Images compliments of Gregg’s son Brent Doerfler.

They say that passions, characteristics and interests run in families, but for Gregg Doerfler, it wasn’t until after he had a family of his own that he found his automotive passion truly shared by some of his loved ones. Ironically, his story starts long before his three sons came along, however, and begins with the love of Tri Five Chevys and his ‘56 Sedan Delivery.

A couple months ago, Doerfler contacted us about his vehicle, and while the pictures of his ‘56 Chevy Sedan Delivery were impressive, it was actually the story of the beloved vehicle and Doerfler’s family’s involvement that truly drew us in.

Lucky for us, Doerfler was more than willing to tell us everything we wanted to know and share his personal passion-filled story with us.

An Early Passion

“My dad didn’t understand me or my car craze at all,” Doerfler told us in a recent phone conversation. But that didn’t deter Doerfler at all. In fact, if anything, it inspired more love for the automotive industry, as is often the case with self-discovered passions.

“I’ve been loving cars from when I could crawl and push them around,” Doerfler said.

With his passion so deeply ingrained, Doerfler turned to model cars to learn the ins and outs of modifying vehicles as a young kid. When it was time to purchase his first car, it was a 1957 210 2-door post car that caught his eye and Doerfler’s love for Tri Fives exploded.

Finding the Perfect Home

From a young love to a passion-driven hobby, Doerfler moved from owning just one Tri Five to buying and selling parts for 55s through 57s. Along the way, several cars were acquired, leading to a collection of more than 20. It was in this buying and selling streak that Doerfler got word of the Sedan Delivery.

“I traded a ‘64 Malibu SS for the Sedan Delivery that had half the engine in the back of it and towed it home,” Doerfler told us. “That was 37 years ago.”

From a torn apart classic, the Sedan Delivery turned into a project car- one that always took a back seat to Doerfler’s growing family. When his first and second sons were old enough, they drove the car throughout high school.

The Delivery was then torn down again and the engine was used in various other project vehicles the Doerflers had going at the time, including a 1963 Nova drag car and a Chevy Caprice. By the time the car was moved to a different state and put back together, Doerfler’s youngest son was 26 and he finally got the opportunity to drive his dad’s beloved vehicle.

All Those Mechanics

With the determination to make the Sedan Delivery into what he always wanted it to be, Doerfler built up the engine, suspension and transmission.

Under the hood of the Delivery, you’ll find a 350ci Chevy small block with a mild Lunatti camshaft, stock steel heads, an Edelbrock torquer and 650cfm carburetor, and powder coated Headman headers, as well as an MSD distributor and ignition. This is backed by a Turbo 400 transmission with a shift kit, giving the old Chevy between 330 and 350hp and 300lb-ft of torque.

Supporting the drivetrain are 2-inch drop spindles, Addco sway bars, and power front disc brakes. Unfortunately, Doerfler began losing his eyesight in 1999 and by April of 2011, he had lost most of his vision in both eyes.

Unfinished but looking fine, this is how Doerfler saw his ’56 painted for the first time after his sons took over the build project.

Wanting to make their dad’s dream come true of seeing the Sedan Delivery completed, Doerfler’s three sons stepped in and took over the project.

Under his sons’ direction, the Sedan Delivery underwent three months of body work and two months of interior work, giving the car a pristine appearance and some special interior features like a painted dash, speakers in the kick panels, ‘56 Bel Air armrests, custom side panels, LED lighting and four bucket seats.

“One day, they said ‘Let’s go for a ride,’ and we pull up at a body shop and it was sitting out front,” said Doerfler. 

For their work on this gorgeous ride, Doerfler would like to thank Keyo and his crew at Economy Chrome Plating; Randy Joslin of Pink Oklahoma for his work on the interior; Chris Kato for all his help on the firewall, hood, and driveline; Clyde Percy of Ron’s Metal Works for his work on the paint and body; and his family- sons Brent, Josh and Randy, and his wife of 40 years, Darla. “Without them, this dream would have not happened,” Doerfler shared.

Proud Papa

Clad in Prowler Orange with Gold Pearl and Gold Flake added in for some pop, and details sprayed in Silver, the Sedan Delivery now sits virtually complete.

Along the sides, you’ll find most of the car’s original chrome apart from the brightwork that graces the quarter panels. The car also features power steering and a working dome light, something the car never had in its decades with the Doerflers.

While Doerfler may not be able to drive the car, he still enjoys it to the fullest, going to cruise-ins and riding along in it with his wife behind the wheel.

In the future, Doerfler wants to put a Vintage Air system under the Delivery’s dash, as well as tweak the rearend, put in a 700r4 transmission, equip it with tune-port fuel injection, and give it bigger wheels (18s and 20s rather than the current 15s). “And then in my opinion it’s done,” Doerfler said.

A project vehicle is always special to its owner, but when the vehicle is completed by an entire family as a gift of love, it holds a deeper value. Doerfler knows this very well and will forever hold his ’56 especially close to his heart because of it.

For more on Doerfler’s ’56 Chevy, check out the photo GALLERY below.