Brandon Arnold is one of those hot rod lovers who lives by the credo of “built, not bought.” A born and raised gearhead from Bentonville, Arkansas, the man has his father and grandfather to thank for introducing and shaping his life’s extracurricular passion. “My first car related memory was going to drag races with my dad,” said Arnold. “I would say that my dad is my biggest influence, since he’s the one that got me involved with cars. He’s always been a go fast muscle car guy and that rubbed off on me as well.”

Arnold lives his days as a firefighter, but in his free time, it’s this 1955 Chevy coupe that grabs his attention. His approach to the build has been one of careful and meticulous detail, as he’s learned over the years to never rush things and hope for the best: “The most important lesson I’ve learned building cars is to take your time and think things through. If you get in a hurry there’s a good possibility something will get messed up.”

Paying $5,000 for the car, Arnold envisioned a low and slow ride that would turn heads and drop jaws no matter where he went. “What motivates me when building is taking a car that is broke down, wore out, rusted, and just a pile and turning it into something that is nice and eye catching,” he said. “Seeing the finished product and the owner’s faces when you get finished is always a good feeling also.”

In the beginning, the Tri-Five was nowhere near perfect. Arnold had to replace the floor pans, inner and outer rocker panels, floor braces, quarter panels, tail pan, and patches in the roof. “The total cost of the build is close to $100,000 now,” he said. “Replacing all that metal was by far the most stressful part about it, but I can’t argue with the results.”

Taking just over a year to get the car fixed up, Arnold considers the car to be a finished piece, with just a few bugs that still need working out. The Chevy now rides on an Art Morrison G-Force chassis, channelling power from the LT1 V8 to a 4L60 transmission (both from a ’94 Z/28 Camaro) to a Ford 9-inch rearend and out to 15×7 smoothie wheels wrapped in BFG 255/70 wide white tires. Stopping power is provided by discs on all four wheels courtesy of Wilwood.

The body underwent serious changes to get it to fit all the new parts and components. “I smoothed the firewall, shaved the cowl vent, and extended the inner fenders to the back of the engine bay,” said Arnold. “I also tucked in the bumpers and smoothed out the dashboard, giving it a billet insert and Dakota Digital VHX gauges.”

Passengers can admire the craftsmanship of the interior from the comfort of white, tucked-and-rolled factory seats that were reupholstered by McClelland Upholstery. Meanwhile, Arnold can pump up the beats thanks to custom made housings for 4×6 and 9×6 speakers, with space for an eight-inch subwoofer in the trunk. Air conditioning is provided by a Vintage Air unit.

It’s fair to say that Arnold really took this Chevy all the way with his build, but he couldn’t have done it on his own. “I owe thanks to my dad, as well as my wife for supporting me and my dreams,” he said. “Also, I would like to thank Ray Pearce, owner of R&R Streetrods, for giving me the opportunity to show my artistic side.”