There is no doubt that all car guys are influenced at a young age. Be it from the myriad of Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars we collected, the guidance given by an adult, or a combination of both, it’s safe to say that we all caught “the bug” at an early age. Kirk Peterson is no different, as he told us, “I have always loved cars. The style and lines of Chevrolet’s cars/trucks made in the ‘50s were my favorites. I got hooked when I saw the yellow ’57 Chevy in American Graffiti.”

Notice anything strange about the headlight area? The “eyebrows” have been stretched farther forward over the light.

Fast forward several years, and Kirk has seen a few cars and trucks come and go, but when he found this particular ’57, the next project was underway. “I found this truck in in 1992, sitting in the woods in Mossy Head, Florida. The owner said I could have it for $2,500 but I talked him down to $2,000. It had a six-cylinder engine, and a three speed transmission. The truck was initially built for the US Navy, and It was my work truck for my landscape company through 1993.”

In 1994, Kirk was bitten by the car show bug, and he painted it a Pearl White and Fire Engine Red. It was during this phase in the truck’s life that Kirk met Chopper Henson who put him on the path of really customizing the truck. “I had a background in welding, so I began making some serious changes. The original style and lines were great, but I wanted something really different, a one-of-a-kind show truck.”

At the time Kirk was modifying his hauler, chopping the top  1 and 2 inches was commonplace, so he went big, and cut 4 inches out of the truck’s height. The more Kirk started to modify the truck, the more he found that could be modified. He added suicide doors, a floating grill, rolled front pan, molding the fenders, and the list grew as the project went on.

While the bodywork was underway, he bought a 1994 LT1 Corvette that had been totaled, but the engine and transmission were still good. It had 3,500 miles on it, and made the perfect engine for the swap. According to Kirk, “Mark Campbell of Street and Performance worked with me to optimize the engine performance, and Mike at ABC Automotive in Niceville, Florida, helped me with the final touches on the engine.

The ID tag issued by the Navy and attached to the truck while in service.

The original chassis was modified by “Grinder Bob” of Pace, Florida, who then set the engine on the frame. The rear suspension is a four link, and the 9-inch rear has 3.73 gears. The front suspension is a Heidt’s system with a power-assisted rack-and-pinion, and the chassis is powder-coated. The ride is also adjustable, thanks to AirRide Technologies.

After the body and chassis modifications were completed, it was time to pull the project together. “I worked with StripMasters, Inc. of Milton, Florida, to complete the wiring, final body prep, and paint.” Kirk continued, “I knew that the paint had to add dimension to the already sleek body, so my wife Diana and I chose a Lamborghini Blue. Lamborghini uses a white base under this color, but I wanted the blue to be more prominent, and using a sliver-gray base did the trick.”

The centerpiece of the custom interior is the Dakota Digital gauge cluster.

The interior is just as great-looking as the exterior, and according to Kirk, his wife was instrumental with the design of the interior, and Suncoast Creations of Foley, Alabama, gets the credit for putting it all together.

Talk about easy access.

Like happens so many times, Kirk was not able to work at a continuous pace, “Time outs due to lack of cash, health problems and/or adding features, stretched the project out over 15 years,” he says. For years, many of Kirk’s friends considered the truck to be nothing more than a pipe dream, but after a lot of setbacks, color changes (from two tone to solid), and redesigns, his dreams have come true with this very blue ‘57 Chevy hauler.

If there is one thing that Kirk is grateful, it is that his wife Diana participates at all the shows. “I know she loves this truck as much as I do. We’ve been together for 16 years, and the completion of our truck is a testament to our great relationship.”

Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heros? All you need to do is click here. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since we’ve started the Home-Built Heros series, we have received more than a few candidates, but we are still in need of more. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected].