Street Feature: Aaron Davidson’s ZZ Top Inspired ’55 Chevy

ad55-10Aaron Davidson of Arlington, Tennessee, built this 1955 Chevrolet in memory of his father who passed away during the build. Aaron’s dad, Tommy Davidson, bought the car for $1,600 in the late ‘60s and started the restoration about twenty years ago.

Then he went a different direction and built a ’36 Chevy pickup instead. “Around 1998, I decided to buy the car from my dad so that I would still be able to restore it,” Aaron told us. “In 2012, my dad became ill and passed away rather quickly. Before he passed away, his wish was that I finished the car, so I did.”

With a serious sense of ambition and the weight of his father’s wish on his shoulders, Aaron continued to build the car. Aaron knew what he wanted when he was working on the build. “When I began to plan the re-build, I knew I wanted it to look good and it HAD to be fast,” he said.

This build features a 700 horsepower 383 cubic-inch stroker motor with Arias pistons, a roller camshaft, aluminum heads, MSD ignition, and a Vortech centrifugal supercharger. The drivetrain is followed up with a Richmond six-speed transmission and Ford 9-inch positraction rearend with 35 spline axles.

A four-link rear suspension system has been added for better control with a roll cage from Chassiworks for safety. He did all of the work on the build except the engine and suspension work which was done by Snell Automotive in Bartlett, Tennessee.

ad55-08The fuel system is all Aeromotive and includes a 20 gallon fuel cell, Stealth electric fuel pump, boost reference regulator and ½-inch fuel lines that all lead up to a seriously powerful 850cfm Holley Demon carburetor. All of the gauges are Auto Meter and include additional instrumentation for boost and air/fuel mixture readings.

He has also added Vintage Air A/C to improve comfort on those long drives. This 1955 Chevrolet is a comfortable cruiser with air conditioning that can run the quarter mile in the low 10’s.

In regards to driving vs trailering, Aaron told us, “It has always been driven and never hauled on a trailer. I feel that if you can’t enjoy driving it, then why build it?” We couldn’t agree more with that sentiment. He’s put close to 2,000 miles on it with plans for many more.

“Although I would give anything for him to be able to see the finished product, whenever I take the car out I know that I’ve got a little piece of him still with me,” Aaron told us. “I would like to give a special thanks to Corky Green and Danny Cianciola for helping me complete this project.”

Aaron reached out and told us about his impressive car. We’d love to see the kind of cars that you are driving, so don’t hesitate to send us some pictures and a few details on your car. It might just end up being Street Featured, just like Aaron’s ’55.

1200-24If you want your car or truck to be a part of our Street Feature series, all you have to do is shoot us an email and tell us about your ride and we will make it happen.

About the author

Kyler Lacey

A 2015 Graduate from Whitworth University, Kyler has always loved cars. He grew up with his dad's '67 Camaro in the garage and started turning wrenches at a young age. At seventeen, he bought his first classic, a '57 Chevy Bel Air four-door, and has since added a '66 Plymouth Valiant and '97 Cadillac Deville to his collection. When he isn't writing for Power Automedia, he's out shooting pictures at car shows, hiking in the forests of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, or working on something in the garage.
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