Weinermobile and the Big Foot monster truck.

A builder and collector, Ryan Abbott, CEO of RodItAll.com from Carlock, Illinois, set out to build another one-off vehicle to wow and inspire as well as become his Roditall shop truck. Thus, the Flying Pickle was born.

Abbott had a year-long build ahead of him as he started with the $1,000 purchase of a 1953 Chevrolet Cab Over Engine truck that he located through McClean County Auto Salvage. The big trucks have been the target of many custom builds and restorations over the years, but this one was in for a very unique overhaul all on its own. In Abbott’s own words, the Chevy was in extremely bad shape upon purchase, but that didn’t faze him with the plans he had in mind and his familiarity with custom builds through the years. Doing all the work himself would take time, understanding from his wife Cindy, and support from Dustin Kistner and the Roditall crew.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The chassis would have to be totally fabricated and blended together with other frames to suit the needs of the large truck he had planned. Marrying half of a 1-ton Chevy frame into the rest of the custom fabricated frame would take some doing but would lend strength and stability to the 125-inch wheel-base. Up front, Abbott incorporated a beefy ’85 Chevy 3500 front axle, keeping the stock differential for the 4WD system. The rear end would take some more fabrication to work into the design. Abbott created a totally custom trailing arm set up complete with Panhard bar and Air Lift Dominator springs to support the ’74 14-bolt rear axle stuffed with diesel friendly 3.23 gears. To get the COE rolling, Abbott went with polished aluminum 19.5-inch Eagle Alloy series 056 Dually wheels all the way around, wrapped in Goodyear 225/70R19.5 G124’s in the rear and Yokohama 225/70R19.5 fronts.

With the chassis fabrication complete, Abott was now ready to turn his attention to the powerplant for the big green bombshell he was preparing to drop. Having plenty of experience installing Cummins 12-valve engines in his custom vehicles, Abbott found a ’93 5.9 L for the heart of his beast. A few modifications would get the green streak burning rubber while maintaining reliability to perform as his shop truck. Abbott outfitted the motor with an M&H Inc fuel pin #5 fuel plate, AFC modifications, and 3,000 RPM governor springs. He also relocated the intercooler to the side of the frame. This package works well for the shop truck providing plenty of power for towing or hauling with an estimated 300 horsepower and around 600 pound feet of torque, so it still gets good economy too. The Cummins engine is backed by an Allison transmission to reliably put the power to the wheels cruising at low speeds in parades or blasting down the inter-state in overdrive.

The custom fabrication was far from over as Abbott began turning his attention to the body. The existing COE cab was chopped in half and grafted with a five window cab which was mounted with hydraulics to the frame to enable the whole cab to tilt forward for easy access and display of the engine bay. The bed was completely fabricated to be six inches wider in the rear as well as at the fenders to balance the look of the truck. With extensive custom cutting, welding, grinding and body work, Abbott had sculpted the old ‘53 into a one-off beauty. But, he wanted to make the whole rig grab your eye from a mile away.

Doing all the beautiful bodywork himself, Abbott managed to make the cut and chopped amalgam of parts ranging from the 50’s to the 90’s look seamless. It was as if the factory had churned it out, yet you wouldn’t ever see another one exactly like it. But all the careful detail would be lost without a vibrant paintjob to draw the eye and highlight the curves. When Abbott came across the Lime Squeeze color, he knew it was meant to be. With the pale electric green sprayed onto the curvy truck, the name slapped Abbott in the face, as he pictured the big quirky green pickle of a truck flying down the road. Fogler Signs whipped up the branding and name graphics to christen the machine while Brandon Lovell expertly scribed the flares of pinstriped accents. Complete with the eccentric logo emblazoned onto the doors and crowning bursts of hot rod pinstriping through-out, the Flying Pickle was born.

Leaving no detail spared, Abbott turned his attention to the interior of his classic cruiser creation. The bright paint shines across the steel dash inside the cab, pairing nicely with the black leather covering the bench seat and top half of the billet steering wheel. Abbott kept with the DIY approach when he recovered ‘85 Chevy seats himself. With Kaine Hilt providing the wood, Abbott made custom door cards and a headliner out of beautiful wood paneling, adding a subtle class and retro vibe to the hot rod truck. To give the truck some tunes, he installed a new head unit in the steel dash along with performance speakers for the mids and highs and a pair of subs behind the seat. Installing a set of analog Dolphin Gauges gives Abbott all the info he needs while rounding off the slick interior.

Though the Flying Pickle sounds like the name of an appetizer from a ‘50s diner, the name will likely stick in the head of anyone that catches a glimpse of the huge, curvy, powerful, cruiser hot rod. But this custom flagship vehicle is anything but a slouch, driving about 1,000 miles every month hauling parts, engines, cars, and even musicians on a trailer through parades. Abbott had a clear picture in mind when he found the decrepit ’53 Chevy COE and through a year of hard work, custom fabricating almost every square inch of the truck, he made the picture come to life. The Flying Pickle is a showstopper and jaw-dropper, whether it’s burning rubber on the road, showing off at the shows, or hauling parts across the highways, and will be indelibly inked in our minds as one of the most unique diesel builds we’ve ever seen. UDBG

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