Pro Street Beast: Dennis Deveau’s ’57 Chevy Is Blowing It Big Time

dennisdeveauleadartThe old saying “good things take time” applies to many different ideas, including project cars. Dennis Deveau’s 1957 Chevy two door hard top is a dream car of his that took decades to make a reality. The results speak for themselves, because this car is a work of rolling art that goes big in every aspect from its big tires out back, to the enormous blower motor up front.

Unlike a silent piece of art that hangs in a museum, this beauty was created to make the sweet sounds of horsepower while looking good.IMG_0984

Dennis, who has been a resident of Long Island for most of his life, has always been fascinated with cars and anything motorized. “My passion for cars started when I was 11 years old, I loved to build toy model cars in my spare time. Ever since then, I was always fascinated by them and knew one day I would recreate that cars I built,” he says.

After going through the typical trials and tribulations life offers, Dennis was ready to start building the cars he dreamed of as a kid. “At 28, I had finally saved up enough money to make my dream come true.  I built a Model T into an old school T-Bucket. That was the first of four cars I custom built over the years, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” explains Dennis.

The next project Dennis started on was a bit more radical, but it was helping prepare him for the ’57 Chevy that was in his future. “After the T-Bucket, I moved on to my second project, a 1933 Ford Sedan Delivery. This was a pro street, fuel injected, big block Chevy-based build. The Ford went on to win many awards wherever I showed it,” he says.

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The fabrication and paint work on the 1957 Chevy look so natural you would think it came from GM like this.

When Dennis says he showed the car all over, he was not exaggerating at all. He traveled to many car shows, including Goodguys events in Columbus, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Rhinebeck, and countless shows all over Long Island. In the process of his travels and shows, Dennis logged an impressive 30,000 miles on his build, so it was a driver to say the least.

Dennis enjoyed the ’33 Ford, but he always wanted to build his dream car, and once he took care of a few things in life the time was close. “After putting my two girls through college, I decided to build my dream car, 1957 Chevy 2 door hard top,” says Dennis.

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With a the blown big block making over 1,300 to the wheels the parachute and wing will come in handy for Dennis at the track.

So, after a referral from a friend on Long Island in 2004, Dennis was able to purchase the car that he would transform into one of the most wicked 1957 Chevy pro street cars you will ever see. Over the next 10 years Dennis and his friends would take a blank slate, and convert it into a blown work of rolling street art.

The first thing that grabs your attention with Dennis’ ride is the giant chrome blower that is sitting on the McBetts Racing Engines built big block Chevy. The massive mill measures over 557 cubic inches, plus it has a healthy 4.500-inch x 4.375-inch bore and stroke.

To support the power goals Dennis had in mind, McBetts added a rotating assembly that includes a Crower crankshaft, JE Pistons, and Cower billet steel connecting rods. The final compression ratio of the big block is a very boost friendly 8.5:1.

The motor in Dennis's car gets your attention with its looks and sounds.

Helping the big blower motor produce the ponies is a set of aluminum Brodix BB 2-Xtra heads that got a full CNC port job from McBetts. Filling the heads with quality parts was a priority, so McBetts used intake and exhaust valves from Manley, along with a 1.7 ratio Crower stainless steel shaft rocker arm system. A solid roller camshaft from Comp Cams that has a 277/292 duration, 800 lift, and 114 LSA gives the big block its massive stop light lope.

Making sure the big motor stays nice and lubricated is important, so Dennis used some top shelf parts to support this goal. A Melling oil pump keeps all the dyno juice flowing throughout the motor, while a Moroso oil pan keeps the bottom end of the motor nice and happy on each trip Dennis takes.

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The candy apply blue looks perfect on this 1957 Chevy.

Sitting on top of the big rat motor is a 10-71 Littlefield blower that gives the classic Chevy its insane sound profile. The blower pumps all of the boosted air into the motor with help from a Hillborn injection setup and blower hat.

Parts from Bosch and Weldon keep the fuel flowing to the 120 lbs. injectors, while a full complement of MSD ignition parts keep fire going inside the cylinders, with a MSD 7AL-3 box leading the charge. Glenn Hunter provides the tune up into the BigStuff3 computer that keeps all the engine parts working in unison.

If you’re going to dump a big cubic inch blower motor that makes over 1,300 hp into a street car, you better make sure the driveline behind it can take the abuse, Dennis took care of that by using some beefy parts. Behind the big blower combo is a fully built Lenco five speed to help keep the 57 nice and street worthy, while soaking up all the power Dennis can lay down when he whomps the loud pedal. A McLeod dual disk clutch assists in transferring the power to the four inch chromoly drive shaft as the classic Chevy rolls down the road.

When Dennis needed the chassis and suspension work done, he put the car in the very capable hands of Tommy V, owner of Super Pro Performance. The first thing Tommy did was fabricate a wicked, custom nine-inch rear end for the car that uses Moser Engineering 40-spline axles and a 3.89 gear set. Tommy also did a masterful job with the rest of the chassis, including the 8.50 certified jungle gym of bars that features a funny car cage.

The perfect stance for a Pro Street beast.

The perfect stance for a Pro Street beast.

For the front suspension things are kept simple with Mustang 2 tubular control arms, QA1 shocks and QA1 springs, along with a manual rack and pinion steering setup. The fabricated rear end is attached to the car via a four link and wishbone suspension combo that features QA1 shocks and springs just like the front.

Dennis’s Chevy rolls on a full set of Weld Racing wheels that are wrapped in Goodyear 205 x 75 x 15 rubber up front, and some massive Hoosier 33 x 22.5 x 15 meats in the rear for both street and strip duty. To bring the car to a halt and improve braking Dennis went with Wilwood brakes all around the car.

On the outside, when Dennis got the car the body was in okay shape, so that gave Victor Leal the chance to take the original red color and swap it out for a custom candy apple blue hue. The rain gutters and door handles were shaved, while the rear wing was added for stability when Dennis took the car to the track.

IMG_1102Don “Figgie” Figgliozzi did some killer airbrushing with the graphics and emblems on the car adding the details Dennis wanted. Bob Toby and Whitey put in some big effort doing fabrication work and body modifications that included the wing, steering console, tin work in engine compartment and much more.

The details and quality of work continue inside the car starting with that bright red leather interior from Lang’s Custom Auto Interiors. The dash is now home to a Racepak digital unit that replaces all of the stock gauges that came from the factory. Larry “Googleman” Feynman and Tommy V double teamed all of the electronics installation plus wiring for Dennis.

The red leather interior really sets off the car and goes well with the blue exterior

Dennis understood that a build like this was going to be a huge task, and is thankful for those who aided him. “I really want to thank my friends for their assistance and help. Without them, this car would have never been completed. Tommy V, owner of Super Pro Performance for his input and expertise in building the car, along with Bob Toby and Whitey for their amazing, detailed fabrication.”

Dennis’s Chevy is a piece of motorized artwork that any gearhead would kill to have. This car is the personification of American muscle, from the rowdy blower motor up front, to the giant pro street tires in the rear, so there is no mistaking what this car was built for. All of the effort that Dennis put into his 1957 Chevy paid off, with a dream that he turned into a reality, even if it took some time.

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About the author

Brian Wagner

Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. Brian enjoys anything loud, fast, and fun.
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