55.2-59 1957 3100 ElNegro AKA "The Black"

[1957 Chief]

Wanted to introduce myself to you folks over here in the 47-59 forums. I am usually hanging out over in the 73-87 forums, but I am finally gonna finish up my 1957 truck and would like to share it with you all.

Anyways my real name is Bubba and I am blessed to be able to work on these old Chevy trucks. Started out wrenching on them at a young age with my grand father's 1949 3100 (which I now own). In high school I drove a 1953 3100 and had to work on it just about every day to keep it runnin. In 1991 I joined the USAF and all I wanted to do was work on airplanes, and I got my wish.

I was first stationed in Georgia where I met my wife of 31 years and where her dad found a 1957 3100 for me. In 1996 I made the deal for $50 bucks and the rest is history. At that stage in life we were young and I was on the move alot, so all I did in GA was acquire parts for the truck. I wanted a fleet side bed, because there weren't many getting built, and I wanted shaved door handles & emblems and no drip rail, cause that was "cool."

In 1998 We moved to Arkansas and I brought the truck with me. This is where I was able to put patch panels in it, fix the rust in the truck and primer it all black (hence the name ElNegro). I was also able to graft a 1981 Camaro clip onto the frame. I later put an LT4 fuel injected motor from a 96 corvette in the truck. Then my son was born in 2001 and soon after 9/11 hit, and everything got put on the back burner. For the next 10 years or so, the truck sat in various states of completion/repair.

In 2006 we moved up to NJ (my daughter was born there as well) and I went overseas several times. We all moved back to Arkansas in 2011 and thanksgiving of that year I took the truck to a good friends shop and we were fired up to work on it. I decided to put an LS in it with a 6-speed manual, a hoop bar and some big brakes. Well that morphed into a full roll cage, supercharged LS, air ride, narrowed/stretched chassis and a host of other things. When I left to go back overseas in 2014 told my buddy to finish it while I was gone and handed him a CC. I got back in 2015 and it wasn't finished so I jus loaded the truck up, and took it home. My brother later convinced me to get back on it and we were able to paint it in early 2016. We also added the door handles back

In 2016 I retired after 25 years in the USAF and I was working on the truck to finish it, but I started a business with a buddy and had to put the truck back into storage. In 2020 I built a shop with intentions of having a place to store and work on my stuff. Well then all my friends started showing up and needing stuff done on their rides, so again the truck got pushed back in the corner and under a cover. Ive had lots of folks ask to buy it, and thought about it several times, but I just couldn't do it. Not many 57's out there....

So to wrap all this up, in June/July of this year, 4 of my best friends showed up and FORCEFULLY told me to stop working on everyone else's stuff and finish ElNegro. So I finished up what was in the shop and have turned down a bunch of work to finally finish this truck. Life sure does get in the way of workin on these trucks, and I hope to finish it next year so i can enjoy it. I wont bore you with 30 years of details, but here are a few pics of the truck along the way. Ill add some more posts soon on what state the truck is in now and what is in store.

Thanks for the opportunity to tell the story of this truck. I know we all get discouraged from time to time, either from things that keep breaking, being overwhelmed with what needs to be done, finding more rust, running out of money, getting the short end of the stick from friends, and just life getting in the way, but its always good to see others push through and get these trucks done.

I know reading threads has motivated and helped me in the past, so its time to help someone else...and I hope Im able to do so.

Bubba