The late 1940s to mid-50s Chevy pickups set a high bar for the competitors. They were bulletproof because you couldn’t kill the straight-six engine under the hood. Chevy trucks from this era were rugged, clean-looking, reliable workhorses and they still have a cult following to this day. Terry Parsons got in on the Chevy truck fan base early because he’s owned his 1949 bowtie since ’79. This truck has undergone 4 restorations over that period of time but this one is definitely the last.
Terry grew up in the hobby thanks to his dad (Alfred) but Alfred freely admits his son has gone far beyond what he taught him. Terry literally did everything on this truck over the course of 7 years.
This Chevy had a few heart transplants over the years including an Olds engine then it sat for about 15-20 years.
Terry had a clear vision for his ’49 Chevy—it was designed to be an amazing combination of driveability, custom touches and engineering plus a large add-on in the form of a hand built custom teardrop trailer.
This truck has so many unique features the list would be longer than a bar tab for six hundred New York Yankees fans. There’s a fuel-injected LS1 under the hood with a number of computer upgrades that tweaks this brute up to 417 horsepower on the dyno.
Terry is the kind of guy who really plays a chess game in a project so this ’49 Chevy has a number of fail-safe features. This is an air ride vehicle so it has a built-in air pump with a hose to inflate the air bags if there’s a problem.
Terry also has built-in booster cables under the seat should he or fellow car guys have a problem.
There’s a custom console up top for the power windows because Terry thought it was more practical and a lot cooler.
Terry ran all his plumbing through a custom conduit on the truck and in the trailer so everything is hidden—including the custom trailer hitch. He liked the cleaner look plus the conduit is a practical solution to all that new wiring and air systems.The seats are from the second row of a Cadillac SRX SUV and they look great in a ’49 Chevy cab and they look like they were factory-fitted.
Terry wanted a more discrete location for the gas filler so it’s built into built into the box rail. There is no such thing as too much detail in Terry’s world.
This truck has directional signal lights built right into the mirrors because that’s not only a good safety feature–it’s a very cool idea.
This truck would be enough to satisfy even the pickiest observer but Terry didn’t stop there. He wanted accommodation on the road and most factory built teardrop trailers couldn’t accommodate taller people so he built one to his own specs (a guy well over 6 feet tall).
Terry’s trailer has a TBT emblem to symbolize the theme—“Trailer by Terry”. This is a very visible unit so you actually notice it long before you see the ’49 Chevy that pulls it. Terry actually had to let the air out of his tires to get it out of the garage because of clearance issues. This is a completely hand-built trailer done to exacting standards with a large list of custom touches that make it the most unique teardrop trailer on the planet.
This truck and trailer combination is a blend of Tim “the Toolman” Taylor and Star Trek so it’s absolutely amazing.
The only issue is the sheer size of the trailer. Terry is going to add sway bars to the rear of the ’49 Chevy because this monster tends to become a little wayward in a strong wind.
Terry built this truck to be a driver and he’s put about 2500 miles on it since it debuted in its new and vastly improved form and every mile has been a great mile.
That’s the appeal of a ’49 Chevy and a trailer built for NBA players.
Jerry Sutherland
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