Lets face it, it's hard to improve on the Harry Bentley Bradley-designed '67-68 Chevys. In his own words he said, "There are few cars that are as well tailored and as carefully refined in their styling as that '67 truck is." Nevertheless, owners or builders are always pushing the envelope to what kind of modifications they can get away with that will actually improve the overall look on these trucks. Shaving side markers or door handles is one thing, but removing the gutters and factory seams and creases from the roof is certainly another. When we heard that Scott Bonowski and the crew at Hot Rods & Hobbies in Torrance, California, were performing just such a feat, we had to pop in and see just how it was going to come out.
Hot Rods & Hobbies is now in their 10th year, and their facility has expanded to 10,000 square feet. They offer one-stop shopping for show-quality paint, concourse quality restoration, custom body fabrication, and turnkey-built-to-order hot rods. During our visit to the shop, we witnessed expert metalwork being performed on Mustangs, Mercs, Ferraris, Fat Fendereds, and even a classic truck or two.
We've seen the gutters shaved off of roofs before; the difficult part is getting the final product to look so good that the average truck guy has to look at it for a minute to figure out what modifications have been performed. With '67-72 trucks in particular, the two-piece-style door with the slender doorframe presents a particular problem when you slice off the gutters. Basically, the gutter masks the fact that the frame sits slightly lower than the outer sheetmetal. After cutting, you are left with uneven surfaces in some areas and large gaps in others. Check out the photos to see how Scott and his crew handled the situation in a manner that even Harry Bentley Bradley approves of. It's true; Mr. Bradley has seen the truck since all of the major mods were performed, and he told Scott that he was impressed with the style changes and that they had been done tastefully. With affirmation like that, you know you're doing something right!
