Lucky Green

The age old expression, “If these walls could talk…” always brings ups the fondest memories and the thoughts of past times. Times of the good ol’ days shared in fear of memories forgotten, only to live on as powerful as those who appreciated them in the first place. In the instance for us gear heads, it is more than just the walls that could talk. It’s the bench seat we all learned how to drive on, it’s the memory of missing that 3rd gear shift for the first time and wondering if you’ll make it home based off the sound you heard. For Danny Diaz and his ’53 Chevy Pickup, it’s the cruises through town with his family that take him back to the days when him and his dad drove it. Started as a typical, family-style pickup –  the truck was originally optioned with the 3-speed on the column and frequented the hardware store, the local market, or the plant nursery to pick up some fresh foliage for the house. Fast forward 18 years later and the truck has sprung back into style with a whole new look.

Let’s get the obvious question out of the way: Commando Green by PPG Paint, courtesy of Yarils Customs –  At least that’s the first question Danny gets asked every time he takes the truck out. To start, let’s call the truck by it’s proper name “Lucky Green.” Sitting on an ’94 S-10 Chassis, this truck is living proof that “bags & wheels” make a significant difference in the look of your truck. Managed by Accuair’s e-Level system, you’ll find a four-link setup in the rear with a panhard bar, as it should be. To keep it simple, a factory 327 cubic inch block was left in the truck, complimented by a Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold mated to their AVS2 series carburetor. Running on the stock cam and internals, the green ’53 has put the March Performance pulleys through their paces. Danny chose to swap out the three-on-the-tree and it’s lack of re-verse lock-out for a 700R4 and a rear-end out of a ’68 Camaro with 3.08 gears to make cruising to the local shows a little bit more enjoyable. Keeping the shoes classic on this 68-year-old dream, smoothies and Coker White-Walls are period-correct for this build.

Moving on to the interior, this is where the nostalgia kicks it up a couple notches. Danny chose a ’51 Chevy DeLuxe dashboard, a ’53 Buick Steering Wheel, and modified the original bench seat with 4-inch pleats to put a unique look and feel to the interior. For the longer hauls, the truck is fully equipped with a Rockford Fosgate/Kicker audio throughout the truck, hidden out of sight to keep the truck feelin’ ’53. All of the exterior and interior chrome components were brought back to life and the interior was completed by Rivero.

When considering parts for this build, not only did Danny not spare any expense, but the partners in this build have found a new favorite ‘53 in town that’s here to stay. What’s special about this truck is that at any particular time of day, you’d find Danny and his family showing the truck together. This truck was once a part of Danny’s childhood and growing-up. Now it’s grown to be a staple in the Diaz family and you can tell by the fit and finish of every inch of the truck.

So with every memory that lived on in Danny’s childhood with this truck being a part of his life, he’s breathed new life into the truck, given it a fresh paint job, and updated it with the most tasteful mods to keep it as timeless as it should be. Now, we all are thankful for Danny and the Diaz family for revamping this truck for us all to enjoy, but he has a few people he’d like to thank for helping along the road with this build through the years. First and foremost, his wife Yosi, and his three children Lily, Jacob, & Noah –  their support at the shows and making the cruises to the car shows that much more enjoyable; Special thanks to his brother Robert, Yaril at Yaril’s Customs.