1954 Pontiac Chieftain - Super Chief

To get the car rolling, the stock GTO IRS and rearend packed with 3.46:1 cogs were detailed and reinstalled along with a set of Megan Racing coilover shocks for crisper handling. Up front, the stock GTO IFS MacPherson strut suspension was detailed and tweaked by a pair of Megan Racing coilover shocks linked to factory spindles and rack-and-pinion steering. Taming the beast is easy with fluid pushed through steel lines to factory four-wheel disc brakes. Adding plenty of dazzle to the mix, a set of 18-inch front and 19-inch rear Rushforth Rated-X series wheels shod with Michelin rubber sets a killer stance. When it comes to power, Pontiac gave the GTO plenty of hustle by bolting in an injected LS2 V-8 generating 400 hp linked to a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission. To add even more punch to the party, ATI ProCharger stepped up and provided one of their twin-intercooled ProCharger systems. Installed by Derek White at Street Visions in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, the engine was then dialed in by Dale Cherry at the Injection Connection in Horsham, Pennsylvania, who dynoed it to a very respectable 600 hp screaming through a custom exhaust system by Back Bay and complemented by mufflers from Pypes of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Everyone knows if you’re building a custom, you had better get your proportions perfect. The team of Clayman and Berry from Back Bay injected plenty of visual impact into the coupe by first chopping the top 3 inches followed by extending the forward section of the rear tailfins by 7 inches. They continued by pie-cutting the hood 1-3/4 inches, shaving the body side trim, adding a ’53 Pontiac grille, shaving and reshaping the bumpers, and reworking the taillights to accept ’50 Pontiac units. Finally, the sheetmetal was massaged by Clayman then handed over to team member Rick Flynn who prepped the body to perfection before laying down a lustrous coating of DuPont black cherry pearl vibe.

With the car entering the final assembly stages it was time to focus on creating an interior to match the car’s newfound personality. To bring cutting-edge technology into the interior, the Back Bay team created a fresh upper dash from sheetmetal and incorporated the GTO’s mid and lower dash in place with all of the factory instrumentation as well as utilizing the floor shift and console. The car was then delivered to GilliN Custom Design in Middletown, New York, for an amazing transformation in just nine short days. Yards of butter-soft cream leather wrapped modified GTO front buckets and custom rear bucket seats in a classic design. Door panels, seat backs, and the headliner were then treated to complementing cream suede along with just enough black cherry carpet to accent the color scheme. The final icing came from the team at Serious about Sound in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, who deftly matched the factory Bose head unit with amps, speakers, and trunk-mounted subwoofers from Massive Audio. The completed car is breathtaking and a true testament to the hard work of dedicated individuals who rallied together for a great cause.

You still have a chance to buy a raffle ticket at www.northeastcustomcarshow.com to try and win the car till Mar. 15, 2012, or you can buy a ticket the weekend of the drawing at the North East Rod & Custom Car Show, in Philadelphia Mar. 23-25, 2012. With 100 percent of the proceeds going to Operation Homefront, it’s a great opportunity to help our troops.