1954 Pickup - Bullseye 
Johnny & Frances Edmundson's '54 Chevy-More Than Meets The Eye
By The CT Staff
Some people build classic cars and trucks to make ends meet, while others build them in their spare time out of pure enjoyment, which just as often puts a strain on keeping those ends together month after month. Above and beyond making a living or even making that living more enjoyable, there are those who do this crazy thing we do to help benefit others, people like Johnny and Frances Edmundson. While the couple's side project, rods & Originals in sweetwater, Tennessee, is a money-making venture, its numberone goal was purely selfless: to raise funds for juvenile diabetes (100 percent of the proceeds generated from an annual car show are donated to the Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation). It's nice to see nobility still alive in our hobby, isn't it?
It's through rod & Originals that the Edmundsons not only get to enjoy beautiful creations such as this '54 Chevy 3100, but they also get to offer them to others as well. Though their main modus operandi is in the housing manufacturing industry, the couple devotes much of their spare time (and assumably spare income to boot) to orchestrating the construction of some fine vintage tin, most notably the "masked" truck they refer to as shooter. This isn't their first truck to be featured on the pages of this magazine, as some may recall a nice little nostalgia number called Orange Destiny we ran not too many moons ago. This one, however, is quite the opposite, with its obvious lean toward a modern-influenced build style.
Shooter started in pieces back in the summer of 2005. The Edmundson's first major decision was opting to go with an earlier front end, as they preferred the more deco-like look of the '48-53 grille over the '54's factory-equipped version (an opinion it seems is shared by others, too). The sheetmetal work was performed at Craig's Hot rod shop in knoxville, Tennessee; the bodywork and paint were handled by Cumming's Custom Classics in Marysville, Tennessee. Along with a tasteful choice of chromed 16-inch American five-spokes, the choice of color (PPG stone silver) is a perfect complement for the subtly modified exterior. On the inside, however, things are a bit brighter thanks to Pro Auto Interior in knoxville, who plastered the guts of the cab with Lipstick red leather, the ideal hot rod contrast for the truck.
Obviously, there's more to this '54 than paint and interior, but you gotta start somewhere. shooter's stock foundation has been updated with a Fatman IFs, a Posi rearend, and a small-block 350 backed by a 4L60 overdrive (which, as Johnny stated, was installed so "Frances wouldn't be turning too many rpm when running down the interstate!"). remaining incidentals to comfort cruising include an ididit tilt column, TEA's Design bench seat, kenwood stereo, and obligatory Vintage Air climate controls.
Whether or not the Edmundsons keep the old truck for the long haul or send 'er down the road remains to be seen. But if shooter ever does find itself with a new owner, we can all rest assured that more than one diabetes-stricken youth will be quite thankful.
| Facts & Figures |
| Johnny & Frances Edmundson |
| Athens, Tennessee |
| 1954 Chevy 3100 |
| CHASSIS |
| FRAME: | stock |
| MODIFICATIONS: | new crossmembers |
| REAREND: | 9" Posi |
| REAR SUSPENSION: | parallel leaf |
| REAR BRAKES: | drum |
| FRONT SUSPENSION: | Fatman IFS |
| FRONT BRAKES: | ECI disc |
| STEERING: | rack-and-pinion |
| FRONT WHEELS: | American, 16x6 |
| REAR WHEELS: | American, 16x8 |
| FRONT TIRES: | BFGoodrich, 235/60R16 |
| REAR TIRES: | BFGoodrich, 265/70R16 |
| GAS TANK: | stainless |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| ENGINE: | Chevy 350 |
| MACHINING / ASSEMBLY: | Hinkle Machine, London, KY |
| HEADS: | iron |
| VALVE COVERS: | early script-style |
| MANIFOLD / INDUCTION: | stock / Holley 650 |
| IGNITION: | HEI |
| EXHAUST / MUFFLERS: | ram's horns / Turbo |
| TRANSMISSION: | GM 4L60 |
| SHIFTER: | Lokar |
| BODY |
| STYLE: | 3100 5-window |
| MODIFICATIONS: | Craig's Hot Rod Shop, Knoxville, TN |
| FENDERS FRONT / REAR: | stock |
| HOOD: | '48-53, nosed |
| GRILLE: | '48-53 |
| BED: | Dan Carpenter |
| BODYWORK & PAINT: | Cumming's Custom Classics, Marysville, TN |
| PAINT TYPE / COLOR: | PPG / Stone Silver |
| HEADLIGHTS / TAILLIGHTS: | stock |
| BUMPERS: | stock front, '48-53 rear |
| INTERIOR |
| DASHBOARD: | stock, smoothed |
| GAUGES: | Classic Instruments |
| AIR CONDITIONING: | Vintage Air |
| STEREO: | Kenwood |
| STEERING WHEEL: | Lecarra Mark 10 |
| STEERING COLUMN: | ididit |
| SEAT: | TEA's Design |
| UPHOLSTERY BY: | Pro Auto Interior, Knoxville, TN |
| MATERIAL / COLOR: | leather / Lipstick Red |
| CARPET: | red wool |
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