Photos and Story by Dan Wells

Brad Blomme wanted a third rod to occupy garage floor space along with his 1946 Chevrolet pick-up and 1941 Willys coupe. It was found in August, 2010 through a west-coast car & truck broker, The Rod God, run by Mike Herrick. Blomme had acquired his Willys from Herrick, but this time the tin toy of choice was a 1955 Chevy pick-up that had undergone major reconstructive surgery.

Titman first built the stock-based ’55 when he was just 16, in the early 1970s, in the south Surrey district of White Rock. “He’s built many rods since, but that was his first,” said Herrick, then of the same area and hot rod past time. It was primer black then, as it is once again. It was even raced on a Seattle track, where Titman attained 10.9s---this with a tweaked six-cylinder mill!

The truck from his teens was dragged-out from behind the chicken shack and brought home. Before too long, Titman would create a vehicle that would create a scene wherever seen. “He’s got a vision that nobody else has,” said Herrick. It took a year of infrequent yet diligent work sessions to complete the project.

A master metalsmith, Titman forms his own body panels, and builds his own frames and suspensions. Everything on the Chev was hand-made. Over 2,000 hours of passion and purpose went into the project truck. “The whole thing has to be right, or it won’t leave his property,” said Herrick.

The cab was narrowed 16” by Titman, shortened, chopped & sectioned.  A self-made, peaked grille shell and grille sit before a wide-open engine topped by a novel air cleaner   unit wearing a matching grille. The bumper is a work of art in itself.

The metal magic continues behind the cab. A specially-fabricated box houses the narrowed stock tailgate---missing a couple of letters to spell CHEVOLE’ and meant to be said in a manner of speaking lazy or unable to pronounce Chevrolet proper.  “The boards in the box floor are from the chicken coupe beside where the truck sat for decades,” said Herrick.

Close-mount, cycle-style fenders provide nominal protection from water and debris. Instead of a typical Z’d frame with sharp angles, Titman fashioned his with graceful curves, and fitted four-corner adjustable air ride to cushion the ride of the new version of his old truck.

Tremclad semi-gloss black paint coats the sheet metal, the sides lined with red pinstripes.  The stock gauge cluster was centrally-mounted in a smartly-styled interior upholstered and painted beige. Chrome smoothies and bias-ply wide-whites complete the Happy Days look.