Imperfectly Perfect 1951 Chevrolet Panel Truck Is Beach-Ready: Video

Corvette Mike, as his name would suggest, specializes in selling Chevrolet Corvettes. Even the rare ones. Since this is the case, we’re wondering what he’s doing with this 1951 Chevrolet Panel Truck on the lot. We’re not hating, though. For starters, it’s unique, and – our favorite part – it’s powered by an LS1 that’s matted to a built 700R automatic transmission. The upgraded power is matched by an air-ride suspension, power brakes.

On paper, it sounds pretty solid, though, according the description, “it runs and drives well, but needs some finishing touches to make it great.” That’s not to say that there hasn’t been a good amount of work already put into it. Aside from the performance enhancements this old school Chevrolet truck has a pretty sharp looking amber interior with bucket seats, custom center counsel, suede headliner, Dynamat sound deadening, and a custom rear hatch with a Cadillac opening mechanism.

We really dig the color scheme, it sort of looks like a retro version of the Opel Vivaro Surf Concept. The chrome wheels and whitewall tires give it a nice, clean look. That being said, this truck is certainly what you would call a “10 footer.” If you pay close attention to the body of the truck, you can see the body work is far from perfect. To be honest, we’re ok with this. The function of such a truck, in our opinion, is to take an enjoyable trip to the beach in a spacious vehicle that can fit everything you’d need. It makes sense to not do this in a top-of-the-line vehicle only to cover it in sand and dirty it up with post-beach funk. All the while you’re still turning heads as on-lookers stare with curiosity and awe, so no harm there, right?

Some may feel that there’s no point in doing something unless you’re going to do it right, and we see the reasoning for it. Us? Well, we just wanna see what this truck feels like after the LS1 transplant. Let us know what you think after you’ve watched the video.