STORY BY AL ANDERSON

     One of the coolest vanity plates I’ve seen is on Matt Hayes ’53 Chev. His MAT FINK plate says it all: Hayes is a fan of Ed Roth and of rods that are not mainstream. Although Hayes is now only 26 years old, he is, as his father says, “caught in the ’50s and ’60s.” The ’53 is now the epitome of it didn’t have “it” until Hayes rubbed some of his magic on it.
     When he bought the car (for a jaw-dropping $3,200) in 2005, it “sort of had the same look . . . but it was crude,” says Hayes. The lowdown on the ’53’s initial lowdown was as simple as torched springs. “It rode and handled just like you would expect...rough,” says Hayes.  Back then, when it was powered by a Blue Flame six backed up by a Powerglide the ’53 had low and slow nailed.
     In 2007, Hayes decided to add his own touches to the car which included an exterior colour change.  The car is now painted very close to the Horizon Blue and white that was available from the factory in 1953. Steve at Hamilton’s Bay Front Collision handled paint work. The white leather interior, stitched by Gold Star Upholstery of Hamilton really punches up the curb appeal of this impressive unit. It’s also hard to overlook the 32 inch Lokar shifter that now handles gear changes with style. Speaking of style, check out the wolf head shifter knob on the ’53 – outstanding!
     The stitched tonneau cover masks the back seat delete. Hayes said that the extra driveshaft clearance needed for this low rider would have made back seat space limited at best. Deleting the back seat also left ample room for “kickin’ speakers.”
    Suspension modifications (after ditching the torched springs) include a Mustang II front end, with power steering and brakes, with Air RideTechnology up front and a four link rear suspension. A 10-bolt Chevy rear end is tucked into the C-notched frame. The Blue Flame six was ditched in favour of a nicely powered SBC that carries a Caddy breather, finned valve covers, ceramic coated headers and an Edelbrock 4 barrel carb. Stainless dual exhaust was installed during the ’07 rebuild.  Painted steelies with repro Lancer hubcaps carry 205/75R15 Coker tires all the way around.
     The smile on this ’53 got more bling with the addition of four extra teeth. Door handles, trunk lid and stone guards were all shaved off. Lee lenses in ’54 taillight housings are a subtle but cool change to the rear of the ’53.  Like A Bomb, pinstriping by Burlington’s Ron Gibbs certainly adds to the period look.  The ’53 is his daily driver but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it placed among the Top 10 customs at the 2008 Goodguys Columbus, OH meet.
     The plates pay homage to Ed Roth and you can bet Big Daddy would have approved.